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I tried changing my display name on meta this morning. I wasn't allowed; the message was:

Oops! There was a problem updating your profile: Display name may only be changed once every 30 days; you may change again in 1 hour

So I decided to (impatiently) wait. Well, actually, I gave it another shot before the hour ended and it said I still had 38 minutes to go. Now, after trying it out for the last time, the message is as follows: alt text

Why has the time increased from 1 hour to 12 hours? When will I actually be able to change my name? None of these values are really correct. I've changed my name on Sunday or Monday, so there should be about 26 days to go.

Edit: and now it's up to 5 days. This makes no sense. How much time do I have before I can change my name again? At least say 4 all the time because it's guaranteed to be random.

alt text

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  • 10
    "When will I actually be able to change my name?" In about 6 to 8 weeks.
    – Andreas Bonini
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 11:31
  • 1
    @Koper It's 6-8 weeks, if you're referring to the meme.
    – alex
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 11:33
  • Thanks, edited. It's no longer true now though :(
    – Andreas Bonini
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 11:35
  • The change was announced in this answer: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/29966/…
    – Ether
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 16:17
  • 3
    @Aether: That is not what the question is asking. The question is why the time limit seems to change randomly.
    – GEOCHET
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 16:23
  • 2
    @Æther This really is a bug report, I have no idea when I'll be able to change my name back. The value keeps changing; I went from a few minutes to half a day.
    – alex
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 16:46
  • @Geoffrey, pi: I realize it's not an answer, which is why I posted as a comment :) -- I'm just filling in some background information. I agree that this is a valid bug report, and should be addressed. I do not feel that occasional name changing is a "problem", even on meta. I've changed my name myself a few times for humour value and I don't think anyone was confused by it or felt it was abusive.
    – Ether
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 18:08
  • @Aether: Fair enough. I just don't think this question needed anymore background, as it seems obvious the author was aware of the change, and if you were adding it for the prospective audience, it would be better suited edited into the question.
    – GEOCHET
    Commented Feb 4, 2010 at 18:11
  • I'm sorry to bring this up for the 43432432th time, but why was this change necessary? Has users changing their name ever been a problem?
    – Andreas Bonini
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 3:43
  • The cake, made out of creamy name-changing goodness, is a lie.
    – random
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 7:10
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    A couple of people couldn't keep track. So now nobody is allowed their freedoms. meta.stackexchange.com/questions/29196/… @kop
    – random
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 7:12
  • They may take our names, but they'll never take our FREEDOM!!
    – Ether
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 17:45
  • @Ether You never heard it from me.
    – alex
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 19:13

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

This is fixed.

Also, some clarification of the rules:

  • only one display name change is allowed every 30 days
  • user accounts less than 2 days old may change their displayname at will
  • there is a 15 minute grace period after each change during which you may change your displayname at will
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  • 4
    does trying to change name reset the waiting time ?
    – marcgg
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 10:54
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    @mar, i see where you are going... as long as you change it every 15 minutes for the rest of your life, you can avoid this bug! (I mean feature)
    – juan
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 12:35
  • @downvoter I don't plan on changing my name, I was just curious
    – marcgg
    Commented Feb 5, 2010 at 13:47
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For reference, this appears to be happening to me as well. Yesterday it told me I could change it again in 2 days, now it is saying Feb 20th. The only other answer is some wretchedly buggy code.

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