The Chamber of Commerce and telecommunications representatives plan to meet this morning after telephone communications came to a near-standstill again Tuesday.
"All circuits are busy now. Please try your call again later," became the next voice you heard when trying to make a phone call Tuesday. And that included calls to 911 and the hospital.
The meeting scheduled Tuesday afternoon between the telecommunications companies and St. Thomas-St.John Chamber of Commerce members was postponed at the V.I. Telephone Corp.'s request.
Katrina White -Comissiong, public relations director for Vitelco, said Tuesday's problems started Monday because of a malfuntioning piece of equipment, according to various media reports.
"We had to take that malfunctioning piece of equipment totally out of service," she told WVWI. "However, taking that faulty piece of equipment out of service has totally diminished Vitelco's trunk capacity."
As a result, Comissiong said, Vitelco customers might experience traffic congestion from time to time. Comissiong said if you are experiencing delays, you need to hang up and try your call again later.
She said Vitelco is working on the problem and realizes it has been a problem for its customers.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Comissiong said service had been mostly restored on St. Thomas. She said on St. Croix service was being restored gradually
She said Vitelco would be conducting diagnostic tests to try to solve the problem. She could not commit to a specific time frame when the problems would be solved.
She said the 1210 switch, an old and finicky piece of equipment that has caused problems in the past, is not the problem this time.
When asked if there were any alternative ways to handle calls to the hospital or 911, Comissiong said she believed Vitelco was going to fix the problem and would not need a fallback position.
In one incident Tuesday a tourist whose knapsack was stolen at Magens Bay was forced to call WSTA because he could not reach the police.
Though Vitelco said its problems began Monday, merchants are irate that a lack of phone lines and interrupted phone service have created headaches — and lost business — repeatedly in the last two weeks.
Problems were especially bad last Wednesday during the height of the Christmas rush.
The lack of consistent phone service for three to four hours that day cost some retailers significant amounts of money in sales.
People trying to dial local calls also experienced difficulties, including a repeated message saying all circuits were busy — a situation repeated two weeks ago and again this week.
The Chamber of Commerce had asked for a meeting Tuesday with the territory's communications firms to determine the cause of ongoing interruptions in telephone service and how to solve the problem.
"We just want to get to the bottom of the problem," Thomas B. Brunt III, chamber president, said Monday. "We're hoping the technical people will be forthcoming with what the problems really are and then we can work on solutions."
AT&T and Sprint have confirmed that they will send representatives to the meeting, Brunt said. He said he could not reach V.I. Telephone Corp. officials Monday because it was a holiday, and had not heard back from Cellular One.
White-Comissiong, Vitelco's public relations director, said last week that she was unaware of any problems with local or long-distance calls on Wednesday.
Merchants across the island were painfully aware of them.
"Wednesday was my Christmas eve," said Janelle Zachman, owner of Going Seanile on the waterfront. "It was a nightmare. We were already extremely busy and then with no phone lines on top of it, people had to wait 15 or 20 minutes just to check out."
Zachman said some people didn't wait and she lost sales.
Zachman handled transactions manually and then put them through later that night.
"Thank goodness they all went through," she said.
Credit card verification lines are 800-numbers that are automatically dialed up when a credit card is run through the machine. When the phone lines are inoperable, there is no way to verify the credit card and make the transaction, said Stu Thompson, manager of Tommy Hilfiger on the waterfront.
"Everyone loses money — the sales associates, the store — because people don't want to wait, so they leave," he said.
The transaction should take a couple of seconds.
Thompson did not want to put a dollar amount on how much money was lost in sales Wednesday.
"Let's just say it was a significant amount," he said.
The problems were not limited to downtown. Phyllis George, owner of Phil's Paradise in Havensight, had the same difficulty with her phones.
"I couldn't get charges to go through," George said. "Fortunately, I didn't lose any money though," because tourists gave her travelers checks and she held the transactions for her regular customers until later that night when she was able to put them through.
Mulo Alwani, owner of Artistic Jewelers on Main Street, said he also didn't lose any sales. It took a long time, he said, but he got his transactions to go through.
But Alwani said that as of Friday, his store still was experiencing phone problems.
Shelly de Chabert, strategic planning and public affairs director for AT&T of the Virgin Islands, said Wednesday's phone problems had nothing to do with AT&T.
"AT&T does not switch 800 service. That is done by the local exchange carrier," she said.
Spokespeople from Sprint and TLD, who also provide 800 service to the territory, could not be reached for comment over the holiday weekend.
Joe Aubain, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said the problems Wednesday were extremely disruptive, especially two days before Christmas.
Brunt agreed, noting reports from the states indicate that Internet commerce was expected to double this holiday season; it tripled. Reliability of communications is vital to that commerce, Brunt said.
"The rest of the world is going at the speed of light while we're just plodding along," he said.
Additionally, "We've got bogus credit cards circulating on the island and if merchants can't verify the transaction by telephone, they run a huge risk by accepting credit cards and running the transactions later. That is exactly what we are telling people not to do."
De Chabert said she would attend the planned meeting as AT&T's representative to address the chamber's concerns.
Brunt said the meeting will be closed to the press to allow people to talk candidly.

