Re: Dear Non Paying Customer,

[robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx]

>  This is to acknowledge receipt of your scrawled note across your PAST DUE
> statement.  We gladly terminate your service effective immediately.  We do
> however need to point out a couple things...

One alarm company had another method which worked rather effectively.
They used to program every system to send nightly self-test signals.
Attached to their primary receiver's incoming lines was a Rochelle
6-line caller ID device.  The device sent caller ID (ICLID data) via
serial port to one of their computers.  That PC ran a program which a
certain person wrote that would compare every incoming call to a list
of "deadbeat" phone numbers.  Anyone who failed to pay AND refused to
allow them to deprogram the C-station information from their system had
their number added to the list.

The list never had more than a few numbers on it at any given time.
Here's why.  Also connected to that PC was an RS-232 controlled
8-position relay board.  The relays were wired in series with the
receiver's phone lines.  Any time a "deadbeat" sent a signal the line
would be interrupted for 5 seconds -- long enough to cause the dialer
to hang up and initiate a retry.  They programmed most systems for 5 to
8 tries.  After that they would go into a trouble mode.  Most systems
were programmed to send test signals in the middle of the night.  Most
residential clients had a keypad in the master bedroom.  Upon a
"failure to communicate" trouble condition the keypads would make a
racket.

This caused the client to call for service.  That in turn gave the
alarm company an opportunity to remove their phone numbers from the
deadbeat's alarm panel and (sometimes) caused said deadbeat to pay the
bill.

I'm not saying who did this, but if you've got a modicum of programming
skills and a bit of patience I can teach you how to do it.  :^)

Of course, since the whole affair isn't UL you couldn't really use it
unless you had a small, non-listed central station.  Then again, most
of the people who participate here have never touched a UL-listed
system anyway so that might not be an issue.

Regards,
Robert L Bass
www.BassBurglarAlarms.com