another newbie, what to do with this Brinks alarm system?

It's not my company. I don't own it. The work that I do doesn't have anything to do with the low down residential lick and stick 2 doors and a motion illusion of security that's sold by ADT dealers and their corporate high volume residential program. You're right about one thing, they're in business to make money and nothing else. ANSC or RMR as you call it, is king. Of course, long term profitability does require some level of competence, and ADT has been making money for a long time. Personally, I'm in business to make enough money to buy the things I need to support my family and hopefully retire before I hit 70. Hopefully ADT/ Tyco does well and my stock earns a decent return.

I know a lot of people in this industry working for a whole lot of different companies. You can bash ADT all you want, but the vast majority of local and regional companies do business just like ADT. They use the same type of equipment. The monitoring procedures are the same. The pricing is very similar. Contract language is the same. The systems perform the same way. What make's you so different?

absolutely. then he had the nerve to call and ask us how to hook up his audio equipment to our prewire....jerk. i swear i'm gonna install a 900 number for people like that to call into.

Yah, but it's gonna cost you 499 per month

| > You come meet me somewhere. Do it now. | | Oooh. Kin I watch?? | js | |

hope you got paid enuf for the prewire

What makes any "small" compamy different from ADT? The list of differences in small dirt ball low end residential is not much as you point out. Rather than bash ADT I'll let them continue to do that for and to themselves. All I can say is that ADT has and continues to generate more new business for us than any dozen salesman could. I have known of a lot customers that have positive things to say about their security services provider. ADT never makes that list. For details as to why give me your phone number and I'll call you on speaker phone next time I am in front of the soon to be ex ADT customer so you can hear it first hand. It is not very exciting however. Most customer provided ADT diatribes sound the same after the first one or two you hear. To get the exact text of the diatribe go out some night a find a nest of sleeping hornets and put them in a big zip lock bag. Next morning vigorously shake the bag and put it to you ear. Sounds just like the ex ADT customers do.

"J. @netscape.net>" >

Well, I care about the quality of the systems I install. Those systems are reliable, and not prone to false alarm. I answer the telephone when people call for service, even after hours. I look for ways to keep my costs down do that I do not have to raise my monitoring prices every year. I don't promise people things only to take it away with the small print in a contract. I show up on time. I don't make people wait two weeks for service, and then send out some dope who doesn't know what he's doing. Shall I go on?? js

Wouldn't work. People like that will call the number, then dispute the charge on their credit card. js

LOL Pay per View. Watch Tom stomp the dogshit out of Graham every Tuesday. Two shows on Sunday. js

Actually, I was thinking how I'd been wrong about you... and that has nothing to do with Cracker. It has more to do with the fact that you alone among a certain group have shown some humanity.

'Nuff said (maybe not. I've got to think about some stuff)

I make a fair profit on everything I do. They only reason I even did a prewire is the builder is a personal friend otherwise I never sell just a prewire.

| >

| >

| |

I just took one over last weekend, not ADT but another biggie. The homeowner had a false alarm on one of his two motions, their CS could tell him which one (go figure on a 5 zone system...why you couldn't tell which pir it was...dunno). Anyway they suggested he have service go out and take a look at it. That was October 2...no one ever called him so he called them back a week later...after a few apologies they then recommend he CALL ME. Huh? Ok, well I used to run service for them 10 years ago, under contract with them but not anymore. So I went out and took it over, and he calls them to make sure his cancellation went through and they wouldn't continue to bill him. They acted surprised he was cancelling...this was Oct 22 when we took it over...guess when he finally received a call from "service"?...yep...the day after he canceled Oct 23....21 days late.

The client is thrilled with us and wants to expand his system from 3 doors and 2 pirs...to all openings, more smokes and a couple of gbs...something he didn't want to do with the other company because he didn't have much faith in them.

Oh, yeah...the false alarm on the pir was that his wife left a burning candle on the dining room table.

