Re: LOCKED PANEL

Worse than that!

I've had client's homes get sold with MY system in the house (no one ever notifies us), my decals, my lawnsigns - Brinks must have an "in" with realtors because they put decals "Call BRINKS for Service etc..." on my boxes (they even put them on my beautiful keypads). I know because I get called by the NEW homeowner AFTER Brinks has been there an wanted to sell them a new system, new service contract, (remove MY working system). My guess is the realtor gets a little "taste" for every house they convert.

Takes me 10 minutes to reprogram the system and get the new people back online with the existing working system I originally installed.

Interesting eh?

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| >> >> Sounds like Brinks... Did I type that out loud? I meant to. | >> >>

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| > > I thought Brinks owned the equipment and only leased it to home owners. | > > Thats a bit different to hacking something you own. | | I thought that too, but I have been informed that sometimes do sell | equipment. Puts a whole different spin on things if that's true. | | | -- Bob La Londe Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River Fishing Forums & Contests

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Jees, that is almost thievery. I knew Brinks was another of the mass marketers with all their usual questionable tactics, but I didn't think they would resort to out and out theft !! Do they have dealers? .....if so, maybe it was a rogue dealer. Perhaps you should write them directly and insist they stop this kind of thing in your area. At the very least, advise the Better Business Bureau. Cripes !

One thing I find helpful is to put decals on all my installations and takeovers. One decal has all my contact information on it and the other all the relevant billing information. Customers find it very handy - either the ones in the home who can't find your number for service, and the new owners when they need it hooked up. And if your rate structure is good, they won't likely go any further in calling around.

RHC

Next time take pictures and send them to Brinks local office and corporate offices. Also post them on this newsgroup. I am sure Brinks lurks here. They cry foul when they lose an account to us small dealers, but yet their sales force practices unethical behavior on a daily basis. Giving kickbacks to realtors, builders, or anyone not licensed to do so, usually involves unreported taxable income. In all my years, I have seen many Police & Fire Fighters lose their pensions due to unlicensed activity in many professional trades.

Angry Man In Gauteng

Worse than that!

I've had client's homes get sold with MY system in the house (no one ever notifies us), my decals, my lawnsigns - Brinks must have an "in" with realtors because they put decals "Call BRINKS for Service etc..." on my boxes (they even put them on my beautiful keypads). I know because I get called by the NEW homeowner AFTER Brinks has been there an wanted to sell them a new system, new service contract, (remove MY working system). My guess is the realtor gets a little "taste" for every house they convert.

Takes me 10 minutes to reprogram the system and get the new people back online with the existing working system I originally installed.

Interesting eh?

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| >> >> Sounds like Brinks... Did I type that out loud? I meant to. | >> >>

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| > > I thought Brinks owned the equipment and only leased it to home owners. | > > Thats a bit different to hacking something you own. | | I thought that too, but I have been informed that sometimes do sell | equipment. Puts a whole different spin on things if that's true. | | | -- Bob La Londe Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River Fishing Forums & Contests

| -- Posted via a free Usenet account from |

Oh they all have my signs and decals they just put their little solicitation decal on the keypads and on my box, they don't remove mine.

There was an instance were they actually did replace my system (client was dumb and didn't call me until AFTER they signed the pwork) anyway...Brinks put up their sign BUT left my other two there!...makes sense huh?!

They're brilliant I tell ya...regular rocket scientists.

| > I've had client's homes get sold with MY system in the house (no one ever | > notifies us), my decals, my lawnsigns - Brinks must have an "in" with | > realtors because they put decals "Call BRINKS for Service etc..." on my | > boxes (they even put them on my beautiful keypads). I know because I get | > called by the NEW homeowner AFTER Brinks has been there an wanted to sell | > them a new system, new service contract, (remove MY working system). My | > guess is the realtor gets a little "taste" for every house they convert. | >

| > Takes me 10 minutes to reprogram the system and get the new people back | > online with the existing working system I originally installed. | >

| > Interesting eh? | >

| > |news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com... | > | > >

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| > | >> >> Sounds like Brinks... Did I type that out loud? I meant to. | > | >> >>

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| > | > > I thought Brinks owned the equipment and only leased it to home | > owners. | > | > > Thats a bit different to hacking something you own. | > | | > | I thought that too, but I have been informed that sometimes do sell | > | equipment. Puts a whole different spin on things if that's true. | > | | > | | > | -- Bob La Londe Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River Fishing Forums & | > Contests

| > | -- Posted via a free Usenet account from| > | | |

It's happened 4 times in the last year and half. Now that I have a decent little digital camera in my truck, I won't forget next time.

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|| >> >> Sounds like Brinks... Did I type that out loud? I meant to. || >> >>

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|| > > I thought Brinks owned the equipment and only leased it to home | owners. || > > Thats a bit different to hacking something you own. || || I thought that too, but I have been informed that sometimes do sell || equipment. Puts a whole different spin on things if that's true. || || || -- Bob La Londe Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River Fishing Forums & | Contests

|| -- Posted via a free Usenet account from || | |

How is it theft ?, unless Crash is leasing systems to residential customers. Once its installed and paid for on a purchase agreement, the original customer or future homeowners should be able to choose whatever company they want to monitor the system. Isn't that your philosophy?

