Re: Monitoring station response time

[Warren <warrens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The changeover happened about three months ago.  The monitoring station
is Mammoth security in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  It is a local station on
the other side of the city from me.  The dealer will be getting a phone
call on Monday as a follow up on my email today.

I can't see it being a weather or power related problem as it is a
perfectly nice day, no storms or anything else out of the ordinary.  It
would be very doubtful that the Texas/Louisiana situation would have any
effect on the station.


Allan Waghalter wrote:
> The response was excessive for normal response.  They may be having manpower
> problems caused by the importing of your dealer's information.  Try it from
> time to time.  If it is a national station, they might well be overwhelmed
> with alarm activity from the Texas/Louisiana areas being hit by the
> hurricane.... Rita and Katrina.
>
> Occasionally they may just be too busy to call you more quickly, but it
> should be the exception, not the rule.  If you are not happy, talk to the
> dealer.  He will have some pull with the central station as he is a new
> customer.  By the way, do you know what central station he is using?  Also,
> where do you live? (I see a candadian address).
>
> Regards,
> Allan
>
>
> "Warren" <warrens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:43356C73.4050009@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>>My alarm company recently changed to a new monitoring station and the
>>response wait times have become considerably longer.  The panel is not
>>programmed to send a cancel code.  If it were I wouldn't be concerned
>>about several minute wait for a double check or confirmation call.
>>
>>I will be talking to the alarm company on Monday for an explanation. This
>>is the second long delay I've experienced with the monitoring company.
>>Last time I phoned them after four minutes to say I was still alive, only
>>to be put on hold until they could check up on things.
>>
>>The panel has a duress code programmed.  I can think of no reason not to
>>have one.
>>
>>
>>
>>R.H.Campbell wrote:
>>
>>>I would say.... that depends. If you disarmed the system right away (or
>>>during the time when
>>>the panel was still online with the station), then they could have
>>>received a "cancel
>>>code" along with the alarm, and most stations won't even call, since they
>>>know someone with a valid code has disarmed the system. Your station
>>>might simply have been doing a double check (as many do) as a matter of
>>>policy, which can be some minutes
>>>afterwards depending upon how many alarms they are receiving at the
>>>moment without cancel
>>>codes.
>>>
>>>The normal interval to respond to an alarm (assuming no receipt of a
>>>cancel
>>>code) I expect should be immediately or within a minute, depending upon
>>>how busy they are at that moment. Early morning and around 5 pm seem to
>>>be the busiest periods of a workday when stations are running at peak
>>>capacity, which would normally slow things down a bit (Lots of people
>>>disarming their panels at work and screwing things up etc.....)
>>>
>>>With a cancel code, response can vary (assuming the station calls at all)
>>>and can vary greatly based on other
>>>alarms being received at the same time. They should probably be
>>>explaining to the end user they are just doing a double check ;
>>>otherwise, the impression left is slow response as you felt. Cancel codes
>>>are one of the things that dramatically decrease problems for customers;
>>>however, they certainly can leave the impression of poor response.
>>>
>>>It should be noted however, that a lot of companies (and customers)
>>>prefer NOT to use cancel codes and wish the station to call on every
>>>alarm trip. This is a simple programming change in the alarm panel. While
>>>lack of a cancel code increases the workload on the station (and IMO
>>>likely doesn't add much benefit to the end user), it certainly does
>>>increase the false alarm rate substantially.
>>>
>>>If I lived in LA or another large community with lots of crimes against
>>>people, I might be tempted to forget about cancel codes (and probably
>>>also activate a duress code in my panel ). But if I lived in a normal
>>>community where crimes against people was not a major issue, a cancel
>>>code is much more likely to prevent a false dispatch and a fine than it
>>>is to decrease the effectiveness of your alarm in any meaningful way.
>>>
>>>This is something you should discuss with your alarm company in regards
>>>to your personal situation.
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>
>>>R.H.Campbell
>>>Home Security Metal Products
>>>Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
>>>www.homemetal.com
>>
>
>