Local Food Links

Frequently Asked Questions

General

1. What is this site, and can I use it to order meals for my child?
2. I want to give some feedback or suggestions about the meals. Who should I contact?

Account Set-up and Login

1. I don't want to receive any automatic messages.I don't have an e-mail address.
2. I just created an account, but I can't log in.
3. I have tried to reset my password, but the e-mail has never arrived.
4. My e-mail address has changed. How can I change my account?

Authorisation Codes

1. I don't have an authorisation code.
2. The authorisation code I have does not register on the system.
3. My authorisation code has already been used.

Ordering and PI don't want to receive any automatic messages.ayments

1. Only old dates are showing on the ordering calendar.
2. Why can't I order or make changes for this week?
3. I'd like to order for myself, but I'm not listed with my children. How can I buy meals to eat with my children?
4. Can I pay by cash or cheque?
5. I don't have a PayPal acocunt. How do I pay?
6. When I try to make a payment, I am told that myschoolmeals is waiting for confirmation from PayPal for a previous payment. I didn't make the payment. What should I do?
7. The payment history page says "Waiting for PayPal". What should I do?
8. I have two children. Can I use a credit on one account for a meal on another?
9. How do I cancel a meal I have ordered and paid for?
10. I have a credit balance. Can I have the cash refunded?

Notices and E-mails

1. I have received an e-mail saying that a meal was cancelled automatically. What's going on?
2. I didn't get a reminder about the order deadline.
3. I don't want to receive any automatic messages.

General

1. What is this site, and can I use it to order meals for my child?
   myschoolmeals.co.uk provides parents (and carers) the ability to manage their children's school meals at their own convenience. It is part of the service provided in Dorset by Local Food Links, and is available to parents at any Local Food Links partner school. These include:
2. I want to give some feedback or suggestions about the meals. Who should I contact?
   We appreciate all the feedback we receive, as it helps us to develop better menus and improve our service. Feedback about meals can be sent to feedback@localfoodlinks.org.uk, or you can phone Local Food Links at the Bridport Centre for Local Food on 01308 420269.

Account Set-up and Login

1. I don't have an e-mail address.
   The best option to to set up an e-mail account. Many of the larger internet companies offer free e-mail services to the general public, with web based viewers so they can be accessed from any computer (including public computers in libraries and schools). Some of the more popular include:
   • googlemail
   • yahoo
   • MSN Hotmail
   • AOL
   No endorsement of these services is intended by their inclusion on this list.
   
   It is possible to set up an account on myschoolmeals without an e-mail address -- any unique identifier will be accepted by the system. However, without a valid e-mail address, some of the services of myschoolmeals will not be available: specifically, reminder and announcement messages, password resets, and notification of meal cancellations due to school trips. Local Food Links strongly recommend using a valid e-mail address for these reasons.
2. I just created an account, but I can't log in.
   If your account was created successfully, there are only two possible causes to this problem: either the password or the e-mail you are entering is incorrect. In most cases, the account was set up with an error in the e-mail address (usually a simple typing error). Try resetting the password (using the link beside the 'Login' button. If the system responds to your request with 'Sorry, we couldn't find any record fo that user in our database', it indicates that the e-mail address was not recorded correctly. In this case, simply create a new account ensuring your e-mail address is typed correctly.
   
   If the system replies that "A new password has been e-mailed to the address in our database", use the new password to log in.
3. I have tried to reset my password, but the e-mail has never arrived.
   AOL Please check the spam folder of your e-mail account. In most cases, the e-mail has been received, but marked as spam by your e-mail filters. If you still cannot find the password e-mail, contact Local Food Links using support@localfoodlinks.org.uk
4. My e-mail address has changed. How can I change my account?
   E-mail us at support@localfoodlinks.org.uk, noting your old e-mail address and your new address. We will change the record on your account, and e-mail you a response. You can still log in using your old e-mail address until you receive notification that the change has been processed. On receiving this confirmation you will need to log in using the same password and your new e-mail address.

Authorisation Codes

1. I don't have an authorisation code.
   Authorisation codes can only be issued by your school, as Local Food Links has no way of verifying parental or carer relationships. Please contact your school office.
2. The authorisation code I have does not register on the system.
   Local Food Links cannot verify authorisation codes. Please ask your school to reissue the code to you.
3. My authorisation code has already been used.
   Authorisation AOLcodes can be used more than once. For example, both partners of a couple could maintain separate accounts for themselves with their children in both accounts. Either party could then order, pay, and alter meal choices.

Ordering and Payments

1. Only old dates are showing on the ordering calendar.
   Your computer is displaying an old page that has been saved on your local computer, rather than a current one sent by myschoolmeals. Internet browsers programs (like Internet Explorer or Firefox) sometimes do this in order to speed up display and reduce the use of the internet. This is called 'caching', and the solution is to delete the cached files on your computer.
   
   To do this in Internet Explorer: select Tools -> Internet Options from the browser menu. A new window will appear. In the centre of this window is a button reading 'Delete Files'. Click on this, and then confirm by clicking 'OK'. Close the options box and reload the menu page.
   
