Geoff and Jan had lived in their lovely bungalow for decades.
About five years ago, Geoff had paid for a home burglar alarm system to be installed because he knew that the external bellbox was a visible deterrent that would help to keep them both safe. There were plenty of other homes that did not have this protection. So any burglars would be persuaded to find easier pickings nearby.
But Geoff also knew that it was crucial to keep the system maintained to ensure that it would work if someone did try to break in. So he had invested in an annual alarm servicing contract.
Sadly, Geoff died suddenly last year. Jan was devastated but, over the months, had started to pick up her life again. She joined lots of local clubs for senior citizens and was out and about enjoying a busy and fulfilling retirement.
The trouble started when the alarm company called to book the annual maintenance visit. Jan suddenly realised that this was a regular drain on her income. The alarm had never gone off before and she thought that Geoff’s plans were a little over-protective.
She told the person on the phone not to come. But worse was to follow. Not only did her alarm not get its regular service, but she also cancelled her maintenance contract completely. She said: “I don’t need that!”
Some months later, the external bell and internal klaxon both went off in the middle of the night.
In a panic, Jan telephoned the alarm installers.
They told her that the battery had probably failed – something which would not have happened if she had continued with her service agreement.
She asked if they could come and sort it out. But they wanted a big call out charge since she was no longer a maintenance contract customer.
Jan was furious. She pulled off the front of the control panel and detached some of the cables.
The noise stopped – but her alarm was no longer functional. So her home was completely unprotected.
So there are the biggest reasons for having an alarm maintenance contract.
1. Your alarm is far less likely to develop a fault.
2. If you do need to call out an engineer, you get priority over non-contract alarms AND it’s much, much cheaper.
3. If you want the Police to respond when your alarm goes off, your system must be regularly maintained and monitored by a security company that is accredited (like NSI or SSAIB).
Before his untimely demise, Geoff had put everything in place to leave Jan and their home secure… but by trying to save a few quid each month, Jan has sent all his carefully laid plans awry. At a time when the stats say that UK burglaries are on the rise, it’s a very sad situation.
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