Burglar Alarm Maintenance - am I being unreasonable?

[deniser]

We have a maintenance contract with an alarm company. We had to come in last night to deactivate it because it was going off intermittently. I rang them first thing this morning to ask them to fix it but I can't even get a call back let alone anyone to come in to look at it. I can't switch it back on as there are flats above the shops and they don't tolerate the noise if it goes off.

I assume my insurance is invalid if the alarm is not switched on as the alarm is a condition of our insurance. Am I being unreasonable to expect the alarm company who installed it and with whom we have a maintenance contract to come today to fix it?

 

[TradeSmart]

It all depends on what it says their call out times are in the maintenance contract that you have with them.

When you say you cant get a call back, does that mean you have spoken to someone there and they said they would call you back ? or have you had to leave voicemail messages asking for a call back ?

 

[deniser]

We have no written maintenance contract (the business has been taken over a few times) but have used the same company for 10 years and they have always come the same day when there has been a problem or at the very least, given us instructions over the phone so that is what I have come to expect.

There is someone who answers the phone and says she will get someone to call but no-one does. We are in an area prone to break ins, especially at this time of year which is why I am worried.

 

[weblisterltd.com]

I would suggest you request a service contract or cancel the monthly payments and search an other company, I find it unacceptable what they are doing

 

[Simon.P]

hi, can only echo what has already been said really. You would think the nature of their work would mean they attend asap, although with no proper contract in place, can only expect best (or worst!) endeavours really.
Why not give them a call re-iterating they have always been helpful in the past and you would rather use them then go elsewhere.
Is the system monitored by a central station which forwards the alert on to the police?

 

[deniser]

Thanks for your replies - much appreciated. Time to look elsewhere I think....

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

You're not being unreasonable at all Deniser However you have to remember - this is not the same alarm company that installed for you - they've changed hands a few times... they now technically have no obligation to you at all.

How did you know that the alarm was going off? is it connected to a phone line where it contacts an outside alarm source who in turn contacts you directly?

Assuming that this is the case, then it may well not be a problem with the alarm but the phone line - the fault should have been reported to you as to what the issue was.

If no one has contacted you about the alarm, and you keep getting the same person telling you that someone will be in touch - then with all due respect to whoever it is, I'd be looking at going elsewhere. You've asked the same company to maintain your alarm, I assume you pay a monthly installment - once they fail to comply to the agreement of a monthly installment, whether there is a written contract in hand or not then they've gone against the contract therefore making it void by not making themselves available to you... It also maybe possible that the person on the other end of the line is just taking payments and no one is coming at all... perhaps they're business is struggling again?

 

[deniser]

You're not being unreasonable at all Deniser However you have to remember - this is not the same alarm company that installed for you - they've changed hands a few times... they now technically have no obligation to you at all.

How did you know that the alarm was going off? is it connected to a phone line where it contacts an outside alarm source who in turn contacts you directly?

perhaps they're business is struggling again?

They do have an obligation because I am under an annual maintenance contract. It's just trying to find out what their exact obligations in terms of call out times which is difficult because it's not specified anywhere so I'm guessing that standard terms within the industry would be implied.

I get extremely irate emails from the residents when it goes off. It's not connected to a phone line.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

We have no written maintenance contract (the business has been taken over a few times) but have used the same company for 10 years and they have always come the same day when there has been a problem or at the very least, given us instructions over the phone so that is what I have come to expect.

Sorry Deniser, you said it yourself there is no written maintenance contract - they have no obligation to your company because they didn't install the system - the initial company installed it - they've been taken over a few times as you've said.

Your annual maintenance contract must be a written contract - they can't have you on an annual contract without it being in writing.

Are you paying monthly or every 12 months?

Standard terms within the industry is this. "Get a call from an existing customer - deal with the issue - charge accordingly".

They could just walk away from you without any issue on their side at all - as I've said though, they may well be a struggling business, on the other hand they maybe that busy that they have no one available to attend - at the very least though they should be contacting you to let you know what they're doing about you and your requirements.

Psst, don't forget, I work in the industry I know what I'm talking about

 

[DavidWH]

Perhaps it's just our alarm company, but we pay 1 annual fee for the monitoring and 2 services that year.

Call outs are chargeable for faults, but have to be reported before 10am, or it could be charged as an out of hours call out.

If you're not happy, find a company who provide a better service.

 

[TradeSmart]

Without sounding a bit harsh here deniser, why on earth are you paying them any money at all without a written contract ?

 

[Simply Business]

Hi deniser,

Just to confirm what you mentioned, your insurance would almost certainly be void should you switch off the alarm. It would have likely been one of the main conditions of the policy, so don't take that action!

It's disappointing to hear that you've used this company for 10 years and they can't even give you a basic level of customer service! Perhaps try getting at them on social media (do they have a twitter/facebook page?)

It will make your complaint more difficult to ignore given the rest of the world can see their response/lack of one!

Good luck, hope you get it sorted soon!

 

[deniser]

Interesting responses thank you.

So having an annual maintenance contract means no call out obligation at all on their part? Does it literally just mean they come once a year to service the alarm and nothing else?

If this is the case then I certainly do need to put some agreement into place before their next annual visit which is due soon.

The original Issue has in the meantime been resolved thankfully but I need to nail this down for the next occurrence!

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

No, What I'm saying is that because you don't have anything in writing they don't have to respond. - You have nothing to go back to them with, i.e. a line from your contract... "We will attend within X hours of a report on a fault on your system" ETC.

An Annual maintenance contract means just that, an annual payment ensures that once a year they will attend your property and check over the system, (some companies visit twice a year, all depends on their service contract to you) if everything is OK and nothing needs to be changed then they walk away.
Normally if you have a system that needs replacement batteries etc this cost is within the annual fee.
If it's a hard wired system, all they're really doing is making sure all units (PIR's - Door contact's - bell box and even the panel itself is receiving the correct amps. If not, then they'll replace what is needed - again charging for additional parts and labour.

It really all depends on what your alarm system does - if it doesn't contact an outside source for monitoring, then in reality all your paying for is for a certificate to say that you're alarm is being maintained by an approved company... Out of interest, which Certified company is your alarm company connected too, NAICOSS or SSAIB?

In reality, all folk are really paying for is to have an approved company for insurance purposes putting their stamp on the alarm system, whether it be NAICOSS or SSAIB.

By having that certificate from the alarm company it keeps your insurance premiums down, once that company withdraws it's services you have to notify the insurance company.

 

[deniser]

Thanks for the explanation - much appreciated. NACOSS.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Have a shop around, look for NACOSS and SSAIB approved installers and maintenance companies... One thing that some NACOSS members do is charge for the privilege of providing you with a certificate, something of which doesn't cost them anything to provide... bit naughty, but hey ho.

Obviously check with your insurance company to ensure that an SSAIB approved company would be suitable for the insurance - they normally are, but some insurance companies can be a bit narky.