PriceWatch/Conor Pope: Niall Rogers writes to complain about the fairly hefty sum the Bank of Ireland charged him for using his ATM card when he was overseas.
He was in Scotland recently and took out £160 from a Bank of Scotland ATM using his Bank of Ireland laser card.
"The BoS ATM gave the usual warning, something like 'we will not charge you for this service but your own bank may do so'. And how!" he says.
When he got home there was an €8 charge from the Bank of Ireland waiting for him. "Seems extortionate for a simple online transaction," he says.
A spokeswoman for the bank points out however that it wasn't as simple a transaction as Rogers may have thought. He was paying an excess for the foreign exchange transaction rather than the for the use of the ATM machine, she says.
If Bank of Ireland customers withdraw money from ATMs in countries within the eurozone they pay "exactly the same" bank charges as they would for using the machines at home.
Withdrawing sterling, however, incurs foreign exchange costs of 3.5 per cent, with a minimum charge of just over €3 and a maximum charge of more than €11.
What's more . . .
Following on from last week's reader query about the price of fruit in Marks & Spencer, a Wexford-based reader has been in touch about the pricing structures for fruit and vegetables in his local supermarket.
In the Dunnes Stores in Redmond Square, Declan Kearney came across packaged fruit which, he says, was substantially more expensive than the same fruit when sold individually. He says he was charged 22 cent each for eight Outspan mandarin oranges in April - a total of €1.76.
"The next time I was in the shop [ just two days later], I picked up a net bag as they had no loose mandarins on offer and it cost €2.59 for eight! A difference of €0.83 for net packaging, which I don't want to have to dispose of, thank you!"
Kearney says he called the store after his visit to query the higher price and and was told that packaged fruit and veg was always more expensive. When contacted by PriceWatch, a Dunnes Stores spokeswoman said the company was not prepared to comment.
Damien Gill flew to Birmingham recently and stopped off in one of Dublin Airport's "airside" shops to buy some water. He was charged €2.50 for a 500ml bottle of a well-known brand of French spring water.
"Imagine my surprise when upon landing in Birmingham," he writes, "I found the same water on sale for £1.25 for 1.5 litres or approximately €1.83. On a pro rata basis this equates to a saving of €1.89 per 500ml. Makes you think, eh?"
Value4Money - Nappies (Thanks to baby Ella for her help)
Lidl Cien Air Comfort, 4-9kg, €9.49 for 56, 17 cent each
Highs: These work best at preventing leaks and the natty wetness indicator reduces the need to prise them open to check. These also contain vitamins and tea-leaf extract which is supposed to minimise odours and prevent skin irritation. They are exceptionally good value for money.
Lows: They are larger than others and could be more uncomfortable - although Ella had no complaints. If you rate form over function - which you probably shouldn't - it's not hugely attractive.
Verdict: Superb value for money.
Star rating:*****
Huggies Super-Flex, 5-9kg, €9.38 for 38, 25 cent each
Highs: These are well-made and look pretty good. They also score highly when it comes to preventing leaks. Despite this top-notch leak prevention, they manage to stay quite neat and thin. Both the legs and waistband are well elasticated. Fiddling around is minimised as the tabs pull out and attach easily.
Lows: These didn't appear to contain any moisturising balm. Of course, 10 years ago nappy moisturising balm was barely a twinkle in a marketing executive's eye and no-one ever complained.
Verdict: Not just cute, effective too.
Star rating:****
Pampers Active Fit, 4-9kg €10.15 for 32, 32 cent each
Highs: Very straightforward to attach to a wriggling baby as the fasteners are easy to find and then stick to the waistband. The tabs can be repeatedly attached and detached. The material feels pleasant and the inside contains a moisturising balm. They are also very absorbent.
Lows: Although a portion of the waistband is elasticated, these nappies don't fit as snugly as you might imagine, which can cause leakage more often than you'd expect. Way ahead of the pack when it comes to charging.
Verdict: Would expect better.
Star rating:***
Tesco value, 4-9kg €3.74 for 32, 12 cent each
Highs: By a huge margin, the cheapest of brands tried. They are reasonably absorbent when you consider how inexpensive they are.
Lows: They do seem rather more old-fashioned than the others. They feature a plastic outer coating rather than "breathable" material. The fasteners are quite tricky to pull out when putting on the nappy and they tend not to come away easily when taking it off. The elastication on the legs isn't as good as the others, and there's none on the waistband.
Verdict: Unremarkable except when it come to price.
Star rating:***
