SOUNDING OFF:In the middle of November, Joan Morgan bought a €50 voucher on the Smyth's Toys website. She received an e-mail confirming the order and was told the vouchers would be sent out within five working days.

Then, six working days later, she got a second e-mail from Smyth's saying they required as a security check a copy of her credit card statement or a utility bill showing the card holder name and address. This security hurdle was put in her way even though Smyth's had already debited her credit card.

"When I contacted them they told me it was policy to do this. I find this mad - I only wanted a voucher for €50, not €5,000. They shouldn't offer an online facility if the customer has to go through such grief. I have cancelled the order and requested a refund - I wonder how long it will take and will I need to provide my passport!"

We got in touch with the company to find out more. A spokesman apologised to the customer for the "aggravation" caused. He said the company took "full responsibility for same. The policy was put in place is to ensure the customer's purchase is secure and to prohibit fraud. However, to avoid any future customer dissatisfaction we are currently in the process of changing the policy. We would like to offer the customer a goodwill gesture to compensate for the inconvenience."

Waiting for cash to land

A reader from Templeogue and her husband were due to fly to Vienna in March of this year, but she became ill the day before they were due to depart and had to cancel the trip.

"We claimed on our travel insurance and got some of our money back," she writes. She was told that she would need to claim her taxes, amounting to €80, directly from the airline. "I have written to them several times but, except for a letter from a customer service representative dated July 16th asking us to allow them 'some time to complete our investigations thoroughly', we have heard nothing."

She wrote to the airline again on September 24th but got no response. "I hope you can air this problem as I am sure there must be lots like us."

Bull in an Irish shop

Bren L from Wicklow asks to be spared "the bull from companies saying 'shipping' from the UK adds to prices here". He says that on a recent visit to Vietnam, he found one-litre bottles of Jameson whiskey selling for €12 and Oral B toothbrushes manufactured in Ireland selling for 33 per cent of the Irish price. "It's not 'shipping' that's the problem, it's manufacturers putting an 'Oirish' premium on everything, because the 'Oirish' are stupid consumers!"

Meanwhile, a reader by the name of Diarmuid wonders if Irish consumers "would have more time to buy Irish if the retailers themselves bought Irish. It's hard to listen to the bleating, when the majority of toys in the main Irish toy retailers are made in China. Irish department stores have very limited Irish-made clothes. Perhaps if the retailers themselves were that bit more patriotic, the consumer would be also."