Rental option will cost consumers dearly

I read in disbelief that the Government are proposing recouping the cost of water meters by means of a standing charge added to our water bills.

Maybe they have looked at previous examples of this, like the very profitable phone equipment rental scheme that Telecom Eireann imposed on their customers for years.

This was in effect a standing charge added to every bill to recoup the cost of providing the customer with a basic analogue phone.