The lights would not stop flickering at the Spitz family’s house. At first, the Proctorville, Ohio, family didn’t think it was a big deal: the lights would flicker, then come right back on. But then the outlets in their family room, a favorite spot for their disabled adult son, Jeremy, also intermittently stopped working.

It was a big frustration for the family: their son hated missing football games and the TV was in that room.

“I couldn’t sleep for two nights,” Deborah Spitz said.

At first, they thought it would be an easy fix. Deborah’s husband, Alan, contacted a retired electrician friend for some advice.

“After doing some troubleshooting over the phone, he recommended that I check all of my ground connections both in the electric panel and outside,” Alan said. “While examining the two circuits that were flashing, we discovered a breaker that looked like it might be going bad.”

Jeremy Spitz waiting for the power to come back on. 

Alan went as far as replacing his breaker. But the next day, the power went out again. That’s when Alan called AEP Ohio for help.

Eric Rawlins, a line servicer from the South Point Service Center, answered the call.                                                                                                                                                            

“Unfortunately, when Eric got here, the power had come back on,” Alan said.

Rawlins was determined to find the root cause of the problem. He found out that no other customer on that transformer was experiencing similar issues. To be on the safe side, Rawlins replaced the existing connections. As he worked, Rawlins took the time to explain what he was doing and what type of problem he was looking for.

Eric Rawlins

“Eric remained here at the house for a while in hopes that the power would go out so he could isolate the problem, but it never did,” Alan said. “He went above and beyond. My son watched him work and he hugged and thanked Eric. They kind of bonded a bit and to me, it was unique. I know AEP Ohio has a lot of employees, but Eric was so caring, and he wanted to make sure we were taken care of.”

Rawlins said he was just treating them like he treats every customer he encounters.

“I do it for everybody,” Rawlins said. “Anything we can do to help the customer, we go ahead and do it. That family was super nice. They had a son who was so sweet and he loved football. Every time they would lose power, he couldn’t watch football on his TV and I wanted to make sure I could fix their problem.”

That dedication led Rawlins to give Alan his cell phone number and told him to give him a call the moment his power went out again.

“I wanted to make sure I could help,” Rawlins said. “That’s the main thing — just treat them right and get the job done.”

Sure enough, an hour after Rawlins left the Spitz family’s house, their power went out again. They called Rawlins right away and he came over a second time. But again, the lights were back on.                                                            

The next day, the lights started to flicker again. Alan called Rawlins and the third time was the charm. When Rawlins checked the voltage at the electrical panel yet again, he saw the issue right away.

           

 

 

 

Spitz Family

Rawlins safely and quickly made the repairs, and the mystery — and the Spitz family’s electrical problem — was solved. It’s an above-and-beyond customer experience the Spitz family said they will never forget — and it meant Jeremy didn’t have to miss another football game. Deborah said Rawlins was a hero.

“There are still angels among us,” she said. “And one of them works at AEP Ohio by the name of Eric Rawlins.”      

 

9 responses to “Customer Praises AEP Ohio Employee: “There are Still Angels Among Us”

  1. I can definitely second this sentiment! Eric also answered my 2nd call to AEP – on Christmas Eve no less – and he went above and beyond to help us with our electric issue. He is a real asset to the company! We can’t thank him enough for his help and knowledge.

  2. Good job Eric! So nice of you to be so helpful and to take such good care of your customers. It means so much when someone goes beyond their routine job to help you. Just proves there are still good, caring people and they are appreciated.

  3. Eric has always been a special guy. He was a super young man years ago. Proud of you Eric. Thanks for being so thoughtful.

  4. I worked with Eric for a number of years in my HR role with AEP Ohio. This article doesn’t surprise me. He continues to be focused on the customer and his role at the company, a very important role.

  5. Good for you Eric! You lead with your heart and love your neighbor and do a good job. Why didn’t you run for President?

  6. Dear Mr. Rawlins,
    You have a wonderful work ethic and therefore, you will alsways have work. You are part of a dying breed. But you are very valuable. Thank you for your determination and follow through. I hope you received a bonus!
    Sincerely,

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