I think it interesting that you don't actively market monitoring services on
the one hand, but when you *do* advocate it's use you're using a CS that
provides that service to you *free of charge* for the first year. I think
it's so "big" of you to give your customer the "benefit" of a lower first
year rate when he combines his purchase with the correct decision to monitor
his system (particularly since it doesn't cost you a cent!)... What a
guy!!! Now what was that you were saying about only charging a "modest"
markup???
Robert L. Bass said:
Excellent point, Robert.
Agreed. I believe as you do that monitoring can be very worthwhile. I
don't think the cost is unreasonable (except for the schlock houses that jam
customers for $30 a month until Jesus comes back for a piece-of-junk "free"
system (but that's another rant). But it is still the client's decision.
Only he can determine whether the service fits his needs. Your job and mine
is to inform him of the benefits and costs -- to explain why we believe it
is important.
It may be "another rant", but you just *had* to get it in there, didn't
you??
Your job is to ensure people steer clear of professionally installed and
serviced systems. I truly think it's funny when you try so hard to make it
seem you're playing on the same "field" as the rest of us.
In most cases that's true. However, there3 are plenty of situations where
noise is about all you can hope for. Because of the terrible false alarm
record from which the industry suffers, police response may become a thing
of the past in many large, metropolitan areas. Even in many places where
they still respond they are so slow that they really provide no *emergency*
assistance.
They are public servants. Most police services have to be "reminded" of the
obligation they have to the people that foot the bill. A non-response
policy should apply to special cases like systems that aren't being serviced
properly and continuously false alarm.
Look at Bridgeport and Hartford, CT for example. These two cities often
wait from fifteen minutes to an hour or more before putting an alarm call
out over the radio. Hartford once waited more than ten minutes on a
confirmed holdup -- alarm followed by audio listen-in. The thief was heard
shouting "Open the #%$^& register!" The clerk was sexually assaulted while
two patrol cars sat three blocks away, the officers unaware there was a
holdup in progress. Fortunately, the alarm company had the time-stamped
phone tape to prove they called it in immediately because the dispatcher
also lied.
That should have prompted a major law suit. I'm surprised some ambulance
chasing Lawyer hasn't taken it up. Ain't that what makes America "great"??
We agree on this, too, Robert. The problem is that "limited time" can
amount to an hour or more in some rural locations. As you said, we can't
generalise as to what is going to work for all clients.
No... but you can... You do it all the time.
Heh. The problem is most of the available statistics come from studies paid
for by the alarm industry. There are reports around that indicate a
correlation between alarm usage and reduced incidence of burglary. The
problem with these reports -- at least with those I've seen so far -- is
they don't take into consideration other factors. For example, there tends
to be a greater concentration of security systems in richer suburban
neighborhoods where crime is less rampant than in inner city locations. Is
the reduced incidence of burglary in the rich suburb because of the alarms
there or the fact that there's less crime in nicer neighborhoods? Obviously
it's not all black or white. But oft-quoted industry studies don't even
discuss this so wer have no way to know if all the data was applied or if
some factors were ignored.
It's true crooks tend to steer clear of neighborhoods in which almost every
house displays an alarm company's signs. They also steer clear of
neighborhoods that have active "watch" programs. The latter's stats are
provided by your local police service.
Agreed. This is a growing problem.
Oh come on! Most of "those" systems are going the way of the Dodo...
Anyone concerned with their own personal safety and security isn't going to
be satisfied with a single door contact and a motion sensor for long. I've
got six Alarm Force systems sitting in my office that proves that. They get
talked into it by the "hype", then have time to think about what it is
they've purchased. I love doing presentations to people that haven't a clue
about what's "out there", but have an idea that what they bought isn't what
they thought it was.
Yes. Betweeen that and the industry-created myth of the "free" system a lot
of people are being misled.
Absolutely not. I hope I didn't convey that message to you.
No... you just "sugar coated" the delivery because it's RHC you're talking
to...
Some do but you'd be surprised how many order monitoring service for their
DIY systems. As you know, I charge a reasonable rate ($100 first year and
$151 thereafter). I'm not the cheapest but I'm way below most. Most of the
time people choose to have the system monitored through whoever sold them
the hardware, whether it's an installed sysstem or a DIY project.
Yes... and a "reasonable" 1000% markup...
I get a few customers who are real penny-pinchers. Most just want to use
the money saved on the installation to get a more advanced system with more
comprehensive protection than the what the local boys are offering. It may
be due to the way I market -- answering support questions in technical
newsgroups -- that I seem to get a different segment of the DIY population
than what others are seeing. I don't know, but my experience is
consistently different from what you describe. C'est le marche, eh? :^)
I don't think the way you "market" is as successful as you lead us to
believe. You don't show up in any of the searches I've performed either on
Google, MSN, DogPile, Yahoo, Excite!, or any of the more popular search
engines. Anyone that *does* do a search in the newsgroups will quickly find
that you're an amoral, unethical fraud. I'm going to ask it again... Why
would someone search a newsgroup to find a company to purchase product on
line?? The choices of online alarm dealers are incredible... It's the
reason Andy *doesn't* post here often... He's way too busy!!
Ah, there's the difference between us, Robert. I tell people that I offer
monitoring and I let them know what the price is and what is included. They
either say, "Yes, I want it" or "No thanks." I try to give them what they
need in a system but all I can do is make recommendations based on 26 years
of experience. The decision is theirs and I can accept that. Sometimes
they say they don't want monitoring but change their minds when they learn
it's not going to cost $30 a month and there's no multi-year contract.
Sometimes they just decide after installing it that they'd like it
monitored. Others never choose monitoring. Either way, I know I've offered
the best I know and I'm satisfied with that.
How is this any different from what RHC is telling his clients?? Haven't
you ever run into a DIY that's "dead set" against monitoring?? Nothing you,
me or RHC says will convince them otherwise.
True. More important, if you want to keep your sanity in the DIY market,
you have to learn to accept the client's decision and work with him within
the framework of his choices.
DUHHH!
Yup, but can you really blame them when they spend so many hours responding
to false alarm after false alarm -- oftentimes from the same few
locations?
Man things must really be different in Ontario and Florida... Here when the
client gets a fine for a false alarm, he's on the phone to his company
*screaming* to get someone down to fix the darn thing.
Heh, heh, heh. One of most incompetent alarm installers I ever met was an
ex-cop in Windsor, CT. This guy used to market himself based on the fact
that he was a retired policeman. I once had a chat with the police chief
about him during one of our annual "police appreciation" dinners at the
CBFAA. Apparently the guy wasn't a much better police officer than he was
an alarm installer. :^)
OK... First... the most incompetent alarm installer I've seen is running
an online store out of Florida... This is the same guy that advocates using
a paddle bit to drill into a wall plate, a six foot drill for attics and
programs DSC panels with a Napco Manual... His website has so much embedded
Java, some browsers won't even display it properly. And since when were you
*ever* a member of an alarm association?? You who have on many occasions
expressed your distaste for both organizations of alarm professionals and
the trade itself. Can we say "two faced"???
Heck, if they'd do that you and I would be rich and most of the ADT
"authorized dealers" would be out of business.
In your dreams!!
