Profit over conscience
I read with interest in letters to the editor (Courier, October 26) about Mr Wally Reynolds' complaint about the muti-national insurance company who pose to be looking after those over 50 with the price hike in his policy. I am not very happy with this insurance company either. My elderly mum has been with this insurance company for some 30 years, and had to call on them when she was flooded recently. This insurance company told her they would be sending out a assessor to check her roof to see it was in good repair otherwise they wouldn't honour her insurance policy. Luckily, the roof was in good repair.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Why do these insurance companies take your money but when it comes to paying out, they cause the customer so much stress with the delaying of the insurance claim, causing many sleepless nights, and not to mention the many questions the insurance company ask? It makes you feel like a criminal. Surely these insurance companies can do better and find a bit more compassion for the elderly; especially when the customer has been with them for many years.
Geoff Rundell, Ballarat
Don’t know what you are missing
Where does one start in answering the commentary penned by Mr Linnell in The Courier (15 October)? As a starting point, he of course has every right to his opinion. Free speech is an entitlement we all share and must protect. It is interesting to note that he manages to, despite his loathing of the Beatles, to use their lyrics to make some smart alec points. However, he is technically outed when he refers to their music as, "...basic three-chord structures".
Obviously Mr Linnell missed the classes on music composition and/or arrangements, and one would doubt he even knows what a chord is. For your edification Mr Linnell, it's not something you hold your pants up with, but then it's possible you think it is. You plumb new lows when you refer to George's "genius" (another pithy comment) introduction of the sitar on Norwegian Wood. Not that you would know, but the sitar is an incredibly complex instrument to play, and further proof of the highly talented musician George was, along with the other Beatles.
The conservatism that permeates your entire piece speaks loudly that if characters like you were in charge, we would still be banging on animal skins with sticks. My suggestion to you is, return to your garden shed and salivate to the dulcet tones of someone like Bing Crosby on your steam-driven radio, and let the music world develop as it should, contributed to by in a major way by your nemeses; John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Adrian Lillis, Mt Clear
No more nails in this coffin
Since the invention of the automobile in the 1880s, 13 countries have built cars and every one of them continues to do so. Most are heavily subsidised and/or tariffed as unemployment is more expensive, both financially and socially.
Australia is the first and only country ever to abandon car manufacture. Joe Hockey said if they weren't happy, they could go. Countries where once just seeing a car was a rarity, have risen up to dominate the industry, despite lacking all the raw materials and energy supplies with freight over and back. All they had was a large willing workforce content with a low basic wage, offset by a low cost of living and no holiday on grand final footy eve. This footy field is the only level playing field; both maybe a bit lopsided through money.
Once our normal Aussie family cars came with no extras but the Asian imports led the way on extras, fuel economy, pollution control, more gears and much longer warranties. They were tariffed but still cheaper. Our once proud auto manufacturing industry shall be carted away in an Asian-built hearse; dead, cremated and buried. .
Colin Holmes, Ballarat
