Re: Any tips for a consumer about to purchase a system & contract?

["tourman" <rh.campbell@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hmmm....is "everywhere man" really foul mouthed Jim in disquise. I'll
assume NOT, and respond properly assuming you are indeed someone else,
who doesn't honestly happen to agree with me, because I wouldn't want
to insult anyone other than him.
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First off, customers in my experience don't up and give you their
business one month and leave you the next to save a dollar or two. I
don't know about the environment you work in, but the very mobile high
tech clientele I serve usually stick around for three or more years,
with a large percentage on line with me for 10 or more years. You can
call it "stirring the pot"'; however, you might be very surprised how
many companies there are that don't lock into long term contracts (a
couple of the regulars on this newsgroup don't either, but choose not
to say so publicly, and I certainly won't say who). They take the same
view I do that the customer's ongoing freedom of choice is more
important to their continued loyalty than some arbitrary term
committment. My (and I assume their) customers stay because they want
to, not because they have to. And referrals business is continuous from
customers of the larger firms who have had  some pretty brutal
experiences with some of the ways they handle term contracts. And
frankly, the argument about business equity being the "be all and end
all" of this business is just not so. Sure it adds some extra measure
of value, but if the rest of your company isn't in order, you can
forget about that when the buyer does his "due diligence". I happen to
be close friends with someone who works for a big alarm firm, and who
is in charge of buying up small companies, and I am able to actually
see what this means. Not nearly as much as you would think ! So don't
count on that to the exclusion of other things.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to pick up the clients who have had their
belly full of the Borg and their ilk, and would rather get a quality
monitoring service and warranty package without signing their life
away. Different strokes for different folks !!
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NOW...if "everywhere man" is actually our very own foulmouthed Jim, but
in disguise, I only have one thing to say to you. Fuck off somewhere
asshole and die ! Or better yet, go flog shit for ADT. You deserve each
other !!

