Frequently
Asked Questions / Comments!
Why
use Armaplate – we have a good alarm system?
Maybe so. However,
an alarm system rarely acts as a deterrent.
It can make a lot of noise, but the alarm will
only go off once the break-in has occurred, then the
thief will grab what he can and run.
You are still then left with the cost of
repairing the damaged doors and contents. It would
also disturb your sleep along with your neighbour's
sleep and you can’t do anything about it !
We
don’t leave anything in at night !
Does
the thief know that ?
A thief cannot always see what you leave in
your van. Even
if there are no items of value, you are still left
with the cost of repair to doorskins/locks.
They
can still break the window !
Yes
this is true. Although
they have unfortunately broken the window, the cost of
the repair for the window is far cheaper and can be
replaced within one hour and possibly no down time is
lost. If
there are damaged doors to the vehicle, the cost of
repairs and paintwork to the doors is expensive, and
also the van will be in workshop repair for 2 to 3
days – this can lead to down time and loss of
revenue.
It’s
a Lease/Hire vehicle !
Maybe so, but it is your company’s
products that are inside the van that will be taken.
Also the company using the lease vehicle would
be liable to pay for any repairs to damaged doors and
locks. Most lease companies are happy for their
customers to fit any security device to their
vehicles.
I
just need it on the one
door !
Why ? If Armaplate is fitted to one door only
and not any other, the thief is then automatically
attracted to the unprotected doors of the vehicle.
It’s
too expensive!
This
can depend on what the customer considers to be
expensive. If
there is a couple of thousands of pounds worth of
contents in the vehicle and they are stolen, the
customer is then out of pocket.
There is then the cost of the repair which
again is approx £300-£400 depending on damage, the
vehicle will also be off the road for 2 to 3 days,
with the resultant loss of revenue.
We
have additional locks on the vehicle !
This
will not stop any thief.
They will often damage original locks, on the
off chance the additional locks have not been locked.
Hasp & Staple devices can easily be ripped from
the doorskin because unlike Armaplate, these devices
provide thieves with something substantial to grip
with crowbars, etc.
They
can still pick the lock !
It
is highly unlikely that a thief will try to
pick a lock! It’s virtually unheard of. There are
far easier ways to break into a van (all by the simple
use of force).
We
are only keeping the vehicle another 6 months then
replacing it !
How do you know that you won’t be broken into
within that time period? And how many times? Armaplate
also adds to the appeal of a secondhand van at the
time of sale.
We
are insured anyway !
The
cost of insuring contents in company vehicles is far
too expensive. If
a company/person makes a claim for loss of contents in
vehicle once, the premiums for that policy would then
become even more expensive.
Also there would be a possible high excess to
pay before the insurers repairs the damage.
We
will have Armaplate fitted once we get broken into!
Would this not be too late ?
The idea of Armaplate is to stop any break-ins
to vehicles. Although
it would act as a quick repair it is still costing the
company money.
If
anything gets stolen it doesn’t come out of my
budget anyway!
In majority of large companies possibly each
department has their own budget, however, there is
still the cost of the repairs to the damaged doors
within the transport dept and there is then the cost
of purchasing new equipment for the workforce from the
purchasing department.
The repairs and replacement for this break in
will still cost the Company money, irrespective of
which department foots the bill.
The
vehicle is garaged or compounded at night !
Not
all break-ins happen at night!
Driver
pays for own losses (ie, tools and body repairs)
The company then has the inconvenience of body
repairs to the vehicle. While it’s in the bodyshop,
the vehicle is off the road 2/3 days, resulting in
loss of revenue.
My
New Transit has no locks on the side and rear doors,
so we don’t need Armaplate do we?
In this situation, the thief normally breaks in a different way.
On these vehicles, there is a special locking
device behind the doors. Once the thief has broken the
door skin with screwdriver/tool etc he can then gain
access to the locking device by earthing the
electrics. He can then disarm the central locking and
alarm system. New
Transits can also be broken into by the simple use of
a sharp knife!
My
New Transit has had a Ford “Recall” Security-Mod,
so it doesn’t need any more protection.
Using
nothing more than a sharp knife, it was possible to
open all the doors on a new-style Transit. Ford
modified the wiring to change this, but thieves have
no idea whether or not your van has been modified, so
they proceed with their attack, causing extremely
expensive damage to your wiring loom!
How
does Armaplate stop vans from being stolen!
Most modern vehicles are fitted with a
manufacturer’s immobiliser which makes it almost
impossible to drive the vehicle without the correct
key. Armaplate is designed to stop theft from the
vehicle, rather than theft of the vehicle. For every
van that is stolen, there are approximately another 78
vehicles that are broken into.
