Did they think of system crashes? (From Gazette Series)

Did they think of system crashes?

SIR - After the Government campaign encouraging senior citizens to have their pensions paid either directly into a bank account or into the new type of Post Office account, where you are given a pin number, I decided to open an account with the local post office, as you hear of so many rural post offices having to shut.

Although, I am only a "young" senior citizen, I did find it confusing and complicated to open this account but on Monday when I went to draw my small pension I was told they could not pay me any money, as the computer system the other end was out of action.

If I had had the old system of having my pension book, this would not have happened to me and all the other inconvenienced - pensioners across the country.

I was fortunate that I have an account with Lloyds TSB, which I could draw on, but I could have been a lot older, perhaps infirm, even confused and without any further money for food.

These modern systems are not suitable in this situation.

Obviously, those that thought up this new system didn't consider that computers do crash.

Was the computer system down because of the Department of Work and Pensions' strike? I wonder.

Mrs R E Guy, Lisle Place, Wotton-under-Edge