Sounding off

We've got mail/ Recycled papers?On a recent 9.25am Ryanair flight from Faro to Dublin, a reader says she was charged €2 for a copy of the Irish Independent, 30 cent above its normal retail price of €1.70. She also says the copy of the paper she paid €2 for looked like it had been "recycled copy from the earlier Dublin to Faro flight". She asks whether it is legal to charge more than the cover price and the short answer is yes. The cover price on newspapers and magazines is no more than a recommended retail price.

We contacted Ryanair to see whether it was actually charging €2 for the paper and if did "recycle" copies left behind by passengers on the outward journey and sell them to those on the inbound journey. We received the following statement: "Once again this is a baseless complaint. It was made perfectly clear to this passenger before they chose to buy the newspaper that the on-board cost is €2 and they chose to buy it."

Reading matters

Recently, in the Galway branch of Easons, Dolores Gillan bought The Irish Times, Le Figaroand a magazine called Point de Vue. She was charged €2 for Le Figaro, the price marked on the newspaper as the price for Ireland, but paid €4.33 for Point de Vuewhich, she says, sells in France for €2, and has an Irish price tag of €3.60. "When I queried why I was being charged 73 cent more than the marked price, I was told it was VAT. This is rubbish and I feel that every time we purchase a magazine which is not produced in Ireland we are being ripped off. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing Point de Vuefrom Easons again."

Hearthwarming tale

We don't often get to highlight exemplary customer service on this page so we were delighted to hear from a reader named Ed who had what he calls a "hearthwarming" experience recently. He sent us a mail singing the praises of a Cork company which sold and installed his fireplace. "After months of indecisive hunting for a replacement fireplace, we finally decided to take the plunge with Rathpeacon Fireplaces in Blackpool," he writes.

"After paying a nominal deposit, we settled back to wait for delivery and installation which had been promised in a week or so. Imagine the pleasant surprise when, within 24 hours, the new fireplace was installed with no mess or fuss. Full marks to Rathpeacon and their two-man crew."

Milking it

A more typical complaint comes from Maeve Townsend. The rising price of baby formula prompted her to contact us. "Until two months ago Aptamil Formula retailed at approximately €11.54. In September the packaging changed and it increased to €12.89." She has also seen it selling it for as much as €13.99. "The hike seems unreasonable," she says, and she's not the first person to have sent us a mail about the price rise either.