One of the things that we did not ask during our negotiations of the house is what are actually connected to the house. Beside the standard utilities like the electricity, water and gas, they could be other things connected that may affect the operation of the house.
We have been in the house for about one week and continue to find things about this house that we should have known in the first place. We found that the house is connected to a security alarm monitoring services. These monitoring services are connected with a phone line, and will ring the monitoring services if there are any problems with the alarm system. The previous owners has closed their account but have left the line connected.
From our perspectives, we are going to decommissioned the line to the monitoring services, to save on any out-going phone calls to the monitoring services. The thing that got me a bit peeved is there is a call-out fee for the service man to decommission the phone line, the call out fee is in the order of about $130.
Looking around the house, I have found that alarm box with a phone line attached. I think I will decomissioned the line myself by unplugging the phone line from the alarm box. Problem solved.
This is definitely one of those items that will be locked into my memory bank for the next house purchased.
2 comments:
I am in the same boat now, did you actually pull out the phone plug? did the company say it (decommissioning) had to be done by a qualified tech?
mollyd.
hey mollyd, with my alarm system, there was a phone line plug/socket just outside the its control box. This is the box that is usually hidden in a cupboard, in the walk-in robe or attic. It is not the control panel that you use to key in your access code. The phone line going into my control box has a plug which I simply disconnect by pulling the plug out of its socket.
As I wasn't subscribing to the security company's monitor services, they didn't really care if I did it or a qualified tech do it. I guess they were hoping to send a qualified tech out so that they charge me for it.
Since I have unplugged it, I haven't noticed any funny phone calls on my phone bill.
I hope that I have given you some useful information.
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