Why such a ridiculous deposit?

Alannah Gallagher

€600 deposit AND compulsory direct debit might make sense if we were starting a manufacturing outfit with machinery, but for a tiny retail unit is just crazy.

3 energy saving lightbulbs=33W + 1 sharp cash register=32W = 0.065kw/h
In other words between them they'll use a single unit every 2 days if the lights are on for the full  shift and the till is so busy it doesn't go into standby.

now maybe double this to take account of the timer and the 60W pump for the heating that will be on for an hour or 2 a day in the winter.

a unit a day.

And a deposit equal to 6-8 months home use where we have a washing machine, an immersion heater, an electric shower an electric cooker, fridge-freezer...............

We had to pay the deposit as it was the only option (Airtricity & Bord Gáis have year contracts and we have a short lease) but we did it with a lump in our throats.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, guess who'll be keeping stealing the 14 months interest off the deposit. Please explain to me how taking our money, putting it in a bank account where it will earn interest then returning it to us without the interest isn't theft.

Your representative said it all when he said the deposit was based on the meter not the customer. Not the customer is exactly right, YOU JUST DON'T LISTEN TO A THING YOUR CUSTOMERS TELL YOU.

bassey

Tiny retail units are closing down all the time, with creditors nearly always getting burnt. Makes sense for a supplier to cover their own arse really

eirator

bassey wrote: »

Tiny retail units are closing down all the time, with creditors nearly always getting burnt. Makes sense for a supplier to cover their own arse really

But they could still  cover their own arse and pay interest on the money.

Alannah Gallagher

I don't have an issue with paying a deposit in principle. Not at all. I just think for what is really no more than an indoor market stall, demanding a deposit that is over 6 months home use (where we have electric cooking, water heating, shower etc) is like demanding a €500 security deposit from someone who is renting a dress with a replacement value of €75. If they'd asked for say €150 and repaid it with interest I would be perfectly happy with that.

Even if we do go down the plughole, the final bill will be less than 20% of the deposit.

Not returning the deposit with the interest they'll get from it at the end of the term in my mind is completely wrong also. Profiting from mitigating their risk it is just completely unjust.

EI: Una

Hi Alannah,

Can you private message the account number of your business and the company name, authorised contact(s) for it, and the address and telephone number? I will then pass the details to our Business/SMEs department.

Thanks and regards,
Una