Simply put, there is a name that I want but it is already taken. Understandable, but the problem is that the name in question is on a character that has never been logged in, ever. It simply does not exist on the lodestone, but the name is valid because it is in use on other servers. It was reserved, and will likely stay that way forever, unless...

Does SE ever free up names that have gone unused for a set period of time? If an account is banned (their characters do NOT get deleted), do those names eventually get freed up so somebody else can have them? If somebody quits, do both their used and unused characters (such as those reserving names) get to sit their tying up names forever? What about somebody that does play, but is holding a name on a character that has never been logged in?

While I can understand somebody not wanting to lose the name of their main character, should they quit and eventually come back, but there should come a point when it has just been far too long, and that it's time for somebody else to get some use out of it.

"That other game" has a policy where they will open names by request, on a case by case basis to determine whether a name should be made available or not. Which is great really, because several years down the line a LOT of names will be taken if they are allowed to sit there forever, which is going to up with some ra'ther'stran'ge na'm'es running around.