I have just come back from the new Edinburgh NRO.
It is very nicely refurbished and the cafe is open.
You no longer need to fill in a form all your details are entered on the system, and you have your own user name and password.
The new search system quite frankly is not up to the old one, no maiden names in searches for births before 1929 and the same for deaths before 1979, not vey helpful if you have a very common name to look for and you can only search in 5 year batches.
I thought I would try out the system with info I had already got in Edinburgh, imagine my surprise when I could not find it.
On finding a birth date I took the marriage date to get the cert info, quess what? no cert.
I gave up there and headed outside and then through to the cafe for a coffee fix.
When I passed through the Dundas room I noticed they were still on the old system, seems only pass holders can use this. When I spoke to the lady there she found my Marriage cert right away but had trouble getting it on new system.
She then told me none of the staff think the new system is any good but when they voiced an opinion were shot down in flames.
The one good thing I'd say is that it is much easier to get printed certs.
You give the cashier some money and she adds it to you name each time you print the money comes of your balance which is displayed on your screen, the printers are at the end of the rows and you just collect, much simplier than before.
There is also a favourites facility which you can add 5 certs to at any one time, good if your not sure you have the right one.
I filled in a form telling them exactly what I thought as did my friend.
All in all a very stressful day with not much success.
If you work out your costs Scotlands People seems a very good deal, although I've no doubt they,ll change that to.
Ah well wine bottlle here I come, better stop ranting now.
Hear from you soon
Eileen
