It all adds up to more poor service at hands of Britain plc

From: Peter Broadley, Rochdale Road, Greetland, Halifax.

IT is over 40 years since I qualified as an accountant, a time when the only calculator which was available was one’s brain and the number of fingers (and toes).

Now, as I reach biblical “old age” and retirement beckons, I realise that I should have invested in some form of mechanical or electrical equipment to assist me in my job!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The situation was highlighted last Friday when I went to King Cross, Halifax, to help my wife with some shopping. My wife went to the local bakers and I had the task of satisfying our needs at the butchers. Being greedy, I also called at another bakers (Sayers the bakers, who are part of a Lancashire chain) purchasing 
two hot pies and some scones.

I had made a similar purchase the previous week – and the scones in particular were excellent!

No problem with the pies and I wished to buy four scones which were advertised at £1.60. I asked the staff member for the scones, but she indicated that unfortunately there were only three left,

I reluctantly had to accept the situation and received the three lonely scones.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I asked how much the total cost was (£4.15 came the reply), somewhat confused,

I asked how this was arrived 
at, since the pies were only 
£2.50.

The assistant told me the scones were £1.65, which I found confusing since I could only buy three.

The explanation was they were four for £1.60 or 55 pence each, despite my suggestion that it was hardly my fault that the shop was unable to fulfil my order and that (using my fingers and toes) the cost of the scones should be £1.20.

The question you might ask is – how much did I pay?

From: ME Wright, Grove Road, Harrogate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

WITH reference to my letter on Screaming Lord Sutch (Yorkshire Post, October 20) and his involvement with the British Gas appointment system, my attempts to make other arrangements were thwarted by a dead telephone line, which remains so 10 days later, despite endless button-pressing, Vivaldi etc and at 10p per minute.

In the midst of this, Harrogate town centre suffered yet another power failure – afflicted businesses know the exact number, no doubt.

After 30 years of promised private sector enterprise, efficiency and investment, is it any wonder that millions of David Cameron’s hardworking folk find Ed Miliband’s questionable price cap promise attractive? At long last, someone is standing up for the general public.

The petulant, bully-boy response of “blackouts” raises the darker question of who actually runs UK plc – our elected government, or an unelected, predatory suit in a remote boardroom?

For obvious reasons, this letter comes via a vintage Imperial typewriter and, as Royal Mail is soon to be privatised, perhaps I’d better hurry.