SAS Fire and Security - They Have Been Shut Down

fleeced27

Am New to this forum.

I was taken in by SAS and had an alarm fitted by them last October. All went well until they were shut down and like everyone else we were contacted by UK Monitoring & Response Solutions asking for £99. Contacted them by their freephone number and was given their monitoring phone number as 0844 8871410 but my alarm still dials out to SAS old number 0844 8751923 (min 17 pence a call) and no response.
UK mars (as they refer to themselves) could not be contacted today on their freephone number, just leave a message and we will get back. Sent a letter to UK mars on 17 march asking some questions still no reply.
Googled Daitem the equipment supplier and from their website got the name GM Tecktronics Ltd as a distributor requested if they will supply batteries spare parts etc. They told me about UK mars taking over from SAS. Still waiting for their response (are they connected with SAS?).

Someone on this forum mentioned about it being easy to change the dial out number, is it possible to put a mobile number in so some monitoring can be done by ones self? If so how is it done can anyone advise?

fleeced27

Georgiegirl71 wrote: »

Hi, I like many others am a casualty of this bunch of fraudsters. I have contacted Monitoring Response Solutions today regarding their upholding of the monitoring contract. I am informed that if an alarm is received from a former customer of SAS they WILL NOT RESPOND to the alert. They informed me that there is a legal problem and cannot advise further until Monday 4th April. They did say any customers who have an HP agreement will not be required to pay the £99 for the transfer of the contract to them, assuming that they are able to continue former customers of SAS will be required to enter into a new contract.

If I can add more info I will as and when...
gerogiegirl71

This official site may give the legal reason why UK Monitoring & Response Solutions Ltd (UKmars) are unable to advise further as official receiver has requested the return of the database as UKmars don't want to ratify the transfer......I wonder why. Not allowed to post links but found the site by doing a google search for sas fire & security click on the first result about official receiver follow the link on that page then from the end of the page with names use page up key about 6 times and the details about SAS are there.


The control box of installations by SAS is programmed to call their phone number 0844 8751923 if the alarm goes off, they won't respond but you will get charged for the call. UKmars when I did manage to talk to them at the beginning when they were taking calls gave me this as their monitoring number 0844 8871410 but it would seem pointless to use that number.

GM Tecktronics Ltd have replied and said they are the UK & Ireland distributor for Daitem products but the system needs to be modified/maintained by an installer. Their contact details are
info@ followed by co.uk They won't give me a direct answer if they will sell spare parts or batteries to individuals.

Would someone else like to try contacting them and report back here?

Parrettbrand

fleeced27 wrote: »

Am New to this forum.

I was taken in by SAS and had an alarm fitted by them last October. All went well until they were shut down and like everyone else we were contacted by UK Monitoring & Response Solutions asking for £99. Contacted them by their freephone number and was given their monitoring phone number as 0844 8871410 but my alarm still dials out to SAS old number 0844 8751923 (min 17 pence a call) and no response.
UK mars (as they refer to themselves) could not be contacted today on their freephone number, just leave a message and we will get back. Sent a letter to UK mars on 17 march asking some questions still no reply.
Googled Daitem the equipment supplier and from their website got the name GM Tecktronics Ltd as a distributor requested if they will supply batteries spare parts etc. They told me about UK mars taking over from SAS. Still waiting for their response (are they connected with SAS?).

Someone on this forum mentioned about it being easy to change the dial out number, is it possible to put a mobile number in so some monitoring can be done by ones self? If so how is it done can anyone advise?

Testing and resetting the control boxes is done via the keypad. Codes will vary with manufacturers and models but basically, they will use the * and # keys to determine what codes you are changing. So for instance, if the 5 telephone numbers to call out are on codes 81 to 86, the sequence to set the first number might be something like this: *81#07856568421## (where the long number is the telephone number to call out). The message to play when calling out is sometimes set and sometimes a 30 second recordable message. All you need is the instructions for the control pannel model that you have installed. Setting them up is fiddly but not difficult. Hope this helps.

