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Slomins vs ADT vs Brinks vs any other home security system vendor

Hi All,

i live in NYC and just bought a new house. i am thinking of getting a
home security system from "well" known vendors like slomins, adt or
brinks. having it installed by their reps and then pay a monthly fee.
has anyone been using any of these guys? how has the experience been?
is one better than another? it's a 2 floor house w/ a basement, two
entrances / exits. will need a keypad at each door and sensors on every
window.

any advise would be appreciated.

regards,

erafailov.
 
R

Robert L Bass

Jan 1, 1970
0
i live in NYC and just bought a new house. i am thinking of getting a
home security system from "well" known vendors like slomins, adt or
brinks.

ADT has a corporate division and the so-called "authorized
dealer" segment. Stay away from the latter. There are a few
good dealers but most are awful.

Brinks' system is a lease. Expect overpriced service visits,
high monthly fees and less than stellar performance.

I have only seen a little of Slomins, not enough to form a
conclusive opinion. However, there have been several complaints
about dishonest sales practices.

You might want to consider using a smaller, local firm rather
than one of the nationals. Odds are you'll get better service.
Nothing is 100% though. There are good ADT authorized dealers
and there are bad independents.

There's at least one NY based independent we know of who you had
best avoid. It's a one-man show and the owner talks endlessly
about sale boats and ogling women at Caribbean beaches. The
fellow is not the kind of man you'd want to leave alone inside
your home, especially if you have teenage children. He has
bragged here about attacking a young boy with a hammer.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
 
M

Mr.Double-sided tape

Jan 1, 1970
0
Email me at [email protected] and I will gladly help you.
The other poster (Bass) will do nothing more than attempt to sell you a
do-it-yourself kit, and the installer he is insulting happens to be a
very well-respected alarm installer in NY state.
 
M

Mike

Jan 1, 1970
0
With ADT how do I know if I'm dealing with corporate or authorized dealer?

Mike
 
J

Jim

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hmmm

I see you just can't seem to leave things alone.

ADT has a corporate division and the so-called "authorized
dealer" segment. Stay away from the latter. There are a few
good dealers but most are awful.

Brinks' system is a lease. Expect overpriced service visits,
high monthly fees and less than stellar performance.

I have only seen a little of Slomins, not enough to form a
conclusive opinion. However, there have been several complaints
about dishonest sales practices.

You might want to consider using a smaller, local firm rather
than one of the nationals. Odds are you'll get better service.
Nothing is 100% though. There are good ADT authorized dealers
and there are bad independents.

There's at least one NY based independent we know of who you had
best avoid. It's a one-man show and the owner talks endlessly
about sale boats and ogling women at Caribbean beaches. The
fellow is not the kind of man you'd want to leave alone inside
your home, especially if you have teenage children. He has
bragged here about attacking a young boy with a hammer.

I guess we should start by letting the OP know a little about you.

That you're a convicted felon working in the alarm industry. You've
been convicted of a gun crime. That you deceive people by implying that
you install alarm systems just so that you can entice them to buy
things from you. That you killed someone because of your arrogance.
That you circumvent the law in your state. That you have too many
unresolved BBB complaints because of poor service. That you ridcule
alarm installers as you're trying to do now, for the simple reason to
cause disruption of this Newsgroup , because you know that everyone
here dislikes you for your acerbic and nasty conduct ..... as shown by
the fact that you had to make a post like the above for no reason
except to get a response like this.


I guess that about does it for now.
 
R

Robert L Bass

Jan 1, 1970
0
With ADT how do I know if I'm dealing with corporate or authorized dealer?

Just ask them. If they get caught lying ADT will...
Hmm. Scratch that. Check what it says on the contract.

Bear in mind that not ALL authorized dealers are bad. It's just
that so many are that most of us have a bad feeling for the
dealership program in general.

Monitronix is also a dealer program, though not quite the same as
ADT. Some of the dealers are good and some are not.

If you do decide to go with an "authorized dealer", check him out
first with neighbors. Ask people you know who they use and if
they would use them again. Could be the local authorized dealer
is a good choice or it might be a nightmare.

Whatever you do, heed well Mr. Campbell's comments regarding
long-term contracts. They do lots of financial good for the
alarm company and nothing at all for your benefit. Most such
contracts allow the dealer to raise the price after the first
year, even though you are bound for 3, 4 or 5 years.

Also note (1) the length of the renewal period and (2) the amount
of advance notice required to cancel:

1. A month-to-month renewal would be sufficient to maintain the
limitation of liability and third party indemnification terms of
the contract intact. Annual renewals are IMO fair enough.
Automatic renewals that bind the customer for 3-5 more years are
not fair to the customer. AT the very least there should be
written warning that your renewal period is about to commence,
allowing you to respond in time to cancel. While the salesman
may promise you the moon, such notice is rarely given and you'll
likely wind up committed for longer than you plan if you're not
extremely careful.

