Edmonton, Alberta

RHC: Just an update on Paradox distributors in Canada (fyi / for what it's worth...)

It seems Paradox is no longer distributing their line of panels and other security equipment through ADI /Burtek SSI. They have shifted distributorship here in Ottawa to P.Coudriau & Sons, a large locksmithing wholesaler. In turn these folks are looking for distributors in both the Eastern and Western parts of Canada.

Coudriau has been my locksmithing wholesaler for 30 some years and they have always given me good service and good prices. Good folks to deal with !!

Any feedback as to ..... Why ? (they switched).

Seems like ADI would be the better venue for them.

Or maybe it was ADI's choice?

RHC: Well, rumour has it that Paradox didn't much like the fact that ADI push a lot of other alarm panel lines as well, and perhaps Paradox didn't think ADI were giving them sufficient attention in the bigger stream of things. I suspect that Coudriau (who recently started as a dealer with Paradox) was outselling ADI by a long shot. I know I swung over all my business to Coudriau when they started giving me much better service and better prices to boot !! They also kept sufficient stock on hand so that there never was an issue of having to wait for anything !!

One thing which didn't impress me was that Paradox waited until ADI had received (and I assume paid for) about $500,000 worth of alarm stock before they were told that they were being dropped as a distributor. I expected better from a company like Paradox. I guess ethics always takes a back seat to profit with these large companies.........

I'd consider their ethics questionable if they were pressuring ADI/Burtek into placing that big order in order to show "good faith". I wonder if we'll ever know the real story behind it. I do know that ADI/Burtek never tried talking me into buying another motion sensor or glass break detector when I ordered Paradox units. They were in a good position to "switch" me into other comparable units several times, but never did. There's a lot of brand loyalty out there. I think that most good wholesalers recognize this. If sales are "down" it's to do with the economy more than anything else. I understand TRIED in the US is "hurtin'".

I know there are several folks here who dislike ADI but I've had a good working relationship with them for years. They have helped me out when times were tough and I consider that a major plus. I also get a lot of referrals from various branches around Florida. People call asking to buy this or that and they give them my number.

As to Burtek, I really can't comment since I never did business with them.

RHC: Could be, who knows. I have always had good service from ADI/ Burtek over the years - no complaints. I still shop there for some things, just not Paradox equipment. As to Paradox's motives for doing what they did, good or bad, we can only surmise.....

The alarm business here slowed slightly when the economy took a dump, but it seems to be pretty steady now. It doesn't seem to have affected my business at all. We seem to be insulated from a lot of it due to Ottawa being a "government town". Housing starts and housing construction generally are still strong.

"tourman" a écrit dans le message de groupe de discussion : snipped-for-privacy@3g2000yqk.googlegroups.com...

Here is Quebec its still going strong, we had a small bump in november/december, but it got back on track in january, in fact january 2009 had 35,6 % more hour done in commercial/industrial project then in january

the residential side was about the same as in 2008

RHC: Petem, that brings up a good point. Business IS booming for me as well and most other small companies I know of in my area. I can't keep up, and continue taking on AND turning away takeover business at a record level (the ones poorly installed). New installs are steady at just the right rate....

Perhaps the security business is more "recession proof" than a lot of other businesses. Or perhaps it's just that Canada hasn't been hit with the same level of economic doom as the rest of the world. Who knows ? Definately our banks are more stable since they are much more conservative than US banks and didn't allow themselves to get caught up in the corporate greed of "liar loans" and "balloon mortgage payments".

But I'm only guessing; I don't know any more than anyone else does. But sometimes it seems as if the media live in a different world !! (nor would that surprise me since most of them couldn't give you an accurate weather forecast if they were standing in the rain naked....:)))) But whatever the reason, lets hope business keeps on coming and we can work our way out of this global recession. May 2009 be a good year for us all....

I hate to break it to you, but the "naked" ones are way better than the ones with suits on...

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Having been though a number of these "recessions" through the years, I've only ever "felt" them to the slightest degree. And the last couple have looked at them as a slight respite. My unproven "theory" is .... when times are good, people have the money for "luxuries" like alarm systems. When times are bad, there's a "fear" in the air and the crime rate usually (or appears to) go up, also. Or maybe it's just publicized more .....So .... alarms become more of a nesessity.

But another phenomena is ..... that they don't "EVER" seem to have a shortage of money to buy entertainment, home audio and home theater systems. They'll forego an alarm system for a couple of thousand to buy a home theater system for 5 or 10 thousand or more. Go figure!

Now with boat alarms........ Someone with a half a million dollar yacht wont spend even a thousand dollars on a basic alarm system to protect $40 /$60 or more thousand dollars worth of electronics. They'll tie their "asset" with every conceivable gadget on it, up to some poles in the water and walk away and leave it for a week or more at a time without checking on it. And every year, I'll get a few calls from people who've been "hit" for thousands in equipment or vandalisim and when I tell them that it's going to cost a couple of thousand for some hatches and some pull traps on exposed equipment and extra for some stress sensors and/or mats or photo electric eye ...... all concealed wiring and wired to Coast Guard spec's, they're "shocked" that it would cost that much. Haven't done a boat alarm in years .... and I'm right in the thick of a boating area. Again ..... go figure!!!!