Black hole observed!

[Gerald H]

(04-17-2015 01:49 PM)walter b Wrote:  Correct. Nevertheless, Dave provides a service (i.e. a forum) for which we're very thankful. OTOH, every service has customers ...

Another example for comparison: I provide a WP 34S Manual Calculation Guide for free as well. Now, any downloader and reader of that guide is my customer. If I won't react on customer requests I'd provide a bad service IMHO.

(It is often said we in Germany live in a so-called "service desert", meaning we call for service but noone cares (or exclusively on Wednesdays between 10:15 and 12:00). There might be such deserts elsewhere as well.)

d:-I

No.

A customer frequents a place of business.

Someone who comes to my home & stays for dinner is a guest, not a customer in English.

In German you say "Kunde" for customer.

Would you call your dinner-guests "Kunden"? Very few English speakers do.

Similarly, someone who frequents a club is a member.

In hospitals English people find patients.

I guess you find only "Kunden" at your dinner table, in a club & in hospital.

In this interchange I consider myself a correspondent......but I guess you'll assert I'm a customer?