Ademco 5828 Wireless Keypad

H=high=32 zones M-medium?=16 zones L=low=8 zones

IIRC

a diyer accidentally got the wrong parts? why that never happens in bass'shead land.

And they always read the documentation and always know the equipment better than alarm installers, this must all be a rare event

i wonder how many returns RLB actually gets due to that?

Well he'd have to sell some first

Due to what, people ordering the wrong thing? It happens occasionally when people order without first calling. I send them RMA instructions and arrange for advanced replacement if needed. The other thing that sometimes happens is people order a system but either forget a component (easily solved) or order more than they need (also easily solved).

for any reason actually. this was a real question, not trolling.

i'd been considering setting up an online store with suppliers drop shipping product, but have been hesistant due to product return headaches.

The Tech support will kill ya, not the returns... Stick to contracting, you'll make more money.........

Russ

What tech support???

Tech support does indeed consume most of my time. I spend time teaching people how to install their systems. Some folks take longer. Others take less. Programming can take anywhere from 20 minutes to upwards of an hour, depending on the individual and the system. Installation is simple, especially in new construction and in homes with unfinished basements or accessible attics. There are lots of online resources of which DIY clients can avail themselves for documentation, schematics, tips and techniques.

I wouldn't discourage you from building an online store. The market is large enough to support lots of competition. Just be sure you or one of your technicians will be available during the day as well as evenings and weekends to answer questions.

Tech support? Nah...I don't intend to provide that...seriously. You get a great discount and warranty...but no support - all products will come with manuals. You'll have to readem for yer support.

but maybe: I may actually write a diy book with pictures and everythang and sell that too...but no freekin phone support..unless I put in an 900 number @ 3.99 per minute.

Most people ask the same questions so years ago I started keeping copies of my email and Usenet replies. After a while I put them together in a rambling FAQ. Over time I found useful FAQs which others built and got permission to mirror them on my site. For some I just added links. Four or five others I mirrored. I also accumulated some useful posts from other techs here and in a couple of other newsgroups. A number of manufacturers gave me permission to put copies of their manuals on my site as well. When I worked on help systems related to my products I incorporated those in the site as well. After several years the FAQ had grown to quite a few gigs.

Note: One of the more disgusting rodents who posts here claims I "stole" his technique for wiring Anderson windows. The truth is I quoted a few sentences he wrote on one of the few days he actually posted anything useful. Since this particular vermin hides behind a pseudonym there was no way to give credit to the author. In the appropriate place I simply credited it to "Anonymous." I think you know who I mean.

At any rate, the idea behind the FAQ was threefold. First, I hoped it would attract potential clients. Second, it was supposed to provide answers so customers wouldn't have to call. Third, it was intended to encourage more people to DIY. The first goal was more than successful. I got thousands of orders off product links from the FAQ (my shopping cart software provided reports). The second goal was a break-even. The FAQ answered many questions but people would call to ask other things anyway. The third goal wasn't measurable since there was no way to gauge the results.

Unfortunately, we took the dedicated FAQ server off line during a hurricane and either during handling or on the drive home the drive was damaged. I had planned to put it back online after bringing a lot of pages up to date but it wouldn't boot. The drive was toast. Since then my website and the business itself have grown to the point where I have no time to redo the FAQ. We now have over 105,000 pages at

I've just opened accounts with several new distributors. Once we get their product feeds set up the site will have over 200,000 products.

If you really do decide to go online, it's probably going to require more of a commitment than you might expect. Over the years there have been numerous other dealers who've tried to build online counterparts to their brick 'n' mortar dealerships. Most of them have closed up after a few months or years.

Which is why he's still participating here. He doesn't install anything and has no experience with a lot of the products he shills.

While a number of them told you to remove their downloading software (which you posted to your site without permission).

Note: One of the more disgusting fish who posts here did in fact steal (copy without permission) Jim's technique for wiring Anderson Windows. And he's also posted comments (to a competitors website) complaining of poor service while he was masquerading as another Newsgroup participant.

What'd you do?? Drive your van over it?? You'd have to do something pretty intense to damage a hard drive installed in a case.

To bad you pissed of Graham to the point he no longer has anything good to say to you (or will even give you the time of day). I understand he's archived your entire FAQ. It's also too bad that you've obviously never heard of "backups".

Bottom line... If you're going to run an online business, get yourself a toll free number, and a working email (or one of those online tech support links). Bass did have all of these, but dropped them because he couldn't justify the expense.