This is the second section of our Frequently Asked Questions section, specifically dealing with questions about the Fire Alarm Service agreement itself.

Other sections are :

SECTION 1 : FIRE ALARM SERVICING

SECTION 3 : INVOICES AND COSTS

If you don't find what you're looking for, check one of the other subjects. If you still can't find what you're looking for, click here to send your enquiry by email. We will try our best to reply to you as soon as we can.

SECTION 2 : QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FIRE ALARM SERVICE AGREEMENT

How long is the agreement for ?

What does the agreement cover ?

What are the customer's obligations ?

Why do I have to have all the repair work done by CODRUS ?

Why do I have to give unrestricted access to the fire alarm ?

How do I cancel the agreement ?

Are repair costs covered by the cost of the service agreement ?

I didn't read the agreement / worksheet when I signed it. Am I bound by it ?

Now I've had the repair work done by CODRUS, I've shopped around and got a cheaper price for the work. Do I have to pay the CODRUS invoice price ?

Why do I have to pay a fee to get another duplicate copy of the agreement ?

When are my service visits due ?

My site is within the London Congestion charging area. Will I be charged for your engineer to enter the area to visit me ?

How long after the start of the agreement is the first visit ?

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How long is the agreement for ? The initial (minimum) period is usually 12 months. There are some 3 year agreements in place and we still offer this an an option if requested. The agreement is "self renewing", i.e. rolls on year after year, until a correct cancellation notice is received.

What does the agreement cover ? We undertake to send an engineer a certain number of times a year, with the intention of servicing the fire alarm system. We also undertake to bring to your attention anything we find wrong with the equipment and carry out extra works or repair works instructed, subject to account status. The agreement covers the fire alarm system, and/or extinguishers and emergency lights if you wish.

What are the customers obligations ?. You undertake to pay invoices within the 30 days given. You also undertake to allow us access to the equipment at all times, to allow us exclusively to carry out repairs and to notify us immediately if a fault occurs with the equipment.

Why do I have to have all the repair work done by CODRUS ?. If we are responsible for the condition of your equipment, then we should be the only ones who work on it.  It makes sense that we should know if any changes have been made, and that they have been done our way, to our standards. This is a condition of the agreement. Naturally, this is also to your benefit, because if we know that we are the ones who are going to be doing all the repair work, we can keep down the cost of your service agreement.

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Why do I have to give unrestricted access to the fire alarm ?. This is a condition of the agreement. We help you keep your costs down by working with you to keep the cost of the service agreement low. By allowing us to send an engineer when it is most convenient to us, you are allowing to keep our costs down and therefore the saving is passed on to you in lower service agreement prices. You can understand that having to contact you to make appointments which are only convenient to you, would increase our admin costs and would not allow us to fit your visit in with others in the area so conveniently. If we had to do this our costs would increase and we would have to pass this on to you in higher service agreement charges.

How do I cancel the agreement ?  . This is covered in clause 1(a) of the agreement terms. The actual notice period has varied in the past, from 30 days to 90 days (so always check your agreement), but all current agreements require a 90 day notice prior to the commencement of the next period, given in writing, sent by Recorded Delivery (this is to protect both sides from misunderstandings). It is important to remember that the agreement is for a MINIMUM PERIOD of 12 months, so correct prior notice given will stop the agreement once the current 12 month period has come to an end. It is also important to remember that if we do not receive the full 90 days notice before the end of the period (insufficient notice), the agreement continues until the end of the following period : i.e. another 12 months.

Are repair costs covered by the cost of the service contract ?. No. On the normal service agreement, any repairs are chargeable as extra works. They are charged for on a labour, mileage and parts basis, in line with our rates in force at the time of the work. We do this to keep the costs of the service agreement down. It is possible, however, to have a service agreement of a higher level (Silver & Gold agreements) which do incorporate more under the cost of the service agreement, with a service agreement value which reflects the more comprehensive nature of the agreement. If you want to know more about this option, please email us for info.

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I didn't read the agreement / worksheet when I signed it. Am I bound by it ?. Yes. Our agreements are commercial contracts between two organisations, not consumer contracts. The law always assumes that you are responsible enough to read what you are signing if you are in business or in a position of authority.

Now I've had repair work done by CODRUS, I've shopped around and got a cheaper price for the work. Do I have to pay the CODRUS invoice price ?. Yes. We don't promise to be the cheapest, but we do promise to charge fair and reasonable rates, which we publish and you have already agreed to before the work goes ahead.

Why do I have to pay a fee to get another duplicate copy of the agreement ?. When you enter a service agreement you are given (and sign) your own copy of the contract. It is a legally binding document that you should keep safe. Your copy is returned to you and you sign for it's delivery. If you ask us for another copy, you are asking for a duplicate of our copy of the agreement. We have to remove our copy from a safe and produce a certified, witnessed document which takes time and incurs cost. It is your right to demand that we supply you a copy of this document, however, the Data Protection Act makes provision for the cost of producing the document and has set a fee of £15 that you must pay to us.

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When are my service visits due ?. On the standard cover of two visits a year, the first visit often takes place after a couple of months, then the second around six months later. If you have four visits a year, they are usually months 2, 5, 8 and 11. However, it is important to realise that these intervals are in no way fixed, nor are we required to attend on a particular day. If you wish your first visit brought forward (a common request), you should contact our service department and book the visit with them : remember, they will stick to our normal plan unless you ask them otherwise. Extinguishers are serviced annually, but BS5306 says the same quarter, not the same month, each year.

My site is within the London Congestion charging area. Will I be charged for your engineer to enter the area to visit me ?. There is no additional charge on a routine service visit because this is a cost covered by the agreement charge. A call to site for repair work however, would incur the charge being passed on because it is a valid expense incurred to attend to your problem.

How long after the start of the agreement is my first visit ? Usually around 2 months, although this can be brought forward on request. See "When are my service visits due?" (above).

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