Check four things before you renew: what the contract covers, who responds to an alarm, what changes cost, and who to call when something breaks. Get the answers in writing before you sign.
Does the contract cover what is actually on your site?
Read the list of covered equipment. Does it match what is on your walls today? Systems grow over time. A contract written for the original system may leave out a door sensor or a camera added later.
Then check the service level. Does it include repairs, or only monitoring? Is a site visit included, or billed separately? If the answer is "it depends", ask what it depends on.
Who gets the alarm, and in what order?
Pull up the contact list. Is it current? Staff move on and phone numbers change. An old list means an alarm at your shop in Morden can go to someone who left two years ago.
Ask who is called first, and who is called next if there is no answer. Ask what happens after hours and on holidays.
Also ask how police are involved. Police response depends on your local police service and whether the alarm is verified. Nobody can promise a police arrival time, so be wary of wording that sounds like a guarantee.
What happens when something breaks?
Ask how repairs are handled. Can most faults be fixed remotely? If a technician must come on site, who comes, and how is the visit billed?
Ask who you actually call. A single number that reaches people who know your system is worth more than a long menu. Knowing this before something fails saves a stressful morning later.
What will changes cost during the term?
Businesses change. You might add a building, fence a yard, or start using a side door every day. Ask:
- Can I add a sensor, a camera or a door without starting a new contract?
- What does a change cost, and is it written down?
- Does adding equipment extend the term?
What are you locked into?
This is the part most people skip. Before you sign, find out:
- How long the new term is, and what the total cost is over the whole term
- Whether it renews on its own, and how much notice you need to give to cancel
- What happens to the equipment if you leave
- Whether the system and its app keep working without a service plan
A lower monthly price on a longer term is not always a better deal. Do the math over the full term.
Does the system still fit your site?
A lot can change in a few years. A new addition, a fenced yard, or a door that is now used every day can leave gaps the old design never covered.
Renewal is a good time to walk the property again. Compare what is installed with what you need now. If you run a warehouse in Altona that has doubled its stock since the alarm went in, the panel may need room to grow, and the sensors may need to move.
Some older systems still rely on a phone line. Modern alarms connect over the internet, cellular or both, so ask whether yours still depends on a line you would rather drop.