Clients like to talk to the "owner"...or at least a familiar voice when they call. My clients are surprised that I remember them when they call...I say how could I forget you?...you put food on my table!

I also prefer to do biz with small companies...try trading ADT for a house paint job or a new transmission :-)

| >>

| >>Where do you get the stones? Your company has totally f***ed up this | >>industry, and it's perception by public and police. Now you have the | >>chutzpah to say: | >>

| >

| > It's not my company. I don't own it. The work that I do doesn't have | > anything to do with the low down residential lick and stick 2 doors | > and a motion illusion of security that's sold by ADT dealers and their | > corporate high volume residential program. You're right about one | > thing, they're in business to make money and nothing else. ANSC or | > RMR as you call it, is king. Of course, long term profitability does | > require some level of competence, and ADT has been making money for a | > long time. Personally, I'm in business to make enough money to buy | > the things I need to support my family and hopefully retire before I | > hit 70. Hopefully ADT/ Tyco does well and my stock earns a decent | > return. | >

| > I know a lot of people in this industry working for a whole lot of | > different companies. You can bash ADT all you want, but the vast | > majority of local and regional companies do business just like ADT. | > They use the same type of equipment. The monitoring procedures are | > the same. The pricing is very similar. Contract language is the | > same. The systems perform the same way. What make's you so | > different? | | Well, I care about the quality of the systems I install. Those systems are | reliable, and not prone to false alarm. I answer the telephone when people | call for service, even after hours. I look for ways to keep my costs down do | that I do not have to raise my monitoring prices every year. I don't promise | people things only to take it away with the small print in a contract. I | show up on time. I don't make people wait two weeks for service, and then | send out some dope who doesn't know what he's doing. | Shall I go on?? | js | |

I think most people misunderstand the purpose of an alarm system. The sole purpose is to give the homeowner enough warning so he can grab his shotgun and send the mothers into the next county when they break in. To be legal I must let them enter the house and be facing me and I must feel threatened. That's a given because no thief breaks in to wish the homeowner a pleasant evening. No fair shooting a thief in the back unless one is good at body disposal and cleanup.

Bob

"J. @netscape.net>"

Okay, I'll put in your alarm if you paint my truck.

You forgot that when you get a professionally installed alarm system you get free toe tags if you pay a year in advance. In our state you must properly tag the game you kill. I bet Boone and Crockett will have some trophy point system really soon. Also in our state all you have to be is threatened with serious bodily harm. No need to let him come inside the house. Oh yes you can shoot them in the back too if they are a fleeing felon, which includes almost any property crime after dark you witness. But you still have to tag them and no extra points Boone and Crockett are issued. Now if someone would come up with a free ammo with monitoring deal that would be sweet. I know you wrote your post tongue in cheek, and I responded in kind, but what you suggest actually happened not to far from here. The home owner waited patiently while the bad guy pried open his back door with a simple screw driver. The home owner literally cut him into with a shotgun blast (both barrels). Since the home owner was not hispanic and the guy that broke in was, there was some buzz about it. Everyone complianed the home owner was too blood thirsty and hated minorities and should have held the guy there at gun point until the cops arrive. In his own way I guess he kind of did make the bad guy stay there until the cops arrived. He was no billed by the grand jury of course. I think the home owner tried to file suit against the bad guy's estate for the broken door and clean up costs too. That's pretty hard core. At least he didn't field dress the bad guy's corpse and claim the pelt to try to sell pieces of it on ebay.

"RobertM" wrote in message news:eikoa2$mvm$ snipped-for-privacy@news04.infoave.net...