   To do this in Firefox: select Tools -> Clear Private Data from the browser menu. In the window that pops up, ensure that 'Cache' is selected (you can untick the others), and click 'OK'. If you then reload the menu it should appear with correct dates.
2. Why can't I order or make changes for this week?
   Local Food Links policy is that all orders (and cancellations) must be received one week in advance.
   
   Local Food Links only uses fresh ingredients, and cooks the meals on the day they are served. Because the fresh ingredients have a short 'shelf' life, we only order the exact quantities we need for each day. The ordering times for some of our suppliers means that we need to know our final numbers a week in advance. This careful ordering helps to minimise our waste, and is one of the key reasons we are able to provide an affordable service -- offering greater flexibility would mean the price of our meals would have to increase substantially.
3. I'd like to order for myself, but I'm not listed with my children. How can I buy meals to eat with my children?
   In order to use myschoolmeals to order food for yourself, you have to ask to be added to the school meal ordering list at your school. Once the school has added you to their management system, they can issue you an authorisation code which you will be able to use the following day to add yourself to your account list.
   
   Please note that not all schools offer meals to parent, so please check that this is a service your school offers before requesting an authorisation code for yourself...
4. Can I pay by cash or cheque?
   No.
   
   The only methods of payment accepted by myschoolmeals are credit or debit cards and PayPal accounts. This is because myschoolmeals automatically processes meal orders when PayPal confirms that payment has been made. Local Food Links staff cannot manually process cash or cheque payments.
   
   If you need to pay by cash or cheque, please contact your school office for a paper-based ordering form, and place your order through the school.
5. I don't have a PayPal acocunt. How do I pay?
   You can still pay by debit or credit card. Myschoolmeals uses PayPal to process card transactions. To make a payment using a credit or debit card without a PayPal account, simply complete the form on the left hand side of the PayPal payment page -- which you will see after you click on the PayPal button from the payments page.
6. When I try to make a payment, I am told that myschoolmeals is waiting for confirmation from PayPal for a previous payment. I didn't make the payment. What should I do?
   Wait 10 minutes and try to make the payment again.
   
   There can sometimes be a short delay before myschoolmeals receives notification of a payment from PayPal. This is normal, but could lead to people accidentally paying for meals twice. To prevent this, myschoolmeals puts a lock on payments for 10 minutes from the time you click on the PayPal button. If you subsequently return to myschoolmeals without having made the payment, you will not be able to access the PayPal button until the 10 minute lock has expired.
7. The payment history page says "Waiting for PayPal". What should I do?
   Myschoolmeals makes a record of every time you press the PayPal button. If you did not process a payment at the time, you can safely ignore this message. If, however, you believe that you have made a payment that has not been received, please check your bank or credit card account immediately, and contact us at support@localfoodlinks.org.uk if you have been charged. Myschoolmeals has not received a confirmation of your payment, and the meal orders have not yet been processed. Local Food Links staff will need to check our PayPal account to see if the payment has been received.
   
   If no charge has been made to your account, try to process the payment again, and ensure that you receive a payment confirmation message from PayPal.
8. I have two children. Can I use a credit on one account for a meal on another?
   Not at this time. We do hope to extend myschoolmeals to allow this in the future. If the child with the credit has left the school, please contact Local Food Links (support@localfoodlinks.org.uk), and we can manually move the credit to another child's account.
9. How do I cancel a meal I have ordered and paid for?
   As long as the meal is still more than a week away, simply select 'Edit Order' from the menu, and click 'Cancel this Order'. When a message appears asking for confirmation, click 'OK' (not 'cancel', which cancels the cancel request!).
   
   If the meal is within one week, you cannot cancel or alter it.
10. I have a credit balance. Can I have the cash refunded?
    Local Food Links will refund credit balances when the child holding the credit leaves the school. Prior to that time it can be used to order meals. This policy helps us to avoid excess administrative costs, and keep our meal price low.

Notices and E-mails

1. I have received an e-mail saying that a meal was cancelled automatically. What's going on?
   Myschoolmeals includes a school event calendar that is managed by your school. Sometimes events are planned that impact on the availability of our meal service. In most cases, these events will be known in advance, and myschoolmeals will prevent you from ordering a meal on that day. Sometimes, however, these events are scheduled after the menus have been published and orders received. When this occurs, myschoolmeals will cancel the meals that have been ordered and refund the meal price (by a credit to the child's account).
   
   Local Food Links does not track these events, and cannot provide details as to what they are or why a meal has been cancelled. If you need more information, please contact your school office.
2. I didn't get a reminder about the order deadline.
   Myschoolmeals does not have an automatic reminder system. Local Food LInks staff try to send out reminders manually when deadlines are approaching, but we cannot guarantee that this will always happen.
3. I don't want to receive any messages.
   Local Food Links uses a mail handling program to send reminders and mass e-mails. When you receive a message through this system it will have a link at the bottom to be removed from the list. If you complete the form to be removed, you will no longer receive these reminders and messages.
   
   Other automatic messages sent by myschoolmeals are necessary for myschoolmeals to operate, and have no option to opt out. These include password change e-mails, payment notices, and meal cancellation messages (see above). We apologise for any inconvenience these may cause.