Security issue at Sainsburys Carpark - Mon 12 Sept

[pebbles]

I just wanted to flag up what has just happened At the Sainsburys on Dog Kennell Hill to make people careful.

At about 5.45 i was trying to get back into my car after my shop and the remote control wasn't working. The car opposite's alarm was going off and the lady also couldn't get in. Then we realised that there were a lot of alarms going off around the carpark and I stopped a few people to get them to check that their remote control had actually locked their cars as they were walking into Sainsburys and indeed their cars were still open.

I've spoken with Security their and they're going to have a presence in the carpark and I've also spoken with the police and they are going to send someone down there. Basically we think that someone has some kind of transmitter thingy to stop people from locking their car doors without realising it (and this is also stopping people from opening them).

Annoyingly my car doesn't have a key so i couldn't get in that way. The lovely lady opposite me drove myself, 2 kids and shopping home otherwise I would have been stranded - and my children were losing the will to live at this point.

I just wanted to give people the heads up that when they walk away from their cars and press the lock button to actually make sure that it is locked - I know I don't always check.

[JohnL]

Unbelievably this seems to be possible - also reports of mobile masts doing it.

Insurance companies deny any issues too - so check !!

pebbles Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I just wanted to flag up what has just happened At

> the Sainsburys on Dog Kennell Hill to make people

> careful.

>

> At about 5.45 i was trying to get back into my car

> after my shop and the remote control wasn't

> working. The car opposite's alarm was going off

> and the lady also couldn't get in. Then we

> realised that there were a lot of alarms going off

> around the carpark and I stopped a few people to

> get them to check that their remote control had

> actually locked their cars as they were walking

> into Sainsburys and indeed their cars were still

> open.

>

> I've spoken with Security their and they're going

> to have a presence in the carpark and I've also

> spoken with the police and they are going to send

> someone down there. Basically we think that

> someone has some kind of transmitter thingy to

> stop people from locking their car doors without

> realising it (and this is also stopping people

> from opening them).

>

> Annoyingly my car doesn't have a key so i couldn't

> get in that way. The lovely lady opposite me

> drove myself, 2 kids and shopping home otherwise I

> would have been stranded - and my children were

> losing the will to live at this point.

>

> I just wanted to give people the heads up that

> when they walk away from their cars and press the

> lock button to actually make sure that it is

> locked - I know I don't always check.

[octobersky]

I'm glad there are sensible people on here who aren't prone to flights of fantasy like myself, as my first thought when I realised what was going on was 'aliens'! Note to self, must stop watching re-runs of the xfiles. pebbles, do let me know how you get on getting your car home.

[pebbles]

JohnL - you are indeed correct, I've just had a phonecall from the police who have said that there's a phone mast behind the football club and that it sometimes causes this problem. There's nothing they can do and the phone companies aren't going to take the mast down.

My husband has just been down there and he was able to get in.

Anyway, sorry for the panic but I will definitely be making sure that the car locks behind me when I'm there in future.

Thanks again to octobersky who drove me and my family home :)

[James Barber]

Hi Pebbles,

Can you please email me who in the local police rang you.

Mibole phone companies are strictly licensed in the frequencies they can use and straying from that would be illegal and liable for a Dept of Tade and Industry fine. Can you imagine the chaos if phone masts were allowed to go wrong and not be fixed.

Retards James

[Loz]

Careful though, as JohnL says this original theory is quite possible. Jammers for remotes are easily available and have quite a range. And Sainsbo's carpark would be a pretty big fishing ground.

I always check anyway, as if any door isn't fully closed my car refuses to lock!

[pebbles]

James - I've pm'd you

[octobersky]

one of my friends has just done some google searcges and sent me this link to something similar. so it does seem possibke it's a criminal activity and might not the phone mast...either way best to double check. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=902670

[octobersky]

ps. pebbles, you're most welcome.

[DulwichFox]

There was a programme on TV or it may of been the news where a Supermarket's Till Software was

transmitting on a frequency that affected car door locks.

Cannot remember the details but it took a lot of investigatios to work out what was going on.

Fox.