Burglar Alarm - anybody use Sector Alarm?

straddie

We've recently bought a house and want to get a burglar alarm fitted. I've been scouting around at what's available, there's a load of ADT approved companies out there offering the same deal which looks reasonable on the surface, but they all involve a 3 year £27/month monitoring contract or something like that which I don't really want to be locked in to on top of the installation cost.

I've just come across Sector Alarm (https://www.sectoralarm.co.uk) who also require a 3 year contract for about £27/month, but they only charge a £1 installation fee, which means you end up paying considerably less than with the likes of ADT.

I'm usually pretty savvy when it comes to finding catches in this sort of deal, but I haven't been able to find one with this deal yet - can anybody point out if there's something I'm missing? Does anybody use Sector Alarm and have any feedback on them? And does it represent good value compared to other options?

On which note, what about other alarm systems, does anybody have any recommendations? I've had Secure One (https://www.secureone.co.uk) recommended to me but they don't have much info on their website in the way of prices, so I haven't been able to do a comparison yet. There's also the option of buying an off the shelf DIY solution but I don't know how they stack up against the professionally fitted ones.

Any input appreciated, thanks in advance.

david29dpo

monitoring contracts are a rip-off in my OP. buy a wireless one from B&Q. easy it fit and fairly cheap. you could replace it twice a year for the price of a contact!

straddie

Thanks for the advice - I'm inclined to agree about the monitoring being a ripoff, although with an installation fee of £1 there's a big upfront saving to be made which offsets the regular monthly fee.

How reliable/secure are such DIY systems? I've heard that they're easier targets for burglars?

david29dpo

there ok, never had any problems with mine. you can make it secure as you like by adding as many PIRs, door and window contacts etc as you like.

straddie

Interesting, thanks for that DCA, it's not too late as it happens, as I haven't actually got round to getting one installed yet because whilst we own the property we don't move in for a few more weeks. That said, it's now high on my todo list!

Debt_Free_Chick

straddie wrote: »

Thanks for the advice - I'm inclined to agree about the monitoring being a ripoff, although with an installation fee of £1 there's a big upfront saving to be made which offsets the regular monthly fee.

Call me a cynic but ....

No company gives something for nothing. They must be expecting to collect the installation costs in some way.

Do, please, read the small print very carefully. Is the monthly fee the ONLY cost? For how long are you tied in? Are they any hidden charges e.g. if the alarm sounds, do they then charge you for dealing with it?

Understandably, they aim to make a profit - so they must collect enough money from you to cover the installation somewhere along the line. Be suspicious and insist on seeing the full contract - and read it - before you commit.

HTH

straddie

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Call me a cynic but ....

No company gives something for nothing. They must be expecting to collect the installation costs in some way.

Do, please, read the small print very carefully. Is the monthly fee the ONLY cost? For how long are you tied in? Are they any hidden charges e.g. if the alarm sounds, do they then charge you for dealing with it?

Understandably, they aim to make a profit - so they must collect enough money from you to cover the installation somewhere along the line. Be suspicious and insist on seeing the full contract - and read it - before you commit.

HTH

Exactly, I figure there has to be a catch somewhere, although I couldn't see one on initial inspection. As it happens, I've discovered that Sector Alarm don't cover our area, so it's a bit of a non-issue now as far as they are concerned, but I appreciate your input all the same

paulhughes_2

I have had my Sector Alarm for a while now and they have kept their promise of no hidden extras. £25 a month and nothing more. £300 for their wireless system is also very good for a professional system. I don't trust the B&Q ones.