On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:44:26 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
MM wrote:
Yes, I've given them a call and set up a contract. £45 a year it's
going to cost me. But they can't come until next Tuesday. Oh, well.
I'll just have to fight off intruders, if they dare...

IMHO, you'd be mad to pay for a 'contract' on an alarm - unless it
includes response to an 'intruder'.

I have to get the installers to set it up for me personally. At the
moment it is only set up with the factory default settings. Also,
since the powercuts which set it off, the keypad display says "Call
engineer - Battery Fault 100", so I've got to get them to come out
anyway. Also, the annual fee includes a yearly check on how the system
is functioning. Personally, I couldn't care less about an alarm
system. It would never be on my shopping list. But it came with the
house, so when I sell the house, I shall really make a big thing of
the alarm. Many older people are very security conscious, so the alarm
system could be a big selling point. Certainly, at the moment other
houses on the development are being sold by their initial owners (who
bought speculatively, I believe) and they are being snapped up the
moment they come on to the market.

MM