Electric angel tree-top ornaments sold by Kmart have been recalled, according to the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department.
The angels are about 10 inches tall, have white, gold and silver gowns and have lights attached to their wrists. They have a bale attached with a code #0-377728-118.
If you have one of these angels, do not use them. They are flammable and pose a serious fire hazard.
For more information call the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission hotline at 800-638- 2772 or DLCA's consumer protection division at 774-3130.

Gov. Roy L. Schneider has returned the Governor's Chain of Office to the president of the 22nd Legislature, as required by V.I. law.
The chain, made of ribbon and metal and worn over the shoulder, is a symbol of the office of the V.I. governor. It is presented to the governor at inauguration to be worn on ceremonial occasions.
By law the chain must be returned to the president of the Legislature at least 48 hours prior to the inauguration of a new governor. The Senate president traditionally gives the outgoing governor a memento of his time in office — a gold shield with his name and dates of service as governor.

Calling the V.I. government technically bankrupt, Gov.-elect Charles W. Turnbull said the territory faces a deficit of at least $60 million for fiscal 1999, plus another $23 million in proposed appropriations without a source of funding.
Newspaper and radio reports Tuesday quoted Turnbull as saying the fiscal situation constitutes a crisis, and "we have to come up with contingency plans to meet crises that come up."
Juel Molloy, transition team co-chair, said that once the new administration takes office next week, it probably will find that the government is in even worse fiscal shape than has been uncovered to date.
One immediate concern is the Y2K issue. Funds must be found to upgrade the government's computer system before the year 2000. Turnbull said Banco Popular will be approached about extending its loan offer.
According to media reports, Turnbull identified various recommendations made by his transition team to cut spending and increase revenues:
— Eliminate unnecessary positions. For instance, he will name only one administrator for St. Croix; Gov. Roy L. Schneider had three.
— Consolidate some government agencies, including the Personnel Division and Office of Collective Bargaining and the V.I. Housing Authority, the Housing Finance Authority and the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department.
– Abolish some of the 100-plus boards and commissions.
— Stop the abuse of government vehicles, an area he said has long been a trouble spot.
— Reduce the number of offices the government rents from private parties, and develop plans for a government center. The V.I. government now pays about $13 million a year to rent offices.
— Renegotiate a sale of tax liens to collect more real property taxes.
— Lobby Congress to raise the rum-excise tax from $10.50 per barrel to at least $11.30 where it was and hopefully to the full $13.50. Turnbull said he'll also lobby for a partial return of gasoline-excise taxes.
— Use 100 percent of hotel-occupancy taxes to promote the territory as a tourist destination.
— Improve and standardize the government's hiring process.
— Develop a marketing unit in the Agriculture Department to help sell V.I. produce abroad.
Turnbull also named areas of government where more spending is needed: more lawyers in the Justice Department as well as personnel in health, education and public safety.
Molloy said reports from Schneider's top financial managers indicated there will be some difficulties meeting payroll. They recommended seeking a line of credit at the banks to make sure payroll is met.

