Re: Ademco 5828 Wireless Keypad

["Robert L Bass" <RobertLBass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Tech support? Nah...I don't intend to provide that...seriously. You
> get a great discount and warranty...but no support - all products
> will come with manuals. You'll have to readem for yer support.

Most people ask the same questions so years ago I started keeping
copies of my email and Usenet replies.  After a while I put them
together in a rambling FAQ.  Over time I found useful FAQs which
others built and got permission to mirror them on my site.  For some
I just added links.  Four or five others I mirrored.  I also
accumulated some useful posts from other techs here and in a couple
of other newsgroups.  A number of manufacturers gave me permission to
put copies of their manuals on my site as well.  When I worked on
help systems related to my products I incorporated those in the site
as well.  After several years the FAQ had grown to quite a few gigs.

Note:  One of the more disgusting rodents who posts here claims I
"stole" his technique for wiring Anderson windows.  The truth is I
quoted a few sentences he wrote on one of the few days he actually
posted anything useful.  Since this particular vermin hides behind a
pseudonym there was no way to give credit to the author.  In the
appropriate place I simply credited it to "Anonymous."  I think you
know who I mean.

At any rate, the idea behind the FAQ was threefold.  First, I hoped
it would attract potential clients.  Second, it was supposed to
provide answers so customers wouldn't have to call.  Third, it was
intended to encourage more people to DIY.  The first goal was more
than successful.  I got thousands of orders off product links from
the FAQ (my shopping cart software provided reports).  The second
goal was a break-even.  The FAQ answered many questions but people
would call to ask other things anyway.  The third goal wasn't
measurable since there was no way to gauge the results.

Unfortunately, we took the dedicated FAQ server off line during a
hurricane and either during handling or on the drive home the drive
was damaged.  I had planned to put it back online after bringing a
lot of pages up to date but it wouldn't boot.  The drive was toast.
Since then my website and the business itself have grown to the point
where I have no time to redo the FAQ.  We now have over 105,000 pages
at www.BassBurglarAlarms.com.  I've just opened accounts with several
new distributors.  Once we get their product feeds set up the site
will have over 200,000 products.

If you really do decide to go online, it's probably going to require
more of a commitment than you might expect.  Over the years there
have been numerous other dealers who've tried to build online
counterparts to their brick 'n' mortar dealerships.  Most of them
have closed up after a few months or years.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
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