Payment by direct debit

The letter by Paul Cassar (December 23) generated a number of comments about the fact that Go is trying – through its tariff structure – to encourage people to use direct debit mandates (DDM) to settle their bills.

Go is by no means the only company that offers incentives for the use of DDM, and with good reason. For the customer, direct debit mandates offer convenience because the customer does not need to go in person to settle a bill in cash or even have to write cheques that need to be posted through the mail.

The trend for years has been to guide people to use less cash and fewer cheques. This is why so much effort is being done at a national and governmental level to encourage e-commerce and e-services. The DDM system is far safer, less time-consuming and more practical for customers. It also allows companies to operate much more efficiently.

We are very sorry that Mr Cassar has interpreted the additional amount as a penalty and a punishment. We would urge him to reconsider the advantages of DDM.