Erikjan Rijkers <er(at)xs4all(dot)nl> writes:
> I don't think these "were"s are wrong but arguably changing them to
> "have" helps non-native speakers (like myself), as it doesn't change the
> meaning significantly as far as I can see.
I think it does --- it changes the meaning from passive to active.
I don't necessarily object to rewriting these sentences more broadly,
but I don't think "have issued" is the correct phrasing.
Possibly "The user issued ..." would work.
regards, tom lane