Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Phonewatch monthly fee, anyone knows?

Options
  • 16-12-2022 1:43pm
    #1
    gildan
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭


    My contract is up in late Jan, last year around this time they hiked my monthly fee by about 40% so I told them I was leaving and they offered me a discounted rate which was enough for me to stay with them for another year. Now I've found another company with a special offer ending in 2 weeks time, I asked Phonewatch what rate they'd offer me for the next year but they will only tell me 2 weeks before contract expires! So i'm trying to work out which is better financially, new company or Phonewatch so does anyone feel like sharing what current (non-discounted) Phonewatch monthly rate is to help with this decision? Thx



Comments

  • Options
    #2
    altor
    Registered Users Posts: 11,686 ✭✭✭✭altor


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058276028/phonewatch-monthly-fee-anyone-knows

    Its a guessing game with them sometimes.

    I've heard of people paying from €25-€55 per month.

    www.altor.ie



  • Options
    #3
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    Like phone contracts, get away from paying for your alarm with the rental.




    Buy a decent alarm up front and you will get much better deal on monitoring and maintenance and you will have the ability to shop around every year.

    Post edited by KoolKid on


  • Options
    #4
    walterking
    Registered Users Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭walterking


    If a company cannot tell you prices more than 2 weeks before you need to agree terms, then I'd be running away very quickly.


    Insurers have to give you at least 30 days, and this should apply for all services.


    I'd vote with my feet. They hope that two weeks doesn't give you the time to look around and then they have you for another 12 overpriced months



  • Options
    #5
    kub
    Registered Users Posts: 6,542 ✭✭✭kub


    Unfortunately Phone Watch customers and some other companies customers have no option really.

    Mostly these are rental type agreements whereby the householder does not even own the equipment.



  • Options
    #6
    Tork
    Registered Users Posts: 3,409 ✭✭✭Tork


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120105002#Comment_120105002

    They're pretty notorious for trapping people in new contracts once the year rolls over. And as far as I know, the equipment is no good for anything once you leave them. Would you be open to getting rid of them and having a standalone alarm installed? It's a bigger cost upfront but in the long term it'll save you a fortune. And you can self-monitor the alarm if you so wish.



  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    sandman1212
    Registered Users Posts: 21 ✭sandman1212


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120105856#Comment_120105856

    Interested in moving away from phonewatch. Contract up later this month. Can you tell me more about the options open, including self monitoring?



  • Options
    #8
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 39,621 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    When we moved into our current house 7 years ago, we got a local alarm company to install an alarm. It is connected to the outside world via GSM. I have self-monitoring which I can control via a phone app. (I can also control my parents alarm using the same app).

    The original alarm installation was about €1300 (including the GSM equipment).

    Since installation, we've replaced the batteries in the various sensors once (about a tenner each from memory). The monitoring & GSM fee is with HKC Ltd rather than the alarm company and this costs about €67 per year. The app was about €15 from the app store but when I upgraded my phone in that time, the app also transferred.

    Effectively, I'm paying feck all for a self monitoring alarm.



  • Options
    #9
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 39,621 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    Just to add on - the self monitoring app allows me to manage the alarm remotely. I'm able to arm and disarm the alarm remotely. I can choose whether to do a full arm or just the night alarm (if I'm leaving the house very early and others are in bed asleep)

    If the alarm goes off, it tells me which sensors have been triggered and I can then act on that info (turn alarm off and on again or worst case scenario go home/call gardai/whatever).

    As an example, my parents have a velux window which seems to always go off when there is really heavy rainfall. I can simply turn the alarm off and back on again so that it doesn't piss of their neighbours.



  • Options
    #10
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,577 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114548#Comment_120114548

    Agree, this is the best option for 99% of people.

    It can mean that there is an increased cost for the installation of the alarm initially (as this is where the installer has to make all of their profit) but the running costs from that point on are very low.



Advertisement