THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 16, 1996 TAG: 9602160715
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
I want to thank Virginia Power for the kindness, thoughtfulness, and for being there while our area was in great need.
I lost power Friday, Feb. 2, at 4:50 p.m. I made my first call about 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, to their emergency line. I did not call before because I knew all of the lines would be tied up. Much to my surprise, my call went right through.
I did call often after I made my first call. All of the representatives were helpful. Each one of them knew I was home alone and stranded. I could not get my car out of the garage because it is controlled by power. The cord that was supposed to release when I pulled on it would not release. After 24 hours, I was getting a bit concerned.
One of the ladies discussed hypothermia with me. She told me the symptoms. I thank her because she may have saved my life. I found out from her she was without power at her home and no fireplace.
Sunday, Feb. 4, I had enough logs to last me until 5 p.m. By this time, I had no choice but to vacate. A nice neighbor helped me to a motel that had power. The motel, the Seashire Inn, is just across the street from us. They were wonderful to both of us. It was clean and warm.
While conversing with some Virginia Power representatives I found out that many of them had to return to their cold, dark homes after long hours of listening to all of the many customers.
We are blessed to have every one of you. You risked your lives for us when you went to work to be of service to us.
Jewell McGee
Virginia Beach
The January and February storms have reminded me of how thankful I am for the people who provide our electric service, our telephones, our mail and our newspaper.
Our electricity was out but Virginia Power restored service in eight hours. At Sandbridge, that is at least a minor miracle. Our GTE phone service never missed a beat, so we could keep in touch with our children in another state and with local friends. Our mail lady is always punctual and I cannot say enough for the friendly, courteous service she has given us for years. The Virginian-Pilot is cussed and discussed in our home, but our mornings are incomplete without the paper, which in spite of some very mean weather arrived dry and on time.
There are a lot of things I could complain about, but not this time. I'm just thankful for those people who do so much for our community and seldom receive public gratitude for a job well done.
And while I'm at it, the fire department, rescue squads, the police (they deserve far better pay) the people who keep our roads clear and all those who are there waiting to respond to the needs of this community.
I sure do wish everything in my life worked as well as the above.
John D. Chamblin
Virginia Beach New resident bothered by sales solicitations
I am writing in response to a recent article about Amway representatives. Since my husband and I moved to the area, only a few months ago, we have been approached by several Amway representatives.
Unfortunately, we've even been approached at our jobs, where I don't think that solicitation should occur. Are they trying to get us fired so that we too can sell laundry detergent?
Most of these ``sales consultants'' wouldn't tell us who they were representing. They said that they were in business for themselves, and that we could be a part of their new business. Out of curiosity, I called one of the people that approached us. He had the gall to tell me that I could do more for the world selling Amway than working in the mental health profession.
I have nothing against Amway, or their products, but their people is what is giving them a bad name. Perhaps if they didn't prey upon young adults who are faced with a lousy economy, and treated us with the respect we deserve, they could convince us into selling their product. Unfortunately, they try to make us feel helpless, and that their help will grant us success. To me, this is an older generation's fear of failure, and they are looking for any seemingly naive people to work under them in a pyramiding system.
Melanie Smith Cox
Virginia Beach by CNB