A timely question: where have our missing converters gone?

More than 1.3 million euro converters have been distributed to homes across the State, but a considerable number of people do not seem to have one. Out of 100 people questioned by The Irish Times in Dublin city centre late last week, 25 said they had not received a converter.

The converters were introduced by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, in November. He said they were "aimed at empowering households to convert for themselves". An Post's delivery of the devices was expected to be completed by December 10th.

However, with just days to go before the changeover, the main query being received by the European Consumers' Information Centre in Dublin is: "Where can I get a euro converter?"

A spokeswoman for the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland (ECBI), Ms Ann Murray, said the ECBI had asked An Post how many converters it would need to supply to ensure every household in the State was equipped with one. She said An Post came back with a figure of 1,365,000, and the ECBI supplied this number to the company. Ms Murray said it was "difficult to speculate" why people later complained about not receiving converters.

People living in flats who shared a front door with others received only one converter. Ms Murray said she had "sympathy" for them but only one converter would be delivered to each household.

Representatives of households which did not receive converters could obtain them, while stocks lasted, by calling the ECBI's low-call number: 1890 201050.

An Post's head of communications, Mr John Foley, said most people had received the converters, and his organisation was not to blame for those who had not.

An Post had done well to deliver so many converters before the busy Christmas period.

"Clearly there is a shortage. There was an obvious element of underestimation on our part, but I don't think it's fair to say we're totally responsible for this," he said.

Mr Foley said An Post's advice to the ECBI came from figures in its possession since last January.

"Every year in this country 40,000 new houses are built. Some difficulties occurred because new houses were built, people moved," he said.

The "publicity post" system used by ECBI to distribute the converters - usually used for flyers and brochures - was not recommended by An Post for valuable items.

"We told the ECBI this system was not what we recommended for this type of item. It's a low-cost service with certain restrictions," he said.

Typical of people questioned in the street last week, and who said they had not received a converter, was Ms Sallyann O'Donovan, from Parkgate Place in Dublin. She said she had got one by calling the Euro Changeover Board.

"I had to ring for it. I live in a new apartment complex but I'd registered for voting and everything so I thought I should have got one," she said.

Two days after Ms O'Donovan contacted the ECBI, a converter arrived at her home. She said she also called on behalf of some older people she knew who hadn't received converters.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the European Consumers' Information Centre said shoppers would had to learn the value of the products they were purchasing, with or without a converter.

"Converters are great in the first instance but we need to know what a pint of milk is in euro; what The Irish Times is in euro.

"That way it's not converting, it's learning new values."

This would not be too difficult, she insisted.

"We grow up with an inherent knowledge of values. We know from our youngest years the value of our pocket money and what that will buy us at the local shop.

"We know what we consider expensive and what we consider cheap," she said.