Comments on: “Test” Surname and IT tests http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/test-surname/ Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:28:06 +0000 hourly 1 By: testfire http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/test-surname/#comment-63848 testfire Fri, 22 May 2009 02:26:40 +0000 #comment-63848 It has happened again today.
My flights to and from the southwest this summer for our family vacation were mysteriously canceled. I spent 1.5 hours on the phone last night and tonight with Travelocity and USAirways trying to figure out what happened.

Turns out… my flight was canceled because they thought it was one of their internal tests of the ticketing system.

I am now back on my flights but I am in the computer with the last name XTEST. I have been advised to appear at the airport early in case I run into trouble due to the fact that my name on the ticket will not match my name on my ID.

This is driving me completely bananas. Isn’t there a finite number of software companies I could contact to alert them not to do this?

]]> By: kevinbeaver http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/test-surname/#comment-63348 kevinbeaver Fri, 08 May 2009 17:16:49 +0000 #comment-63348 This is very odd! Like Brent said, I’d contact your state’s medical board and even your local post office and see if they have any suggestions. You should also contact consumer guru Clark Howard about this and see what he says. I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of it and be able to provide some more insight.

]]> By: testfire http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/test-surname/#comment-63339 testfire Fri, 08 May 2009 15:15:06 +0000 #comment-63339 It really happened. I spent a lot of time on the phone with a doctor at the hospital. He was incredulous. The dummy accounts are always called JoeTest or TestJunior, or CharlieTest. It just so happened that they used my real last name and somehow the system found the real me! I received prescription asthma medication in the mail. My sister received a sweater from Talbots, and Talbots confirmed that is was an error due to some sort of testing of the system. It was very humorous to me until the insurance claim appeared. I will contact the insurance company again. That may be the best solution – to let them know that this happens sometimes. I don’t want it to appear on my insurance that I have a pre-existing condition that I actually do not have. I may have trouble getting health insurance later. I just wanted to find out how it is possible…
Thanks

]]> By: brentsheets http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/test-surname/#comment-63326 brentsheets Fri, 08 May 2009 13:20:10 +0000 #comment-63326 Moderator Note: Hello Testfire and welcome to IT Knowledge Exchange. If you’re serious – this will be filed in our “Strangest questions posed on ITKE” folder. Seriously, using “Mr. Test” or something is common in marketing campaigns — but I find it difficult to believe that a dummy account could produce a genuine medical prescription or an MRI appointment with a Doctor. In any case, you don’t need to contact the IT dept — but your insurance company and the medical board.

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