G ANDERSON asked "what has happened to good customer service?" (Letters, October 13).

Like Mr Anderson, and most of the population, I do not get good customer service.

To survive against the competition, I must give good customer service, because if I don't then I do not have the right to stay in business.

The culprits are the large corporations who do not have the competition that smaller companies face, so customer service comes low down in their priorities.

These large companies are probably short staffed and so the people they employ are doing the work of up to two because of cut-backs.

Unfortunately for Mr Anderson and the rest of us, I cannot ever see this situation improving.

Stuart Wilson,

Vesper Drive,

Acomb, York.

Updated: 10:28 Thursday, October 25, 2001