I have a user running Outlook 2003 against an Exchange 2003 server. He has
selected a non-default format for the "File As" field for many of his
contacts. For example, when entering a new record for a hotel he will enter,
e.g., "Hotel - Ritz Carlton", in the Full Name field. This is parsed by
Outlook as follows:

First Name = "Hotel"
Middle Name = "- Ritz"
Last Name = "Carlton"

In the File As field, it will offer two options in this order:

"Carlton, Hotel - Ritz" (format = Last, First Middle)
"Hotel - Ritz Carlton" (format = First Middle Last)

The first option is the default. The user changes it to "Hotel - Ritz
Carlton" and it is filed with the rest of the hotels in the H's. So far, so
good.

After some time (usu. a few weeks), he goes to look for the record and it is
no longer listed under "Hotel - Ritz Carlton"; instead, the File As field has
reverted to the default "Carlton, Hotel - Ritz". This has been happening to
multiple records which have the non-default File As selection.

More info:

• the frequency of these changes seems to have increased since we moved
from Outlook 2000 to Outlook 2003.

• The user has a Blackberry with wireless sync of his contacts, but he
never edits them on the BB. He has two assistants with full access to his
mailbox and they are the ones who actually do the editing (in Outlook). Of
course, everyone involved swears -- and I have no reason to doubt them --
that they have not changed the records.

• This same phenomenon also occurs for custom entries in the File As field,
e.g., a record with the Full Name "Robert Smith" and a File As of "Bob Smith"
will initially be (correctly) in the B's and then some time later appear in
the S's with a File As of "Smith, Robert".

Any idea what's happening and how to stop or work around it?

TIA,
roshan