Firm sorry for 'Mr. Blind' blunder

I came across this news article today. A man in Hull, England, received a letter from Council contractors addressing him as 'Mr. Blindman'. The company apologised saying the error happened when Mr Harris's disability was mistakenly entered on its database.
The 'Blindman' story did remind me of the urban legend of the man who complained about finding insects in the sleeping compartment of his overnight train. He complained, and then some time later, received a gracious letter from the Director of the company himself, apologizing, and ensuring that this was the first such case, and that his comments would be acted upon, and he was, in fact, contributing to improving the Company's standards. This pleased him immensely, until he found a transcribed note in the envelope: "Send this guy the bug letter!"
There is a danger when we perform repetetive tasks of our brain shutting off, and so we don't pay any attention to what we're doing. Data entry is perhaps the most obvious example, but there are others. A relative of mine owns a wholesale cash and carry business, where many business owners come and spend a long time selecting various luxury items to sell in their own businesses. The amount of time they spent there meant they often had phone calls relayed from their own office to the warehouse. I remember one case where a receptionist switched on the P.A. system and called "Mr. Tierney to reception. Telephone call for Mr. Tierney," followed by a pause, when normally the P.A. would be switched off, and then "...the big fat f---er!" I believe that was her last day in the firm.
I can't remember which one of the institutions in Krakow it is (as a foreigner, I had to register at so many), but occasionally I receive letters addressed to Miss Keith Byrne. This is as much due to the clerk not knowing if 'Keith' is a male or female name as it is to the clerk simply not checking.
The overall effect, however, is the same. There is a feeling that the company providing the service just doesn't care. And nobody wants to stay with a company that doesn't care. At the first opportunity, the client goes to a competitor. In the worst case, the client goes onto the news.
A good rule to follow is, when doing anything that is connected with a client or customer, or that may be seen by somebody outside the company, remember this, and always check, double check, and then check again. The next rule is to treat everything you do as belonging to this group of tasks. You just never know who's listening to you telling someone to send this guy the bug letter!