ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 5, 1996 TAG: 9604050082
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
Bank asks cardholders to zip their phone lips
RICHMOND - Some customers of Capital One Bank weren't too happy when the credit card issuer sent them a letter asking that they cut back their calls to the company's toll-free line.
Now the company is sending them another letter to apologize.
``We truly didn't mean to offend anyone,'' said Diana Sun, spokeswoman for the Richmond unit of Capital One Financial Corp. of Falls Church. ``We were just trying to say, `Could you help us keep these costs down?''' She said the letters went to a small percentage of the company's 6 million card holders.
Sun said the company's volume of customer service calls continues to increase. In 1996, it expects to receive 20 million toll-free calls, or about 55,000 a day. The company has operators on hand to take calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
``If the volume continues to increase, then you need more people, you need more computers, you need more phone lines,'' she said.
A few customers make an usually high number of calls, accounting for 35 percent of all calls received. ``We have one person who called 700 times in less than a year,'' she said. These people, she said, received the March letter, which said, ``While an occasional inquiry is to be expected, we ask that in the future you limit your phone calls to only those which are truly necessary ... ''
-Associated Press
Peebles to merge with Ohio retailer
Peebles Inc., a South Hill-based department store chain with a store in Christiansburg, said Thursday it plans to merge with Carlisle Retailers Inc., a chain of seven department stores based in Ashtabula, Ohio. Terms of the agreement were not released. The deal, which must be approved by Carlisle shareholders, should be final in May.
New River Valley Mall shoppers won't notice any difference in their Peebles, company spokesman Steve Hannah said. Both Peebles and Carlisle stores will continue to operate under their existing names.
Most of Peebles' 65 stores are in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The privately held company reported 1995 sales of $175.6 million. Carlisle's, with stores in western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio, reported 1995 sales of $20.8 million.
-Staff report
Sewell to buy Fla. plant from Dial
Sewell Products Inc., a Salem-based maker of private-label household products, said Thursday it has agreed to buy a plant in Auburndale, Fla., owned by The Dial Corp. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Sewell, which sells to grocery and discount stores in the Mid-Atlantic area, plans to expand to South Carolina, Florida and other southeastern states. President Stephen Sewell said the additional plant will let the company double sales and more than triple production capacity. Sewell reported sales of $10 million in 1995.
The 208,000-square-foot plant will produce household products including bleach and detergents, and will package some Dial products. The 100 Dial employees will be given the choice of remaining with the plant. Sewell employs 50 at its Salem location.
-Staff report
LENGTH: Medium: 64 linesby CNB