Hawaiian Telcom's recent financial and customer service problems were highlighted in a Wall Street Journal article published in today's edition.

The article characterized the 2005 acquisition of Hawaiian Telcom by the Carlyle Group as "another sore spot" for the Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm.

Carlyle " expected the acquisition to turn into a big money maker, instead the deal has been a money drain for Carlyle and a headache for the customers of Hawaiian Telcom Communications Inc.," the story said.

Carlyle last month removed Hawaiian Telcom Chief Executive Michael Ruley and brought in turnaround expert Stephen Cooper to run the company.

The Journal article noted that the 61-year-old Cooper helped bail out post-scandal ridden Enron Corp., Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., and American Home Mortgage Corp.