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District Diary May 2007

Have you ever had one of those memorable days when everything seems to be going right, until�Well, it happened to me, or should I say us. The Wednesday before Easter, I managed to escape for a days fishing. The weather was good, the company good, and the fish obliged. It was when I popped into my Post Office on the way home, that events took a turn for the worst. �ONLINE SERVICES NOT AVAILABLE.� The message, in bright yellow, ran across the bottom of both computer screens. It meant that any service we offer, that requires our computer to connect to another system, was no longer possible. We couldn�t offer, banking, Post Office card accounts, fishing licences, even parcel posting. And it got worse; anyone wanting to pay a bill, or tax a car, using a debit card had to be turned away. We were virtually closed for business.
This situation continued throughout Thursday. The Post Office, in line with other major organisations has long since lost a human form of contact that we as Sub Postmasters can turn to. We phoned our helpline, where an anonymous voice talked us through a series of system checks; all to no avail. We needed the services of an engineer, and it was Easter� You can imagine the rest. We spent the rest of the day saying sorry, which quite frankly is not much use to someone needing cash for Easter shopping. We were closed on Good Friday; I couldn�t help but keep hoping that a miracle would happen and that our systems would somehow be working again. Saturday was half day opening. I switched the system on, held my breath, only to be greeted with the same yellow message; online services not available. This time I wrote an apologetic note in big letters, on a white board, and placed it at the entrance to the shop. I didn�t need to query customer reaction. The look of disgust on most peoples� faces was enough; and who could blame them? Thankfully, we were closed for Easter Monday. We opened up on Tuesday, but there was no change, so we spent our time cleaning; windows, doors, signs, floors. If it stood still long enough we�d dust it. Then, just after lunch, our knight in shining armour, or in our case, �a man who can� appeared; tool box in hand. He plugged and unplugged wires from the spaghetti tangle at the back of the computer case; switched things off and turned them on again. We waited; perhaps for twenty minutes. The machines spluttered into life and wonders upon wonders, online services were restored.
Our gratitude goes out to those customers who accepted the predicament with good grace and thankfully have returned to use our services since. This incident brought home to me what our village would be like without a local Post Office. OK, so you can still collect your cash, but it will almost certainly be outside of the area. You�re unlikely to return to spend money in local shops. Everyone�s a loser. So, when that man or woman in a posh suit comes knocking at your door asking for your vote in the forthcoming elections; ask them what their party policy is on keeping the rural Post Office network, and watch their eyes, when they reply.
Disrict Diary June 2007



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