Re: ADT email

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 23, 1:01 am, "Roland Moore" <nos...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> https://www.discovertotal.com/ODd8MTIxfDQwODN8djI=/488/g
>
> So I get this spam email from ADT. Well not ADT itself mind you, but an
> Authorized Dealer hiring a spammer. It simply says "Get an alarm system and
> all equipment on us!" It directs me to the site above. I notice there is an
> older DSC LCD5500(Z) keypad on the page, but a different type keypad at the
> top of the page. I don't recognize that brand of keypad at the top of the
> page. It doesn't look like any Honeywell keypad I have seen before. Is that
> some exclusive ADT type keypad? So what's the catch here? If the monthly is
> high enough and long enough you get the gear "free"? Is it ever actually
> your gear or is this a lease deal? Since DSC was taken over by TYCO and the
> warranty went to nothing I don't know if the DSC gear can last as long as
> the monitoring agreement. We are having high failure rates on the few DSC
> panels we use. At least they seem to croak within the warranty period, which
> is brief compared to other vendors, but the time wasted on panel swaps makes
> them not a economical or reliable enough to use anymore.

RHC: The keypad at the top looks very much like the Caddyx keypad.  As
to whether you own the equipment at the end of the term, I would say
no if it's a lease, likely yes, if it's a purchase, but you GOTTA READ
THE CONTRACT. Looks to me like this is just another way of wording the
proverbial "free system", with the bare bone essentials given out for
"free", but any necessary options like extra doors, motions etc
charged at insane prices. Basically, the "free system" offer gets
Johnny Slick's foot in the customer's door.....

Around here the average ADT "free system" ends up being "upsold" by
their slick salesmen to a final price of around $1100 !!!
For that, any careful shopper around here can get a full blown system
installed with monitoring at half the price with service and warranty
included.

It's the same old time-honoured crap !! Customers who buy by brand
name, or impulse, or who don't shop around, get screwed by offers like
this. It used to piss me off big time, but I really don't care anymore
since a lot come to me after their long term contract is up to get far
superior monitoring, service and warranty at a fair market price. Once
again, a fool and his money are soon parted !! (and yes, that
definately includes residential ADT, Alarmforce and Brinks customers
in case some are reading this and care to hear the real truth.....:))

BTW, I have about 400 or so DSC systems in service and quite honestly,
they don't fail any more or less than the Paradox panels I have in
service (about 600). They are harder on batteries than Paradox, and
they have a lot of stupid bugs in the firmware (like to get rid of
some troubles, power down then up...???), but they do seem to me to be
a solid, economical panel. Around here in Eastern Canada,  they are
the most installed panel of any make. I have been told by others in
the business who also do Ademco, that their equipment seems to be the
most solid of any make they service (but I have no personal knowledge
of Ademco equipment at all).

I do takeover some ADT / DSC systems which appear to have been altered
in firmware such that they cannot be uploaded using the off-the-shelf
versions of DLS software. Everything else is identical though.....,