Re: Why Don't You Like DSC? (Addressed to those that don't.)

["Robert L. Bass" <robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> The main difference between the downloading
> you do and the downloading Mark does is well...
> you work with DIY's...  Mark works with licensed,
> bonded, and insured alarm *installers*

He also more than likely works with unlicensed (many places don't have
licensing requirements) , unbonded (most techs in the trade are NOT bonded),
uninsured (plenty of small alarm companies are uninsured) alarm *installers*
(ie, people who are paid to install).

> who know how to program the system they're
> working on...

And yet,,, strangely enough... they somehow need him to download for them.

> Mark also happens to be licensed, bonded,
> and insured...  What's your "status" again??

How would you know?  Did you pay his bond?  Have you seen his insurance
policy?  Have you ever been to Texas?  (don't answer that).

> This makes absolutely no sense...

You seem to have that problem a lot.

>>> Some people here are obviously those that
>>> are actually doing the installations themselves
>>> and are onsite throughout the install...
>>
>> There are people here who install for a living.  Others mostly just
>> download from behind a desk.  Some of us do tech support and/or sales.
>
> Ummm....  What "tech support" do you offer again??

More than you, him and most of the IB combined.

>>> Having a lap top on site and downloading the
>>> panel, setting up the discriptors, sending signals
>>> etc. is ideal.... If you are not willing to give a
>>> lap top to all twenty installers...
>>
>> I usually employed only two techs (small company).  Someone carried a
>> laptop on every installation and service call.  It was one of the job
>> tools.
>
> Uh-huh...  And how many "tens of thousands"
> of installations did *you* do??

I never said I did tens of thousands of installations?  I'll wager I've done
many times more than you though.

>>> Downloading a panel without ever seeing the
>>> job, in my opinion is a sin!...
>>
>> I wouldn't go that far.  Leuck can be pig-headed
>> but don't call him a sinner.  :^)
>
> Downloading a panel you've never seen is OK
> as long as there's a qualified technician on site
> to verify everything's alright.

How would you know if the technician is qualified?

>> Mine, too.  It helps to know just in case the laptop ever fails.
>
> So... in 1985, your technician carried a laptop??

Are you completely stupid or just dumb?

>>> The CS people know keypad functions to
>>> help over the phone for identifying troubles,
>>> changeing codes etc.
>>
>> Same here, except if a client wanted code changes and was uncomfortable
>> doing the keypad programming we'd do it for them (for free) from the
>> office. It's good customer service doing little things like that as a
>> courtesy.
>
> Most alarm companies provide this service.
> Yours was nothing "special".

Who said it was special?

>>> It is just plain faster and less hassle...
>>
>> That depends on the panel.  With Napco I can make a few mods to the
>> client's account, select "one-step" download and go on to another task in
>> less time than it takes to walk someone through keypad programming.  If
>> they're having problems I can read the panel history and know in two or
>> three minutes what they're doing wrong.  That's far faster than you can
>> dispatch a tech even to a nearby job site.
>
> But what if you're entertaining on the Lanai??

Lanai isn't normally capitalized.

> Out riding your uni-cycle??

I don't have a unicycle.

> On vacation in Bahia??

VoIP.

> In Tampa visiting your friends at UL about the listing for your help
> file??

I worked for Edwards; not UL.  I never had to "visit" UL.  Try to organize
your stupidity a little better.

> What if they just can't get ahold of you??

They can call you.

> Your message centre is full, you're not responding to emails...

Correction: I'm not responding to *your* emails.

>>> It may appear more technical but the customer
>>> doesn't care. They just want their code changed.
>>
>> Walking someone through keypad programming may seem better -- until you
>> walk them through over-writing a code that they need.  The client rarely
>> knows which user number is assigned to which person.  He may know the
>> code but get the sequence wrong.  If you walk him through it by phone and
>> don't check by PC, you may be setting him up for a false alarm when
>> someone else comes home and finds his code no longer works.
>
> That's why you hand the customer the instruction
> book with the people's names...

The instruction book gets lost most of the time.  Other times people forget
to enter new names in the list as changes are made.  Business clients may
have dozens of user codes.

> (not their particular code numbers) next to
> each code location.  It also helps to keep a
> copy of the list in the customer's monitoring
> centre file...

That's a wasteful duplication of data entry, the kind of thing that leads to
errors.  The list is kept with the downloader.

> so your staff can access it 24 hours a day
> (and so can the customer)...

Most central stations do not provide 24 hour database access to end users.
Many don't provide any tech support at all.  Most small alarm companies
don't have 24-hour staff anyway.