RHC

Everywhere Man wrote:
> So Bill Jones moves into a house with a fully functioning alarm system
> and decides he wants monitoring. Bill calls ABC alarm and tells them he
> will agree to a month to month contract because long term is not in his
> best interest. ABC charges  $20.00 per month. Let me see if I
> understand this. ABC should send a technician out to this man's house,
> reprogram his system, test his system, do paperwork, send signals,
> instruct him on it's use, and then pay someone in admin to put the
> account online for a guarantee of $20 gross to assume this liability?
> After all Bill could move next month and your way he has no ties to the
> company, or maybe next month Bill finds a company willing to do it for
> $8.95 per month.
> You honestly think this makes sense, or are you just stirring the pot
> again trying to get a rise out of the business owners who post here and
> showcase yourself as a hero to the consumer?
> Your posts do nothing more than give the customers who believe them
> some false sense that there are alarm dealers out there who do this
> sort of thing daily. Then when the customer calls alarm companies who
> don't subscribe to your "How to lose money in 1 Easy Step" philosophy
> they think the company employee is trying to rip them off when they
> mention a contract.
> Maybe in your world all businesses are run in a Pollyanna fashion but
> here on this planet it's not taboo for a company to earn a profit.
> You're intelligent enough to know that your business model is a recipe
> for disaster. Maybe you can handle it but most of us don't work out of
> our garages. We have overhead.
> You offer very good advice to customers wondering how to better secure
> their home, but your advice on contracts regarding system takeovers is
> poppycock.
>
>
>
> tourman wrote:
> > Bob, my comments were in relation to the fact that IF the client pays
> > full price for the alarm and is still locked into a long term contract,
> > then in fact the contract is doing nothing for him, and only benefits
> > the alarmco. I'm amazed after so many years of explaining what I mean,
> > that so many still take the meaning out of context. Long term contracts
> > are quite valid if their purpose is to ensure that the client completes
> > payment on his alarm system which has been artificially lowered at the
> > front end. To do othewise would be foolish.
> >
> > Let me take the example, where a client owns his system outright. Say
> > he moved into a new home where the original alarm has been sold to the
> > client; he owns it fully, and there is absolutely no financial
> > committments that have not been met to the original installing company.
> > My point is (and has always been) that signing this new client up to a
> > long term committment does nothing for him. It does however, limit his
> > freedom to move should the new company (me) give poor service; it does
> > mean that should he experience the need to sell the home on short
> > notice, that he is in to some serious negotiations with his alarmco
> > where there is no need. In this respect, in these kinds of cases, the
> > long term contract does nothing for the client, and is definately not
> > in his best interests.
> >
> > As far as the lick and stick alarms go, I agree with you that a lot of
> > people have been brainwashed by the slick marketeers who peddle their
> > minimalistic systems. However, I do think that if you explain things
> > properly to people, they will see the sense in what you say. That
> > doesn't mean they always want to pay that full price, and many will
> > still go the "free" system route, but so what. Do you really want those
> > clients anyway. I know I don't.Perhaps the environment where I work is
> > different; however, I rarely get calls these days from anyone who
> > doesn't expect to pay full price. One third of my client base work in
> > the high tech industry, and make very good money. They almost without
> > exception want to keep their monthly down, and maintain their
> > flexibility, and paying me $600 to $1000 for a system installation
> > doesn't phase them a bit. I do recognize that things can be quite
> > different across both our countries, and I may just have found a niche
> > that works well in my part of Canada, but which might not be valid
> > elsewhere.
> >
> > Anyway, that's all I wanted to point out....
> >
> > RHC
> >
> > Bob La Londe wrote:
> >   That is not 100% correct Robert.  It often allows a customer to get
> > an alarm
> > > system now instead of later.  Just like financing allows us to buy new
> > > service trucks without having to scrimp and save to put aside 20-40 thousand
> > > in cash before making the purchase.  Yes it is used by many alarm companies
> > > as a way to guarantee their revenue stream, but if it did not also benefit
> > > many consumers in allowing them to afford an alarm system quickly it
> > > probably would not be as popular.  We are all aware of course of all the
> > > abuses of this system as well.
> > >
> > > There are a couple problems with the model also.  The biggest is that people
> > > will refuse to understand why that can't get a comprehensive alarm that
> > > takes a couple days to install for "free" like they can get the 3 doors and
> > > a motion lick and stick system usually marketed under the low or no down
> > > "free" system plans.
> > >
> > > The other is that a lot people are not good to their word.  They refuse to
> > > understand why they have to honor their contract.
> > >
> > > Personally I dislike the whole free alarm program because people are in
> > > general opportunistic and selfish and its a high stress low return sales
> > > tactic.  However, there is a legitimate reason for it to exist.  You just
> > > have to find a company who will give you what you paid for (or didn't pay
> > > for as the case may be.  LOL), and you have to be understand that if you
> > > don't honor your word they will come after you for being a welsher.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Current Rides (Yuma, Az)
> > > 2005 VN1600B2 Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak
> > > 2001 VLX600 Honda Shadow (for sale)
> > > 1996 VF750C Honda Magna (sold)
> > > 2003 FLTR Harley Road Glide (wife's bike)
> > > 1981 CM200T Honda Twin (project)
> > >
> > > Past Rides
> > > 1976 CL350 Honda
> > > 1986 VT500C Honda Shadow
> > > 1976 GL1000 Honda Goldwing
> > > 1984 VT700C Honda Shadow
> > > 1976 GL1000 Honda Goldwing
> > > 1981 XS650 Yamaha Heritage Special
> > > 198X KZ440LTD Kawasaki
> > > 1985 CX500 Honda
> > > 1981 FX 1200 Harley Super Glide
> > > 1969 SOHC CB750 Honda
> > > 198X GN250 Suzuki
> > > 1988 VLX600 Honda Shadow
> > > 1984 GL1200 Honda Goldwing
> > > 1997 FLHT Harley Electra Glide
> > > 2002 VRSCA Harley V-Rod
> > > ** I knew I forgot one or two
> > > 198X Seca 650 Turbo Yamaha
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
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