Takeover standards

How about three strikes if the customer refuses to sign an agreement stating that he is not under contract with any other monitoring facility.

How about three strikes if your "gut" feeling is "somethings wrong with this system or customer".

How about three strikes if the customer is just looking to get you to fix the system, now that you've looked at it and poked around.

Norm Mugford

I choose Polesoft Lockspam to fight spam, and you?

How about three strikes if the customer refuses to sign an agreement stating that he is not under contract with any other monitoring facility.

RHC: Ok, that is a valid point. Although I usually get takeovers when the client has just bought the home, this is a valid point nevertheless (the least we should do is check and verify) although that can be a bit harder to do. Personally, I've never had anyone come to me in 15 years trying to beat a contract though...

How about three strikes if your "gut" feeling is "somethings wrong with this system or customer".

RHC: Like what specifically Norm ? If the system is showing a trouble, that is easy to diagnose at the keypad. Something wrong with the customer ?

How about three strikes if the customer is just looking to get you to fix the system, now that you've looked at it and poked around.

RHC: Ok, but since I don't work on non monitored accounts, this one doesn't apply to me. But for those who do, valid point ! If the system doesn't actually work, a decision has to be made whether to fix it or not and the amount of work needed versus whether or not to just walk away. Speaking for myself, if it was seriously "broken", I would likely opt to walk away. Others may or may not - personal decision, but a valid point nevertheless !

Actually my post was more to do with the quality of the install versus some of the other "gun instinct" decisions we make about clients

We do take-overs on a regular basis. I normally rely on gut instinct and have devised a three layer contract for customers. Gold, Silver and Bronze levels are in place to allow the customer to choose the level of cover they require / can afford. It also allows me to ascertain the level of risk and only offer the cover I deem fit for the installation. So far it has worked well with an ever growing client base and no problems to date.

Three strikes if it says Tandy or X10 on any of the components.

I thought he was in Brooklyn.

My business isn't "in business" to "take over" from other businesses. We get enough referrals and our customer base includes a goodly number of commercial property management firms. When we are presented with a "take-over", the system has to comply with our installation practices. If that means spending a few hours to "make it right", then the customer has to be informed of the associated costs. If the customer has no interest in ensuring that his system is properly installed and the components are "up to snuff", then that's the kind of customer we don't want anyway.

Point well taken. However, every alarm business does takeovers. They are a natural part of this industry where rates and service prices and quality vary all over the map. And with ADT being the biggest and the most expensive company around, migration from their ranks is to be expected in large numbers after contract terms are up. A good quality system takeover is a gift, and no company just walks away from it. However, it is easy to buy yourself a bundle of trouble, and that is what my question is about.

I am simply asking what specific technical standards do people use to judge other installations before making the move to "takeover" the system. Details !!

RHC

Three strikes if the customer's panel has been out of production for 5 years or more, and tells you no other company knew what he had and is just trying to sell him new equipment.

Hehehe....ain't that the truth !! I just thought of another one that relates directly to what you say. Had an instance where a guy asked me to take over monitoring of an alarm panel that was REALLY old (6 volt system) and which hadn't been on line for years (you can imagine what kind of shape THAT one would have been in..)

As you say, three strikes before you even get there.....

RHC

Three strikes if I can't download the panel. I could care less what brand it is, and how old. I cater mostly to blue collar workers.

Jim Rojas

tourman wrote:

My standard is; if it looks like crap and the takeover candidate doesn't want to pay to make it correct...we're gone. If it's a 2 door 1 pir system in a 6000 sq ft house with 8 doors and 35 windows and they don't want to pay to make it right...we're gone.

Basically if it's not the way I would do my own house, or they don't want to pay to make it so...ta ta.

Agreed. For your information we "take over" a fair number of systems.

90% are DIY'er nightmares or professionally installed systems that have been "fat fingered" by the owner.

