Madam, - Shane Hegarty's "Encyclopaedia of Ireland" (Magazine, April 30th) has raised an important issue, the infernal robotic telephone answering protocol used by many companies. Eircom, in particular, is a good example of frustrating practice. I now know every bar of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik after six months of trying to get information on the installation of a new phone line - but that's another story.
It is time there was a consumer revolt against what some firms might think of as progress, but is regression as far as customer satisfaction is concerned. I don't know what story the software developers or purveyors of telephone answering systems tell their clients - probably it's aboutstaff savings and efficiency - but it is definitely not customer friendly.
What help is there out there? Is there any standard or set of guidelines for companies? Perhaps there's a task here for ComReg. I would love to join a customer panel dealing with this issue (I would offer to host one if I could get a phone line). If our calls are as important as they say, the least firms can do is to listen to complaints such as this and do something about it. Yours, etc,
DAVID J WALSH, Convent Court, Delgany, Co Wicklow.