Hell South Security or Bell South Security from Protection One

["Sonicduck" <jones1019@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One of my last customers, and a major reason I resigned from Bell
South, from Protection One, was a prime example of why the paying
customers do not trust security companies.  I sold the system, after
conducting an extensive home survey.  They were considered by Bell
South Security, to have been a "conversion" sale.  I was working from a
company provided lead.  They currently had a completely up to date
system.  My first impression was to just quote them the $49.00
conversion/takeover fee, and leave it at that.

The prospects/customers revealed to me that they felt their system was
going to be, in the near future, compromised.  The technician that had
installed the system worked for the same company that the family worked
for.  They said that there was a very good possibility that this person
would not be employed by the company much longer, and feared
retaliation by this person.  During the survey of their system, it
became apparent that they did need a few new sensors, a smoke detector,
and cell back up.  When I figured the $49.00 would be waived, and if
they bought a new system, 3 door/window sensors would be included, it
made sense to explain that this way, they would not be throwing the
$49.00 away.

They agreed, and also wanted a sensor on a garage door, that was a good
50' away from the main house. My team leader begged his way into the
appointment, and although I already had a signed agreement, he
persisted in trying to one-up me by talking them into a voice activated
module, so they could use any phone to dial in, to set or turn off
their alarm remotely.  They went for about $190.00 at the time, but the
price has dropped about $30.00 since then.  He also convinced them that
since our Ademco keypads converted a system to being wireless, the
garage door sensor they wanted would work from the house without having
to put a range extender, or new panel in the garage.  We tested this by
using a keyfob.  I stood outside down by the garage, and he stood back
in the house by the existing panel.  I had the keyfob, and he had his
demo kit, which was wireless.  He said he got a signal.

The part that really irritates me is that he even saw they had Ademco
equipment, and it was fairly new.  They had an existing Ademco Vista 20
board (that should tell you something).  I sold the new system telling
them that we could do one of several things.  I told them we could use
their existing board, which actually had more capacity than our Vista
10 modified for P-1.  The other options I gave them was for us to
replace their board with ours, but we could still give them back their
Vista 20.  They decided, from my advice to leave their existing Vista
20 in their box, and they really didn't care about our board.

I (due to not wanting to open a can of worms) did not write their
decision on the agreement.  It was getting late (8:30'ish PM), and I
decided to come back and write this up later.  Keep in mind I already
had a signed agreement, but my great salesman team leader had sold even
more stuff to them, and now I had to re-write the agreement. I went
back, and the husband and wife had absolutely no problem signing the
agreement.  I took it back to the office, and showed it to our imbacile
Installation Manager, and explained that this customer did not care or
want our panel.  I told him they had (and my paperwork back me up) a
Vista 20.  I also told him no matter what we did, they DID want their
old panel.

This retard never bothered telling the installer, and even though the
customer told the tech during the installation that they wanted their
panel, he took it anyway.  I called the customer the next day, and
asked how the install went.  They relayed to me that they had asked the
tech to leave the board, but he took it anyway.  I immediately called
my IM, and my Mgr., and told them BOTH that this customer wanted their
board back.  Two weeks later, the board STILL wasn't back in the
customers possession.  I finally told them I had told everyone several
times about it, but I wasn't getting anywhere with them.  Finally, I
told my  Branch  Manager.  He was walking out of his office, and
stopped the IM, and asked him right in front of me if he had any
knowledge of being asked to leave the board with the customer?  The IM
lied, of course, and said no.  He tried to tell me that the board had
been "locked out".  I know that is BS.  I asked him after the install
if it had been locked out, and he said he didn't know.  I told him it
would have only taken a few minutes to check it, and asked if the tech
had checked it.  He waffled, lied, and tried to cover his lying butt.
The BM told him to send them their board back.  Two days later, the
Install Department did leave the board.  They left it in pouring rain,
by the yard sign.  They customer said the board he left wasn't even
their board.  The customer was irrate to say the least.  They were mad
and accused the installer of taking their perfectly good board and
installing it somewhere else while doing a "side job".  I told them
that I did not think that was the case, but I would guarantee that they
would get a Vista 20 panel.  I told my boss I would back this customer
in a threatened lawsuit if it came to that.  I guess that finally got
his attention.  I even told the regional idiot Manager from Atlanta,
who backed this whole bunch of non-performing idiots.  I told him (The
Atlanta idiot) that it was no wonder this branch had gone from being #1
in the country in numbers 3 years ago to one of the biggest slumping
branches.  They don't know their heads from their butts.

The week after I resigned (from this and not getting paid on a timely
basis, they still owe me about 2k), my ex-mgr. told me that this
customer now had a brand new Vista 20 panel, that he personally had
made sure it was delivered.

The lesson I learned?  The company you work for could be thieves.  They
not only might steal from you, the saleman, but customers too.  It
doesn't do any good to tell that idiot IM anything, because he lied
anyways.  It's a way of life with this particular branch of Hell South
Security from Protection One.  Several of the other salesmen have also
told me that when they started, it took them a long time to get paid
for jobs.  They said the installation department had always been light
years behind getting things done.  The IM doesn't have ANY installation
experience whatsoever.  He has never even sold for a security company.
His background, from what I learned, was solely from Bell South
corporate.  I guess he was the head butt licker there, or they dumped
him on the Coconut Creek branch.  I will write more about this branch's
problems, or the problems I had, later.  Stay tuned.