Re: Never had an alarm before but...

["Bob La Londe" <usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Alarm Guy" <Alarm@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:43C7458B.9A72124E@xxxxxxxxxx
> Bob La Londe wrote:
>
>> > These ingrates get free advice and have the gall to bitch
>> > about it... amazing indeed.
>>
>> That doesn't surprise me so much as that a lot of guys seem
>> to think we owe it to them.   I don't mind giving a little
>> free advice from time to time, but I sure as heck don't "owe"
>> it to somebody who's clear intent is to use it so they
>> don't have to buy anything from me or anybody like me.
>
> The whole point of usenet was to share information about different
> topics.

Sure it is.  And I do from time to time, but exactly how does that obligate
me?  It doesn't.  The attitude of some people that it does doesn't help.  In
fact it causes lots of people to simply do as you say and go away.  People
with good information that woulfd probably have been glad to help out.

> If you're not going to do that, you might as well be reading
> and posting to "alt.shoot.the.shit" or go to some private, invite-only
> web forum where DIY'ers are not allowed.

Whooosh! (landing gear up)

> Truth is, you alarm guys are dinosaurs.

LOL.  Perhaps.

> The alarm hardware companies
> and monitoring companies are merging and being bought up by big
> players.

Not exactly, but ok.

> They are building more and more wireless and smart
> sensors.   The big players want to cut labor costs, so they will (and
> are) designing hardware that can be installed by a teenager.

Please give us some great examples.  There is some good wireless out there,
but I'm not sure how up you are on the subject.  Please (note: I am asking
not telling you that you owe it to me) give us examples of these products.
P.S.  When I was a teenager I was trouble shooting digital carrier systems
cross country so that statement has little affect on my perceptions of your
arguements.

> They

(is this an imperical they or an editorial they?)

> will be (or already are) giving the hardware away for free just to get
> the monthly revenue.

Actually its guys like us who are doing that, and those of us who have
survived have learned that it doesn't work as well as you might think.  Even
ADT and Brinks have learned better (Those big players you refer to.)  To go
further you under estimate the intelligence of the consumer.  Free ain't
free and it never has been.

> It used to be that only a Bell tech could wire up a telephone
> extension in your house.  It used to be that you could only RENT a
> phone from Bell.

Funny, when I worked for the phone company we had a lot more people upset
that we wouldn't trouble shoot "their" wiring than anything else.  Nothing
more fun than listening to an old lady explain the problem couldn't possibly
be because her dogs were chewing up the wires under her mobile home when you
can see the chewed up ends hanging out from under the half missing skirting.
Change doesn't make all things better or worse.  All you can be sure of with
change is change.

> Won't be long until you guys will be talking about
> the good-old-days, where you had the corner on the alarm hardware and
> installation market.

We don't have the corner now.  Never have.

> Wait till WalMart starts selling the panels and sensors.

You can already buy stuff at Home Depot and other big box chains.  Radio
Shack even sold some commerical grade stuff for a while.

You might as well throw computer hardware and networking in the mix.  Every
component you need is available off the shelf, yet the majority (all the big
ones with lots of money) of businesses still hire somebody to set it up for
them.  And the big players put somebody on full time that just does that.

Getting back to my point.  I may choose to offer my assistance from time to
time, but I don't owe it to you or anybody else.  Usenet NEVER said that a
person must offer free advice if they don't want to.  Sorry pal.  We have
not socialized to that point yet in the US, but hey... give it a few years.
It might happen.

Your arguement reminds me of those people who say, "You should do it this
way," when what they mean is, "I'ld like you to do it my way to my personal
advantage."  Or better yet, "You'ld get more customers if you gave it away
free."  LOL.  THUMP!  (Oops, forgot to raise those landing gear)  Or better
yet when some cute little girl tries to sweet talk me into doing something
for her for her benefit and personal gain, and then says, "You're mean."
when I refuse to be manipulated and disadvantage myself for her gain.  ROFL.

So go ahead say it.  "You're mean Bob."  LOL.  (Not calling you a little
girl, much less cute.  LOL)
--
Bob La Londe
http://www.YumaBassMan.com