THE EDITOR, Sir:
THIS COUNTRY must be the strangest of the strange and the people more tolerant than we are giving them credit for (I cannot believe they are foolish).
Competition is competition and with it all is fair in whatever turns it takes; consider this however.
For quite a while consumers have been frustrated by outrageous and conscienceless billings which they are powerless to investigate but are aware are not right.
The bills from cellular phones by Cable & Wireless (C/W) have left several persons penniless and still others in debtor's jail. With the appearance of Digicel on the scene, Cable & Wireless has reduced their minute rates from $13.00 to $10.00 and persons are no longer required to pay for receiving calls on their 'cells'.
My questions are, did Cable & Wireless deliberately set out to rob the consumers and if so, is there a plan to repay these excesses, because free minutes alone will not do Mr. Cable & Wireless! What is frightening is the acceptance by the public of this obvious dishonesty. Persons seem somewhat inured to this outright robbery as if knowing that justice will not be served, they might as well grin and bear it. Apart from paying taxes, when C&WJ made their billion dollar profit, did they build roads or at least repair the ones they dug up?
Something however, must be done. The public should be made aware that Digicel is being asked to pay though their noses (by Cable & Wireless) in order to bring proper service to their customers. The least the government can do, is to arbitrate on behalf of Digicel and by extension its customers. Did you know that if you call the emergency numbers like 119, 110 etc., through using Digicel, it becomes a charge call because they are C&WJ lines?
Now, if Cable and Wireless can drop its minutely rates by $3.00 on a cell phone, I am sure they can do the same on the fixed phones.
I am, etc.,
C. DAVIS
Greater Portmore
