[LINK] A wildly off-topic and doubtless already-done conversationabout words (was Re: Smartcard mooted for federal welfare payments)

[Jan Whitaker]

At 12:01 PM 21/04/2009, Pilcher, Fred wrote:
>I've always defined a "customer" as someone who buys something from you,
>whereas a client is someone to whom you provide a service, whether
>they're paying for it or not.
>
>If I'm alone in that, so be it, but calling welfare recipients
>"customers" just seems wrong to me.

Beneficiaries? Entitlement receiver?

We just had a similar discussion at an au gov meeting. They talked 
about citizens throughout, but their service is as much for people in 
other countries as it is for actual citizens. They didn't have any 
better ideas than 'individuals' or 'people'.

At least a social security or other benefit is a subset and not the 
whole world.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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