Local councillor and postmaster of Ballynacargy Post Office, Robert Troy, has called on the ESB and Eircom to reverse a decision which would see a minimum payment of €20 introduced for customers paying bills at post offices. Eircom has announced their intention to introduce this new payment system from October 1, while the ESB has also stated they plan to follow suit.
Speaking this week, Cllr Troy said that he is outraged by this proposal as he sees himself how beneficial it is to so many people to be able to budget and pay their bills in weekly installments of €5 or €10 at a time when they receive their social welfare payment.
“I find this totally unacceptable and see this as an attack on the less well off and vulnerable in society. These companies are simply inconveniencing a number of their customers who had previously been paying their bills off in smaller installments. Surely all that should matter to these companies is that their customers pay, rather than forcing them to make minimum payments at a particular time,” said Cllr Troy.
“I am calling on Eircom to reverse their decision and I have also written to the Minister for Communications to speak directly with the CEO of ESB. I would also like to compliment the various postmasters throughout the county who have initiated a campaign and have been contacting all political representatives regarding this. In these times when people are finding it difficult to get a few euro together, I don’t think these companies should be turning down any payments, no matter what fee is offered,” he concluded.
