Sir, - In a recent friendly letter enclosing a "free" 10 unit callcard, a Mr Alfie Kane of Telecom Eireann informs me, inter alia, that "in today's information age communications is (sic) becoming more and more important in all our lives."
This letter is the latest in a continuing bombardment of inducements - letters, regularly repeated TV ads, expensively printed glossy leaflets - all, gentle reader, produced, broadcast and delivered at our expense, and aimed at producing more revenue for Telecom, as well as a windfall of 21 per cent for Mr McCreevy.
Our household requires very limited telephonic access worldwide, and seldom do we need cheaper communication to such places as Tomhaggard, Ballybunion, or Kerrykeel. Instead, we require either (a) more time in which to make a minimum rate local call or (b) a lower unit charge for same. Many in the average household forget or ignore the fact that a call lasting three minutes, one second costs twice as much as a three-minute call. - Yours, etc., David Ferguson,
Dublin 18.