IRS is sick of the phone cals

mikea

mikea

Touchdown! Greaser!
Gone West
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iWin
Google Mixup Leads to Tax-Time Nightmare for Tiny Airport

It's almost Tax Day, which means everyone is frantically googling the IRS to figure out how to get an extension. But if you search for "IRS" on Google Maps it leads you to a tiny airport in Michigan. This has caused some problems, it turns out.

...

After some investigation, employees of the airport—Kirsch Municipal Airport in Sturgis, Michigan—found the source of the problem: Kirsch's FAA airport code is IRS, and when you search for "IRS" on Google Maps, it's the first and only thing that comes up. People are apparently too panicked by the prospect of filing their tax return (or extension) on time to realize that the IRS is not headquartered in a town of 10,000 people in southern Michigan

http://gawker.com/#!5792635/google-mixup-leads-to-tax+time-nightmare-for-tiny-airport
Click to expand...


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...t+(IRS),+Sturgis,+Michigan+49091&z=14&iwloc=A
 
And these are the same people that are allowed to vote. Any wonder?
BTW: Read the comment posted yesterday. The guy says "just change your name".
 
I googled variations of IRS including putting Michigan in as one of the search terms and always my top hits were the US Gov and not an airport in MI. How are these rocket scientists getting the airport result? It seems so clear what the real phone number is.
 
ScottM said:
I googled variations of IRS including putting Michigan in as one of the search terms and always my top hits were the US Gov and not an airport in MI. How are these rocket scientists getting the airport result? It seems so clear what the real phone number is.
Click to expand...
Maybe it got fixed, assuming the problem existed as described in the quoted text.
 
ScottM said:
I googled variations of IRS including putting Michigan in as one of the search terms and always my top hits were the US Gov and not an airport in MI. How are these rocket scientists getting the airport result? It seems so clear what the real phone number is.
Click to expand...

The article reads ..... search for "IRS" on Google Maps

See how easy is it to ignore important information and come up with the wrong result. ;)
 
Last edited:
paulj said:
The article reads ..... search for "IRS" on Google Maps

See how easy is it to ignore important information and come up with the wrong result. ;)
Click to expand...

Or you could go way beyond and click on the second link I posted.
 
Everskyward said:
Why would anyone looking for information on an extension use Google Maps?
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Oh, I bet the IQ that leads you to look farther than the 1040 form for the IRS phone number listed on it, is good enough to confuse the search engine with the map function.
Or it could be their default opening window.
Or maybe they figure MAPS means Money And Possible Solutions.

My brother signs his e-mail with a quote attributed to Einstein (but I think wrongly): "There are only two things that are infinite; the universe, and human stupidity. And about the universe, I am not sure."

Go figure.
 
Everskyward said:
Why would anyone looking for information on an extension use Google Maps?
Click to expand...

On Android, I use Google Maps to find every phone number I need.

FWIW - on Android, a Map search for IRS also only shows the airport in Sturgis, MI.
 
jmcsherry said:
Oh, I bet the IQ that leads you to look farther than the 1040 form for the IRS phone number listed on it, is good enough to confuse the search engine with the map function.
Or it could be their default opening window.
Or maybe they figure MAPS means Money And Possible Solutions.
Click to expand...

I've heard that at Google HQ they have a display in the lobby that scrolls in real time what people are searching for on Google.

You'll see search after search for "yahoo" and "google." What? You want mere mortals to understand the difference between "go to" and "search for?"

Why, in my day we TYPED the "http://www." AND WE LIKED IT!
 
mikea said:
I've heard that at Google HQ they have a display in the lobby that scrolls in real time what people are searching for on Google.

You'll see search after search for "yahoo" and "google." What? You want mere mortals to understand the difference between "go to" and "search for?"

Why, in my day we TYPED the "http://www." AND WE LIKED IT!
Click to expand...

When I tell people to type something in the address bar, they usually say, "What's that?"

-Rich
 
ScottM said:
In my day we TENETed into the network.
Click to expand...

You did WHAT???
attachment.php

:idea::crazy::sosp::loco::confused:

Oh, you mean TELNET! :D

Ah, old school.

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