Nationwide Retail Systems say we need new tills and revals...

[Sentro]

Evening,

 

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to post this in but here goes...

 

We had a problem with one of the revaluation units for our Nationwide Cashless Catering system just before Christmas. It was one of the few times an engineer came out to fix the problem as most of the issues are dealt with remotely. The engineer informed us that in 2015 when the new notes and coins come out our reval units won't accept them and need to be upgraded at a cost of around £5000. The engineer met with the Senior Technician as I was out of school that day, he passed on the message so I called them the next day. It gets worse. The new reval units don't work with our tills either. So essentially I need to replace the entire cashless catering system in 2015.

 

Now - I totally get that if our kit is so old that it needs replacing when new coins and notes come out then fine. The kit is 5 years old! But, am I the only one who thinks this is crazy bad service to have this dropped on us (by chance really because if the call hand't needed this particular engineer, who knows when we would be told).

 

Nationwide were planning on emailing all schools affected in January...when the machines need replacing that year! Sure, I've got 20k I didn't have anything to spend on in 2015!

 

Anyone else use Nationwide and find themselves in this position? If you do, message me and we should club together and look at an alternative.

 

Gareth

[Steven_Cleaver]

Cheers we use Nationwide as do most of the schools in our LEA I will have a word with our Business Manager when we are back to see if she has heard of anything as we are looking at extra tills this year and I haven't heard anything about this when we were discussing this with them.

[Sentro]

It does depend on the age of the system I think so if yours is newer than mine you might be ok.

[TurnItOffAndOn]

We are in the same boat too! Going to cost £24k to upgrade to the new notes! Don't get new budget until September. Then everyone will wanting it and we will be left waiting in the queue. I found out when I wanted to purchase a new bio reader in October. Having to look at the prospect of other systems even though nrs is really good.

[rad]

Um.... Time to move to online payment only!

[pcstru]

Nationwide have been honest enough with us and highlighted the issue a few years ago. You can always just say to students that revals will only take a subset of available coins for X years while you plan the replacement. At the end of the day, all this kind of kit has a limited lifetime.

[john]

This will hit others when the new plastic notes and coins change not just this vendor or type of product. Think of parking meters, chocolate machines in shops, stations etc... Some will I'm sure be code updatable to allow and recognise new notes and coins but some will not. I remember a note on a machine that it wouldn't take £2 for years due to needing to be replaced and local parking meters not taking new coins for a long time so it is something that will hit all machine whatever type they are used for with new currency and its a risk you take.

 

It was something I flagged up to management when we bought cash revalues that when notes and coins change it could be they can be reprogrammed to accept or could be a throw them away and start again, don't know if they listened to my warning and took it onboard but I did say whatever vendor we got this would be a risk as its not the vendors issue the Bank of England changes the notes and people like NRS buy in the note and coin readers from big firms that make them so not always the fault to blame NRS.

 

Late informing clients is never good I do agree on that but not in full facts etc... So hard to judge fairly but I'm sure NRS and competitors know that schools budgets are April or September in a lot of cases so earlier warning would be better.

[Edu-IT]

What version of reval do you have? Trying to work out exactly what kit is affected.

[TheScarfedOne]

Ouch. Naughty NRS, onto the naughty step they go for this one. If we can get clear guidance at Bett, we will post it up

[Edu-IT]

I'm not waiting for BETT! Will be on to this next week.

[Edu-IT]

Is there a confirmed date? I can't find anything being released in 2015. Just new notes late 2016 and new £1 coin in 2017?

[TurnItOffAndOn]

Your dates are correct but just imagine every school on the old system needing doing! We are having ours done this summer.