Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Green lanes station alarm
I live very near Harringay Green lanes station and have been battling London Overground about the burglar alarm there (though why anyone would want to steal a whole station defeats me). It has been going off in the middle of the night on and off for quite some time now, (starting last year). For example, it went of at 3.20am this morning and lasts fifteen minutes. Previous evenings were 1.55am and 4.20am. There have been many other nights but I'm guessing you don't want to know ALL the times.
I have been speaking to station staff and to the deputy to the head of communications, Alan Hobson, about this for over a month.
I THINK they may have tried to correct the problem as it fell silent for a couple of weeks but, obviously, they haven't. I have spoken to neighbours who are aware of the alarm but always thought it was a car alarm or some such. It's definitely the station as one night it went off THREE times in quick succession and I went out and looked. The alarm is attached to the outside of the port-a-cabin office there. I am now logging the alarm and am sad enough to have taken video on my phone, possibly the most BORING videos EVER.
Anyway, I also have a young son who wakes up regularly in the night so between him and the station I'm not sleeping much and, frankly, beginning to go slightly mad. I am containing the impulse to buy a baseball bat and beat the **** out of it but I am seriously on the edge.
I may have to go legal if they don't rectify this. Anyone out there have any idea how I might proceed or who is aware of the alarm themselves? Suggestions and sleeping drafts to this post.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sheila on
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Hi Jimbo (& Karen,)
Thank you so much for all your efforts re that alarm. It seems to affect our daughter more than us at the front of the house, but it has been driving her crazy. Sleep deprivation is a form of torture isn't it? By the way, have either of you spoken to London Overground recently about the volume of the announcements? We have been in ongoing correspondence with these guys on and off for the 30 odd years we have lived here. It doesn't seem to be an issue that can be fixed once and for good.
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Permalink Reply by Jimbo on
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Hi Sheila,
I believe the Japanese used sleep deprivation as a tool of torture during the second world war and yes, it works. I think/hope that our alarming days are over. I hate to speak too soon but the last couple of nights have been quiet (unless you know better) and I think they've actually DONE something. This after an article in the online version of The Harringey Independent and the intervention of Karen. Keep your fingers crossed.
As for the volume of the announcements, my partner has been on at them for ages. Generally she calls a chap called Alan Hobson at London Overground. On the whole we always had a good response and the volume would decrease. However, it would creep back up again and off we'd go calling Alan Hobson again and round and round. I could give you his number if you like? In the meantime, I was once told it was a software problem... which they obviously can't be bothered to do anything about.
Sleep well and keep fighting them.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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I have received an email from the customer service team confirming that engineers have identified a fault that they believe to be the cause of the problem. This has been fixed over the weekend. I believe they have also been in touch with you. I do hope this is now resolved for you - do let me know if it happens again and I'll continue to kick up a fuss. Let me know if you want me to take up the issue of the announcements.
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Karen, thank you so much for your help. The alarm has finally fallen silent.
As for the volume of the announcements, it's altogether a trickier fish. They are at a reasonable level right now. One only realises that they have been turned up when you wake one morning thinking the next train to Barking from platform one is coming directly through your bedroom. Good to know you will take it on should we need you. In fact, you'll be the first to know.
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Thanks Karen for your help. I think the announcements are not bothering us at the moment but its nice to know you are happy to take up cudgels on our behalf if we need you to.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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An intersting question still remains, what value is a noisey burglar alarm at night in the first place when most people will either ignore it, try to sleep through it or not know what it is for and the police will nto attend? Really, what is the point? What deternet is it, I would ahve thought a robber would be more scared of an alarm that did not go off, wondering if the rossers were coming or not!
We had similar issues with the alarm at S. Harringay Childrens Centre in the not to distant past and I tried to get them to put a silent alarm in that is wired to the police or some security service that will come and investigate. I failed in the silent alarm aspect but they did get it fixed...
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Mr. Guest,
My thoughts exactly. And often screamed out in the middle of the night. Except... I can't blame myself or neighbours for not calling the police etc. The alarm goes off, you think the police will come/the alarm owner will turn up. It goes off many more times you realise very quickly it's a fault, there's no 'break in' anywhere and it will probably be sorted out. What you don't do is get up at 3.20 in the morning, shake yourself awake, shout 'darn it', get up, get dressed and go out to locate the alarm. And you only have a 15 minute window to do that. I only got up and went down to the street because of the occasion it went off three times in quick succession.
However... The alarm has fallen silent. Currently.
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