ADT Burglar alarm phoning home.

steviecuk

Hello,

I've identified an issue at home where an ADT burglar alarm fitted by the previous owners of my house was making 3 or 4 calls a day at 18p a time.

I hadn't realised as these where not showing on my phone bill as they were below the itemisation limit. It was only recently that I questioned the number of calls showing on my bill when I found out that this was happening. I've now blocked the number.

I spoke to ADT shortly after I moved in about the possibility of carrying on with use of the burglar alarm but their exorbitant maintenance / monitoring prices meant that I declined. I was not told that the device would make these calls.

I've been in the property for 12 years now so was wondering if I am entitled for this money to be paid back to me, i've done a quick calculation and i've paid over 2 grand in this time!

So should I try and get the money back from ADT or just write it off.

Cheers,

Steve.

ivavoucher

This is quite alarming

tomtontom

I expect ADT would argue the equipment is yours and hence they are not liable for the calls made. I take it you never disconnected it?

InsideInsurance

You have no contract with ADT and so are highly unlikely to be able to pursue them.

If anything its between you, the vendor and your solicitors but given this relates to a sale 12 years ago any action would almost certainly be statute barred.

Your time to looking into the system was before or immediately after you bought the property it was in unfortunately.

Kingsd316

As soon as I noticed there was a charge for calling back the ADT control centre I called them up and they replaced the 0844 number with an 0800 number, since then i have had no call charges

steviecuk

I have a feeling that the equipment is owned by ADT.
I spoke to them shortly after moving in with a view to possibly using the alarm. The took me through the prices etc. to use the equipment (maintenance, monitoring etc.) which I decided was too expensive. I mentioned to them at this point what would happen to the equipment and they said it would just sit there until i decided to take it out. They didn't mention that it would make a premium rate call several times a day.

In response to tomtontom I didn't think that it would need disconnecting as we have never set it for use and I had thought that it was dormant.

It seems unfair that I couldn't claim back money that I have unwittingly had to pay due to a device in my house that I had no idea was making premium rate calls.

halibut2209

Just out of interest, is it visibly connected to a phone socket?

steviecuk

halibut2209 wrote: »

Just out of interest, is it visibly connected to a phone socket?

Not that I can see, i thought that myself and would have just unplugged it.

bod1467

It'll be directly wired into the back of the main phone socket (to stop burglars from just unplugging it).

neilmcl

bod1467 wrote: »

It'll be directly wired into the back of the main phone socket (to stop burglars from just unplugging it).

Should be able to disconnect it then (possibly), just be careful not disconnect the main phone.

bod1467

I should have been more specific ... it may not be wired to the back of the faceplate - it may actually be wired directly into the back box. (Where, in theory, only BT engineers are allowed to access).