The worst offender's paper remittance advices are spectacularly unhelpful.
If you phone their call centre for help you wait ages for a call back. Or, you can log on to their website. When it works, this is the sequence on a high- speed broadband connection: Log in with username and password and 'Sign in', then 'click here to access your account'. Clicking this launches a box with the legend 'Java Sun Microsystems'. The message 'Applet Javaclient loaded' appears. Then another box appears, saying 'Citrix Meta Frame: building network connections', with a progress bar which seems to indicate something is being downloaded to your PC.
If all goes well, you will now arrive at another log-in screen where you have to enter your name and date of birth.
If you need to stop and do anything else at this point, forget it. The system has now taken over your full screen. Don't wait too long - there's a limit on the length of session and number of people who can be logged in.
Finally, you arrive at journey's end with a list of all recent payments, but no more information than its paper equivalent.
Thankfully I have a helpful staff member's e-mail. She evidently has access to a different database and can give me the information needed in five minutes. Her e-mail address? Sorry, I'm keeping that to myself!
Ross Midgley, director, Crocus Early Years Centre, Essex
