Re: Brinks v Rojas Update Request

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 21, 8:11 pm, Jim <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> > > Hard to imagine anyone trying to make a living on doing takeovers,  in
> > > my area, like Bob in Canada. But it could be I'm insulated from the
> > > real market by my total dependence on referral work.
>
> > RHC: I would hardly say that I make my living from doing takeovers,
> > but lately anyway they do comprise a lot of incoming systems.
>
> I was just picking up what you seem to imply about your business.
> Taking over systems just seemed to be what you were talking about
> mostly..
>
> I seem to remember that you were just starting out about 7 or so years
> ago in the actual installation of alarm system. You were talking about
> limiting the size of your account base to 300, 500, 700, etc along the
> way. (Which, if you remember .... I told you that wouldn't happen ....
> I'm sure your happy I was right ;-)  You've said you were doing
> physical security prior to that (?) or am I mistaken?

RHC: Not quite, I started in this business in 1983 doing locksmithing
and other physical security work, and started in the alarm side of my
business in 1994 when I took my buyout from full time middle
management work at Bell Canada....that's 13 years actually.
>
> > I'd say  70% from referral and 30% directly from my website. Other
> > than the website, I don't do any advertising at all.
>
> I'd thought about having someone do a website for me but .... ya
> know  .... I got more than I can keep up with as it is ...... and I'm
> supposed to be thinking about retirement .... not how to increase
> business. Sometimes I find my self pulling into a new strip mall, with
> the intention of laying cards on doors or trying to meet new tenants.
> And before you know it, I've got two or three jobs that I don't have
> the time to do and they've no-less got a deadline to be in before they
> open the new shop. So after working all day on one job, I wind up
> working a night shift till 10 or 11pm just to get it in on time.
>
> It's just hard to turn off, after so many years.

RHC: I know where you are coming from. I see so much business that I
could literally walk right in to, but choose not to because I'm trying
to slow down not speed up. But old habits die hard, and it's hard not
to take on that one extra job (like you say, the one that stretches
the time budget just to get it done...). I do "cherry pick" my jobs
now, but still fall victim to taking on the occasional alarm system
that needs a lot of repair work, because the new home owner was a
previous customer of mine....how do you say no????
>
>
>> > I believe I experience pretty much the same things you do in your
> > area. A lot of takeovers are people moving into a new home with an
> > alarm installed already, and when they do their shopping, end up at my
> > website, and from there to me. A lot are takeovers from high priced
> > systems put in by ADT and others, who have paid off their systems, and
> > instead of staying with the high priced status quo, decide to go
> > elsewhere.
>
> > I also get people calling with systems installed by a lot
> > of the "little guys", but these I ALWAYS inspect before taking them
> > over.
>
> Yeah, but it's always a chore in diplomacy trying to tell them nicely
> that they got ripped off and their system isn't worth a damn.

RHC: Yeah, that's the tough one. I usually tell them on the phone that
there are a lot of systems out there that are poorly installed, or
have been let go, and that I always inspect them before accepting
responsibility for their system. That way, they are only disappointed,
and not offended when I say no. But it's still kinda tough, and
especially so if it's second time around for these folks.
>
> >Alarm installations are totally unregulated up here, and as a
> > result, we depend upon market forces to drive out the poor companies,
> > but unfortunately, not before they end up doing a lot of damage in the
> > process.
>
> That happens here also, but I think it may happen over a shorter
> period of time. Newbies don't last very long around here. Nowdays it
> takes some pretty substatial backing or wifey has got to be making a
> damn good salary with medical, for some one to last long enough to
> build up to the magical number of accounts.

RHC: I wish I could say the same about here. While a lot go quickly,
there are some "dogs" that remain, and even seem to prosper. I guess
while there are a large number of people "looking for something for
nothing", this will always be the case...
>
> > Most of the bigger companies put in a decently installed
> > system, and don't lock their boards either. I also get a few systems
> > coming from Alarmforce, after the customer realizes how useless his
> > system really is, and has them remove it, then opts for a proper
> > system.
>
> Never came across and alarm system that wasn't locked. I assume
> everyone does it here.

RHC: Locking boards is the exception rather than the rule here and is
primarily the domain of the "little guys". Big nationals rarely do it,
and if you find it so, it's generally because the panel was installed
by a subcontractor.
>
   > however, a lot of the large companies shoot themselves in
> > the foot by insisting on a second contract after the first one is
> > finished, and they won't lower the rate at all (or if they do, only by
> > a dollar or so a month). So the customers shop around and inevitably
> > find someone else to do the monitoring.
>
> Thats just something that doens't effect me. My monitoring price is my
> monitoring price. If it's higher then someone else and a client wants
> to quibble over a dollar or two a month. He's not my customer. When
> the original 5 year term is up, the amount stays the same. I'm
> required by law to notify them via certified letter and they've got
> time to cancel. The next time I vist on service, I ask them to sign a
> new agreement for 5 years and they do. If they don't it remains at one
> year or they always have the option to cancel without penalty.  I
> prefer the 5 year because it's worth more in the market.

RHC: It seems that the security market can vary a lot from region to
region and depends a lot on the demographics of the area. Our area is
relatively rich, with loads of high tech folks who don't mind spending
the money for a decent system. One new trend that I am seeing is a
growing request from customers to be able to dial in to there panels
and access the event log. I don't allow that for all the usual and
legitimate reasons, but primarily I don't want them to be able to mess
with critical settings, and there seems to be no way to do this
without allowing "all or nothing" access. The older Paradox panels
used to allow the client to have a restricted version of the software
which only allowed them to dial in and access the two pages covering
the event log and the user codes, but this never caught on. And the
newer panels don't have it.

I have one client who is adamant that I allow him this and I've
suggested a combination of the auto arm feature and monthly uploads by
me, sent to him by email.  I've also offered him the Central Station
option to email him (or cell phone him with a text message) on
openings and closing. However, he is still not satisfied with that,
and bottom line, I've suggested he look at other dealers who can
install either the Omni or HAI systems which might do this for him.

This seems to be a growing demand by the high tech types who have come
to expect this sort of instant access via the internet, even though it
really doesn't seem to offer much real advantage to them. At the
moment, I have only limited answers for them.