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Letters
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Business New Haven
10/7/1996
By: BNH
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Retail vs. Reality
It would be an interesting project for BNH to undertake to survey downtown retailers in order to solicit their views on Mayor John DeStefano's sweeping plan to build a harborside mall with a million square feet of retail space and four department stores. I'd be willing to bet that a majority of the (few) remaining center-city merchants would give the project a major thumbs-down.
While the mayor attempts to assuage concerns about downtown retail by referring to yet-unspecified “linkages” between the existing downtown and the waterfront, the fact remains that the distance is too daunting for most pedestrians, who would have to walk through a not-very-safe neighborhood either way. Also, the mall will attract automobile travelers by virtue of the proposed mall's easy-on, easy-off access - the lack of which will discourage those same drive from braving dense downtown traffic.
I hope your publication will continue to examine the ins and outs of this process in a properly critical manner.
- Gregory Hopman
Hamden
Goose vs. Gander
[The October 1] New Haven Register brought the happy news that SNET used a credit card to pay a $1.7 million tax bill to the city of New Haven. The frequent flyer miles, to say nothing of the float on $1.7 million, ought to merit a rate reduction for the rest of us.
Let's see: If SNET's billing cycle with American Express starts on the 28th of July, and it tenders a credit card to the city of New Haven on the 30th of July, the bill would come in on or about September 3. It would need to be paid by September 28, and surely it would be paid on the last day possible. SNET thus gets to keep the use of $1.7 million for 60 days longer than it would have had it paid by check, plus or minus. Assuming that SNET can get six percent per annum on its money (a conservative number), that means roughly $16,800 in SNET's pocket. Talk about going beyond the call!
What is particularly galling about this is that SNET refuses to accept credit card payments for phone charges from business and residential phone customers like you and me. What is good for the SNET goose is obviously not good for the SNET customer gander.
Of course, other carriers accept credit cards for their phone service (MCI, for example), so that you or I can get both the float and the frequent flyer miles, just like SNET. Which is just another reason the other carriers are eating SNET's lunch.
- Ivan M. Katz
New Haven
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