Re: Wireless receiver - computer problem?

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

You're right sir ! I'm not sure why our newsgroup seems to give that
impression, but I think it has more to do with the particular people on this
newsgroup than the security industry as a whole. I've been a company owner /
installer / service man in this industry for some 10 years now, and worked
previously in middle management of a large corporation for 27 years. So I
might be in a position to give you some thoughts from both perspectives.

The DIY market is a tiny percentage of the total security business, and
represents NO threat to professional security firms - none whatsoever !!  In
my limited experience, most DIY installations involve fairly straightforward
installations of reasonably simply systems where the homeowner simply has
decided to do the work himself to either save money, or avoid restrictive
alarm company contractual terms, or even the requirement for monitoring
itself. In that sense, all of us are DIY'ers for many things in life. Many
alarm DIY'ers are quite competent; many more think they are but aren't, and
a minority don't have a clue...their's is simply wishful thinking. Alarm
installation is not a difficult job, but it does need some specialized
knowledge and even some specialized tools to install, and experience is VERY
important to know how to avoid those troublesome things which are not
published in any course or manual anywhere. Even within our trade, the
difference between a professionally installed system, and one done by a
"hacker" is obvious to an experienced eye. Like every trade, the difference
is in the details. Unfortunately, those "differences" many times can mean
the difference between a system that false alarms a lot, and one that is
virtually free of false alarms for the life of the system. It is an
unfortunate fact that many people don't value security precautions
(including electronic security systems) as an integral and important part of
their overall home value. They DO try to do it on the cheap and this
rightfully raises the ire of professionals who have seen too much misery
caused by the low life that break into homes. So when they get a bit hyper
over things, remember this fact....

I used to have a page on my website catering to DIY customers; however, I
stopped selling to that segment of the market because the support necessary
to hand hold these clients was astronomical. It simply wasn't worth the time
spent for the profit made, much as I enjoyed assisting them. Those who do
cater to the DIY market must dedicate a lot of time to support in order to
keep their clients happy and coming back. Most professional alarm companies
deal only with clients who want a reliable, cost effective system that works
properly and is supported well over time. Then their clients can get on with
the more important things in their life.

One of the other things I AM beginning to conclude is some of the smaller
alarm company owners have a very limited knowledge of business practices
beyond those they have learned through trial and error to keep their
business running for them. However, if anyone suggests there may be
different ways to do things - ways that are not in the established order of
things (ie: ways that "things have always been done"), they reject them out
of hand and can even take hostile offence to them. This inflexibility to
examine new ideas and approaches, and sometimes to even understand there are
many individual market "segments" in our industry, some requiring quite
different approaches, may put them at a disadvantage as the market changes
drastically within the next few years. But this  constant change and
re-examination of procedures is standard fare within large corporations that
must always adjust to changing market conditions and times (although their
size usually means they are damn slow to do so....)

Unfortunately, a lot of DIY'ers have also been stung by the large
conglomerates (and yes, the small companies as well)  who have had bad
experiences with companies run mostly by cost cutting, bottom line focused
"bean counters". I have no sympathy for these types of opportunistic
companies; they've make their own bed so to speak by cutting corners in many
ways to the detriment of their clients. Minimalistic systems, bottom of the
line equipment, phony "free systems", lengthy wait times and exaggerated
service costs, restrictive contracts when not called for, inordinate
concentration on RMR as a revenue source, and high pressure sales tactics,
have all contributed to an erosion of public trust in our industry.
Unfortunately, the majority of reputable companies of all sizes become
painted with the same brush and suffer somewhat of an uphill battle because
of it. But over the longer term, the better companies WILL survive, and even
flourish, through the flood of referrals from genuinely satisfied customers.
Many of the bad ones thankfully won't, or will survive ONLY because they are
diversified enough and large enough to survive attrition rates in that
segment of the market they serve. And the better companies will grow by
taking over thos unhappy clients of the poor companies.

What does bothers me a great deal about our industry are many of the
consumers and their buying habits. Most seem to purchase very spontaneously,
often based only on calling the largest ad in the Yellow Pages. Very few
take the time to research their purchase and often get caught up in
contractual agreements, the terms of which they would NEVER agree to with
other purchases of consumer items (such as cellphones). Why this is, I
simply don't understand, but it does allow our industry to continue to live
in the dark ages when it comes to some practices in the marketing of our
products and services !! Without pressure to change from the public,
companies won't change on their own. It's an unfortunate fact of life that
in the battle between conscience and profits, profit will always win out !!

I would suggest you approach this ng like most do. Dig out the kernels of
information from within the piles of dung; judge those who post by the
quality of their words, not their accusations or vitriol, make up your own
mind regardless of what you are told by anyone, but most of all, don't be
afraid to ask your questions, even if you think they may be looked upon as
stupid. You'll get ten posts in answer to every question; two will contain
useful information, three will give you flack for asking and in some cases,
hateful vitriol, and the other five will lead the thread somewhere else
totally off topic. Take what is useful and discard the rest!! The only
question that should ever be interpreted as stupid is the one you don't
ask....

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

"Robertm" <Respond@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:den16t$2nqi$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> I can't help but notice the elevated level of paranoia regarding DIY among
> some of the professionals. The DIY competition, if that's what one wants
> to call it, exists in just about every market. Do these alarm pros respect
> the other trades or are they themselves a DIY. Do they mow their own lawns
> or do they have a landscape professional? Do they ever work on their own
> car or do they always bring it to a mechanic. I surely hope they hire a
> maid, a professional chef and a nanny. If they do any of that themselves,
> they are threatening someone else's job. If my alarm business had such a
> tenuous hold on the marketplace that giving a little advice threatened to
> put me out of business, I'd come up with a better business plan.  Perhaps
> the alarm business is not all that good. When I decided to put in an alarm
> system, I called every company in the county that was listed in the Yellow
> Pages. They were all out of business. I then called ADT and another
> company in an adjoining county. Both wanted to charge me $800 up front,
> give me two doors and two motions and then charge me $35 a month for
> monitoring. No fire protection. Two other companies from the big city
> never called me back. With such a sorry state of affairs, I started to
> plan my own system. And now someone a million miles away thinks I'm taking
> business away from him.
>
> Bob
>