Great Cheap Ways To Make Your House Safer Hunt

Art_2

fez wrote:

I'm hoping MSE Martin could take this up with someone as I think the charges are excessive, like the bank charges.

I was robbed first by an unknown thief a few days ago then today I was robbed again when I received a bill for £118.97 from a Boarding service company who the police had called.

Call out charge (midweek, midday) £48.50

Labour and travelling time £43 per hour

Material (1 sheet of 8 x 4 boarding) £18.50

Fixings (about 10 screws) £2

VAT @ 17.5%

Not unduly expensive for fast service. Many companies charge labour rates in excess of £50 an hour these days.

One thing that I don't understand, if the theft was in the daytime why did you allow the Police to arrange for the work to be done? Couldn't you have arranged this for yourself? You might have save a few pounds.

I assume you'll get the costs back on your insurance.

Regards,
Art.

fez_2

I was at work during the day so the police arranged it without my knowing.

If you think it's reasonable for this company to take advantage of other peoples suffering then I think I need a career change cos I wouldnt mind doing 10 mins work for £43 (the rest charged to travelling time) then ADD a standing charge of £48 ( sitting around "at the ready" waiting ), charge TWICE what you'd pay for materials from a local builders merchant.

I thought this site was against business taking from the man in the street. I mean look at the following extract from the mortgage section of this site. Go and get FREE advice from a mortgage broker, let him do 3 hours work looking for the best deal then go online and use his advice direct so he gets nothing for his efforts.

EXTRACT FROM MARTINS MONEYTIPS:-
""This is my three step strategy to get top one-on-one mortgage advice for free, plus possibly get some of the brokers commission paid to you!

Playing brokers off against each other
All the national brokers above only charge upon completion of the mortgage, so as it's always good practice to seek more than one opinion why not try a few. Yet once you’re sure what you want, it is possible to simply complete via London & Country if you want broker help or Mortgage Genie for cashback"".

George_Bray

fez wrote:

I was robbed first by an unknown thief a few days ago then today I was robbed again when I received a bill for £118.97 from a Boarding service company who the police had called.

I agree with you than these charges are very expensive. But from the company's point of view, they could no doubt justify them, so they can't be accused of extortion (which it is, really). The Police no doubt feel the need to call in some big-name local-authority-approved type contractor so they can't be accused of calling in shoddy workers. The shame of it is that one could buy the board for less than half that cost and fit it free, or find a local handyman (local newspaper or shop window) who would do it for perhaps £25 which would be good money for the minimal work. Such a handyman wouldn't charge VAT either, so the total would have been closer to £35, or even less.

Regards
George

swoodworm

If you have a computer and broadband or just a modem there is a good software package you can use called pc alarm security system, the software costs about £12 to purchase but also has a 31 day trial period, The software has really good features as listed below. The software works on either motion detect (which you will need a webcam to use), sound detection or both and can alerts you by either email, phone, text message or your own webserver if someone has broken into your house. The motion detect even emails you the pictures so if the burglar steals the computer you will still have pictures of them to pass to the police.

I have also fitted around my house those cheap door and window alarms, which work on magnet sensors. You can pick these up in poundland, these work on magnet sensors but be aware the cheap ones magnet strength is terrible i ended up buying some of those magnets used to shut wardrobe doors with mine.

Leonie

If you have one of those garage doors that has a central catch - it fastens as you shut it - you need to bolt it on the inside too. Years ago, one of my cats got shut in a neighbour's garage and he was working away for the week. I rang the police to ask what I could do, and they told me I could open it with a screwdriver at the top - just lever the catch down! I have bolts on the inside of mine now, even though there's nothing worth stealing in there.

I've always maintained if a burglar was daft enough to break in to my place (rather seedy with a very old car parked outside) they'd take one look at the outdated electrical equipment and probably feel obliged to leave me something! But I do take security seriously - I have mortice locks as well as Yale on front and back doors, which are always used when I go out. The wooden windows all have screw-down catches. I use a dawn to dusk timer to put lights on in case I'm not back from work before dark, and I lock myself in when I get home.

I've grown thorny plants along the back fence, and at the front of the house I had a tree cut down, and removed a hedge because it was providing a burglar shield. My neighbours would easily be able to see if anyone tried to break in now. Plus we have a thriving Neighbourhood Watch scheme here.

This forum has made me aware of other areas where I could tighten up security though, so thanks for all the tips everbody - I shall go back through the forum and add my thanks!

sheenaf

A simple one - if you have slatted blinds fix them down to the window sill or to a hook under the window sill at night. If someone breaks the window they will still have to fight their way through the slats to get in.
If someone comes to your door asking about your neighbours remember careless talk costs lives. Do not volunteer any information such as ' They are never home before 6.oo pm, or 'I think they usually go to her mother's at the weekend'. No matter how official or plausible they look say you know nothing and suggest they pop a message with a phone number through the neighbours door. Tell the neighbour at the first opportunity.
When she was a student, my daughter spent one week working in a call centre for an alarm company. She phoned people in another town and asked questions such as - Do you have a dog, or an alarm, do you have mortice dead-locks on front and back doors, are you regularly out during the day? Are you planning to go on holiday soon? and the vast majority of the people she called happily answered all her questions, only saying no when she asked the final question 'can you confirm your address so that we can send you information about your products?' Daughter left after a week because she could see no evidence of brochures being sent or indeed find out or be told anything about the products on offer. They got quite stroppy when she asked questions and she never did get paid for her week's work.
All that long story to point out never ever give this kind of information to anyone. Who knows in whose hands it will end up?

Ilona

Some good ideas there. Maybe get a dummy cctv camera for the side of the house. I always take my purse, keys, and mobile phone to bed with me, sleep with them under my pillow, and don't keep any other money in the house. Also, ask your neighbours to be nosey and look out for strangers lurking about. Lots of curtain twitchers in our street.
Ilona

moonrakerz

If you have a nice cylinder (Yale type) lock on your front door - watch this - and be worried ! You can buy the keys off the web !!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKAJ845IBPg

blossomsmum

May sound daft but if anyone is on street when I am locking the door I look back at a window and wave.

hollydays

Remember those marker pens that we used to use to mark our postcode on our property? Well thats old hat now.

A new product called "Smartwater" is like DNA for marking your property.
A clear liquid you paint on your property,when stolen property is recovered by police now,they put it under a scanner to check for traces of smartwater.If detected, they can read your postcode from it.Manufacturers now mark Motorbikes with this stuff.

If you buy it (or get it free) you register your postcode with the company,logged against the bottle (serial numbered) and this is checkable by Police.

See www.smartwater.com for more technical explaination!

Get it free, maybe?/buy it
Search the smartwater website "news section" and look at press releases in your local area. There may be Police Station or Crime Prevention department mentioned. Check out their number with your County Police Website,ring them and ask if they know where you can buy it.They may tell you,or in my case,offered a free sample.,worth £20.You need to be very polite-no begging thats a bit cheeky!