December 19, 1995

Personnel Manager
Human Resources Department
Washington Gas
P.O. Box 2432
Washington, DC 20081-0001


Dear Personnel Manager:

I am writing to let you know how much one of your employees, James Paich, helped me. This is the first time I’ve written a letter of commendation, but I feel that such outstanding service should be recognized.

On December 11th I came home late in the evening to an ice-cold house. My three year-old, high-efficiency furnace had failed again. I called the installer, who once again refused to come out immediately and told me to "get some blankets" and he would "try" to squeeze me into his busy schedule the next day. Finally, when I described a few of the furnace’s symptoms, he told me it was a gas pressure problem and to call Washington Gas. Thank goodness he did.

When Mr. Paich arrived at my house he was very professional and reassuring. He quickly diagnosed the problem and got the furnace working again. He also clearly explained what was causing the problem, made recommendations for permanently correcting it, and was careful and patient despite the late hour and rapidly deteriorating weather.

If Washington Gas had not provided such wonderful round-the-clock service and Mr. Paich was not so capable, I would probably have had to fight this intermittent failure problem for many more winters. When the installer, regional distributor, and Carrier corporation refused to help, Washington Gas and its outstanding personnel came through. I hope your office will commend Mr. Paich for his excellent customer service. Thank you so much!

Sincerely,


[Customer's name]