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It's common for companies to run multiple servers, all running the same website, to handle traffic faster for everyone. More servers also give redundancy if one crashes.
Usually there's one server (or a "load balancing appliance") up front that channels each web page request to the various other servers, sort of like a maitre-d'. Depending on how things are set up, the same users can end up being directed to the same server repeatedly. And if that server has its "Maintenance" page up (instead of the normal website), the user will keep getting that message. This is why you always got the "website down" page, while I (and many others) got through to the forums without a problem. All the admin had to do was flip the sign in the window from "We're Closed" to "We're Open", as it were, on the one server you were always landing on.
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