You want a paisley truck?

| > The client is thrilled with us and wants to expand his system from 3 doors | > and 2 pirs...to all openings, more smokes and a couple of gbs...something | > he | > didn't want to do with the other company because he didn't have much faith | > in them. | >

| > Oh, yeah...the false alarm on the pir was that his wife left a burning | > candle on the dining room table. | >

| > Clients like to talk to the "owner"...or at least a familiar voice when | > they | > call. My clients are surprised that I remember them when they call...I say | > how could I forget you?...you put food on my table! | >

| > I also prefer to do biz with small companies...try trading ADT for a house | > paint job or a new transmission :-) | >

| >

| >

| > | >>

| > | >>Where do you get the stones? Your company has totally f***ed up this | > | >>industry, and it's perception by public and police. Now you have the | > | >>chutzpah to say: | > | >>

| > | >

| > | > It's not my company. I don't own it. The work that I do doesn't have | > | > anything to do with the low down residential lick and stick 2 doors | > | > and a motion illusion of security that's sold by ADT dealers and their | > | > corporate high volume residential program. You're right about one | > | > thing, they're in business to make money and nothing else. ANSC or | > | > RMR as you call it, is king. Of course, long term profitability does | > | > require some level of competence, and ADT has been making money for a | > | > long time. Personally, I'm in business to make enough money to buy | > | > the things I need to support my family and hopefully retire before I | > | > hit 70. Hopefully ADT/ Tyco does well and my stock earns a decent | > | > return. | > | >

| > | > I know a lot of people in this industry working for a whole lot of | > | > different companies. You can bash ADT all you want, but the vast | > | > majority of local and regional companies do business just like ADT. | > | > They use the same type of equipment. The monitoring procedures are | > | > the same. The pricing is very similar. Contract language is the | > | > same. The systems perform the same way. What make's you so | > | > different? | > | | > | Well, I care about the quality of the systems I install. Those systems | > are | > | reliable, and not prone to false alarm. I answer the telephone when | > people | > | call for service, even after hours. I look for ways to keep my costs | > down | > do | > | that I do not have to raise my monitoring prices every year. I don't | > promise | > | people things only to take it away with the small print in a contract. I | > | show up on time. I don't make people wait two weeks for service, and | > then | > | send out some dope who doesn't know what he's doing. | > | Shall I go on?? | > | js | > | | > | | >

| >

| |

There was that little old lady on the news a few weeks ago...popped the burglar twice while he was in the house then popped him again on the way out. Cops said she was a pretty good shot. Problem is he lived, he'll probably sue her now.

| > Bob | >

| > "J. @netscape.net>" news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com... | >>

| >>

| >> A burglar alarm does not guarantee a family's safety. That's a | >> terrible perception that depends on the public's misinformed ideas | >> about how residential burglar alarm systems work and the effectiveness | >> of police agencies that usually despise the alarm companies who waste | >> police resources with a 90% false alarm rate. Your not protecting | >> your family with a $30 a month burglar alarm system. All you're doing | >> is giving yourself a false sense of security. Almost all residential | >> alarm signals are false alarms. The vast majority of alarm company | >> generated police dispatches are for false alarms. Alarm calls receive | >> the lowest police dispatch priority. Some jurisdictions have stopped | >> responding to alarm signals at all. Others charge a permitting fee | >> and a steep false alarm penalty. You can debate the reasons for this | >> and who's fault it is, but the fact remains, this industry depends on | >> a misguided public perception of mysterious, circling 1's and 0's that | >> protect families with magical powers and instantaneous response from | >> concerned law enforcement. This is what is shown on television | >> commercials and what the alarm salesmen tell the unsuspecting public. | >>

| >> The good news is that there is pressure on the industry to fix this. | >> There are emerging technologies such as video analytics that could | >> replace traditional security systems with much more reliable | >> technology. The false alarm penalties and third party alarm response | >> laws will force the trunkslammers and zero down marketers to rethink | >> their strategies. My guess is that we'll see the most radical shift | >> that we've ever experiences in this industry within the next 5 to 10 | >> years. With IT companies like IBM and Cisco wanted part of the | >> security integration market, it's just a matter of time before someone | >> comes alaong and does it better that what we have right now. It's | >> already started in the high end goverment/ industrial markets. | >>

