Published: August 05, 2007 04:26 pm            

8/5/2007 Letters to the EditorLive people answering the phone would be better

Be careful driving through Virginia

Dear Editor:



For those who might take a vacation trip this summer and drive through the state of Virginia, be prepared to suffer the application of the Virginia Traffic Revenue Law that went into effect July 1. While Texas has a version of this law, it is far less brutal. For example, in Virginia a speeding ticket will cost you a minimum of $1,050 to a maximum of $3,000 per incident in addition to the regular fines and court costs. A failure to signal is only $1,050 in addition to the regular fines and court costs.

If these punitive fines were to make the highways any safer, it might be possible to accept them. However, they are, by the admissions of the Virginia state politicians, not for safety, but to raise a few billion more dollars for them to waste. Remember, I said that Texas has a less abusive version of this law already on the books. However, if Virginia makes good enough income on their law you can look for our politicians to follow suit.



W.V. Bonds

Cleburne



Thanks from Moore family

Dear Editor:



On April 8, Easter Sunday, my granddaughter, Aubry Moore, and her other grandmother, Penny Thompson, were killed in an auto accident on Texas 171 and Farm-to-Market Road 916. My grandson, Dylan Moore, was hospitalized for two months. This is to all drivers, especially truck drivers because your vehicles are so much more dangerous. Please take extra care driving. When you accidentally kill someone it’s not just the lives of the people you hurt that are ruined; it’s also your own.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone personally, police officers, emergency personnel, schools, classmates of Dylan and Aubry, co-workers, family and friends for all the kindness, thoughts and prayers during this time in our lives. I have a special thank you to a special angel, Amy Ferr, for being there when Dylan needed one the most. Thanks to each and everyone of you.

Gratefully,



Sarita Gaskill



Thanks from Relay For Life

Dear Editor:



As publicity chair for American Cancer Society Relay for Life committee, I would like to thank residents of Johnson County for their generosity and support. Fifty-seven teams participated in this year’s event, raising more than $130,000.00 for the American Cancer Society’s research, education, advocacy and service programs. The outstanding support received proves that the people of Johnson County are truly committed to the fight against cancer. I have been a member of this committee for 5 years and every year I am amazed, but not surprised, at the dedication and hard work of the residents of my community to make this event a success.

I want to applaud the more than 200 survivors who participated in the opening lap and the survivor recognition. They are the reason we continue the fight because each year there can be more and more people living wonderful lives following a diagnosis of cancer.

A special thanks goes to the many Relay For Life volunteers who worked to make this event a success. The Relay For Life committee did an outstanding job of putting the event together. It takes many hours of dedication and hard work to pull an event like this off, and they did an excellent job.

I also appreciate the generosity of this year’s sponsors. Relay For Life would not be possible without the enthusiasm, commitment, and talent of generous supporters like them. Our sponsors went beyond the call of duty this year to make this event a success. Our sponsors included, Platinum Level ($2,500.): Mary Ann and Jerry Wheatley, Cleburne Times-Review, Liberty Ford; Gold Level (1,000): Marti Enterprises, H-E-B, Jeff England Motor Company, Cleburne Physical Therapy & Fitness Center, Supreme Corp. of Texas, Forrest AutoPark and Carson Pest Control; Silver Level ($500); Accents, Gillian, Wham & Co., P.C., Harris Methodist Walls Regional Hospital, United Cooperative Services, Family Medicine Associates P.C., Hewlett Office Systems, McCoy’s, The Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, One Source Diagnostic Imaging, Lone Star Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Autoplex; Johnson County Association of Realtors, Wal-mart Distribution Center, Jim and T.D. Curl, Paradise Events Center, C&S Trailer World and CiCi’s Pizza; Bronze Level ($250): Mirage Salon, Community Bank, First State Bank Texas-Keene, First Financial Bank, Mustang Group, Crosier-Pearson Cleburne Funeral Home, Lawn Tech Inc., J. Michael Glover, DDS, Family Dentistry, Grandma’s Attic, Mustang Foundation, CAW Design Group, Cleburne Rehabilitation & Health Care, Lone Star Erg Credit, Grandview Bank, Jacky Lackey Port-A-Potties, The Dang Gym, Laser Tech Solutions, Holibaugh Farms, Dr. Jack Burton family, Cleburne Cancer Center, Jan Dotson-Edward Jones, Johnson-Somervell Counties Retired School Employees Association, Daybreak Community Services Inc., Patrick’s Cleburne Floral, Mid America Financial Services, Zimmerer Kubota, E-Graphics, Huffman Law Firm, S&S Furniture and Lisa Stanley.

