# What is going on here? \[Mystery business address\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811 "2015-12-31T13:27:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/1 "2015-12-31T13:27:07Z")
There is a company that I was interested in working for. This is a Fortune 500 company. I went to the address Google maps had for their local office. I didn’t go in because it was somebodys house. The phone number was disconnected. I found another local phone number for them, bUT it turned out to be a sex line. This is a very large IT company, and I know they do a lot of work around here. What is going on? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/2 "2015-12-31T14:06:15Z")
I found another address online for them, went there, and it was a methadone clinic. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/3 "2015-12-31T14:52:02Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I found another address online for them, went there, and it was a methadone clinic. …At least they’re trying to get help… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/4 "2015-12-31T14:54:46Z")
CIA? ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/5 "2015-12-31T15:11:26Z")
Might help if you mention the name of the company in your post. Or try the phone directory or the company’s web site. FYI - Example of a phone directory… > **[DexKnows Local Business Directory | DexKnows.com](https://www.dexknows.com/)** > > Find local business listings, driving directions, maps, people and local information at DexKnows.com. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/6 "2015-12-31T15:23:04Z")
The company is NCR Corporation. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/7 "2015-12-31T15:28:38Z")
What used to be National Cash Register Corporation. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/8 "2015-12-31T15:34:13Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > The company is NCR Corporation. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > What used to be National Cash Register Corporation. So now they’re National Cash Register Corporation Corporation? That’s like when Thai Military Bank changed their name to TMB Bank, essentially making them Thai Military Bank Bank. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/9 "2015-12-31T15:59:30Z")
Thai Military Bank Bank? Do they have a branch in the City of Chiang Mai? Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai? Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai…? Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai! Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai…! \*Oh you City of Chiang Mai! City of Chiang Mai we love you! An in The City of Chiang Mai That City of Chiang Mai has banking too! Lire? Dinar? Australian Dollar? Any currency you’d wish to spend…! Come Bank Bank in The City of Chiang Mai…! Our fine Four-Tellered Friend! Come Bank Bank in The City of Chiang Mai…! Our Fine Four Tell-ered Frieeeeeend…! \* _No, lets not. They’re too silly…_ ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/10 "2015-12-31T16:00:04Z")
Google Maps used to allow public editing, and as I recall there was a loophole where random schmoes could change a business’ address without being authorized to do so. For a while there were a lot of defacements, where people would screw up a business’ listing or add inappropriate images to maps. Google turned off public editing earlier this year, so I don’t think you can do it anymore. My guess is the wrong information you’re seeing is an edit some bozo made to screw with NCR before Google took away the function, and it just hasn’t been corrected. ETA: see this article: [Google Shuts Down Map Maker Following Hacks | TechCrunch](http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/11/google-shuts-down-map-maker-following-hacks/#.762jehy:Crpk) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/11 "2015-12-31T16:28:36Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Thai Military Bank Bank? Do they have a branch in the City of Chiang Mai? > > Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai? > Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai…? > Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai! > Bank bank in the City of Chiang Mai…! > > \*Oh you City of Chiang Mai! > City of Chiang Mai we love you! > An in The City of Chiang Mai > That City of Chiang Mai has banking too! > > Lire? Dinar? Australian Dollar? > Any currency you’d wish to spend…! > > Come Bank Bank in The City of Chiang Mai…! > Our fine Four-Tellered Friend! > > Come Bank Bank in The City of Chiang Mai…! > Our Fine Four Tell-ered Frieeeeeend…! > \* > > _No, lets not. They’re too silly…_ For the uninitiated, the name Chiang Mai literally means “New City” (even though it’s about 700 years old). So that would be the City of New City. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/12 "2015-12-31T16:38:24Z")
The Google Maps location for someone’s house may be the address of someone who telecommutes from home and has NCR listed as their employer. I wouldn’t assume anything based on that. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/13 "2015-12-31T16:50:14Z")
Thread title edited to add a little more info. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/14 "2015-12-31T16:50:43Z")
Maybe the issue is Google maps is dumb? I’ve gotten several sets of directions that have step 1 be drive half a mile down the road in the wrong direction to a certain road and then turn around to drive back in the direction you started from; got directions for a laundry mat from them that turned out to be someone’s house; got directions from them for an LL Bean Outlet store that were off by 3 miles!; got directions from them for a Bob’s Furniture that said the store was on the opposite side of the road from reality; and after over 4 years you still can’t find the address of any house in my town that was renamed even though that was 40% of them so you need to know the old street name and number to find them. I no longer use Google maps for anything I need to actually drive to. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/15 "2015-12-31T16:52:59Z")
Google Maps bit my sister once. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/16 "2015-12-31T17:08:57Z")
I’m confused, why don’t you just call their [main number](http://www.ncr.com/contact-us)? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/17 "2015-12-31T18:41:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What used to be National Cash Register Corporation. Oh, thanks a BUNCH! NCR started in the cash register trade. (It’s still there, judging by some of the POS systems I see in local stores.) Burroughs started on morphine, and then moved to Interzone… uh, started in the adding machine business. IBM started in the garment district. None of them stayed there. Back when you could get a good five million dollar mainframe, there were eight, then a bunch, of vendors running around, of which NCR was one, then zero, when they left the field. My point floats around some, but I think I can normalize it from here: Name changes aren’t always misses, and can instead save you some cache. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/18 "2015-12-31T18:56:05Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Oh, thanks a BUNCH! > > NCR started in the cash register trade. (It’s still there, judging by some of the POS systems I see in local stores.). They also own Radiant Systems, another large POS system company. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/19 "2015-12-31T19:13:03Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > So now they’re National Cash Register Corporation Corporation? That’s like when Thai Military Bank changed their name to TMB Bank, essentially making them Thai Military Bank Bank. Er, what am I missing? Where are you seeing doubling up of Corporation? ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811/20 "2015-12-31T20:24:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > So now they’re National Cash Register Corporation Corporation? That would only be true if they were NCRC Corporation, but they are NCR Corporation, which doesn’t double a word. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-here-mystery-business-address/741811.md?page=2)