Remember also that even if the company gives poor service,
responds extremely slowly to emergency signals or even if they
fail to maintain the alarm system in good working order, it will
still be harder to extract yourself from that contract than a
mortgage signed by Lucifer.

2. Alarm companies have no real cost to schedule a cancellation
since the system can be disconnected from monitoring with one
phone call from their modem. There is no reason for them to
require more than a few days' notice of your intent not to renew.
The requirement of a 30, 60 and sometimes even 90-day advance
notice on your part serves only one purpose. They hope you won't
remember to cancel until it's too late so they can bind you for
another one to five years. Think you'll be able to get them to
release you because your job moved to another state or because
your finances have changed? Think again.

In short, be very careful. Do your homework. It's good to check
USENET. It's also important to use offline resources.

Last comment: If for any reason you decide not to hire an alarm
company there's still another option -- DIY. That's my area.

Best of luck.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
 
F

Frank Olson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Mr.Double-sided tape said:
Email me at [email protected] and I will gladly help you.
The other poster (Bass) will do nothing more than attempt to sell you a
do-it-yourself kit, and the installer he is insulting happens to be a
very well-respected alarm installer in NY state.

It's classical Bass. You don't have to be here very long to see the
discord he causes in this and many other Newsgroups.

There's at leaat one Florida based online store we know of you had best
avoid. He's a one-man show and the owner talks endlessly about flying
planes and trading favours on the beach in Bahia with the local
constabulary using "good American condoms". The fellow is not the kind
of man you'd want to leave alone inside your home, especidally if you
have young children. He has bragged here about throwing kids around
inside his church and subborned his own children into working long hours
in the "modestly successful alarm company" he ran out of his garage in
Connecticut years ago.
 
J

Jim

Jan 1, 1970
0
Robert said:
Just ask them. If they get caught lying ADT will...
Hmm. Scratch that. Check what it says on the contract.
<Snip the rest of this unethical persons post>

Since the above miscreant isn't in the installation business he doesn't
know that most of his post doesn't apply to you.

In NY, it is the law that you be notified by certified mail
prior to 30 days before the renewal date, for renewal of any
term agreementand be given the choice to renew or not. If
you are not notified the contract is void. Contacts typically
say that if a price increase is made after a proscribed term,
you have the right to object. The company can recind
the increase or you can cancel.

Read the contract.
 
M

mikey

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ya know, that was a pretty decent post until that last paragraph.
If you could just let that go... you sound like a jilted lover, give it a
rest.
 
M

mikey

Jan 1, 1970
0
hahahahahahahahaha,
I think he likes it. Could that be it? He likes the abuse.
hahahahahahahaha

Jim said:
Hmmm

I see you just can't seem to leave things alone.


Robert L Bass wrote:

about one paragraph too many
ahahahahahahahaha


In case you missed it, Bass waved a red flag and we got a quick
re-cap of the Bass story so far...
 
M

mikey

Jan 1, 1970
0
Google groups? Man, am I falling behind if you respond before I do from
there.
Don't you have a newsreader on that PC?
http://aioe.org/ I had to extend my timeout but it's snot too bad
Are you coming up for BeaverTail this year? It's quite balmy up here,
above freezing, we 're still having outdoor sex, god bless global warming!
 
R

Robert L Bass

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ya know, that was a pretty decent post until that last paragraph.
If you could just let that go... you sound like a jilted lover, give it a
rest.

Considering the amount of trash you post on a regular basis,
you're in no position to judge anyone.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
 
M

Mike Sokoly

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim said:
<Snip the rest of this unethical persons post>

Since the above miscreant isn't in the installation business he doesn't
know that most of his post doesn't apply to you.

In NY, it is the law that you be notified by certified mail
prior to 30 days before the renewal date, for renewal of any
term agreementand be given the choice to renew or not. If
you are not notified the contract is void. Contacts typically
say that if a price increase is made after a proscribed term,
you have the right to object. The company can recind
the increase or you can cancel.

Read the contract.
Jim,
Thanks for posting correction on NY Law: One note:
Dealer ALSO has the option of either: Certified Mail renewal OR
PERSONAL HAND DELIVERY TO SUBSCRIBER! Bet most scum-o-the-earth don't
want a face to face meeting with an irate customer!

Mike Sokoly
MES Security Systems
NYS Certified Instructor #I-63
 
M

Mr.Double-sided tape

Jan 1, 1970
0
LOL too funny on the global warming. You must be turning cartwheels now
that the liberals are out of power. As a matter of fact I am about to
take Canada off of the list of weenie ass countries, and place them
back on the good folks chart.
I can see Mark Leuck reading this post and thinking "does Tom even know
what the hell a newsreader is?"
Belated Happy New Year, Mikey, but with the Canadian press being what
it is you're probably still celebrating Easter.
 
V

vic

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello All,

I think i agree with Robert from Bass. I work for ADT Security
Services from last 5 years and i have clients all over us as well
outside. I do residential, and small business systems.Its better to
deal with company because they cover more warrenties and sells only
brand new equipment. Also ADT's 4 strategic monitoring center are
always avaialble to support your needs 24 /7.If you need any help feel
free to contact me
[email protected]

Vic
 
M

Mike

Jan 1, 1970
0
How would you rate ADT when compared to the other companies eg, S, B and M?
What would you change about ADT on the customer level?