A customer that's "shopping" for a better rate (or trying to get out of an existing contract because he's been offered a better rate by someone in the business of "take-overs) is a customer that I don't want. I also have no respect for a company that actively pursues "cherry picking" and have never encouraged my sales guys to do it either.

I know plenty of ADT and Chubb customers that have been their customers for years. If the attrition rate is as high as you suggest, then someone at ADT in Ontario isn't doing their job.

A "good quality system takeover" is more than just a "gift", Bob. The customers motives for presenting you with this "gift" must be more than "I want a better rate" though, otherwise he'll be doing the same thing again (only this time you'll be the one on the "short end").

It seems to me you already have a long list of things to watch out for. Good topic!! :-)

our company do take over also...

last one I know of was 125,000 customer at once ;-)

"Frank Ols>> Point well taken. However, every alarm business does takeovers. >

RHC: Now you seem to be contradicting yourself Frank. I got the distinct impression from your last post that you felt your company was above all that. Now you tell me that your company does take over "nightmare systems" and messed up professional systems. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but which is it ? And more to the point, why would you even touch these problem systems ?

RHC: Now you're confusing me even more. Why wouldn't any company look for clean, trouble free, professionally installed systems to takeover if they had the chance? If that's "cherry picking" then we obviously don't have the same understanding of what that term means. That's simply one way to work smarter rather than harder !! As for customers trying to worm out of long term contracts, I honestly know nothing about that because I don't ask them to sign those sorts of contracts.

RHC: I can't comment on Chubb at all, other than one instance where they quoted a client of mine $1000 to partition an 864 (no kidding). After we both stopped laughing, I did it for nothing in software !! They also owe me money for unlocking some boards, and it's clear they don't intend to pay, so we'll see what kind of service I give them next round of boards. As for ADT in Ontario, their prices are ridiculous, their service is piss poor at worst, spotty at best, and their customer rapport seems to be non - existent. Oh dear...did I leave out their monitoring sucks....When their contracts are up, their attrition rate must be horrible (it's a damn good thing they have long term contracts or it seems to me they wouldn't keep their client base for more than a few months..). To their credit, the majority of their systems are usually well installed, which keeps my ongoing service problems down.

RHC: Well I can't speak for others, but I have no trouble giving decent service at low prices without holding a gun (er..long term contract) to the client's head. My customers are in the drivers seat, and that's exactly where they ought to be. I've NEVER lost a client because he went elsewhere for service or lower cost reasons. I suppose it will happen one day but not yet anyway. Besides, the only people lower in cost than I am are The Monitoring Centre in Toronto at $10, and they don't offer in-house warranty or service to their customers. So if a customer is stupid enough to leave to save $5 a month and give up his warranty and my included service then so be it ! I would just write that client off as a bit of a dim bulb and move on......:))

RHC: Yeah, I thought it was although it didn't generate much interest it seems. But thanks for your responses.....oh, well ....back to sleep....

is, and how old. I cater mostly to blue collar

That doesn't really count since you can download *anything*! :^)

He just makes it up as he goes alaong. It's like the inverted airliner BS story.

I draw the line at DOS based software. I have yet to download a Moose panel. I can't get the damn software to run properly on any computer, even on an old P2 laptop running Win98se.

AT&T & Napco DOS software seem to run just fine under Windows XP.

Jim Rojas

Robert L Bass wrote:

I know you don't handle the Paradox line, but just as a point of interest, the older DOS level software for the older line of Esprit panels works just fine in Windows XP. The newer Winload software, designed to work with the newer Digiplex and Spectra panels (and the brand new 5000 and 6000 series of panels) is designed from the get go as Windows software.

RHC

I guess that would be like your story about "Make my Day" on the Napco keypad and the faking identity to post in Andys website, and how long you installed systems, and how relatives were kidnapped, and how you were't forced to stop monitoring services, and you being and expert on Napco systems and not knowing how the keypad access control worked, and that you don't steal information from published manuals and say that you thought of it, and ....... welllll ...... there's not enough room in Usenet for the rest of it.

Get lost and die, you sickly, genetically deficient fuckup.