MaryAnne has been my client for more than a year now. She is a senior at one of the local high schools, and she has been a swell client who I always enjoy having her in my chair. So I owe her the BIGGEST apology because, as it turns out, I am a total loser!

Last week she was in for her fill and was nice enough to bring me one of her senior portraits. After I finished her nails, I turned the photo over. Since she hadn't written anything on the back of it, I started to write her name and the name of her high school. As I'm doing this she starts laughing at me and says, "You don't know my last name!"

I was totally taken by surprise. I said, "yuh huh! It's ALBRIGHT." This is what I've had as her last name ever since she made her first appointment back in July of 2007. Well, it turns out, her name isn't "Albright" at all. Close, but no cigar.

Oops.

In fact, it turned out I had never managed to collect her personal information. I didn't have her address or home phone number or birthday or anything that I normally keep in my client records. She doesn't have a checking account, and she's never paid with one of her parents' checks.

I guess I misheard her when she told me her last name on the phone over a year ago, and since it seemed easy enough, I didn't even bother to have her spell it. Which I normally do — even when a name sounds really simple, just to avoid this exact situation!

Hopefully MaryAnne forgives me.