do you even make an attempt to remember anything? either by memorization or by writing yourself a note?
		
		
	 
Yes. And sometimes I succeed.
	
	
		
		
			if not, then yes you are being disrespectful to those people. what do you tell your boss? do you tell him that if he wants you to send him Customer ABC's phone number, he has to submit a formal inquiry in writing via email???
		
		
	 
No.  But then again, my boss does not bother me for requests for phone numbers since he is more than capable to look up a phone number on his own.  Also, my boss has an incredible memory, but he also likes the idea of having a paper-trail of requests as, even he, sometimes needs a written reminder.
You clearly have some control issues as you assume that I do what I do to control people.  Quite the contrary - I wish I had the kind of memory that made such steps unnecessary.
You also assume that I do nothing to try and resolve the issue when, again, the contrary is the case.  Despite my efforts, I find it is better to be honest with myself and whomever I am dealing with so that nothing gets forgotten.
That being said, maybe your work is so unimportant that going to the effort to follow up with an e-mail does seem ilke a huge waste of effort.  In my business, however, when forgetting something can cost a client millions of dollars and can subject you to lawsuits and the loss of your license, I think asking someone to follow up their request in writing is a small thing to ask.
MotionMan