| >> J. | >>

| >> On 3 Nov 2006 15:06:36 -0800, "Everywhere Man" | >> wrote: | >> . | >>>All of the Brinks negatives aside look at what this guy is saying. He | >>>lives in a nice neighborhood, so the house wasn't cheap, he's having a | >>>hard time justifying $27 a month for family safety, and he's making the | >>>world aware of this on his $1000.00 computer which accesses the | >>>internet for probably $25 a month. | >>>Talk about having f***ed up priorities. | >>>

| >>>

| >>>Crash Gordon wrote: | >>>> Basically you throw out the alarm panel and the keypads and buy | >>>> something | >>>> else you can install your self. Everything else should be reusable | >>>> although | >>>> you might have to look for buried resistors if they put them at the end | >>>> of | >>>> the line and remove them. | >>>>

| >>>>

| >>>>

| >>>>

| >>>>

| >>>>

| >

| >

| |

That would be a great color scheme if I ever decide to move to someplace called h*mo heights. Or I could sell it to a company called Gay Alarm Service. Yes and boy to I love those phone calls when you say "yes ma'am" and the voice on the other end of the line says "I am not a Ma'am." It's not the situation itself that is bad it is the "discovery" process that can make you lose lunch. "Hi fellas! Just move that stuff in the closet out of the way and get busy". Hum..Mask, cuffs, whips, strange vials of oily looking substance, a large chest and no sign of real female stuff anywhere. Not a good find. That is way too much information about the customer to put on a service ticket. But it would be nice to know before you're inside the house already. Maybe codes like flaming Napco panel in closet. Hot battery harness wired in parallel for DC only. I am sure everyone has their share creepy stories to tell. I am glad we don't do much residential work and no bars presently, gay or otherwise. Thanks for the offer to have the industry's first sissy service truck, but I won't take advantage of that offer at this time..

You're right about one

Ahhh...only if they would pay their taxes.

Personally, I'm in business to make enough money to buy

and my stock earns a decent

Despite the whole financial world telling them to dump it, it is broken and can't be fixed? Hope you don't have all your eggs in one basket or at 70 you'll be a greeter at WalMart.

No they don't. The vast majority can't do business like ADT or they would be gone tomarrrow.

ADT uses the same equipment as the vast majority, not the other way around. ADT had to change in order to support their marketing program.

Which is a CSAA and ANSI standard.

Only amoungst the other nationals that are doing similar marketing.

Law is law and protective language can be only stated in so many ways.

Not necessarily. That is more dependent on the quality of installation and set up than the intended, out of box, manufacturers specs.

What make's you so

Dedication to customer service.

Bullshit. Almost everyone rates Tyco a hold right now. See below. Quick stock tip, the Tyco breakup will probably make money for a lot of people in 2007. Not rocket science to figure out how.

Analyst Opinion Get Analyst Opinion for: TYCO RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY* Mean Recommendation (this week): 2.5 Mean Recommendation (last week): 2.4 Change: 0.1 Industry Mean: Sector Mean: S&P 500 Mean: 2.48

• (Strong Buy) 1.0 - 5.0 (Strong Sell)

What are you talking about? ADT has had a contract with Ademco for 10 years. They've been using a version of the Vista 20 for at least 7 or

8 years for residential installations. ADT uses EST, Bosch, DMP, Ademco, Notifier, Fire-Lite, etc. on the commercial side and has for years. It's the same equipment as the rest of the industry. It's better equipment than most dealers can get there hands on, ie. EST3, DMP, Bosch, etc.

ADT pioneered many of the procedures and equipment used throughout the industry, but that's irrelevant. ADT also meets UL and DoD requirements for monitoring SCIFs, but that's irrelevant too. Point is, ADT's monitoring services meet or exceed all industry regulations.

ADT's residential pricing is in line with the majority of local companies. The US corporate pricing for an outright sale system is generally inline with prices I've seen quoted on this newsgroup. Starts at about $350 for a V20P, a keypad, and three sensors. Goes up from there. A full perimeter system in a decent size house is a couple of grand, usually.

In other words, not much at all...