Just because someone has an email address doesn't mean that they check it frequently - if at all! It happens here - I've recently been berated by a friend for ignoring her emails - sent to an AOL address that I haven't used in 3 years and didn't realise was still active! That was down to our mutual incompetence despite us both having cheap, easy access to decent Broadband at home.

I find that a great many people in Cuba also have email addresses but I don't know of anybody who has Internet access at home - and very few businesses have it on-site either and even when they do it's likely to be via a dial-up service. The usual way of accessing it is via one of the state owned telecommunications company, Etexa, and while a 30 mins session costs very little by our standards it is costly in relation to local living standards and wages. So I wonder if the same is true of Goa? In the UK we have got used to email being a very cheap and easy to use communications medium with most of us who use it on here having good, fast reliable Broadband access at home but this isn't always the case in other parts of the world.

SM

To be honest I was referring mostly to businesses.
i.e hotels and taxi drivers etc, all with cards showing their e-mails but never bothering to check it.

Before attempting to email somebody out there it might always be worth checking the domain name - an email address that is xxx@domain_name_of_internet_provider would still not guarantee that they have easy access to the Internet but if it's a Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo address then, business or not, I would think that there is a very good chance that they are reliant on public access/internet cafes for checking email rather than actually being hooked-up direct to the Internet via even a dial-up service.

And I think that in many situations, business cards should be seen primarily as a bit of PR rather than a piece of contact information. I've come across it elsewhere that an email address is seen as something which adds prestige and status rather than being a frequently used means of communication. And the fact that emails can be printed out and used as evidence in the event of disputes at a later date might be a reason why some people, despite having an email address, prefer not to use it in their dealings with visitors?

SM

I see your points but am still convinced that it is simply laziness, especially among hotels.
The one I am thinking about in particular advertises internet access amongst its facilities, gave me written quote but still doesn't answer mails.
Answers phones quick enough but very difficult to understand (a bit like talking to an indian call centre with a problem!)