Mario Casingena, Mellieħa
The things of the past
I refer to the editorial Consumers Being Taken For A Ride (February 3), the contents of which are grossly wrong. In today’s free market economy competitive prices are being offered on the market. It is the consumer that is not being well informed.
The services that the local business offers are in direct competition with Sicily and the internet. The framework in which business is operating is very expensive and, as The Times mentioned, freight charges are surely high (sea freight, Freeport Malta and inland transport).
What about goods that are being bought from Sicily without the fiscal document? What is lacking and who stands to gain? Or did The Times come across Sicilians who come over to Malta with their own car filled with goods selling tools, cutlery, soft furnishings, silverware? Malta should be working on building a large market place in view of the strategic position in the Mediterranean and Sicily would be a thing of the past.
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Mr Tony Gatt
Feb 11th, 10:15
In matters of the internet, Maltese are definately being taken for a ride.
I have a contract with a company called Talktalk in the U.K. and it costs me £11 a month for virtually unlimited internet at about 6Mbps.: phonecalls to U.K. landlines are included in that, as are also calls to Australia, Canada, the U.S. In overseas call providing I spend less than one hour on the phone on each call, there is no exrtra charge. Any rare phone fault is fixed within 24 hours.
When I stay in Malta, I've had to wait as long as 6 days to have a fault fixed, all the time paying through the nose for a non-existent service.
People whinge about rip-off Britain- they should try Malta!
Janet Bayes
Feb 11th, 08:34
We have been living here for three and a half years. ALL consumers of ALL products are being taken for a ride. Nothing to do with any other country - - nothing to do with transport costs. EVERYTHING to do with greed of the retailer, and taxes by the government. The two things together make for RIP OFF MALTA
Mrs diana cottis
Feb 10th, 17:10
I think consumers are being taken for a ride. Look at the price of local wines in restaurants - astonishing mark ups. Look at the price of "over the counter" type medicines for allergies or indigestion which can be bought from pound shops in the UK but here only the expensive brand names are avaible. Look at the price of greetings cards or books here - at least double the UK shop price. Even the big UK chain stores add big mark ups here when surely their overheads (premises, staff etc) must be much lower. I can understand that transport and handling will raise costs for imports but we are just not getting value for money here and that hits harder when local wages are lower too.
Peter Murray
Feb 10th, 10:59
So if we leave aside the issues with Sicily then consumers are not being taken for a ride ?Is that your conclusion?