No longer a fair deal

A couple of months ago I drew attention to a welcome development, seemingly resulting from Malta's entry in the EU.

This was that, after having paid for many years the full listed price for much less, the local distributors of the UK Sunday Times were finally giving readers a fair deal. Until then we had been deprived of the weekly magazine and, more recently, also the 'Style' magazine and at times even some of the supplements.

But my euphoria was short-lived! Regrettably, giving the consumer a fair deal - what readers expect by right for the price paid locally - lasted only four weeks. Over the past month Miller Distributors Ltd have gone back to thinking that in their monopolistic position they hold sway over the consumer.

I say so because gone again are both magazines. To add insult to injury for last Sunday's issue (August 1) readers had also to go without the 'News Review' and 'Money' supplements! Yet such limited interest supplements as 'Driving' and 'Homes' (both oriented very much to UK readers) were considered to be of greater interest to local readers.

To emphasise what a bad deal local readers are getting, suffice to say that the UK price for the paper, including all supplements and two magazines, is £1.40 (say, 86 Malta cents) while we pay Lm1.47, i.e. +71% for much less. Moreover, it is reasonable to assume that the local distributors purchase at the wholesale price, i.e. at considerably less than the retail price.

Even allowing for air freight and distribution costs, surely this leaves more than a reasonable profit for the local distributors. I insist on getting a fair deal for a UK Sunday newspaper I have subscribed to for as long as I can remember. However, if Miller Distributors persist in treating readers so shoddily, and no action to stop this abuse is taken by the relevant authorities, then I hope others will join me is discontinuing my custom.

It is time that Government's Consumer and Competition Division takes appropriate action so as to ensure that the consumer gets what he entitled to for his money.

As the local distributors have ignored previous complaints in the press by myself and others, this letter is being copied to the relevant government department and also to the publishers of the UK Sunday Times.