# Fob for car park barrier



## moondance

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this question so if any of the moderators want to move it then feel free!

Basically I bought an apartment (1 bed) a couple of months ago and it has a car park with a barrier that's activated by a fob thing where you press a button. There's no keypad so the only way in is by using one of those fobs. My boyfriend is going to move in with me in January so I asked the management company for a fob for him and they said it would cost 50euro. Is that fair? Is this how things usually work? I would have imagined I should be entitled to at least 2 fobs when it's the only way into the car park but maybe I'm deluded!!!


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## mf1

That would be the norm. Unless you have two parking spaces in which case you  
would expect to get two fobs. 

mf


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## bobk

Those fobs are generally quite expensive.

Do you have 2 allocated parking spaces? If so, then you should probably get 2 fobs. otherwise, you will just have to pay


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## moondance

No, we don't have allocated car parking spaces at all. Anyone can park anywhere.


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## Thrifty1

I suspect because only you bought the apt then only 1 fob allocated. We own a 2 bed and have 2 fobs but if we lost one it would cost €50 to get replaced.


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## mercman

Moondance, tell your boyfriend that this is the price of moving in with you. €50 sounds cheap to me.

You will be lucky to get another for a 1 bes apartment and don't be surprised when they cop on that you are using two spaces that the S**T will hit the fan.


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## aaa1

Technically it's a 'key' for getting in and you'd have to pay for a key to be cut as well. €50 is about the norm for them because they're an electronic device. The money doesn't go to the managment company, it goes to the electronics company that activate the fob. You could contact the elec company direct though to find out if it's cheaper to get it straight from them?


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## Auntie

I bought one recently from the actual gate company and it was €62, so your quote is about right. 

I was shocked as well at the price!!!


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## GeneralZod

I hope these gate companies weren't just giving out the fobs without any verification that it was for an apartment owner (not tenant). I'd be very unhappy with my gate company if I heard they were doing that. Preventing all and sundry from having access is difficult enough as it is.  I think this should be done through the management company which every apartment owner is a member of. I have an interest do declare as I'm on my block's management company.


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## Auntie

We got a note posted in the door about the new gate and the phone number to ring to buy the fob. 
Although I can't imagine many tenants wanting to fork out for a fob when they might not be there that long. As it happens I _am_ an owner but no one asked me this when I bought the fob ( I never thought of it and it's a very good point) I haven't seen anyone else using one though, they all seem to get out and put in the code (maybe I'm just the lazy one eh?! )

Totally agree with your post about all and sundry having access! Our gate has a code and it seems to have been the same code forever. God knows how many people know it. And there is a definite problem with people driving up and filling our bins, drives me mad!


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## wheeler

I got some spares directly from a security company. Can't remember exact cost but it was somewhere between 15 and 20 euros incl. of postage and packaging.

I just trawled the internet and found a place that made them.


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## wheeler

GeneralZod said:


> I hope these gate companies weren't just giving out the fobs without any verification that it was for an apartment owner (not tenant). I'd be very unhappy with my gate company if I heard they were doing that.


 
FYI: I agree with this, however, the company I got my extra FOBs from had nothing to do with the installation or management company. Ethical or not, they are hardly going to refuse money.


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## carmelkane

Wheeler, re. your post last 27the December, I can't understand how you managed to get a fob from the internet: I thought the fobs had to be programmed to work with whatever receiver was installed in the carpark, surely you can't just buy any old fob and it will work, what about security?


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## Towger

Most of these fobs that I have seen are just programmed by dip switches under the battery cover.  In a more secure system each fob etc is assigned a unique serial number at manufacture, but that requires the gates etc be updated to accept a new number each time a fob is issued.


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## Frank

Some are activated by dip switches not very secure, others send a unique number from each zapper.

This number would have to be enroled on the system.

Depends which type is on the gate.


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## Pedrolomejor

Some managment companies charge upto 150 euro for a fob.
Most have to be programmed by someone actually calling to the site, opening the control panel etc. So 50 euro, which included vat, is actually very very cheap


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## Frank

I know for a fact a pack of 10 fobs can be bought for about 50 quid for a pack of 10 from security suppliers. lets say add 200% markup still less than 20 quid a fob

It is as easy to add 100 as add 1. 

Allow 2 hour call out to do this maybe 500 quid.

100 fobs 500 (install) plus 2000(100 fobs) =2500 plus vat lets say an even 3000

Management company double that so 100 fobs = 6000

1 fob at 60 quid is still extorsion.

1 fob at 150 is kinda taking the ****.

Maybe the managemnt company is getting 10 at a time so screwing themselves.

Maybe management company is having a laugh.

Try and get them to justify prices.

Insist they get at 50 at a time added and hold spares.


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## thundercat

When I was renting an apartment a few years ago, they cost 70 euro each! 50 actually seems ok compared to that!


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## carmelkane

We have a system using a card that has to be held up to a control panel outside the gate, and the cards are reasonably cheap to buy. Each card has to be programmed to work with the system, and can be individually disabled if it gets lost or stolen, and we were supplied with special cards to program and disable the cards, so no expensive call-outs. Unfortunately, the managment company installed a parallel system for remote fobs, installed by a crony company of theirs, without asking the management committee, when teh system we had was working fine.  Needless to say, the remote fobs cost an arm and a leg and was intended to provide an ongoing revenue stream. The cavalier attitude of the management company to our money over this and other expenditure prompted us to give them the boot. and we have not bought any more of the fobs once the initial batch ran out. I am amazed to hear, however, that on top of being a total rip-off, these remote fobs are totally insecure. Its a bit awkward having to open the car window to swipe the card, but obviously a price worth paying.


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## ontour

Carmel, was it the management company or the management agent that installed the remote fob system?  If it was the managemnt company, it would the group of owners or developer if it was a new scheme.


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## d6southsider

wheeler said:


> I got some spares directly from a security company. Can't remember exact cost but it was somewhere between 15 and 20 euros incl. of postage and packaging.
> 
> I just trawled the internet and found a place that made them.



Any chance you could us to the website?


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## John Rambo

d6southsider said:


> Any chance you could us to the website?


 
The point of barriers and gates in to increase or maintain security in these complexes. In ours for example we do make a decent mark up on spare keys and zappers for the gates. The logic is that keeping the price high discourages the purchase of extras to be given to friends or relatives. It makes people look after the ones they have too. We also require written authorisation from the owner of the apartment to get an extra key or zapper.


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## Frank

Very Noble John 

I am sure all management companies are the same and nothing to do with profiteering.


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## shesells

Frank said:


> Very Noble John
> 
> I am sure all management companies are the same and nothing to do with profiteering.



Bearing in mind the fact that management companies comprise all owners in a development I'm guessing you mean Management AGENTS?


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