THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, July 29, 1995                TAG: 9507280002
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL  
TYPE: Editorial
                                             LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** The new area code for much of the western part of Virginia, now served by 703, will be 540. An editorial in Saturday's newspaper gave the wrong area code. Correction published Sunday, July 30, 1995. ***************************************************************** 388,000 MISADDRESSED POSTCARDS WHOOPS!

When the next delinquent customer tells the phone company, ``The check's in the mail; maybe I got the address wrong,'' the phone company should understand that mistakes happen.

Bell Atlantic-Virginia recently made 388,000 mailing mistakes.

The Richmond-based company meant to send postcards to people whose area code changed July 15 from 703 to 504. Your area code changed, the cards said.

But by mistake the company sent cards announcing the change to people whose area code was 703 and will remain 703.

People with a 703 area code who were supposed to get the card did not get the card. People with a 703 area code who were not supposed to get the card did get the card.

``It's pretty serious,'' said Bell Atlantic spokesman Paul T. Miller Jr.

Apparently there was a computer programming error. It was small, but the ramifications were huge, as the computer printed out 388,000 wrong address labels. A direct-mail firm sent the cards, using the phone company's labels.

The initial mailing cost $100,000. A second mailing to the people who should have gotten the first mailing will cost the same. Then the people who got the first card will be mailed second cards saying to ignore the first card.

The next time you misdial a number and feel embarrassed when the wrong person answers, remind yourself that the phone company mailed 388,000 cards to the wrong addresses. You'll feel better. by CNB