SAYNOTO0870.COM - Alarm Monitoring

sapex666

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Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Apr 6^th, 2005 at 11:44am

Can anybody help? Is it possible to find out who owns/profits from a specific 0870 number? Reason being, i recently had a monitored house alarm fitted which i pay an annual subscription in advance for but have just received my phone bill and every time i activate or deactivate the alarm, it rings 0870 6020297 anywhere between 1 and 4 times within the same minute! I have tried the number but it is a computer or something. The alarm company say they can re-program it to stop it but me thinks this may be some kind of scam. Have spoken to BT and Offcom and they both say they don't have any details. Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks.

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« Last Edit: Apr 6^th, 2005 at 2:21pm by DaveM »

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mikeinnc

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Ofcom - quis custodiet
ipsos custodes?

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #1 - Apr 6^th, 2005 at 2:33pm

I think that this may have been answered by another post this morning. Okonski has posted the following under "Arrogant Companies - ADT"

Quote:

I have a monitored burglar alarm system monitored by the above company. After a recent (and routine) service visit by their engineer, we discovered that my system was no longer calling the central monitoring station.

Further investigation revealed that the engineer had been instructed to substitute the number dialled by the alarm panel from the standard Manchester number of 0161 to one commencing 09xxxx. As my telephone line attached to the alarm has Premium Rate Call Barring, the call did not connect and the engineer had to seek advice. He returned with the news that ADT had provided a different number, and all was well. That number now turns out to be an 0870 one, still connecting to the same Manchester centre!

In the scale of things, the alarm activation call is seldom longer than 20 seconds, but anyone with an ADT alarm system may find it has been set to dial a genuine PREMIUM rated number without their authority.

You have been warned!

So it now appears that ADT is the latest to join the gravy train, and rip off its customers. So even as your home is being broken into, it's nice to know that you will be paying a premium to let your alarm company know.

What an absolute disgrace!

There are a number of websites that post the instruction manuals for ADT alarm systems (Because they really do not want you reprogramming "their" system .... you didn't actually think it was yours, did you? Wink

) so you might be able to reprogram in the original geographic number instead.

Meanwhile, it is another company that should be informed of the scam (although I suggest they know only too well exactly what they are doing), and (b) pilloried as publicly as possible if they won't change.

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DaveM

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Du vin, du pain, du
Ibuprofen ¡

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #2 - Apr 6^th, 2005 at 3:04pm

I checked the information you gave with the security companies & a couple of other sources.

Firstly, it would seem that you may have a faulty system if it calls more than once to the Security company, and they agree with that diagnosis & suggest you report it to the engineers.

Secondly, it can be reprogrammed to call the Geographic number if you can get it. See the nearby posting Arrogant Companies - ADT on a similar subject. We also need to get hold of a friendly engineer on these forums that can assist us in doing it !(

Gentle hint for suitable person to volunteer assistance

)

Thirdly, the security company said (

incorrectly btw

) that the 0870 phone call is charged per second and that the BT charge on the Geo number is charged per minute. Totally wrong & when I rang back the supervisor and told her that this person had given me incorrect info, she agreed.

If your alarm box calls a Geo number 4 times, it will cost 4x5p (BT minimum charge). If it calls the 0870 number 4 times, for upto 38 seconds each time, that's still 4x5p (BT minimum charge) - absolutely no difference in cost.

Overall, it may not be worth the time and trouble in changing it Undecided

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It stops hurting when I stop banging it against the wall !!

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sapex666

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #3 - Apr 6^th, 2005 at 4:14pm

Thanks for that. The alarm company (not ADT) don't have a problem with re-programming the system. I just have a hunch they have done this deliberately to earn extra revenue on top of the monitoring fee as there is no mention of these charges in the contract. Is it possible to find out who this particular number is registered to?

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okonski

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #4 - Apr 6^th, 2005 at 4:19pm

I can shed some light on this. The fact it calls on setting and unsetting is a parameter that has been set up (whether on purpose or in error on you can decide). You'll need to find the programming manual to change the settings, but I'd contact your monitoring company and say you neither wanted or requested this function (notification of alarm set/unset), and demand a refund.

As to the X 4 calls, the reason wht this happens is the alarm panel communicator has not received the acknowledgement required (call a 'kiss-off') to tell it it has successfully logged the activation, and will continue to call again, and again until it times out or it received the required acknowledgement.

If the alarm company has many systems set to report set/unset, these usually happen at the same times so its not uncommon for the monitoring system to be busy or not process the request quickly to prevent a redial.

Easily fixed, but a real pain!

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- Raymond

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sapex666

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #5 - Apr 6^th, 2005 at 4:34pm

Ah, it becomes clearer! They did say it was a setting normally used for commercial properties and mine was the only one they'd had a problem with in 600 customers BUT my girlfriend's parents had the same alarm as me fitted by the same company two weeks prior and there's is doing the same thing! Me thinks a hint of a scam which is why i'm trying to trace the number to see if it is in fact owned by the alarm company. If so, they're reaping the benefits. I wouldn't have noticed this if i didn't have an itemised bill!

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okonski Newbie Offline Posts: 17	Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not? Reply #6 - Apr 7^th, 2005 at 8:10am The easier option would be to tell your telephone co to block all premium rate numbers. This will stop the alarm reporting, but also force the monitoring company to provide you with a non-Premium rated number for the monitoring centre!
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dorf

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I hate Qs on Premium NGNs

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #7 - Apr 7^th, 2005 at 1:18pm

Surely, blocking all Premium rate numbers would have no effect in this case. It was stated at the beginning of this topic that the no. being dialed was a 0870 number?

That is what this whole scam is about. Although both BT and Ofcom have publicly admitted that these non-09 NGNs are being used as Premium numbers they escape all of the controls, including most of all QUEUING which is why these devious companies like them so much!

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Ofcom are completely ineffectual

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juby Full Member Offline Posts: 203 Gloucestershire Gender:	Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not? Reply #8 - Apr 7^th, 2005 at 3:08pm You are right of course, Ofcom actually said that 0870 was "virtually" a premium rate number. juby
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sapex666 Newbie Offline Posts: 4	Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not? Reply #9 - Apr 7^th, 2005 at 4:06pm Thanks for all this great advice. So, do you reckon the alarm company owns the 0870 number and is profitting directly?
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dorf Supreme Member Offline I hate Qs on Premium NGNs Posts: 575 UK Gender:	Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not? Reply #10 - Apr 7^th, 2005 at 4:15pm Clearly!
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Tungata

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Re: Alarm Monitoring - Scam or not?
Reply #11 - May 10^th, 2005 at 8:29pm

Quote:

So it now appears that ADT is the latest to join the gravy train, and rip off its customers. So even as your home is being broken into, it's nice to know that you will be paying a premium to let your alarm company know.

What an absolute disgrace!

I think you will find alarm companies have been using Premium rate and 0870 for many years to help overcome resistance to higher annual contract rates to their clients. By using a telco to collect revenue they don't have to invest in so much collection of bad debt by customers.

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