Sir, – I write immediately after a series of phone calls over the previous hour and being passed around between various customer service and technical departments in Éir.
We are constantly told by consumer protection bodies and your own excellent Pricewatch column that the way to secure better prices and services for utilities is to switch providers regularly.
With this in mind, our household decided to abandon Virgin Media in search of lower monthly rates and the treasured BT Sports channels.
It boggles the mind how a full-time worker can be expected to spend hours on the phone to any company over a number of days and weeks, as well as having to be at home for as much as an eight-hour period, midweek, awaiting a visit from a technician.
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I know I’m hardly the first to point this out but frustration has nonetheless compelled me to write. I couldn’t possibly imagine having to do this on a regular basis, and hope against hope that I won’t have to.
A cynic might suspect that the utilities sector makes the switching process difficult so that their own customers are less inclined to leave. – Yours, etc,
ALAN EUSTACE,
Marino, Dublin 9.