Rancom Security Ltd - Successors to SAS FIRE & SECURITY SYSTEMS LTD?
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won't function on a new fibre optic telephone line .
What do you mean by this ?
There have been no changes to the specs or protocol or connection types for any telephone lines.
Some of the internal infrastructure may have changed but this makes no difference whatsoever to anything :huh:1 -
Rancom are ringing people and saying it is the switch over to fibre optic cable from copper making their equipment non functional. However, what they really mean is the announcement by BT to switch off the PSTN network in favor of VoIP (you can google this and find its true).
However, this has been known about since 2015 as likely to happen. BT announced in 2018 it will happen and have set a date of 2025 when it will be completed. Some alarm systems MAY be affected.
I am in a similar situation as a couple of users above. A couple of years ago I needed to get my panel moved after some home improvements. As part of this process I agreed to have the panel and sensors all upgraded to a ‘better’ system. My original contract was due to expire in 2020. I was then contacted in Jan 2019 and told the monitoring service were due to increase prices but if I paid for an additional 5 years now I could lock in the current price. I therefore did this and now have a contract to 2025.
Then a few weeks ago I was again contacted and told my equipment needed upgrading again due (as above) the switch over to fibre optic cable. I queried this and asked for a manager to call me back. A week later I was called again and this time they explained it was because of the switchover from PSTN to VoIP. I again pointed out that my equipment had only been upgraded 2 years previous and that at the beginning of the year I had renewed my monitoring contract for a further 5 years. As such, I felt the onus was now on the company to upgrade my equipment as otherwise they would not be able to fulfill the contract I had paid for,
I have not yet heard back from them, but to my mind as I upgraded the equipment in 2017 (after they would have known the switch off of the PSTN was likely to happen) and paid for a new 5 year extension of the monitoring service in 2019 (at which time they definitely knew it was going to happen) then they should upgrade my equipment foc.0 -
We recently had some cold calls/s from a security company called Connect 4 Security. They started by offering us a security system, and once told that we’d already had a Rancom system they went on advise us that Rancom have now lost all accreditation, both NSI and SSAIB. We’d had a letter A while ago from Rancom that they’d ‘resigned’ from the SSAIB -which is how you get the Unique Reference Number (URN) for a Police Response, and that they now use a National Security Service for responses instead which seemed logical to us given the pressure on the police these days. Connect 4 have now worried us by showing us the letter sent out by Leicester Police to all Rancom owners which stated that Rancom had had been stripped of their SSAIB status by the police for bad practice - our letter from Thames Valley wasn’t worded quite the same police but was to the same effect.
We also learnt from Connect 4 that Rancom used to be Direct Response which was the company who initially sold us the system quite a few years ago. Direct Response we are told by Connect 4, were the same company but changed their name to Rancom because of the bad press on Watchdog. We knew nothing of this, but did know that Rancom’s style is constant pestering for upgrades for one thing or another. The latest was for the change-over to fibre on telephones - we’d learnt enough about them by then to say NO.... but we in 2018 we did pay for a 5 year extension to our contract until 2026 - which a Connect 4 pointed out means it hasn’t even started yet. The advice from Connect 4 is to sign up with them (tonight) as they have the SSAIB accreditation, then we can go apply for a new police URN, then go to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, get a case number and contact our credit card to get our money back. Of course there would be a fee for both - and - to quote - “ you’re lucky because the system already installed is what we would have installed for you so you won’t have to pay for a new one”.
Feeling, now, that we have been well and truly manipulated by Direct Response/Rancom we are worried that this is just another clever sales ploy by yet another security alarm company just to get our custom. I can’t believe it’s being done out of the kindness of their hearts! Has anyone any thoughts?0 -
1. Bought quite a few years ago - how many times have you used it?
2. Dial 999 yourself if the alarm goes off and you feel threatened - it's only 3 digits.......
3. Cold call, asking for money - better than even chance to be a scam/rip-off.
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10183811/filing-history
Companies house Info - Connect 4 Security
Formed in 2016 with company cpaital of £9.
Dormant company accounts made up to 2017.