St. Thomas merchants should be on the lookout for Visa and MasterCard credit cards stolen from a processing center in Argentina.
Thomas B. Brunt III, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, said V.I. Justice Department officials expect the stolen blanks to begin appearing in the Virgin Islands immediately.
Brunt warned that:
— The cards are genuine and will have the correct name embossed on them.
— The first sign that a card may be one of the stolen blanks is if it does not register approval when swiped for electronic verification.
— Ongoing problems with 800 numbers may prevent some merchants from running the electronic test, but running the test is important.
— Merchants should not hand-write charge slips and file them electronically later.
— Require double and triple identification such as passports, drivers' licenses and Social Security cards. Do not accept other forms of ID that aren't usually recognized and be especially careful when accepting credit cards from Argentinians since the cards were stolen in that country.
— Be aware of each customer and look for suspicious patterns. Ask questions about previous and future travel and require an address as an additional check.
— Be especially vigilant on days when many visitors are shopping. People using fraudulent cards "will take advantage of you at the moment when you are most distracted or have the least amount of time to check them out."
— Be wary of people who make large purchases of big-ticket items late in the day, typically between 4:30 and 5 p.m., and especially without any discussion of the purchase or the price. Example: Rolex watches.
— Be wary of anyone making purchases on multiple credit cards.
— Do not erase the tapes from surveillance cameras for at least 30 days.
— If you sell merchandise to someone using a fraudulent card, immediately report all information about the sale to:
Douglas Sprotte, V.I. Department of Justice, 774-5666 (ext. 157), work; 775-3599, home; or 513-7534, pager.
Richard Valesquez, V.I. Justice Department, 513-7529, pager.
Richard Espinosa, MasterCard Services, 1-305-539-2340.

Gov. Roy L. Schneider has granted administrative leave to non-essential government employees on all three islands from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, so they can participate in inaugural activities for Gov.-elect Charles W. Turnbull and Lt. Gov.-elect Gerard Luz James II.
In addition, Schneider granted administrative leave to all non-essential government employees in St. Croix for the full working day Tuesday, Jan. 5, when the inaugural festivities switch to that island.
"It is fitting and proper that inaugural celebrations be held to permit full participation by all residents of the Virgin Islands in this most auspicious occasion," Schneider said.
His order does not apply to essential employees, employees on a regular or rotating shift, or employees on annual or sick leave.

Lots of Virgin Islanders have been back in St. Thomas for the holidays.
Spotted at Coral World with her husband and toddler: Adrianne Todman-Wesby, who used to work for Delegate Ron de Lugo and now is special assistant to the secretary of Housing and Urban Development for policy and programs. Adrianne said she likes Washington, and she's obviously thriving there.
In St. Thomas for Christmas day was Candy Lee, the daughter of former St. Croix Sen. Sidney Lee. Candy, who formerly headed Harlequin books, is now president of Troll, the New Jersey-based company that publishes textbooks and children's literature.
Know of others who are home for the holidays? Let us know by e-mailing source@viaccess.net.

The V.I. government will meet payroll Dec. 31 and will continue its payments to vendors with no change of schedule, a top Finance official has told the Independent.
The Turnbull-James transition team's preliminary report indicated there could be a payless payday at the end of December because of the territory's precarious financial position.
"We have money coming in and we're not doing anything out of the norm to make payroll," said Dean Wallace, assistant Finance commissioner.
Vendor payments are being made, late but as usual, the Independent quoted Wallace as saying.
Several vendors have cut services to the government in recent weeks due to non-payment. Esso refused fuel delivery to the motor pool and local pharmacists had trouble maintaining supplies of certain medications because their government health insurance reimbursements had not been made.

