The refusal by some pubs to accept Irish coins was the biggest cause of complaint among consumers yesterday, the first day of trading in the euro.
Although the changeover generally went smoothly, some consumers were annoyed when certain pubs declined to change Irish pound coins for euro and cent.
Nearly a quarter of the 83 calls fielded by the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs yesterday related to the issue and it involved pubs across the State.
Ms Carmel Foley said she would contact the two groups representing publicans, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), to seek an explanation.
Although Ms Foley said consumers had to act in reasonable fashion, and not expect pubs to exchange large bags of coins which should rightly have been taken to the bank, they should be able to conduct normal transactions. "People can't expect to come in with their piggybanks but they should be able to do normal coin transactions."
The Irish pound, in all its forms, remains legal tender until February 9th.
With the banks closed, pubs, bookmakers, 24-hour shops and petrol stations were on the frontline in dispensing the new currency and reported few problems.
"So far it's been OK," said Mr Tom Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald's Albert House pub in Sandycove, Dublin. "We have calculators, ready reckoners, all the gear and people have been very good about it."
Many people went out armed with euro calculators and the main source of confusion related to the smaller euro coins, particularly the five-cent coin which is copper-coloured, unlike the old silver-coloured 5p piece.
Ms Foley said her office fielded a steady stream of calls through the day and, aside from the problems over acceptance of coins, nothing new was thrown up.
There were some complaints about toll road charges, which was nothing to do with the euro, Ms Foley said.
A few callers were annoyed at having to queue twice, once to change their money and then to carry out their transaction, while there were the usual questions about the value of the euro.
"So far this voluntary system of compliance is working very well," said Ms Foley. "But if I find any evidence of wilful abuse by retailers I will, of course, publicly bring it to the attention of consumers and the Government."
The euro notes contain numerous state-of-the-art features to help protect against forgeries.
The banknotes are printed on pure cotton paper which contains fluorescent fibres. Some sections of the face are printed in relief, making them identifiable to the touch and acting as safeguards against forgery. Further ways of detecting whether a euro note is a forgery include checking the watermark and security thread running through it. The watermark displays a picture and the number indicating the value, which are visible if held up to light. The security thread is a dark line running through the note which can also be seen when held to light.
Other tell-tale signs are discernible if the banknote is tilted. These signs vary between low and high denomination notes.
Low denomination notes of five, 10 and 20 euro have a hologram foil stripe on which can be recognised the euro symbol and the value of the note. These denominations also have an iridescent stripe on the reverse side, which shines when the note is tilted under a bright light.
Higher denominations of 50, 100, 200 and 500 euro have hologram patches showing an image of the motif and the value of the banknote when the note is tilted. Higher-value notes also have a colour-shifting ink feature. When the note is tilted, the value numerals change colour from purple to olive green or brown.
If you encounter difficulties with the introduction of euro notes and coins The Irish Times wants to know about it. Our daily Euro Watch column will chart readers' experiences with the transition process. Telephone the finance department on 01-679 2022 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. today or e-mail: finance@irish-times.ie
Assorted official helplines will also be open. For consumers: Euro Changeover Board of Ireland - Tel: 1890-201050 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Website: www.euro.ie; Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs - Tel: 1890-220229 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.), Web: www.odca.ie
For business: Forfβs - Tel: 1890 20 83 08 (9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.), Web: www.emuaware.forfas.ie