CONSUMER MATTERS
Prices
More and more prices are being dual displayed
- that is, shown side-by-side in euro as well as in Irish pounds. This
dual display will increase in the run-up to e-day, and especially from
1 October 2001, the date by which subscribers to the National Code on
Euro Changeover (see below) commit to putting dual display in place.
Dual display under the Code will last until 9 March 2002. So consumers
will be able to see more and more prices in euro and Irish pounds side-by-side
before the changeover, during it and for a month afterwards.
In addition, those subscribing to the Code, or
to an approved sectoral code, give a commitment to carrying out the
changeover to the euro fairly and that they will seek no advantage from
the conversion.
There will continue to be competition among retailers
for customers, and price differences will be as visible as they are
now. Retailers should be anxious to prove to customers that they are
carrying out the changeover fairly. Consumers should support retailers
who do so, and should be wary of shopping anywhere else.
Finally, it is important to note that prices
in euro will look higher than prices in Irish pounds. For example, ten
pounds converts to twelve euro and seventy cent. But remember, although
the numbers will change on conversion from Irish pounds to euro, the
value will stay the same. It is like temperatures: 20 degrees celsius
converts to 68 degrees fahrenheit, but they are the same temperature.
The National Code on Euro Changeover
Subscribers
to the National Code on Euro Changeover, which is a Code of Practice
on Dual Pricing, or to sectoral codes approved by the Director of Consumer
Affairs, will be entitled to display a special logo as evidence of a
commitment by them to implement the changeover fairly. This logo, and
approved adaptations, incorporates the European Commission euro logo
and the logo of the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs (ODCA).
In retail outlets, the logo will include a contact point for complaints
or enquiries.
By subscribing to the national or approved sectoral
code(s), businesses commit themselves to seek no advantage from the
changeover and to assist the consumer through such means as dual pricing,
in-store display and display of the six-digit conversion rate.
