I'll probably get a lot of angry people who will shout at me and call my points invalid, but regardless, this is something that annoys me greatly. People say "Vampire lord" when referring to what you become when you get the Vampire lord form. This isn't the case. When you get the ability to become a lord, you're still a normal vampire, just with a transformation. Base vampires and the Vampires that can transform are no different. So:

Letting Harkon make you a vampire = Vampire
Transformed vampire = Vampire lord

Yet people continue to say "I'm a vampire lord" even though they're not transformed.

Does this annoy anyone else or am I the only one?

So if a player has Lycanthropy, he is only a werewolf in wolf form? Vampire lords are those who can transform into that form and have the unique blood running through their veins. They are still vampire lords in their "regular" forms.

But if my character is not in Werewolf form, I am no longer a Werewolf?

Sorry, but I am going to be one of those people that say your points are invalid.

I don't recall saying anything about Werewolves. Think about it without werewolves in mind.

But it's the same situation as Werewolves, that's what they're saying.

Even when in "normal" vampire seeming, you're still a Vampire Lord. No "normal" or "vanilla" vampire can transform like you can. Therefore, like the Werewolf, even when in a "Human" seeming, your Vampire is still a Vampire Lord.

Vampire lord is a strain of blood, so that separates you from the "lesser" vampires. VL have the ability to transform into a greater being and being more powerful than your base vampire even though you still get the base vampire abilities.

It's like saying you are royalty but calling yourself a citizen. It's also a status besides differentiation.

I think this thread is pretty much concluded.

Being a Vampire and a Vampire Lord are two completely different things. We can also go into detail about Vampires from different covens (aka Clavicus vile vs Molag bal etc) but I would rather not be long winded.
Lets just leave it at what other players mentioned before. Werewolves are werewolves regardless of whether or not they are in their transformative state. Vamp Lords are the same in this regard.

I use to be a vampire lord like you, then I got cured.

Race = Vampire Lord