As for whos fault it is, i would expect it to be usually hardware -I assumed with maintainance of the system, the parts were extra!

so does a maintainance contract cover replacment of hardware too? i can appreciate an installer being concerned getting rung up constantly about hardware getting broken

As I assume a laptop is used to program the unit you can backup the cofiguration before you make any changes to it, and if you screw up on a change you can always go back to a restore position and recover.

Brian -i'll be in touch

Faults can arise from the programming being changed. If a customer is adamant that they did not make the changes, and the installer cannot prove otherwise, then the installer is responsible to correct it at their own cost. This is why alarms under a maintenance contract are not programmable by the customer.

Different companies offer different terms and conditions of maintenance.

Some will offer different levels of cover from, 1 maintenance per year only to maintenance, parts and labour.

Using laptops to program domestic systems is relatively new and your point is completely valid. I don't see why something couldn't be added to maintenance agreements to cover this situation and allow end users access to system programming.

There may still be need to be a cost involved in correcting an end users mistakes remotely, depending on how frequently it is required. In principle, though, I don't see why not!

Obviously, I take a different view on monitored systems.

Im looking to add to the system once installed so will also want wintex and usb cable,and engineer code <Quote>

Just wondering why you need this, if you do not know the panel you could make changes to the programming and when you think you are setting the panel, you might be setting nothing.

Iam in Swinton if you get stuck