Madam, - W.J. Murphy (July 29th) presents a rather feeble case in endeavouring to refute the argument that Ireland offers poor value for money. The overall cost of living in Dublin is the highest in any European Union capital city, bar Helsinki. I recently spent a week holidaying in West Cork, and by far and away the most common topic that came up when one got into conversation with other visitors, native and foreign, was the high price of almost everything in Ireland. Are all these people simply imagining this?
Mr Murphy refers to the point I made about "service" in the Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, whereby a customer must purchase two scones as a portion, and, using the same form of "logic" as the hotel, suggests I was trying to negotiate "a half-portion", whereas I was merely highlighting the ludicrous arrangement whereby a person wishing to consume a single item is forced to purchase a second merely because the hotel has designated this as a portion. Is he suggesting the customer should meekly accept whatever is dished up to them?
I reiterate my original assertion that, unless "service" providers in this country start to produce a level of decent "service" that takes account of the legitimate and reasonable expectations of the customer in addition to better value for money, then these types of complaint are going to persist, and visitor numbers are going to continue their current descent. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID MARLBOROUGH, Kenilworth Park, Dublin 6.