Re: Newbie questions on alarms

["Bob Worthy" <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Below you will find the ramblings of a person named Bill that most likely
got something for nothing, didn't read the agreement, which industry wide
contains the same easy to read and understandable language and now has a
bitter taste toward the whole industry because he was held to the agreement
he signed. Now he is an expert. Let me tell you my most resent experience. A
client decided to change his own battery in his control panel. The simplest
of DIY tasks. He has the key to the box because I do leave one onsite in
case of an emergency. He changed the battery and without knowing it
accidentally unplugged the RJ jack (telephone line). When I didn't get the
dialer test signal from his panel is when I found out about his attempt at
servicing the panel. If something would have happened, who would have been
to blame? The customer that was dicking around with his panel, since he
thought he was capable of the simple task of changing his own battery, or me
for leaving him the key? Meanwhile, his house burnt down, his wife was
raped, his kids were kidnapped, his elderly parent fell and died waiting for
help, the broken pipe flooded the living room and ruined the Persian rug,
the carbon monoxide killed the dog, the burglars made off with all of his
guns, they stole all of the prescription drugs out of the medicine cabinet
and all because the communication line was "accidentally" disconnected. By
the way, no one would have received an email either. Your cell phone is not
set up to generate a "Did Not Test" signal so you will never know unless you
email yourself every day. You may not have even thought about this. However,
this will only lead to ignoring signals. Fortunately, none of this happened
because it was the expert alarm company that was watching out for this home.
That is our job. We don't ignore signals and in this case a no signal event.
DIYers can pretend all they want and have that right. But trust me, there
are things that will be overlooked. Hire a professional if you are serious
about yours and/or your family's well being.


"Bill" <billnomailnospamx@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:79n40fF1rd77tU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Beware that some large alarm companies can be larger crooks than the
> crooks they are protecting you from!
>
> Read EVERY SINGLE WORD of any contract / paperwork they ask you to sign.
> Don't be pressured into signing anything. Say to leave it and you will
> read it at your leisure.
>
> Be sure you purchase and own the alarm equipment. Get the key to the
> control box, the password for programming, and a programming instruction
> manual. (or no deal!) With this you can reprogram it to use another
> monitoring service if you so choose.
>
> You can buy your own equipment on the internet as well. Some alarm panels
> may require a specific keypad for you to be able to program it. Be sure
> you will be able to do this yourself before purchasing.
>
> Be sure you can get and installation and programming manual before
> purchasing.
>
> They will try to keep the key and "lock out" the control unit with a
> password so you can't change to a different monitoring service. Or they
> will "own" the main control unit and will not allow you to switch to a
> less expensive monitoring service.
>
> They will try to lock you into paying for monitoring for several years in
> a contract and this automatically renews. Again read every word!
>
> You can get monitoring at the following link for $8.95 a month...
> http://www.alarmrelay.com
>
> For other companies which also have reasonable rates, search google.com
> for Alarm Monitoring.
>
> Then wireless sensors use batteries which need to be replaced every so
> often. Find out what type batteries these are, then go to the store and
> see how expensive each one of these batteries are. They are not cheap! In
> my opinion it is less expensive in the long run to get hard wired sensors.
> Then you don't need to replace batteries every year.
>
> If I were you, I would find out what is the best equipment to buy and buy
> it on the internet. Then if you decide to go with a wired system, find a
> small local company to run the wires for you and connect them. But don't
> sign any monitoring contracts with that company. Learn how to set that
> part up yourself and choose your own company. Then you could switch it as
> you choose.
>
> There is an "art" to running wires in an existing home. These wires and
> window/door sensors can be totally concealed. Need an experienced
> installer for that.
>
>