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Until 1996 it was a requirement that all systems be covered
by a maintenance contract from a maintainer approved to maintain
the type of system concerned.
This was relaxed in 1996. Now it is strongly recommended that
systems be covered by a maintenance contract or for some arrangement
to be made with a maintainer for engineering call outs to
be charged on a per visit basis.
Systems not covered by a maintenance contract will be costly
to repair and service, and will require return to manufacturer
in many cases for this to be done. Therefore it is very strongly
recommended that the system be suitably covered by a contract
with competent maintainer.
A maintenance contract is an agreement between the customer
and the maintaining company for repair cover in the event
of a systems failure, either partial or total.
Under such a contract the customer need only call the maintainer
when there is a fault on the system and they will arrange
for the fault to be isolated and cleared.
In the case of a simple fault they may advise the customer
how it can be cured immediately, over the telephone. For more
complex faults involving inspection of the equipment they
will send an engineer to site within the time specified by
the maintenance agreement.
For a typical contract the response time between the call
and visit is 4 or 8 working hours, with some companies offering
weekend, 24 hour and 365 day coverage at additional expense.
A maintenance contract is similar to a car insurance policy.
Hopefully the user will never be required to claim against
it, but the system is covered.
This is to ensure that the system is always kept in safe working
order for both the network and customer.
Faults need to be cleared as quickly as possible to prevent
permanent damage to the system , loss of network service and
minimise disruption to the customer’s business.
If the repair is a warranty claim the maintainer will fix
the equipment and recover the costs from the system manufacturer
under the terms of the warranty.
The maintenance contract coverage will vary from company to
company. In its basic form it will cover all the system components
and wiring to the handsets plus proprietary equipment for
the system.
Third party equipment and SLT handsets will not usually be
covered unless specific arrangements are made.
The cover will be to correct faults arising from failure of
system components and installation wiring due to defects in
manufacture and workmanship.
The contract will not cover damage, misuse, incorrect operation
or performance related upgrades and enhancements to the installation.
These must be purchased separately from the maintainer or
an approved system supplier.
Should the system be upgraded or added too, then the maintenance
contract must also be amended to cover the additional or changed
components.
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