Parrettbrand

Parrettbrand wrote: »

Testing and resetting the control boxes is done via the keypad. Codes will vary with manufacturers and models but basically, they will use the * and # keys to determine what codes you are changing. So for instance, if the 5 telephone numbers to call out are on codes 81 to 86, the sequence to set the first number might be something like this: *81#07856568421## (where the long number is the telephone number to call out). The message to play when calling out is sometimes set and sometimes a 30 second recordable message. All you need is the instructions for the control pannel model that you have installed. Setting them up is fiddly but not difficult. Hope this helps.

I forgot to say that there is also normally a 4 digit master code which would be on your instructions or original paperwork. This code is used to put the pannel into a code setting mode. without it you may be in problems.

Parrettbrand

Parrettbrand wrote: »

Just come back from the Building Society and Solicitors this morning. We needed a crime number to cancel the Building Society cheque, which the police were more than happy to supply. Unfortunately, the cheque can only be cancelled manually and we have to wait until Wednesday before we know if it has been successful. The BS are legally obliged to honour it if it is presented before cancelled. Fingers crossed. We were able to cancel the bank cheque over the phone, there is a lesson there. I emailed a request to cancel the contract within 7 days last night and this afternoon, a representative of CISS has called to arrange removal of the equipment. I have delayed him until I know we have got the money back. Today the CISS staff have been passive and polite, a complete reversal of pre-sale tactics. The current staff appear to be in complete denial of their style of operation and although aware of this forum, I was told it was all lies and will shortly be shut down! In case we are all lying, I'd better say goodbye now ;-(

Seems the forum has not been gagged yet? It seems as though the Building Society was able to stop my mothers cheque so we are back in the driving seat. Our solicitor has said that the regulatory 7 day cooling off period ends when the equipement is installed. Hence this is why they insist that customers sign the Express Fit Form and try to install the following day. However, in the small print on the back of the agreement, it is clearly written that even though the equipment has been installed, they still allow the contract to be cancelled within the 7 days but that they are entitled to charge for various elements, up to a maximum of £200. As we appear to have cancelled both cheques, their advice is to allow CISS to remove the equipment and if we receive an invoice, to pay upto £200 only. A lesson learnt the hard way but at least it saved her £3,050! I feel we have got off lightly because the equipment was installed late in the week and we had time to cancel the cheques. I hope that others are as lucky. Spread the word!

fleeced27

Parrettbrand wrote: »

Seems the forum has not been gagged yet? It seems as though the Building Society was able to stop my mothers cheque so we are back in the driving seat. Our solicitor has said that the regulatory 7 day cooling off period ends when the equipement is installed. Hence this is why they insist that customers sign the Express Fit Form and try to install the following day. However, in the small print on the back of the agreement, it is clearly written that even though the equipment has been installed, they still allow the contract to be cancelled within the 7 days but that they are entitled to charge for various elements, up to a maximum of £200. As we appear to have cancelled both cheques, their advice is to allow CISS to remove the equipment and if we receive an invoice, to pay upto £200 only. A lesson learnt the hard way but at least it saved her £3,050! I feel we have got off lightly because the equipment was installed late in the week and we had time to cancel the cheques. I hope that others are as lucky. Spread the word!

Glad you were able to stop the cheque. Iwas not so lucky.

I had a letter from The Insolvency Service today about SAS it appears they owed the Crown £1,099,347 Trade creditors £67,909 and contingent claims (individuals like me who made a claim) £211,579 so far. The info also gave a full list of directors (Stephen Rievaulx Wilson not one of them).
Not any chance of getting any money back but there is a questionnaire about SAS so I will vent my views in that.
If anyone wants the full report I will try and scan it in and post it or private message me and I will send it that way.

Has anyone heard lately from UKmars about their taking over the monitoring?

Dougal118

The Insolvancy Service Website is saying


On 25 March 2011, the Official receiver in Manchester was appointed as Liquidator of this company.


