RESIDENTS IN Limerick’s disadvantaged estates have to pay an extra €50 for digital TV to be installed in their homes, as contractors say they need to pay for extra security to enter these areas.
A spokesperson for the contracting company said residents in St Mary’s Park, Moyross and Southill have to pay extra as operators were unwilling to enter these troubled estates without extra personal back-up.
“Most of the engineers own their own vans and equipment and they just cannot go in on their own. It’s a two-man job,” said the spokesperson for the company.
“There is only one engineer in Limerick who will go into these estates. He’s had the windows of his van broken and tools stolen. One of his drills, which cost €400, was also stolen. When he does go in there, he goes very early in the morning. The risks are very high; some people would laugh at you if you asked them to go in there.”
A resident in St Mary’s Park, who did not wish to be named, said she was told the service would cost €85 to install, but when she rang the company again with her address, she was told the service would cost an extra €50 as an additional person would have to be employed to ensure the van was not stolen from outside her home.
She has found another installer who will supply the service for €112, but still feels the other company should change its policy.
When asked if the company was discriminating against residents in these areas, the spokesperson replied: “We didn’t create the problems in Moyross and Southill.”