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers but I see a double standard here, you tend to scream bloody murder whenever a customer hasn't read their contract and is locked in by the Borg or a new homeowner wants to use a system owned by ADT, and here we have customers exercising their right to choose or recomend an alarm company and you accuse the Borg of theft.

Write to the BBB and tell them what? That the customer or their agent put a sticker on their own property recommending a different alarm company for service?

You can't have it both ways.

Doug

Just for clarification .... when you say "MY system" I'm presuming that this is a system that you installed and your customer paid for and you're now monitoring it ??????

I'm asking because .....there are those people who say, that after a panel is paid for, that you should unlock it. That it belongs to the subscriber. Which .... it seems that this is a case that if Brinks were to find the panel unlocked, that they'd take it over in a second, because they;d be the first one there and you'd be SOL at even having a shot at it.

So, it seems that to the "anti Lockout people"..... locking out a panel is only good if you keep the account away from a National company but not alright if it's a small company........ or one that only thrives on doing takeovers?

Funny how that works ..... huh?

Must be these "anti lockout people" have some kind of a "thing" just for the Nationals. Or .... who knows ...... could be that they're just hypocrites in desguise.

Thanks.

I thought I was the only one who noticed.

Sorry, you are absolutely right Doug. I reread the post and I thought mistakenly that Crash had installed systems that still belonged to him. There is no theft per se; just another sales tactic to gain the monitoring contract.

I've had the same experience here. There is a large company that installs and sells alarm system systems here to new home owners through the builder. They often come to me for their service package. It's up to the customer !

Call it a "brain fart"...duh.

RHC

RHC: If Brinks were the first one on the scene, and they did their sales job properly, they probably would get the business. So what ! Doesn't give the original company the right to lock a board which has been SOLD to someone else.

RHC: Who gets the business National or otherwise has nothing to do with the fact that someone has locked a board that belongs to someone else. Frustration at not automatically being given the ongoing service business is no excuse to justify doing so

RHC: Yeah...sure.....same old

Brinks doesn't "take over" any panel that is not their own. So it doesn't matter if they are "locked out". If it's a panel other than theirs, they yank it out, along with keypads, x-formers, and sirens, any smokes, heats, and c.o. detectors and replace them with their own.

. Which .... it seems that this is a case that if Brinks

But .... but .... wait a minute .... you just said that it was thievery, for Brinks to put stickers and signs on someone elses installation and take it over. And it was good that Crash was able to salvage the job.

So I guess Crash is relegated to the "trash" companys who go around locking the boards on their installations. For shame! For SHAME!

YUP ..... same old ... same old

everyone else is wrong and you're right.

Is it any wonder that you and Dead Ass get along so well?

alt.security.alarms Re: LOCKED PANEL

Brinks installs their system. The customer then agrees to pay the $500 to own it. The customer cancels Brinks after completeing the contract. Guess what? Brinks will not service the system the customer owns unless they resign another 3 year contract. Since the panel is not keypad programmable, it is the same as locking the panel out even though the customer owns the equipment. There lies the problem. The customer has been ripped off.

Angry Man In Gauteng

RHC: If Brinks were the first one on the scene, and they did their sales job properly, they probably would get the business. So what ! Doesn't give the original company the right to lock a board which has been SOLD to someone else.

RHC: Who gets the business National or otherwise has nothing to do with the fact that someone has locked a board that belongs to someone else. Frustration at not automatically being given the ongoing service business is no excuse to justify doing so

RHC: Yeah...sure.....same old

RHC: You're saying that, not me. I have had several discussions with Crash outside this newsgroup, and have no reason to think anything like that...

RHC: When I'm wrong, I'll say so. But I'm not wrong when I say it is unethical to lock a board that does not belong to you, and where the client has no contractual obligations to you. If you don't see the logic and the ethics in that, that is your problem. The lawmakers of at least one US state apparently does (and there may be more !)

RHC: As a matter of fact, we do. And your name calling,and hate mongering, and hiding behind aliases like a coward only brands you for what you are. I was about to take issue with RLB where in a recent post, he said that you were the kind of person / company that typically locks customer owned boards. There is no proof of that; however, your continuing to defend the practice makes me wonder !!

Instead of blathering on about my supposed hatred of large nationals and other nonsense, why don't you tell the world what you do with your panels vis a vis this issue. Then we can judge you properly based on the facts !!

Brinks will not service the system the customer owns unless

not true...brinks will service the system at the normal serv charge which is $50 for the 1st half hour and $20 for each 15 minutes after that. they do not have to sign any contract at all!!!

Since the panel is not keypad

Why would brinks be willing to service what it claims the customer doesn't own and can't ever own? How can that make any sense?

was talking about a system that the cust buys outright and owns. the cust CAN own the system, if they choose to do so. as a matter of fact the only part the cust does not own is the basic system...anything they buy in addition to the basic is owned by them, to do with what they please

I don't see how, just because the customer buys the equipment doesn't mean Brinks is obligated in any way to service it without a contract

brinks is not obligated....they will service the system if the cust is willing to pay the service charge..