In the end, there is always a beginning.
There were banners of blue, red and yellow, screaming, "Sale," "Everything Must Go," and "Going Out of Business." These signs heralded the departure of a downtown St. Thomas landmark.
The institution was Irmela's, last identified with the majestic Grand Hotel.
Once upon a time, the store was located in Drake's Passage; and, long before that, it was housed upstairs of H. Sterns on Main Street.
Over many years, I have watched Irmela Neumann, for whom this landmark is named, sitting pensively and purposefully at her workstation with her implements and her tools forging from the rocks, minerals and metals of the Earth beautiful items designed to elicit joy. I didn't know all along that Irmela wants to be a pelican in the next life.
I, too, wish a bird for the next incarnation, though I have not decided which from among the varied beauty of this wondrous species I aspire.
So it is, that in these the last days of the Empire that in simple honest conversation and in a totally unexpected way, I find a kindred spirit. I, who hail from Sandy Point, St. Kitts, a sleeping village in the shadow of Mount Misery, and Irmela from a place in Germany called Pforzheim near the mysterious Black Forest with the promise of the snow-capped Alps which tower somewhere in the distance.
I imagine that there is as much space between these places as seemingly to fit another world. Yes, so diverse seem the people of this world who walk the earth set apart more by their simple differences of place and name and color than unified by their major similarities as creatures of a Universe created by a magnificent and awesome God.
"Why do you want to be a Pelican Irmela," I ask.
With eyes which speak of joy and sadness and longing and beauty and peace, that torrent of conflicting emotions which characterize the human condition, Irmela answers, speaking of the gift of instinct and intuition and wistfully of that defining talent of birds, that gift of flight which brings them so much closer to the heavens When Irmela speaks of this magic of flight, it is as if she already has transcended the mundane and ordinary realities of the human condition and is already floating with the flocks on the winds.
She speaks of how the pelican reads the wind, how he finds the currents and updrafts and uses them to float so effortlessly that he can with deft movement even scratch himself in midflight.
I say to Irmela, imagine that we build jets and install sophisticated flight equipment to perform these feats of magic that the birds know so well, with only skin, and sinew, flesh and bone and God. Irmela is convinced that we know what they know. We know the winds and when the rains will come and even when the earth will shake. We know. But in so much of our living, we learn to forget or to ignore these instincts.
In Irmela the instinct is far from lost. Instead, it expresses itself in an aesthetic that fashions a pendant of peridot and Rhodolite garnet, a necklace of red coral, black onyx and gold, a bracelet of turquoise and lapis lazuli linked together with strands of gold, a ring which juxtaposes a flawless diamond and a lustrous sapphire, like a deep blue sky speaking to clear water.
These pairings which seem so naturally and eternally beautiful in their simplicity are the mark of a woman preparing to be a pelican in the next life. But her actions and her manner and her special way of being in this world speak also of this life, this time where she has listened to that inner voice to find and develop her gifts and her talents.
So many of us plod on from day to day, in the words of the old proverb, from the cradle to the grave, never realizing that we, too, have been endowed with gifts and talents. This is the time to look inside, way past the loud and vexatious noises, and to allow the revelation.
In the end there is always a beginning.

Now that the dark cloud of the Schneider administration has dissipated, the sun once again is shining down on our emerald isles. With this fresh breeze of optimism the Turnbull-James team is poised to confront the serious task of renewal.
Along the campaign trail, I was able to witness first-hand the interaction of our soon-to-be governor with the people of this territory. They were of many political persuasions, colors, cultures and backgrounds, but with one common desire: to restore these islands' image as a friendly, safe, enjoyable experience for residents and visitors alike.
Our campaigning governor was receptive, humble enough to listen, and at times hearing and learning things that were new to him. Out of the public's eye, he would ask further questions of those around him as to how we could improve things, or why simple problems go unsolved when only a little effort is needed to fix them.
Most people whom the candidate met were instantly impressed with his manner and style, although a little concerned about whether he would be able to lead us out of the dire circumstances the islands were experiencing.
When confronted with these doubts or criticisms, Turnbull answered quickly that this campaign was not a personality cult but a team, best characterized when he said, "If I don't know the answer, I'll ask someone who does."
As the campaign progressed and the long-shot candidate pulled even, the issues became more focused and solutions were offered. A platform put together by the resurging Democratic Party became Turnbull's calling card. At every rally he would clearly articulate the theme of his campaign and platform — service, unity and respect. For the first time in many elections, Democratic candidates stood side-by-side, emphasizing the power of unity, as an option for the public's growing concern about Gov. Roy L. Schneider's dictatorial behavior.
What a contrast in candidates. The public had a clear choice, but a cautious public held their cards close to their chests, leaving political pundits hard-pressed to make convincing predictions as to the election's outcome.
My feeling at the time was that the voter had plenty of reasons not to vote for Schneider, but too few to vote for Turnbull. Then the tide turned. In the last weeks of the campaign, the "Bull" developed a rapport with the voter, a clear victory in the debate, the support of unions, increased numbers of Schneider appointees lining up with the Democratic candidates, and public confidence that "yes, maybe" the teamwork concept might work.
Well, the rest is history. We will soon inaugurate Dr. Charles Wesley Turnbull as governor, G. Luz James as lieutenant governor, a Democratic Party-formed majority in the Senate, and a landslide victor in Congress, Donna Christian-Green.
It must be said publicly that this was a superb example of democracy, and lays the groundwork for the re-establishment of the two-party system. The public wants accountability from their elected officials. They want to see a unified political party with a clear agenda. We cannot afford personality politics anymore.
The Turnbull-James and Democratic platform are of the same philosophy; it is clear that they are committed to changing the way government operates.
This lofty goal can only be accomplished by including the talents of many, by continuing that personal dialogue developed on the campaign trail, and most of all by turning words into actions that will truly gain the confidence of the people they represent.