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Re: [LUG] May be worth watching. "infallible" computer program that cost much misery Panorama 8th June 19.30

 

On 08/06/2020 21:47, Stephen Amor via list wrote:
I heard about it on the Private Eye podcast.  Absolutely awful state of affairs.

https://www.private-eye.co.uk/eyeplayer/play-367

On Monday, 8 June 2020, 21:39:24 BST, Julian Hall <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


On 08/06/2020 12:33, maceion@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:maceion@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> May be worth watching. "infallible" computer program that cost much
> misery Panorama 8th June 19.30
> Panorama, Scandal at the Post Office is on BBC One at 19:30 BST on
> Monday 8 June, or watch later on iPlayer.

If it's what I think then the PO need a swift kick in the
unmentionables. Come to think of it, /either/ of the two scenarios that
come to mind.

Julian

--
“The great tragedy of Science — the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”

― Thomas Henry Huxley



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That's one of the two.. I heard of that a few years ago. Surprising that Private Eye has taken so long to pick it up.

The other is infuriating and lesser known;

My father passed away in 2008, his pension having been paid into the Post Office on a monthly basis. Dad was unable to pick it up himself so Mum diligently did it for him. She was utterly scrupulous and when he entered a hospice for what was ultimately the last time she left his pension account untouched. Dad passed away and Mum, my brother, and I arranged his affairs, all the while leaving his pension in the post office account. Then Mum had a letter from HMRC requesting return of the pension funds they had paid. I wrote all her letters for her, and she/I duly replied that they were untouched in his post office account, advising that the post office would be able to action the request. Another letter arrived saying the account had been closed and insisting Mum repay the funds. I/she repeated the same advice, to whit we had not touched the funds and to contact the post office. When a third letter arrived I informed them bluntly that blame for closing an account which was not empty lay with the post office /not/ my mother, and that as the situation existed between /them/ they were to resolve it /without any further contact/ with my mother.

It's possible that this was a single incident, maybe even human error, on the part of the Post Office. Somehow I doubt it.

Julian

--
“The great tragedy of Science — the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly 
fact.”

― Thomas Henry Huxley


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