From Brian Hotton.
NOT wishing to spoil John Henwood’s celebration of Christmas last, I thought I would save this letter for the new year. Unfortunately I have only just finished celebrating. So in response to a letter from John (JEP, 16 December) headlined ‘Taking advantage of customers’, I make the following comment.

When referring to a 29% increase on marzipan, he told us: ‘It is this sort of treatment that infuriates customers who hate nothing more than being taken for a ride.’ I couldn’t agree with him more. I too hate being taken for a ride.

When Jersey Telecom, of which John was chairman, informed me that the rental for my landline was rising from £23.61 to £36 a month, an increase of more than 50% on the old tariff, I was infuriated as ‘I don’t like being taken for a ride’.

I don’t know what supermarket John was in when he bought his marzipan, but if it was the Co-op, then all I can say is when he gets his ‘divi’ he will get 8% back if he does his shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday, so his marzipan would have cost him — in theory at least — only 21% more.

On the other hand, I and thousands of other Jersey Telecom landline users cannot get the 50% increase reduced, even if we only use the phone on Tuesday or Wednesday (Co-op ‘double divi’ days).

I don’t know why marzipan was increased by 29%, but maybe it was the price of oil, sugar, road transport and any other ingredient that goes into making marzipan. Oh, not forgetting GST.

There may well be valid reasons for this increase in marzipan, as there may well be valid reasons for the JT hike in charges, like the bonus for the poor board of directors at Jersey Telecom.
66 Stopford Road,
St Helier.