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Published on 05/05/1999 All articles from this issue

Letters to the Editor

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Solving parking problem at library

Everyone is concerned about parking. In my case, I go to the library almost every day and search for a parking place. I frequently have to wait for someone to leave.

My first reaction was that they need more spaces. It turns out that about eight spaces are taken every day by people who work in the office buildings next door. They are parked there at 8:30 a.m. I questioned someone at the library, and they said there was nothing they could do.

The easiest solution would be to require that the owners of the buildings put up a fence to discourage people. Asking the people to park elsewhere will not work.

It is unfortunate. I don't know if the city can do anything. With hindsight, one could say that the city had a responsibility to require the owners to provide enough parking so that their employees would not have any reason to take over parking spaces that are badly needed by library patrons.

Maybe they don't have enough spaces for their clients. Their lot does seem to be full most of the time.

Gordon I. RatliffLos Altos

Packard generosity shows once more

Once again David Packard's generosity is being offered to the people of Los Altos Hills and beyond, by way of the foundation's hopes to preserve his home and 60-acre prime orchard property (Town Crier, April 7). It is to be hoped the town council will recognize the lasting importance of the gift and make whatever compromises may be necessary to make it a reality.

Keith MacFarlandLos Altos Hills

Rude treatment on ambulance billing

This letter also was sent to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

I read with great interest the story in the Town Crier (April 21) concerning the county's review of ambulance and emergency medical service.

I was injured in an accident in Cupertino last May. AMR responded promptly, and the paramedics gave me excellent care. I have no quarrel with them.

However, this was the beginning of a nightmare caused solely by the office staff of AMR. Not once, but twice, their staff made errors, rudely admitted that the errors were theirs, told me it was my problem to sort out, and if I didn't do so quickly, implied that they would ruin my credit rating.

The AMR billing office sent their bills to the wrong address. When their bills were returned to them, instead of trying to figure out why, they turned us over to a collection agency.

When I contacted AMR, their response was: "We never try to find out why a bill is returned to us; we send these bills to collection." When I protested that this seemed unfair, the response from the woman taking my call was, "You got a problem with that?" Well, yes I do. Because they were threatening our credit rating, we jumped through a lot of hoops to have our health insurance pay the bills.

All was well until, for reasons that we cannot understand, AMR returned the amount of the payments to our health insurance company, then started billing us daily for the full amounts, again threatening our credit rating. Again we contacted them, and again they told us it was our problem to sort out the error, even though they seemed unable to explain why they had returned the money. Once again we had to jump through all kinds of hoops.

After the second episode, we reported them to the District Attorney's Office. Their response to the complaint was a study in half-truths. Basically, all they did was report a list of their billings and our payments, their "un-payments" and our repayments. They simply never commented on the part of the complaint that dealt with their errors, their "stated policy" of not trying to fix their own errors and their rude attitude.

When I told this story to my co-workers, I heard other, similar stories about AMR: that the paramedics respond quickly and efficiently, but that the billing office is incompetent and rude. I therefore urge you to select a different ambulance company.

Phyllis BrownLos Altos

10-run rule works for this coach

I am a high school baseball coach and believe that the 10-run rule is good for a team that cannot stop the opposing team from scoring.

Our team recently was humiliated 30-0. Our players handled the situation fine but would have rather ended the game as soon as possible to eliminate further humiliation.

Our team is not really that bad. Our pitching just had one of those days. If we would have been forced to play the next two innings, who knows what that might have done to these young athletes.

I love the game and feel some rules aren't right, but to save face and your club, it is important that your team can bounce back from such a defeat.

Michael Martinez

(No address given)