The Official Receiver has been informed that the monitoring of existing customer alarms was transferred to another company on 2 March 2011. As this transaction was undertaken following the presentation of the petition, by virtue of Section 127 of the Insolvency Act 1986, it becomes void upon the making of the winding-up order if the transaction has not been validated by the court. The Official Receiver has been informed that the recipient of the customer database does not intend to seek to ratify the transfer and as such has requested the return of the database.
The Official Receiver can confirm that this company ceased to provide monitoring and response services on or around 2 March 2011. The Official Receiver is not able to provide information or advice regarding the continued provision of monitoring and response services either by the original recipient of the database or any other third parties.

feefee_3

my dear old mum had 3 calls from skynet due to high presure sales, they where out and alarm installed the very next day, she has already gave them £700 by card and £27.50 a month for the next 5 years, might be more as Ive not seen the paperwork, Im now in the proccess off trying to get this stopped somehow,

the_sales_master

Ok, so alot has gone on since the last time i appeared on here. SAS Have officially went down the tubes from the looks of it so not much we can say about that. As for skynet and the rest of them, although from what i can see there is no hard proof that the likes of skynet was SAS. The directors match up and so on but just because they worked for SAS does that mean that there name now has to be dragged through the mud. What if it was the case that a new company was set up because sas got shut down BUT, because of the mess that was made, new guys have started a new company to better what went wrong with SAS.

Spammy, dont you work or have a life or something because from what i can see you just cant let this go. Were you ex-SAS and were sacked or something for you to have such low opinions on everything that SAS did and now that buy the looks of it something else has been set up (For the better), you still feel that you have to slate everything that goes on.

There has not been any laws broken with regards to any of these new companys, you dont have solid proof that it is a reformed SAS, even from your statements about the links to homegaurd ciss and skynet.

Lets just say for a scenario, i was the director of SAS and when they went bust i decided to set up another company to fix what was broken, i took alot of employees with me to help start up and have a fresh start and leave behind the crap which lurked. Does that give the right for a little plant like you to come back and try slate me because i used to work for them and set up another company and now your trying to bad mouth it. Its no wonder how some of these forums keep getting locked because it starts as a post about peoples experience and ends up am argument with people and going far from the topic.

SAMMY, I BELIEVE YOU EX SAS OR HAVE SOME CONTACT WITHIN THERE TO GET YOUR INFORMATION. A SOMEBODY SUDDENLY JUST DOESNT START TAKING AN INTEREST IN A COMPANY UNLESS YOU HAVE HAD DEALINGS WITH OR YOU AN EX EMPLOYEE.

I am not here to defend anyone, everyone is allowed to give thier opinon but some just dont know where to stop.

Oh, and by the way, there is a reason that the chap went to the papers and blabbed about totall crap, it wasnt anything to do with him being a disgusted employee, if people dont get things thier own way then the only way to get back is to bad mouth.
enough said

the_sales_master

From what everyone is posting on here, u can all see that the £1 alarm thing has been going a while and from what i can see the customer gets told that there is an additional cost for it to be monitored so there is no lies getting told.

For an appointment getting made, the customer knowing what the rep is coming to do, they know there is costs involved and the rep is there to work the cost out.

The rep turns up, does a presentation to the customer to let them see what the company has to offer. Customer is delighted with what they can offer and delighted with the price. Places an order, happily allows the engineer to visit that week and writes a fantastic testimonial stating how good the salesman was, looks forward to the installation and is happy to pay the price for what is offered.

Son/Daughter turn up when installation is going in or after and comes up with the story of her mum/dad was forced into buying something they dont want, Nobody writes a testimonial stating how happy they, nobody gets there chq book out for thousands if they were unhappy or didnt want it and certainly when it comes to passing information on to third partied like family and friends, of course its going to seem expensive cause all they can see is they have paid alot of money for an alarm but cant see the rest of whats entailed.

Stop me if i am wrong but i say thats a fair sale, they know whats going to hapen, know theres a cost, they bought, they sold, end of.

Alot of companys use sales tactics. Window sales (Tommorow they are 10k, today they are 5k, only if you sign right now), its how the industry is done. You go on about hard selling tactics but yet nobody here can supply either a statement used for it to be a hard sale or any example to give of how it was a hard sell,