Dinner money. cashless systems...

[Little-Miss]

I've been told to research some sort of cashless system for the canteen/dinner money.

 

Do you have one and how does it work? We are a large primary school with SIMS.

[hil]

We have got Vericool Cashless catering system. with ParentPay as the system to send money into the school.

[gl3nnym]

We used Cyclone Industries to install cashless in our school using touchscreen tills and fingerprint cash loaders. It integrates with SIMS and Parent Pay. The kitchen staff were a bit skeptic at first but they love it now!

[steve]

Our system is provided by our catering company (which is a part of the LA). They use Cashless EPoS Cashless Catering Cashless Tills from Cunninghams EPoS Solutions

[nicholab]

Make sure your system does other things like access control as it may make it easier in the future.

 

We are easytrace site (now part of RM).

[hil]

Do u want to have fingertip system or a card system? Vericool also does a system for registration as well. Not sure what that is like because we are not using it.

[glennda]

Another vote for cunninghams (we use finger print scanning) + parentpay, stuff is really good, support is excellent cant complain one bit, if they cant fix it remotely somebody will come down to you. I am in West Sussex, they are based in Birmingham and the guys are really helpful when they do come down.

 

If you give them a call little-miss im sure they would come out and show you the kit

[Sylv3r]

We use the CRB Biometric cashless catering system - very little if any problems with it in 3 years.

[bigjb]

Another vote for Cunninghams. Support is excellent and had very few issues

[rsenior]

We use Nationwide retail /Trustee with biometrics and can't fault it .The issues we seem have are parentpay but none these where major(would be nice if the staff upload was automatic from sims) Edited September 9, 2010 by rsenior

[nadeem]

We also use the NRS Nationwide Retail Trust-e system, it can also integrate with SIMS and parentpay, it can do biometric or card authentication.

 

Nationwide Retail Systems Ltd

 

They can bring around to you a complete working demo solution.

[maniac]

I'd avoid biometric systems with young kids, the system has trouble reading a lot of their finger prints. We have trouble with some of our year 7's with smaller fingers. Our system uses Digital Persona finger print sensors which are usually pretty good (particularly the newer ones that don't have the rubber coating on the glass) and is made by uniware. Generally I've been very happy with it, although it doesn't link to sims directly we have to add users manually to it which is a bit of a pain , but the system itself is very good.

 

Mike.

[6Foot2]

We use EasyTrace with Smart Cards [no Biometrics]

 

Works well enough. Now having said that I am expecting a call from the Canteen to say that Pos2 is not working [again]

[gizmo2005]

Littlemiss, i used to work at a company called A2Z computer products, we used to sell a biometrics cashless catering systems that intergrates with SIMS/PARS ect. prices are really competative and our biggest competition was cunninghams.

 

if your going to get a quote from cunninghams i would highly reccommend getting one from A2Z computers aswell the system is called Liveregister, once you have this in you could look at adding to the solution by including a lesson registration system as well, again that fully intergrates with SIMS and the Cashless catering system.

 

Ask for a Mr Jason Large, he is the most senior Accounts manager there with repects to Cashless Catering and the other systems as well. the number is 01509 633 550. anjd let him know that a Michael Hayden reccommended you to him lol ( hes a out of office Friend too ) i hope this helps you

 

They will also come out and show you a demo of the product and how quick the registration progress is of the thumb print.

[alextreadwell]

another vote for cunninghams we had an other system before this that didn't work at all never have a problem with cunninghams

[nadeem]

I'd avoid biometric systems with young kids, the system has trouble reading a lot of their finger prints. We have trouble with some of our year 7's with smaller fingers. Our system uses Digital Persona finger print sensors which are usually pretty good (particularly the newer ones that don't have the rubber coating on the glass) and is made by uniware. Generally I've been very happy with it, although it doesn't link to sims directly we have to add users manually to it which is a bit of a pain , but the system itself is very good.

 

Mike.

 

I would have thought that (and I've only see the NRS trust-e in action - at a school with loads of kids, which worked flawlessly at lunchtime) that its better to have biometric at schools - the children are less likely to lose/forget a finger than a swipe card!!!

[howartp]

We've used Cunninghams for a few years now, and it works well enough.

 

A possible benefit is that they use a 3rd party's (BioStore) software for the BioMetric database, and BioStore will integrate with just about any system going if you ask them nicely. I saw them at Bett 2010, and they had a AD Password Reset unit on the wall; stick your finger on, it resets your network password and prints a little ticket valid for minutes. Fantastic idea!

 

Peter

[Kipling]

We use LCR systems, avoid them like the plague. Edited September 29, 2010 by Kipling
typeo

[glennda]

We've used Cunninghams for a few years now, and it works well enough.

 

A possible benefit is that they use a 3rd party's (BioStore) software for the BioMetric database, and BioStore will integrate with just about any system going if you ask them nicely. I saw them at Bett 2010, and they had a AD Password Reset unit on the wall; stick your finger on, it resets your network password and prints a little ticket valid for minutes. Fantastic idea!

 

Peter

 

We asked about this - apparently it is very expensive!!

 

They also do things like door entry so if you have keycode doors they can be convirted to fingerprint to that the pesky little kids will never get in through them if they are not meant to. They also do fingerprint registration (although does not link to sims yet as we found out after they installed!)

[fiona_b]

one thing that is important is to consider the future, do you want to have door access and copy/print release to be using the same card/biometric reader?

 

its no good if a few months down the line you picked a very closed system and staff have to carry around a card for printing a fob for door access and use a finger print for food

 

I have seen this happy a lot and its always the company/system that is put in last that has the most work to do.

 

My advice would be find a system that is based on MIFARE or if it has to be biometrics go have a chat with the companies you plan to use to see if the systems they sell can be used with biometrics (biometrics does seem to be expensive and often getting a good read from a finger is hard work)

Edited September 30, 2010 by fiona_b

[prestonuser]

We use LCR systems, avoid them like the plague.

 

Hope you don't mind the PM, but:

 

Just been looking around for opinions on cashless, we have been looking at LCR seriously for a while now. Can I ask which school are you from (are you local) and why not to go with them? I have the feeling the decision is trongly with them at present

 

Thanks in advance

 

John H

[Techman1]

Strange we've used them for 5 years I have found them to be nothing but excellent in support ands service levels

[jcollings]

We use Vericool. Can't say I would recommend it. Getting support is like pulling teeth as is getting an admission there might be an issue with the software!

[jenny_urey]

V. Good company - excellent solutions to cashless catering needs - have worked alongside them at various Schools around the UK and never heard a negative comment as I have with other companies. They provide as spec and very professional - links to SIMS including registration plus some .... Worth a phone call! (I rarely recommend companies!)

 

 

 

We also use the NRS Nationwide Retail Trust-e system, it can also integrate with SIMS and parentpay, it can do biometric or card authentication.

 

Nationwide Retail Systems Ltd

 

They can bring around to you a complete working demo solution.

[timbo343]

We are having cunninghams put in when we get back.. hmmm, should be fun and games