Re: Major shortcoming in Paradox new panel lineup

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Jul 6, 11:02?am, Tower Security <regsiem...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Jul 6, 2:17 am, "Doug" <n...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > This is something that probably bothers you a lot more than it will bother
> > your customers.
>
> > Doug
>
> You are right about that...we are the ones that will field the phone
> calls at all hours of the day/night e.g.  I came home from holidays
> and my alarm wasn't turned on...what's going on?
>
> For those dealers that have built their business on quality customer
> care and support, this is not a decision that is entered into
> lightly.  At present when a customer calls and is having problems
> turning their alarm on or off we can give them immediate assistance
> (without having to first determine panel type).  20 years of
> installations and every panel arming or disarming routine has been
> identical i.e. enter the 4-digit code.  If we start installing the
> "new and improved" Paradox, that consistency goes out the window.  If
> you have an assortment of panels out there already and every arming
> and disarming sequence is unique then this is no big deal, but when
> you've had a standard for 20 years that you've adopted and someone
> arbitrarily forces an "upgrade" on their dealers that changes that
> standard and will result in a higher number of customer care
> incidents, then they need to hear about it and if they don't respond
> they risk losing our business.  It appears that's the path Paradox has
> chosen.  Sad because again I think they had a great product.

I can understand your concern because through the years I've been
there more than a few times. In all the time that I've been in this
industry, whenever something new comes along that has required me to
make a change in my back up equipment, I've bitched and moaned about
it. Not so much from the standpoint of having to teach the customers
something ( because the new stuff will be new to them regardless of
what you sell them, so they don't know it's "different". I was/am
always concerned about ...... Now I've got to carry ANOTHER freakin
product in the van ...... just in case.

Way back in the beginning, I was concerned about not knowing exactly
which product a client had when they called for help. Like, in the
beginning it was, did I use a rock over the cave opening or was it the
falling log with a sharp tusk in it? Later, it was .... did I use a 6
volt or three volt end of line battery. And then .... what was their
key number? Round Ace key or flat key? Which photo electric eye? Then
which keypad? Which model panel? But, keeping a set of instructions in
their folder, for each product installed on their job, eases that
problem. And really, the client doesn't know the difference, if it's a
new product or requires a new proceedure. It's all new to them.

Change is going to happen and it's sometimes hard to reconcile it in
your theme of things. But it's going to happen and you can't change
that.

In this thread, the thing that would concern me most, is the
manufacturers lack of ..... ummm ...... concern(?) about their dealers
and their lack of information and follow through.