Telco / Cable company alarm jack connection problems

A significant number of my trouble calls are from clients who's panels are beeping because either the telephone company or the cable company went in and during either an installation or conversion, messed up the alarm system line connections. I'd like to know what other companies are doing to resolve this, or how you handle calls like this.

The obvious way is to simply charge the client for a service call; however, that seems somewhat unfair since it was caused by an outside incompetent source. But when the client goes back and complains to the phone or cable company, it might catch their attention. I'd really like to get to the source of the problem and stop it (hell....five minutes training on proper alarm jack wiring would solve it....)

I've also tried billing the phone company in the past, but that's an impossibility, since they don't even acknowledge the bill. I doubt the cable company would respond any differently.This might seem like an obvious question, but I would like suggestions on how to approach this large and growing problem.

Any SERIOUS suggestions ?

Reply to
tourman
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Send a newsletter to all you clients telling them to test the alarm PRIOR to the phone/cable technician leaving.

Reply to
G. Morgan

I wish there was one, I've been dealing with that stuff for 20 years and you will never get it resolved. Sometimes they do it without realizing it and sometimes they do it intentionally and as you know you have no recourse but to do a service call.

And yea you can spend 5 minutes training them however phone people don't hang around long at the job so you'll be spending ALL of your time training the next guy...then the next....

Reply to
mleuck

same problem, but more so in the last 5 years, since AT&T took over BellSouth.. We've started filing complaints with the Public Service commission over incompetent service tech's not knowing what a RJ-31X block is and failing to research the correct wiring for same. we reference FCC part 68. After about a year were starting to see results. RTS

I wish there was one, I've been dealing with that stuff for 20 years and you will never get it resolved. Sometimes they do it without realizing it and sometimes they do it intentionally and as you know you have no recourse but to do a service call.

And yea you can spend 5 minutes training them however phone people don't hang around long at the job so you'll be spending ALL of your time training the next guy...then the next....

Reply to
RockyTSquirrel

I explain to the customer what has likely happened, and suggest that they call the telco/cableco back to repair what they have done. Sometimes that works. This is the best option to me, since the utility company has to fix it's own mistake. The other option I give the customer is that I will come ot and straighten things out. I do charge for the service call, and fair or not, I am providing a service, and repairing a mistake made by an incompetent telco or cableco tech. It is outrageous to me that these utilities keep sending incompetent people, and disconnecting my customers' alarm systems. Occasionally, the cable co. will agree to reimburse my customer for my charges. I have not seen that from the telco, although they generate far fewer problems for me.

Also, I send out a newsletter with my quarterly billing. In the news letter I explain the pitfalls of VOiP and cable telephone service. I also let my customers know what to expect when calling their telephone provider for service, and what can happen if they switch from a real telephone company to a cable phone provider.

Reply to
alarman

RHC: Thanks, that is probably the best overall approach I've heard to date. As Mark says, we'll probably always have to live with this problem, but your approach may help...hit em where it hurts, in the pocketbook !

Reply to
tourman

I was going to type this .......... but you beat me to it.

This is exactly what I do, right down to the newsletter.

I always put in the newsletter to call me with any questions about Cablevision or Verizon FIOS. Lot's of people have switched and some have switched back. Whatever. Land line has fewer problems than cable, in my experience.

As far as charging for the service call, I charge too. It wasn't the cable company that made the client switch. They made the decision. Why shouldn't they pay to have me come out and fix the problem? Otherwise, they can call the cable company and insist that they correct their mistake. I tell the clients to test the system to central before the Cable company tech leaves and don't have him standing nearby when they are required to give their code word to central. If it doesn't work then, have him fix it. If the client doesn't do that then he bears the responsibility and ultimately it's the cable company that should do the repair at no charge. Me? I get paid for what I do and there's no objection from my clients.

Reply to
Jim

I'd suggest you post a sign by the D-Marc (inside the cover of the box would be an ideal location). Nice big red letters. "This home is equipped with a monitored alarm system. Please ensure you test the alarm system before leaving." Works in our neck of the woods!

Reply to
Frank Olson

In my experience, it doesn't matter if the cable company wires the alarm back in, it doesn't work anymore half the time anyway.

The best is when you explain to the customers they need to either switch back to POTS, or change to IP or GSM monitoring. I swear to god

90% of them look at me like I'm lying, WTF is wrong with people. I charge less for GSM than the big names charge for phone line monitoring, and these people act like I'm a criminal. I can't take it, I'm putting in an application at Burger King.
Reply to
ken ney

RHC: Well, I just got back from fixing the customer's phone connection. It took me about 5 seconds to see that the Telco idiot had plugged the RJ/ethernet incoming cable into the extension bank of cables, which feeds the extentions properly, and back feeds the alarm (so the TLM still sees dial tone voltage), but bypasses the Security Interface connection.

Tell me, what the f*** is so difficult about plugging the incoming line into a bloody connection that says "INCOMING LINE".

So the panel fails to send it's daily test signal in. Then when I send a manual test to the station, and call in to check it, I get attitude from a new hire at the station who used to work for the telephone company, who says this problem is more often the fault of the alarmco's than the telco !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............... (WTF)

Reply to
tourman

Do you use other panel brands besides Napco? IME, Napco panels work fine over VoIP as long as they're using PID format. Although most of my clients don't want monitoring, some do and to date that has worked well. Also, have you had problems with Napco communicating over FIOS? I use FIOS in my home and office -- no longer the same location. I still program a few panels by modem from time to time and that works OK.

Feelthy capitalist!!! :^)

Reply to
Robert L Bass

No actually they don't because it depends on the VoIP provider and how they implement VoIP protocol. Napco's method of sending CID is no different than any other manufacturer and the same rules apply...

If it works great, if it doesn't it doesn't

Reply to
mleuck

Only use Napco. Sometimes a takeover but if it's an average system I'd rather invest my time and the expense to change over to a Napco system. Simply for the sake of conformity of having one manufacturer, in the event I ever sell and for ease of trouble shooting . If I get a larger system with lots of keypads and over 32 zones the expense is usually not worth it unless additions are being made to the system or I can convince the client to pay some part of the "upgrade"

No problem with Verizon or Fios. There's really no difference in the telephone service between them. And since I only service the "Cablevision" area, they've done pretty good ..... so far ..... with providing the band width necessary for up and down loading. Only occasionally do I have a problem. I don't know what the future will bring as they try to keep up with Fios by trying to squeeze more channels in.

Reply to
Jim

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