“As there is no evidence from the suppliers to substantiate the allegations made against those Woolworths has failed to implement any reasonable measures to meet its obligations, and that it has committed to the supplier that there will be consequences if they do not comply with these obligations.”

But in a letter to the Oireachtas Committee on Small Business, which oversees small businesses in Ireland, the independent body said the department had failed to answer every suggestion, including a letter written on 20 December 2011 by the company to the Independent.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said: “The inde바카라pendent Small Business Ireland said our own independent research was clear that the evidence of complaints in our stores to the Oireachtas committee was overwhelnatyasastra.commingly positive.

“Our business in Ireland is doing fantastic and has a record of delivering excellent customer satisfaction in the market.”

However, the organisation claimed that in a December 3 letter to the committee, Woolworths h우리카지노ad responded by saying it was “in the process of investigating the claims and the company is looking for further information”.

It added: “The department has yet to reply and, as is usual, we will not be responding at this time.”

A Woolworths spokesman said the department “has always responded very quickly to any complaint or allegation and takes the matter very seriously”. He said that its departmental guidelines had been followed during the Christmas shopping period, despite the department’s recent public statement.

“We take claims of customer abuse extremely seriously,” he said.

A statement on the Department of Communications website said: “We are deeply committed to investigating all complaints, including those submitted by customers to the Independent.

“This includes the investigation of any complaints against Woolworths. We continue to monitor the progress of investigations and will, if appropriate, take further action, including through the formal complaint process, if necessary.”