Mike
 
R

R.H.Campbell

Jan 1, 1970
0
That depends. Independant dealers vary from good to terrible, and ADT
service quality seems to vary from region to region. So bear in mind, my
comments relate ONLY to my particular area. I happen to be a third party
dealer on their station (they monitor about 8 of my total 850 clients), and
I find their monitoring to be far too "hair trigger" for my tastes. They
call one number, dispatch authorities, then follow through with the balance
of the calling list. In our area, false alarm dispatches cost $75 each, and
clients demand more built in "protection" against that (full calling list,
cancel codes etc). I am told that local authorities feel that when they get
a call from ADT, it is more likely to be a false alarm, although that is one
of those suppositions that is hard to prove.

Service regardless of timing is expensive unless you have chosen their
warranty coverage for a few dollars extra a month. Like most dealers, I do a
lot of takeovers from ADT due to their continuing to charge exhorbitant
prices on an ongoing basis, plus in these cases, service has been bad. But
bear in mind, they are the biggest in the business with 8 million clients,
so they have to be doing something right to keep this client base (in spite
of terrible attrition rates). My understanding is their commercial side is
quite different from the residential side, and we have one poster here who
works on the commercial side, who's posting lead me to believe it's quite a
different ballgame on his side of the fence

I've been accused of "hating ADT". Not so, although based on my personal
experience, I believe a residential client can do FAR better than dealing
with a large conglomerate where you are merely a number rather than a valued
customer. There is something to be said about personal care from a small
dealer, although this too can be tenuous if you choose the wrong small
dealer (and remember my bias in this regard). Unfortunately you don't know
that until you've made your choice already, although you can and should ask
around about your potential company to see how others have been treated.
This is even more important if you anticipate choosing a company where you
are locked in !!

Do your research, compare TOTAL packages over 5 years from all your choices,
then go with the company that you feel will treat you with due respect on an
ongoing basis, regardless of length of contract term (this is only one
factor after all....)

RHC


Mike said:
How would you rate ADT when compared to the other companies eg, S, B and
M?
What would you change about ADT on the customer level?

Mike


I choose Polesoft Lockspam to fight spam, and you?
http://www.polesoft.com/refer.html
 
J

J. Sloud

Jan 1, 1970
0
With ADT how do I know if I'm dealing with corporate or authorized dealer?

Call 1-800-ADT-ASAP and not the local number in your phone book.
Chances are there are several "ADT" ads in your local yellow pages
that were placed by authorized dealers. They are supposed to state
that they are an authorized dealer in these ads and the only ADT logo
they can used has the words "authorized dealer" circling the "ADT"
logo.

ADT is unique in this industry. If you look at total revenue, ADT is
larger than the next 100 companies combined. They have about 7 times
the numbers of customers than the nearest competitor. They are the
only company in the industry that services every segment from basic
resdiential up to airports and military bases. According to the GSA
Advantage website, ADT is the largest supplier of electronic security
to the US federal government.

Look at: http://www.sdmmag.com/CDA/sdm100/

Is bigger better? Not necessarily. There are many great local alarm
companies. However, they are like any small business. There are a
lot of bad ones out there too. Because of the value associated with
recurring revenue, these small alarm companies are always likely to be
gobbled up by another company looking for growth.
 
J

J. Sloud

Jan 1, 1970
0
How would you rate ADT when compared to the other companies eg, S, B and M?
What would you change about ADT on the customer level?

Mike

Mike,

I manage a group within ADT's national accounts division that handles
our largest commercial and government customers. I've worked within
local sales and services offices as well.

First, some facts: ADT is by far the largest electronic security
company in the industry. Go to sdmmag.com and click on SDM100 for a
look at the industry. ADT is the only company in the industry with a
fully redundant network of customer monitoring stations. These five
monitoring stations are located throughout the United States and are
configured so that is one becomes overloaded or is forced to close,
alarm signals are automatically redistributed to the others. ADT is
the only national company that offers services in all industry market
segments from basic residential to commercial, industrial, and
government customers. ADT has been a GSA Federal Supply Schedule
holder for over 20 years and supplies more electronic security to our
government than any other company. ADT is involved in numerous
homeland security pilot projects to help develop technology used in
the war on terrorism. Google "operation Safe Commerce" for an
example. ADT has several sole source contracts with the federal
government including a contract with the US Marshals Service to
install and maintain security, video, and access control systems in
every Federal Courthouse in the country. If that isn't enough, ADT
also has a national account with Brinks. We install the security
systems on their cash vaults.

Now my opinion: There are a lot of fine local alarm companies out
there. There are also a lot of bad ones. Be sure of what you are
getting. Who monitors their alarms? How do they handle service? Who
owns the equipment? How long have they been in business? Is their
central station UL Listed? Etc.
 
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