Re: Need Advice For Packaged Home Alarm Purchase

[Frank Olson <Use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert L Bass wrote:
>>No contract I have ever read claimed a hold on a rate
>>for longer than ONE year.
>
>
> While I owned a small central station alarm company for 24 years
> I offered two options for monitored accounts.

This is a perfect example of the type of misleading comments you
frequently make.  "Owned" and "offered"??  Uh-huh...  sure.  You started
your alarm company in 1980, and moved to Florida in 1999.  How many of
those "24 years" did you actually "offer" anyone "two options for
monitored accounts"?  How many of those "24 years" did you actually
*have* a CS??  Please don't tell me you *started* a company with your
own CS from *day one* (when you had absolutely *zero* experience in the
industry before and had never even been employed in it).


> The customer could
> take a one-year contract, renewable annually with the price
> guaranteed for three years or they could choose a three-year
> contract with the price guaranteed for three years.  Either way,
> the price was the same.  I billed residential clients annually.
> The first year of monitoring service was included with the
> purchase of any system.

Uh-huh...  and what was the "renewal clause" in your contract??


>
> My C-S was very small, located in an office attached to my home,
> which had originally been a doctor's office / residence.  Because
> we were not UL listed our overhead was lower than the typical c-s
> alarm company.  As such, we were able to keep our prices a bit
> lower than our competitors.  That worked quite well for us and
> for our clients.  YMMV.

Interesting.  I use a ULC listed independent monitoring station.  My
overheads for monitoring are fixed every month.  They don't rise or
fall, I don't have to the headaches associated with staffing,
certification, licensing (they handle all that).  My monthly fee is
$15.00 (and that's Canadian dollars).  We have a three year contract
that locks in the rate for that term.  Not one customer has ever
commented negatively on any aspect of the agreement (even the Judges and
Lawyers we provide service to).



>
> Nothing is universal.  Some firms offer fair and reasonable
> terms.  Others don't.

Yours offered???



>
> I raised my annual rate $12 once and lost three out of the then
> current 500 or so clients.

BWahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!  Sure, Bass...  sure...


 > People expect an occasional increase
 > from any service provider.

Heh...  Not in a million years.



>
> I've seen commercial fire alarm monitoring / service contracts
> that ran from $50 to over $1,000 a month.  The highest was an ADT
> corporate bid for a condo property (3 buildings) in Miami.  They
> wanted over $140K for the installation plus $1500 a month for
> service & monitoring.  Quarterly inspection visits were part of
> the plan.  Given the scope of the project, I estimated that one
> technician would need to spend between three and four hours per
> quarterly visit.  Not bad beans if you can get it.

Given the scope of your lies in Usenet I wouldn't be at all surprised
that this was another Bass Fable...  Since you know so much about this
particular contract, how about posting the details.  Leave the amounts
in, scratch (or cover) the customer information.

>
> I sold the people the hardware for ~$19,000.  A local electrician
> installed it for another $20,000-30,000 (I forget the exact
> amount).  Last I heard they negotiated an inspection contract
> with a UL listed outfit from the area that cost them about $350 a
> month, including monitoring.

Uh-huh...  shure...

<snip more fables>