Greatrex Alarm Systems was established in June 1988. It started as just an audible alarm company testing the water to see if there was a market in Mid Glamorgan for a small company and if we could survive with all the other Alarm companies in the area.
After the first twelve months using local advertising like free news papers and directories
the interest locally, picked up and the orders came in by recommendation.
It’s quite difficult for a small company to compete with a bigger or more established company, so we had to think of some way to become as professional, or better, by adding that personal touch.
People who pay a lot of money for an alarm system expect at least a little peace of mind after they have spent hard-earned cash. But like most things you buy today, once a company supplies you with their products, ‘they take your money and run.
Consider that within a short time the system you spent your hard-earned cash on develops a fault; you need some advice or spare parts. You have been reliant on the alarm being on day and night or when away at work or on holiday - you telephone the company you purchased the equipment from, and they either do not trade any more or that product is out of stock, or even worse, its not available anymore!
From the very start of trading in the first year we realised that most of our customers expected an after sales service, so we offered them a maintenance agreement which would last for five years from the end of their
12 month guarantee.
The maintenance agreement warranty has no call out charges no labour charges and if the alarm system needed parts the customer would only pay the trade price for them.
Because of the success of that first year, we tried to improve the service to the customer. Most things have been tried before with little or no reward - so what could we do for our customers that wouldn’t cost the earth?
The company purchased an Alarm Receiving Station Computer, so from then on with every alarm we installed, we could offer the customer the opportunity to have a modem fitted, so that their Alarm system would be monitored by us, 365 days of the year at a little extra cost. All they needed was our maintenance agreement warranty.
When you enter your property, you should go in though the front door (that should be the official entry point). In the event of the alarm system activating the modem telephones, our alarm receiver and registers the alarm call. If you enter your home though the wrong door or don’t switch the alarm off in time, don’t panic just go to the key-pad, enter your four-number code and the modem will send a restore signal. (Only your code can send a restore signal.)
The Alarm receiver can distinguish different signals
If you enter your property though the wrong door, it will send an INTRUDER ALARM SIGNAL.
If a Panic button is pushed it will send a PANIC ALARM SIGNAL.
If the Electricity fails it will send a BATTERY SIGNAL.
On some alarm panels, the signal, OPEN / CLOSED or HOME / AWAY can be sent - this type of service is primarily used for business or social care alarms.
We also monitor Customers for INACTIVITY. We supply Homelink Extra II Social Care alarm units for people who live alone and wish to remain Independent, but have a Panic Alarm pendant also an Intruder Alarm facility built in and most important have the reassurance that someone is monitoring their movements and well being.
It gives a lot of our customers peace of mind to know that someone is ‘watching over them and their property’ whether they are at home, or out for the day or even spending all that ‘hard – earned cash’ on a desert island somewhere!
Its now 2009 and we’re still here, the company is still here and we still have most of our old customers, who are still enjoying the benefits of being connected to our ‘new Alarm receiver network with GSM dual path Technology’ listening to their alarm systems when they’re at work or on holiday.
Things have improved so much now our alarms can ‘talk’ via mobile phones or send text messages to you, your friends and family, as well as the alarm company is still logging calls in the back ground “on guard” in case we are needed for repairs or as key holders.
Yes, we do key holding as well! (Security Industry Authority Licence No 0101 1001 7212 6300)
What’s the point in an alarm company listening to the alarm system if you have gone away on holiday and taken your friends and family with you? - someone’s got to watch over your property while you’re away having a well deserved rest. So as a last resort, if all else fails and you have a problem with the alarm at your home or business premises, we can enter the property, repair the alarm, put the Budgie back in its cage, put the Cat out and re-arm the alarm system.
If you are going to be away from home or business for any length of time and are concerned about the safety of your property all you need to do is phone our 24-hour answer-machine and leave a short message or send an e-mail if you have already left the country send a text message.
In the Old days we would only go to the customers’ property once every year to test the alarm system and check the battery and telephone line. Now with the latest technology the modem connected to the alarm will contact our alarm receiver and send a test report every 24 hours; we are truly listening 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
The cost of the Maintenance agreement for an Audible Only alarm system is from £8.00 per month on Bank Standing Order Only for domestic or business customers.
The cost of a Maintenance agreement with monitoring and key-holding by Greatrex Alarm Systems is also available from £12.00 per month for domestic or business customers on Bank Standing Order Only.
Alarm systems come in all shapes and sizes it became our policy not to install or maintain any DIY alarms, as it was quite possible that there wouldn’t be a constant supply of spares, as they go out of date and stock so quickly.
In the very beginning we became registered installers of Scantronic Security Equipment, which can be obtained from any good trade suppliers of Security equipment.
With Scantronic they repair alarm panels and communicators etc. we have been trading with them for over 20 years and have had no complaints.
The company run a support telephone line 5 days a week for registered installers, in case of problems beyond our knowledge. (www.scantronic.co.uk) (Silver Level member of the ‘Touchpoint Partner Program’)
N.B. The above maintenance agreement is also available to people, who may already have an alarm system from another company, pending inspection of the type of equipment in use.
So…………. if you find you are attracted to our offer, and you wish to know more about the” Personal Touch”
please telephone 01443 - 237681 or 07779 - 713599.
www.greatrexalarms.com E-Mail michael@greatrexalarms.com