If you know these people and companies, thank them for their support and let them know we are proud of their effort to stop cancer. I do not want to single any one person or company out, but I have to say a special thanks to Carson Pest Control. Susan and her crew jumped on board and sprayed the entire area for us Thursday night. We would have been eaten alive if they had not gone the extra mile for Relay.

We had three people scheduled to have their hair cut for “Locks of Love,” a program to help children who need wigs because of health problems, but when the cutting started a passion ran through the crowd that I have not witnessed in a very long time. Sixteen people stepped up and donated their hair to this worthwhile program. Grown men and women plus children gave of themselves so that someone they don’t even know can benefit. See, this is an incredible community.

I would also like to send a big thank you to the newspapers of the communities of Johnson County. Every one of these papers made my job so much easier and never failed to print whatever I sent them.

It is a blessing to live in a community where people come together to take up the fight with hard work, as well as money, to find a cure. Thank you again Johnson County for being a place that does what it takes to help others. Remember, it is not too early to become involved in Relay For Life 2008.

Sincerely,



Gail McCleary

Relay For Life of

Johnson County

Publicity chair and

eight-year cancer survivor



Live people answering the phone would be better

Dear Editor:



Ordinarily, when I call one of the corporate entities such as a utility company, it’s for getting or giving pertinent information important to my welfare. As one of their paying customers, I expect cheerfulness, respect, maybe even a little sympathy.

One recent typical incident began, as the opening response contained none of the above, with, “For English, press one, por español, dos,” “Please press the numbers indicating your account number,” “You indicated that your number was ... , if this is correct, press one, if incorrect, press two, etc.”.

Finally, in robotic English, as I listen close so as to get it the first time, a long successive list of options for my listening pleasure are given. I hit the wrong button and I have to start over. When I finally reach what sounds like the right department, the same robot tells me that all operatives are busy with other customers and that I should hang loose until one is free.

Within five or 10 minutes of listening to recorded sales talk and elevator music, a live voice, Velma, asks me if she can be of service. I tell Velma what my problem is, and she says “Sorry sir, I will switch you over to the right site, please hold.”

I knew that I was then cut off because a different robot operator told me to hang up and try again. I went through the procedure twice before another live voice says “This is Sybil in accounting, how may I help you today, sir?” I wanted to hug her, but I tell her that the company misposted the check that I sent in and that I don’t appreciate the disconnect letter that I received giving me a few days grace nor the threatening phone call forecasting a cut off of services within two days, scaring my wife with the news, since company was coming for the weekend.

I tell her that I’m not blaming her for this but would appreciate her passing my message upstairs. I think she said, “I wish I could.” I told her that my bank statement check picture proved that I had written the payment check correctly but that their posting placed the decimal point wrongly crediting me with $25.41 instead of $254.14, leaving an overdue balance of the difference.

Sybil asks for my birthdate and driver’s license number and my check number. She then says, “Let me check with another department, and I will be right back with you, sir.” In less than 10 minutes she is back with the news that they won’t cut me off and will trace the check down and for me not to worry about it and to call her back Tuesday. Quickly, I said, “No ma’am, you call me back, as I have been cut off twice in this transaction, and I want to be sure that I will be talking to the same familiar person on Tuesday.” “No problem sir, I will call you on Tuesday at 10 o’clock.”

Tuesday, I guarded the phone from 8 a.m. on and she called at 9:45 and told me that, “We have found the error and everything is cool. Sorry for the trouble. If there are no more problems, would you please stay on the line and listen to our six-point grading recording?” Not good timing, but I did listen, yet somehow couldn’t grade their system very high except that I did give her a good grade as she was courteous and spoke Texas English, not Calcutta or Brooklyn English.

Am I wrong because I can’t see this kind of communication as a confidence builder? Yet as a retiree, I had nothing else real profitable nor real interesting to do those two days. I wonder if I will be charged with a late payment fee. After all, these utility companies are barely getting by, according to their lobbyists’ reports to the Texas Utility Commission. Perhaps I need to show more compassion for the downtrodden. Will live person operated switchboards reappear on the scene? I feel that they would be warmly received, by senior citizens, for sure.



Monte Swatzell

Cleburne

        

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