The Editor, Sir:

I live in an isolated location where landline phones are unavailable. I, therefore, have a fixed cellular unit from Cable and Wireless (C&W). For this misfortune I am charged the princely sum of $700 per month - i.e. $8,400 per annum. I have the following complaints:

Unlike landline customers, cellular customers are required to pay a security deposit - based on one's monthly usage. Mine is $2,500; no interest is paid on this sum and there are no benefits, for if in a single billing period (30 days) your actual calls exceed your deposit, then service is immediately disconnected; i.e. even before a bill is prepared or presented; or a payment date is advised.

Charges

If, for example, my calls amounted to $2,700, all I would actually owe is $200 - since my deposit is $2,500; nevertheless service would be disconnected. First, you are informed by a C&W recorded message of the overspending then advised to immediately increase one's deposit before the bill is due for payment. As if this were not enough, when calls are made to national toll-free numbers, charges are made to your account.

I discussed this with the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and they simply giggled. And the final insult: C&W having closed their payment offices, customers now have to pay a $35 charge for the 'privilege' of paying such bills to Paymaster and other such agencies. Can you beat that?

However, the real problem begins when your phone malfunctions. Mine went out on Thursday June 15; and was immediately reported, with daily follow-up complaints thereafter. It was not until June 24 that the servicemen arrived: the day after it was repaired, the phone again malfunctioned and despite daily appeals, was not serviced again until July 9. The reason is that their repair technicians are not full-time employees, but contract workers who work only on weekends. So if your phone goes bad on a Monday you wait until weekend; and if you miss weekend No. one, well you just wait for weekend No. two or three.

Just receievd my bill for June - and find that the access fee was not charged. Goody; Goody. But from past experience, this is out of character for C&W and I fear this temporary insanity may be reversed on future bills. Watch out!

However, the real tragedy in all this is that the public gets no protection or assistance from agencies like the OUR, the Fair Trading Commission, or the Consumer Affairs Commission. What is the use of these agencies if they interpret their role as protecting the interests of the utility companies, rather than the public? Something is seriously wrong here, and needs immediate change. I hope some one in authority will take some action.

I am, etc.,

NORMA PERKINS

P.O. Box 9

Walkers Wood

St. Ann