Security Horror Stories

i have a few that i will tell when i get the chance talk to you all soon

Ok, I'm installing an endstation in an airing cupboard and I need to clear some stuff out so I can drill at ease without worrying about dust damaging anything. Normally, I would either ask the customer to empty it, or if it was just a few shirts I would put them on the nearest bed. I agreed the position of the endstation with the customer to be in the airing cupboard. There was a 13amp socket backing onto it that would be perfect to wire the spur into. Problem is, when I opened the airing cupboard there was a whole pile of underwear on the shelf. So, instead of embarrassing the customer who was aware I had already opened the cupboard door and asking her to move them,…

I was recently on a job and as I walked into the kitchen I was hit with that smell of death , it wasn’t till I opened the panel that I realised where it was coming from

Hi All, A few years ago I was under a lot of pressure to finish this house job for a little old Lady, everything was going well, had all the sensors installed bell box up, nearly there just the internal siren ahh where is the siren? Checked the back of the van, no shoot must have left it in the office 70 miles away. I sat thinking what am I going to do? then it came to me I was inspired and came up with a master plan. I drove into the nearest town to look for a car accessory shop I reckoned they must have some kind of sounder I could use. I went to the sales counter asked the young man "have you anykind of a alarm sounder?" "yes sir" he replied. He took out this little …

We refuse to have anything to do with Funeral Directors because we'd hate to have a call out there or be working alongside dead bodies! Anyone got any scare stories?! There was a spate of thefts round here a few years ago where burglars were breaking in and stealing the rings of the dead fingers ewwwww!

Went and did a job on a small commercial unit, guy moved into it wanted CCTV fitting and the alarm codes changing & signalling put on he was adamant no police response key holder only also asked if he unplugged his DVR will it stop the cameras recording . Some kind of body shop repair place so bit of kit in there and tools Defaulted panel and changed codes, noticed no trap detection in the main workshop advised on a dualtec he said all windows and doors have got vibration sensors on them. Told him not unknown for intruders to take walls down now and again, Nice new dualtec fitted. When installing cables for CCTV noticed a shotgun cartridge. Then when i was in…

Oh it gets better

I received a call at 1400 to attend a mobile phone mast site on a massive hill in the middle of nowhere. Its a mast and building with control equiptment in. Apparently the local area has been effected quite badly by a powerloss recently so the intruder alarm is now showing battery fail. Easy enough I thought so off I go with dnough batteries go power blackpool illuminations. After an hour of asking as many people as I could find (2) where the mast was I see a broken loose stone path leadin up a steep hill. Time to test the old Vivaro for pulling power. Foot to the floor and a few scary moments later I reach the summit. LOCKS bundles of them and not a key in site its no…

hi I was wondering what wierd or unusual alarm call outs you have had in your career thanks

Doing a maintenance service the other week on a system with my colleague and the customer mentioned something about setting it off on accident a couple of weeks ago and how it scared the shoot out of him. Funny I thought, as there was only the external bell? Opened the panel lid to do the readings and bell hold and saw two extra connections on the + and trigger connections. Thats odd, maybe it's just a relay connection or internal sounder. Anyway, we get to triggering the system (you can tell whats coming cant you) I stay at the keypad while my work mate goes and removes a roller contact magnet from outside... all of a sudden all hell breaks loose. I dive for the keypad …

Simple domestic panel upgrade...on arriving, greeted by an elderly lady....given my normal charming nature, asked after her health...wish I hadn't. Followed with stories of hospital visit, falls and general ill health. Quickly changing the subject, got on with the job in hand, found end station in the attic, no lighting to hand, so all done with a torch......real pain of a panel change and took ages, after many fits of cramp...time to change the keypad. On climbing down from the attic, and with a sneaky cup of coffee on my mind, find the client sat bolt up right, and starring into space...but not moving :/ Ok don't panic I said to myself....called out to the client....…

i've read a few 'apprentice hooror stories' on here, how about the opposite? i was working on a nice simple job second fixing all the devices to a redecorated house with a guy i'll call mark. i put up all the pirs, the keypad, and the bellboxes while he did the panel (it was in an awkward cupboard so took ages) once i'd finished i shadowed him. it became time to connect the mains. the sparky was too lazy to put a fused spur in, so instead had one wire sticking out the wall from the consumer unit, and then another one next to it going to the end station. the cable had been cut but the cores not seperated, so they were within less than millimetres from eachother…

I thought it was about time I came clean, Your'e all going to love this one. All I can say is I've learned a lesson I hope Anyway long story short back in my early days of install I was sent of to install a nice simple domestic. "Drop by the landlords pick up the keys let yourself in and the customer will be back about half four for the handover " Couldn't be simpler . Well gets to the landlord gets the key off I go.Gets to the street chacks the house no one the key (First mistake)lets myself in and off I go. After the first few ccts are in I noticed that the salesman had his spec back to front ( Front right should be front left ) So as with all good install enginers …

Summer)Friday turn up to install and its a bungalow, + friday = pub by 12 o`clock excellent , got steps in opened loft hatch put lead lamp up, pluged in then !!buzzzzzzz!! lamp was totaly covered in wasps looked like the bulb had blown. No way HATE um, Cancelled untill sorted, Anyway it was pub at open time for me sweet as!! Lead lamp still up there i think!

One of the install lads was drilling a hole through a wall into the kitchen to get a cable through. Now I have to admit, I have hit a cable before, but never a fridge!!!!! Not only did he hit it, he went straight through the side. Another one using cherry picker. Was told not to park on the grass but did anyway. When it comes to leaving he couldn't shift the van. Had to get a crane in to lift it out of the ditch he had created. So not only was the grass destroyed, but also some of the road from the crane!!!