Unable to Post invoices

This was a client running Navision DOS ver 3.55 in a number of different countries, on OS/2 All in different languages on. Communication was a general business issue for this client. On this particular occasion, they called me from head office to say that one of the branches could not post invoices. All issues were communicated through head office so as to control costs (they meant that seriously). My first question was to get them to get a copy of the error message to me. Because of language issues, this was a problem, the error message had to be translated from branch language to head office language then to English. But even after all that, we could not determine that there even was an error message. Trying to offer telephone support was a joke, because of the language issues. Though we tried to get them to follow the posting steps, and to try to give us an indication of what was happening when they posted a sales order. All we know, was the pressed Post and Print, and nothing happened.

Of course the only solution was to fly down there and fix it, after all they were now a couple of days with no invoicing, and this was costing money. So off I go.

When I arrive on site, its straight to work. Since it works fine on our test system, this is probably a data issue, and could take many hours to locate. Just as a sanity check, step one is to get the user to attempt to post an order, so I can see the error message. She posts the order, and the message says "Printing Invoice I00122233" !!!

I go to posted Sales Invoices, and yep there it is Invoice I00122233 posted and done. Through an interpreter, we try to work out what is happening, the translator says "she says this is what always happens, it gives an error message and doesn't post" I explain that it worked fine, what is the problem. She says "but where is the invoice". I look at the printer, and see that there is a new box attached to it, and A-B switch with a buffer. Already preparing to cry, I ask what is the box. Well its just a print buffer to make printing faster. I turn the switch from B to A, and the printer starts, and three days of invoices start to come out of the printer.

The moral of this story I don't know, But it is one of my favorites. Its amazing that people can touch systems, and really not see how they affect them. But more importantly, how people don't see the need to tell the whole story.