Accounts as of 2018 show negative balance of £75k
Looks like a real good bet to me
Took me 5 minutes on google to dig this up........1 -
We're in a similar position to Phil62. Our current contract with Rancom is until 2024. We were contacted recently and offered the opportunity to upgrade to guard against potential service issues post the Open Reach changes. We politely turned it down saying we were happy with the current service and expect Rancom to fulfill their contractual obligations until the end of the contract. We've subsequently had a reply saying that "in the event of the system not working correctly we will not be replacing it free of charge". Wouldn't this be breach of contract? Appreciate some thoughts and advice. Thanks in advance.0
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Have nothing to do with Rancom Security Ltd. It is an untrustworthy company operating on the fringes of the law. Rancom is currently being investigated by Trading Standards so if you already have a complaint, report the incident to your local Trading Standards who will pass the information onto the team in the Midlands which is managing the national investigation.
Rancom targets and rips off the vulnerable and elderly through mis-selling tactics, installing inferior systems at inflated prices and selling unnecessary maintenance and service agreements with payment in advance. An elderly friend of mine who already had a five year contract to 2025 has been charged a further £1,250 for another five contract that doesn’t start until 2025. She had no idea what she was agreeing to and it was wrapped up in other charges for an unnecessary ‘upgrade’ costing £1,800.
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Kilmouski my father's situation is very similar to yours. Once Sussex Police had notified him that Rancom had withdrawn from Police response he signed a three year contract with Connect 4 Security in March 2019, who were continuing this service.
Late last year Dad had a visit from someone from Rancom who agreed to negate the remainder of his contract with them, but advised him to cancel his direct debit with Connect 4 Security as Trading Standards are investigating the company and there are legal battles going on.
Dad took this advice and blocked payments to Connect 4. Once the second year payment for his contract was due Connect 4 have been writing and calling to arrange payment. Dad is ignoring the calls and letters and basically burying his head in the sand.
I've only found out about this in the last couple of days when I took a call from Connect 4. They took me through what had happened with Rancom, and I have all the police statements regarding the loss of response that you mention.
To be honest I don't know what to think and who to believe. All I do know is that Dad has a company on his back for money, which looks legitimate as he signed a contract with them. But he has taken the word of Rancom against them and refuses to pay any more money.
If anyone has any experience of Connect 4 and can put my mind at rest, or has been in a similar situation, I'd be grateful for any advice. Dad doesn't seem too worried, but I certainly am.0 -
Why are connect 4 talking to you?2
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Connect 4 are actually Ex employees of Rancom and last of my knowledge were in a legal battle due to theft of data. I wouldnt touch them with a barge pole.MDP87 said:Kilmouski my father's situation is very similar to yours. Once Sussex Police had notified him that Rancom had withdrawn from Police response he signed a three year contract with Connect 4 Security in March 2019, who were continuing this service.
Late last year Dad had a visit from someone from Rancom who agreed to negate the remainder of his contract with them, but advised him to cancel his direct debit with Connect 4 Security as Trading Standards are investigating the company and there are legal battles going on.
Dad took this advice and blocked payments to Connect 4. Once the second year payment for his contract was due Connect 4 have been writing and calling to arrange payment. Dad is ignoring the calls and letters and basically burying his head in the sand.
I've only found out about this in the last couple of days when I took a call from Connect 4. They took me through what had happened with Rancom, and I have all the police statements regarding the loss of response that you mention.
To be honest I don't know what to think and who to believe. All I do know is that Dad has a company on his back for money, which looks legitimate as he signed a contract with them. But he has taken the word of Rancom against them and refuses to pay any more money.
If anyone has any experience of Connect 4 and can put my mind at rest, or has been in a similar situation, I'd be grateful for any advice. Dad doesn't seem too worried, but I certainly am.0 -
Google has lead me to this thread and instead of starting a new thread thought it best to post here as this has been going on for quite some time, but the stories are very similar, and hope it'll help others too.
I hope someone can advise. My 82 year old mother has a Rancom monitored alarm installed, and has had contracts with them since their 'Direct Response days'.
They just keep wanting more money. To keep a long story short I'll keep this to 2020 events.
In February they wanted to charge £99 for us to have a carbon monoxide alarm, when she told them "no" they said they'd send one free of charge anyway Lol. It never came.
In July they rang her to say her warranty had ran out, and that it'd be approximately £1700 for 5 years. She has never paid or been asked for warranty in all the time she's been with this company for all these years.
She got them to call me about it, saying I was now making all her financial decisions. And they wasn't too happy with my questoins regarding the price of the contract now doubling with the addition of the warranty.
I declined it, but they've rang her again today, again telling her that the warranty is expiring and that it''ll be £1300 for the next 5 years. If they speak to me again, it'll get declined again, But is it time to speak to The Citizens Advice Bureau, and Trading Standards? I know Direct Response were known to Watchdog for their practices.
Something needs to be done.0
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