Taskforce 2000 (UK): Failure Watch Items

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London Electricity Plc, London, UK, 2 August 1999

Silicon.com reports that 4,000 Londoners were left without power over the weekend after a year 2000 upgrade went wrong. London Electricity was attempting to make its powerkey meters millennium compliant, but when customers used the new keys, the meters were corrupted and cut off their power.

Source: Silicon.com, August 2, 1999

Coastguard Service, United Kingdom, 27 July 1999

According to a Daily Telegraph report, serious faults in the Coastguard Service's new computer system could put lives at risk during next month's solar eclipse. The system was ordered to avoid year 2000 problems and is currently being installed. One coastguard officer said "It has so many glitches and and faults and crashes all the time".

[The Coastguard Agency was 100% Blue according to Action 2000's Traffic Light System]

Source: Daily Telegraph, Tue 27th July

Scottish Telecom, London, UK, 22 July 1999

A Channel 4 news investigation reported that Scottish Telecom was withdrawing telephone services from around 6000 of its customers due to Year 2000 problems. The problem was with the compliance of radio telephone switches that they are unable to fix. Scottish Telecom denied it was due to the Year 2000 but a source within the company confirmed to Channel 4 that this service was being withdrawn due to date change problems. Customers have reportedly been asked to obtain telephone services from elsewhere.

Source: Channel 4 News, 22nd July 1999

Passport Office, London, UK, July 1999

Problems installing a new computer system have caused long delays in dealing with passport applications. The new system, unlike the old one, is designed to be millennium compliant. It is these Year 2000 issues that stop the passport office going back to the old system while the new one is sorted out. A classic example of the management rather than the technical problems caused by the century date change issue.

Source: Robin Guenier

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), August 04, 1999

Answers

i wonder if they hear more about our problems than we do. sucks to be them.(me impersonating a polly ;)

-- sarah (qubr@aol.com), August 05, 1999.

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