Re: Changes to Canadian monitoring contract law

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

True, in that specific situation you mention, such a law would have
prevented that consumer from being defrauded. However, I think the
intent of this consumer protection legislation  is more to even things
up in the market place for the consumer right across the board. It
pays to remember that the vast majority of alarm companies are honest
and don't engage in fraudulent activities such as you illustrate.
However, even the vast majority of good companies engage in needlessly
signing clients into long term contracts for all the equity building
reasons we all know and love. To suggest that this is not a fair thing
to do will always generate volumes of criticism as we have seen in the
past, and this is understandable given that most companies look no
further than their bottom line. But the government appearing to step
in like this is simply saying to the market place that there IS a
legitimate place for contracts when you are paying down equipment
costs, but that legitimacy stops when you are holding the consumer to
a long term contract for nothing more than specific monitoring
services, with a guarantee of long term revenues for you, but with
little or nothing of gain in it for the consumer.

One of the other benefits of such legislation is that it will force
marginal companies to clean up their act since consumers can cancel
anytime they want. Plus, I have no doubt it will drive prices downward
quickly which is not good for the industry. However, the days of
ridiculous $30 plus monitoring rates that don't involve equipment
"write downs" will rapidly disappear......

It will be interesting to see if this catches on. For all I know so
far, it is just talk since no one has come back and said that it
actually exists here in Canada in any specific province.

RHC

On Aug 30, 7:08 pm, "Robert L Bass" <RobertLB...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Is anyone aware of any Canadian provinces where long term
> > monitoring
> > contracts can be cancelled immediately by the client provided the
> > contract is for service only, and does not cover paying down any
> > equipment costs in the rate ?
>
> That's an excellent consumer protection law.  We need that in the USA
> to protect homeowners from unscrupulous alarm companies.  Remember
> the guy who said he called an alarm company to repair his local,
> unmonitored alarm?  They came out and replaced the battery or some
> such thing, then had him sign the "repair bill."  On the front it
> said that by signing he was agreeing to the terms and conditions on
> the back.  On the reverse side, in airline ticket size type was a
> 3-year monitoring agreement.  What a bunch of jerks.
>
> --
>
> Regards,
> Robert L Bass
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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> Bass Home Electronics
> 941-925-8650
> 4883 Fallcrest Circle
> Sarasota =B7 Florida =B7 34233http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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