Re: Next Alarm

["R.H.Campbell" <rh.campbell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sir, the price you pay for monitoring has little or nothing to do with how
good or bad the service is. The only real money for most companies in the
alarm security business is in monitoring , so you will see every marketing
gimmick in the book to get you to sign with them. Some of the real questions
you should ask yourself before signing with ANYONE are:

1- Am I dealing with a recognized ULC rated monitoring station
2- Do I want or need the intermediary services of a conventional alarm
company for service and warranty on my equipment (if so, you will be going
through them for monitoring services), and realistically, most consumers
definately do.
3- How long do I have to contractually obligate myself with the company in
question (the shorter the term, the better for you)
4- How flexible are they in their ability to deal with my requirements for
customization of the calling list and / or the exact type of response I
require. This is especially important in locales with false alarm
surcharges.
5- If the company is not local to you, how flexible are they in being able
to deal with the specific requirements of the authorities in your locale.

It's no different than any other service you require as a consumer. Here is
how I see the pricing based on my years in the business (and my locale):

Cheapest: Several larger stations geared to dealing directly with the end
user for about $10 monthly. They usually have no contract, but require
annual billing in advance....monitor your system just as well as any of the
big stations....have no service on your panel available except through
expensive subcontractors in your area...and little or no guidance if your
panel goes on the fritz. You are largely on your own in spite of what they
might say !!

Medium priced: Service through an independant dealer from $15 to $20
monthly, with contractual terms from monthly only, to 3 to 5 years.  Usually
includes the expertise of a dealer who knows your equipment, with different
levels of service available depending upon the particular company in
question. This category includes the vast majority of small to medium priced
alarm dealers.

Higher priced: Service from $20 to $29 monthly, usually with a contract from
1 to 5 years. This includes the larger companies with higher overheads, and
(according to them) better service, long term stability etc

High priced: In excess of $30 monthly. This is the domain of the phony "free
system" marketers who are amortizing the artificially low price of the
system in the inflated monitoring rate for a long term contractual period.
If you're not paying for a system this way, then you're being asked to pay
far too much. This is also the domain of those customers who don't shop
well, or who simply don't care about pricing, or who have been fooled into
believing that a "brand name company" is always best.

Monitoring is a valuable part of your alarm system, and it is not wise to
skip it in most cases. However, what you pay for it can be all over the map
!! What do I have to pay for  warranty and after sales service on my alarm
system is an equally valid question, and one that is too often an "after
thought"

R.H.Campbell
Home Security Metal Products
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
www.homemetal.com




"Roberto" <Respond@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dd5ll6$8p4a$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Frank Olson" <feolson@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:TIsJe.132603$5V4.85774@xxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>> "Roberto" <Respond@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:dd4vtt$8f2k$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> I'm looking for a monitoring service. Anyone know anything about Next
>>> Alarm?
>>>
>>> Bob
>>
>>
>> They're a "dealer", not a monitoring service.  They use "several UL
>> Listed stations" across the US (depending on your location).  Read their
>> FAQ.  I haven't heard anything "bad" about them, but then, I haven't
>> heard anything really "good" about them either...  Nice website though...
>>
> I checked out the 911 monitoring but they seem to say they call a friend
> or family member instead of the police or fire department. They say it
> cuts down on false alarms. What is my family supposed to do, come up here
> with a shotgun? I could simply have my alarm dial my family instead of
> paying them to do it. I'm beginning to feel that getting a monitoring
> service is like rolling the dice and hoping for good luck. They all say
> nice things about themselves but how does one really know until after
> signing up with them? People say you get what you pay for so don't go
> cheap, but with the big boys who charge over $30 a month, you don't seem
> to get what you pay for.
>
> Bob
>