Re: another newbie, what to do with this Brinks alarm system?

["Bob Worthy" <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"J. @netscape.net>" <jsloud2001<removeme> wrote in message
news:a3a2l2lb673nv8qpi2gkhnn2ifdi8rn38d@xxxxxxxxxx
> On Tue, 7 Nov 2006 09:22:27 -0500, "Bob Worthy"
> <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >
> >"J. @netscape.net>" <jsloud2001<removeme> wrote in message
> >news:mk2pk2lj7vm5m9h5cdhq5euepstfh3lsm4@xxxxxxxxxx
> >> On Fri, 3 Nov 2006 20:41:35 -0800,

hopefully  ADT/ Tyco does well
> >and my stock earns a decent
> >> return.
> >
> >Despite the whole financial world telling them to dump it, it is broken
and
> >can't be fixed?

> Bullshit.  Almost everyone rates Tyco a hold right now.  See below.
> Quick stock tip, the Tyco breakup will probably make money for a lot
> of people in 2007.  Not rocket science to figure out how.

I am not talking about some broker hawking their wares. I am talking about
the folks, in the financial world, (which is not your stock broker or your
401K manager) that have looked at the company (ADT) and their creative
accounting practices, scandels, lawsuits, tax burden, etc. Hell, they are
still dabbling with their 1999 books to explain why they didn't pay over $50
million in taxes that year. You said it best "Almost" everyone.....with the
rest happy to make a couple of dollars on their stock now and then. The
stock increase, in the recent past, has had to do with the break-up, which
was suggested by who, the financial world who suggested they get rid of ADT,
and was driven by who, the stock holders, and was finally, after 3 years,
done by who, a new board of directors try to salvage it. Not being
argumentative, but I do have dealings, since I am just down the street from
the Tyco building in Boca, with several top ranking folks in that office, as
well as, NJ. Were they lieing about what had been happening?

> >> I know a lot of people in this industry working for a whole lot of
> >> different companies.  You can bash ADT all you want,

I don't have to bash ADT. They have made their own bed, which is well
documented. How many companies, can you name, that have had as many fines
levied on them by different Attorney General's offices around the country as
ADT. Name one company that has had to pay a single fine in excess of a
million dollars to any single jursidiction. Can you name the jurisdiction
that, after receiving and paying a fine for over $100,000, continued with
the same practices until they were caught and received another fine in
excess of $140,000. More money than brains, I guess, or is it a "we really
don't give two hoots about your silly state laws or how much it costs us"
attitude.

>>>but the vast
> >> majority of local and regional companies do business just like ADT.

Local and regional companies don't support authorized dealership programs,
allow unlicensed activity, within their programs, for personal gain, allow
their state license to get suspended by ignoring state law, continue to
violate state law and simply pay the fines when caught, shall I go on? You
may be to far removed from what goes on in the streets, with ADT, to comment
on these issues. I am not bashing ADT, just stating what is already out
there. If you don't like the smell, don't open the can.

> >> They use the same type of equipment.
> >
> >ADT uses the same equipment as the vast majority, not the other way
around.
> >ADT had to change in order to support their marketing program.
>
> What are you talking about?  ADT has had a contract with Ademco for 10
> years.  They've been using a version of the Vista 20 for at least 7 or
> 8 years for residential installations.

And they were using Moose and ITI products prior to that. They allowed their
dealers to use a wide range of products, to include DSC, Caddix and FBI. You
are talking to someone who worked with  ADT folks here in Florida, Houston
and San Antonio, TX, as well as, San Francisco in the late 80's. I did
extensive work for ADT on their high end residential, for the two years
after Hurricane Andrew, in the early 90's. I was close to the ADT people
that opened and recruited for the dealership program, when it started, and
was in close contact with their attorney in Boca during the demise of that
same program, which included knowledge of the raiding of a dealers office
with the Broward Sheriff's Office due to allegations of drugs and other
illegal activities. Boy did that one stay quiet. I am not someone who is
only guessing at what has happened to ADT over the last 20 years.

 ADT uses EST, Bosch, DMP,
> Ademco, Notifier, Fire-Lite, etc. on the commercial side and has for
> years.

And I am  removing a Focus system that was installed not more than three
years ago in a commercial application. The clients ageement just expired.

> It's the same equipment as the rest of the industry.

Yes it is, however, the rest of the industry did not follow ADT's lead to
this equipment as you suggested earlier.

>It's better equipment than most dealers can get >there hands on, ie. EST3,
> DMP, Bosch, etc.

What? Are you saying that dealers can't obtain this equipment? Come on! Any
dealer can get any equipment they choose. I have been approached by many of
these type companys to become a dealer for them, as have most other licensed
companys.

> >> The monitoring procedures are
> >> the same.
> >
> >Which is a CSAA and ANSI standard.
>
> ADT pioneered many of the procedures and equipment used throughout the
> industry, but that's irrelevant.

Most of it was in recent history because they were previously using
proprietary stuff for years. It wasn't until they started shutting down alot
of their central locations, switching stations, etc. that they when more
conventional. As fas as procedures go, that is irrelevant.

  ADT also meets UL and DoD
> requirements for monitoring SCIFs, but that's irrelevant too.  Point
> is, ADT's monitoring services meet or exceed all industry regulations.

OK

> >> The pricing is very similar.
> >
> >Only amoungst the other nationals that are doing similar marketing.

> ADT's residential pricing is in line with the majority of local
> companies.  The US corporate pricing for an outright sale system is
> generally inline with prices I've seen quoted on this newsgroup.
> Starts at about $350 for a V20P, a keypad, and three sensors.  Goes up
> from there.  A full perimeter system in a decent size house is a
> couple of grand, usually.

What you are missing is that ADT is ultimately responsible for all the crap
that they allow their authorized dealers to do. It is irresponsible for a
company to start, build, and profit from a program and than not accept any
responsibility for the actions of the participants of the program. I can't
tell you how many conversations I have had with the ADT attorney on this
issue. In all fairness, he does send me a copy of the nasty gram he sends
the dealer, when they get out of line, but the bottom line is that the
dealer doesn't stop and ADT still funds the agreements. In other words ADT
is not interested in enforceing their dealer contract as long as that dealer
is producing. And......yes ADT corporate does have a higher price line but
who drove that? The financial folks we talked about earlier and the
accounting fiasco that ADT has themselves in. They couldn't continue with
the "free" program or the $99 dollar program after that. It took a change of
the Board to move in that direction. With their pricing, they don't write
the amount of business they used to, so they continue to put the leads out
to the authorized dealers whether they are conducting business illegally or
not.

> >  What make's you so
> >> different?
> >
> >Dedication to customer service.
>
> In other words, not much at all...

Ahhh.......It doesn't take me two to three weeks to get to a service call.
That is a huge difference and I think most here, that are actually dealing
with the end user, has come across this same end user concern. But, it is
understandable. How many technicians does it take to service 5,000,000
customers in a timely fashion? You can call it being a victim of their own
success but that isn't very comforting to the end user. You know this is a
problem for them when they are on a mission to hire sub contract service
techs. I get this call every couple of months, so I know it is happening.