What a crazy and unpleasant week it's been for us. On the one hand we have been really busy roasting for our holiday season orders, on the other, some dishonest types decided to do some illegal Christmas shopping.
The good, the bad and the ugly
The good part of the story is the efficient service and kind assistance received from four parties.
Firstly the armed response team from local business Hartwig & Henderson. They were at our premises a mere six minutes from the time the alarm system was activated, I think that's pretty good, well done guys! The Gonubie branch of the SA Police services have been efficient and helpful. The fingerprint team included, really helpful and caring - thank you guys, you have a tough job and you do it well.
OHS financial services helped us set up a new computer network and, on brand new computers, they re-installed our Pastel accounting systems (yes, we do back ups each day). Lastly, our brokers National Finance Brokers (NFB) and the insurers themselves, Hollard. They have assisted us every step of the way, are settling our claims with as little bother as possible and, as before, we can highly recommend Stephen Pope and the NFB team. We have intentionally avoided the "cheap" TV insurance offers over the years and are thankful we have, there is simply no way some tele-desk in a far away place could have been as helpful.
The Bad
We lost our Vodacom router and therefore our internet system. We also lost our office cell phone. Understand that you cannot simply go in, do two sim-swaps; block a phone and buy a new router, oh no!
Shop 1 Beacon Bay = no routers/out of stock. Shop 2 Hemmingway's: Buy a router but an ID is not enough for a business account you need a letter. In my case a letter from myself, authorizing me to sign documents, crazy hey? I am the owner; the only registered signatory on the account and I had my ID??
Back to Beacon Bay with a "letter" this in itself a problem without a computer!!! Transaction 1, a sim-swap for the router no problem it seems, but no, you can't just slide the sim into the router and off you go: (a) wait four hours (b) slide it into any cell phone (c) remove the pin code (d) then slide into the router for use. OK so that's done let's do the phone sim-swap, oh no, "our system can't do two at the same time, come back tomorrow (day 3)!!!
It's year end guys, invoicing; statements; banking...all with reduced communication! A poor show Vodacom, one visit should have done it, not four.
The Ugly
Only our own staff, or our odd-job contractor or the center maintenance man knew where our safe was. All these items were in a safe, in a locked store-room/bathroom. Only one of the above persons had sufficient knowledge to be able to break in; break down a store room security door, open a safe and get in their car in the six minutes it took the security team to arrive. So who do we trust? Who do we look after and offer employment to? What's more, one is not allowed to take staff finger-prints unless charged! It's "against their constitutional rights" makes one think doesn't it? What are the rights of a business whic
h has been robbed?
And yes, what a week!!!
The good part of the story is the efficient service and kind assistance received from four parties.
Firstly the armed response team from local business Hartwig & Henderson. They were at our premises a mere six minutes from the time the alarm system was activated, I think that's pretty good, well done guys! The Gonubie branch of the SA Police services have been efficient and helpful. The fingerprint team included, really helpful and caring - thank you guys, you have a tough job and you do it well.
OHS financial services helped us set up a new computer network and, on brand new computers, they re-installed our Pastel accounting systems (yes, we do back ups each day). Lastly, our brokers National Finance Brokers (NFB) and the insurers themselves, Hollard. They have assisted us every step of the way, are settling our claims with as little bother as possible and, as before, we can highly recommend Stephen Pope and the NFB team. We have intentionally avoided the "cheap" TV insurance offers over the years and are thankful we have, there is simply no way some tele-desk in a far away place could have been as helpful.
The Bad
We lost our Vodacom router and therefore our internet system. We also lost our office cell phone. Understand that you cannot simply go in, do two sim-swaps; block a phone and buy a new router, oh no!
Shop 1 Beacon Bay = no routers/out of stock. Shop 2 Hemmingway's: Buy a router but an ID is not enough for a business account you need a letter. In my case a letter from myself, authorizing me to sign documents, crazy hey? I am the owner; the only registered signatory on the account and I had my ID??
Back to Beacon Bay with a "letter" this in itself a problem without a computer!!! Transaction 1, a sim-swap for the router no problem it seems, but no, you can't just slide the sim into the router and off you go: (a) wait four hours (b) slide it into any cell phone (c) remove the pin code (d) then slide into the router for use. OK so that's done let's do the phone sim-swap, oh no, "our system can't do two at the same time, come back tomorrow (day 3)!!!
It's year end guys, invoicing; statements; banking...all with reduced communication! A poor show Vodacom, one visit should have done it, not four.
The Ugly
Only our own staff, or our odd-job contractor or the center maintenance man knew where our safe was. All these items were in a safe, in a locked store-room/bathroom. Only one of the above persons had sufficient knowledge to be able to break in; break down a store room security door, open a safe and get in their car in the six minutes it took the security team to arrive. So who do we trust? Who do we look after and offer employment to? What's more, one is not allowed to take staff finger-prints unless charged! It's "against their constitutional rights" makes one think doesn't it? What are the rights of a business whic
And yes, what a week!!!
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