new house and the alarm company want £140 for the engineers code

[diynotuseruk]

I know this is an old post but i'm in the same situation, new house and the alarm company want to charge me £140 for the engineers code

Apparently they use the same engineers code on all of their systems so cant send it out and would have to send an engineer out to reset the panel

I dont think £140 is a reasonable charge for someone to come out to reset the code which will take less than 5 mins to do

Do you think i have any leg to stand on legally in pursueing them to supply it to me without holding me to ransom?

Options i have
1. pay £140 which considering the alarm is 10 years old i wouldnt do
2. try to do a factory reset and reprogram which is my preferred method - guessing will take an hour to do (however if they use an engineer code starting with a 9 then this is not possible)
3. Replace the alarm panel, rewire and program - guessing will take me 4-5 hours
4. Pursue them through the courts to supply me with the code, or if i have to reprogram or replace the panel charge them £140+costs - not sure how i stand on this legally as we have no contract in place

 

[secureiam]

speak to CAB

reasonable would be there normal call out fee I suspect.

5minute job to redo codes but travelling could take up time.

if however you own the system and have no contract its unreasonable to have the code locked on your system full stop, I have even seen this stated in an alarm manual.

It is reasonable for the engineers code not be disclosed, and fee charged for changing it.

If you speak with CAB (citizen advice bureau) they will be able to help you with how to tackle it.

 

[secureiam]

late last year this came to light, a competitor always locks his panels with /without customer consent.

if its locked without your consent (see contract) its relatively simple as to where you stand, getting it addressed is another issue.
if it is locked with your consent then the charge to unlock becomes the issue

unfair charge, is harder to define, but you could argue that anymore than what was agreed in advance or is charged for a callout is unreasonable, changing codes should be possible in the first 30 mins of the callout.

CAB as your rights may be different to those you signed off against, because believe it or not some terms in a contract may not be legally binding as they are trumped by your consumer rights .

 

[diynotuseruk]

thanks for the info, i'm awaiting a callback from the director of the alarm company

I have paperwork at home for the installation from the previous owner so i will go through the small print this evening

Providing they havent used an engineer code starting with a 9, it may just be easier to try to do a factory reset and reprogram. Its just annoying that i physically own the alarm and they have no rights to it but can charge what they want. However now you have pointed out regarding consent i'm going to check the paperwork and request they send me a copy of the written consent when i get a call

 

[M1Chanical]

I know this is an old post but i'm in the same situation, new house and the alarm company want to charge me £140 for the engineers code

What alarm system do you have, i doubt the engineer code is "locked".

Do the system not allow you to just default the code??

 

[sparkymarka]

Cheaper to replace ...as stated before ....

 

[The Pars]

What alarm system do you have, i doubt the engineer code is "locked".

Do the system not allow you to just default the code??

Sounds like it will be a gardtec/risco panel where you can lock the code even when the panel is defaulted.

 

[ironsidebod]

I had similar last year. The company sent loads of letters after we moved in trying to get it "serviced", when I spoke to them they were rude and unhelpful, I didn't even get an offer of a visit regardless of cost. I was put through to a company director who thought it was funny to have a silent phone call....If you were closer I'd say it was the same company.

Anyway, I defaulted the panel, reprogrammed in half an hour. Job done, no more dealing with a bunch of arseholes. Shame as the good guys get hurt by these firms.

 

[SandyLyon]

A few years ago I was doing some decorating for my daughter and wanted to remove the PIR's to paint behind them and also replace them (some had yellowed) as I moved from room to room.
The company that had installed it was about 10 minutes away, there wasn't a maintenance contract in place, when contacted they said that they would reset the engineer code and had a fixed call out charge.
This was more than a new Texecom Excel panel with 2 LCD keypads (the old panel was a Sterling 10 with worn keypads), I replaced the bell box, PIR's and battery as well, so basically a new system for just a little more than the alarm company wanted to default the engineer code.

 

[Bazhok]

thanks for the info, i'm awaiting a callback from the director of the alarm company

I have paperwork at home for the installation from the previous owner so i will go through the small print this evening

Providing they havent used an engineer code starting with a 9, it may just be easier to try to do a factory reset and reprogram. Its just annoying that i physically own the alarm and they have no rights to it but can charge what they want. However now you have pointed out regarding consent i'm going to check the paperwork and request they send me a copy of the written consent when i get a call

 

[Bazhok]

thanks for the info, i'm awaiting a callback from the director of the alarm company

I have paperwork at home for the installation from the previous owner so i will go through the small print this evening

Providing they havent used an engineer code starting with a 9, it may just be easier to try to do a factory reset and reprogram. Its just annoying that i physically own the alarm and they have no rights to it but can charge what they want. However now you have pointed out regarding consent i'm going to check the paperwork and request they send me a copy of the written consent when i get a call

Really sorry for bringing this thread up.

Why is an engineer code starting with a 9 problematic?

Thank you

 

[sparkymarka]

Doesn't relate to your panel ...

 

[Bazhok]

Doesn't relate to your panel ...

Lol. That is the reply of someone who knows what they are talking about. Thank you

Can I thus do a cold attack of my RKP starting from 0000 to try and find my engineer code? Without the worry of locking my panel and needing the same engineer code to unlock it?

(Might get my house wife to push the numbers!)

Thank you

 

[sparkymarka]

No

 

[Sally2000]

Is there a tamper alarm after x number of wrong entries?