Re: dsc gs3055-i

[CH®IS <sh@xxxxx>]

"Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:c2c7be64-a17a-4ff7-8be1-8799d62d3589@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> The main things I didn't/don't like about them is:
>
> When being used with both land line and Cellular, there is no
> redundancy in sending signals.
> That is ...... as long as you have telepone service, the radio never
> sends a signal. There's no explanation in the manual about this fact
> and no one at DSC seems to think it's important enough to mention.
> And, there's no explanation in the manual on how to make it send both
> signals either. I had to literally "pull" it out of the phone techs on
> how to do it. The way the device comes out of the box if you didn't
> have a phone line problem for 5 years, the cellular would NEVER send a
> signal!!! This is BACKUP!!!!  THIS IS HIGHER SECURITY!!

Wouldn't this be the point of the timer test?  If you were just on a phone
line and never had an alarm for 5 years there wouldn't be a difference.

> The technicians are very unresponsive to detailed questions about how
> the product works. If you don't ask them the specific question and
> pressure them into answering, they just don't offer anything more that
> might help you gain more insight about the product.

This is some retarded customer service type, or the DSC "elite" tech
support?  I've always found DSC's tech support to be the best I've ever had
to deal with.

> Spent the better part of a day trying to install the unit so that it
> would send all the signals it could send and send both landline and
> cellular simultainiously.

Making it do something it's not designed to do might not be something they'd
know about.

> Most of the time was spent on the phone
> repeatedly waiting in queue for tech support to answer the NEXT
> question that they could have informed me about on the last call, but
> didn't because I didn't ask it.

There are some customers who, after being in their home/business/whatever
for 5 minutes, I already know I'm not going to show them how to use the stay
and away keys, bypassing, adding codes, etc.  Some people just aren't
equipped with the ability to take that much in at once.  "# and your code to
arm or disarm" ... ... ... ... ... "So... I enter my code... then hold Away?
And then when I come home I just push Stay right?  So I can arm without my
code, how come I need my code to disarm then?"

> Eventually, I pulled the unit out because it was among the batch of
> the original units that they discovered were "going to sleep". ( that
> is, sending cellular supervisory signals but not alarm signals) Which
> is/was my VERY POINT about sending redundant signals!
>
> This problem has since, supposedly, been fixed but I woulldn't use one
> now if they were giving them away.

There seems to be a general rule for DSC's new products, which I'm sure I've
learned from this group... don't bother for the first year.  Let them work
out the bugs and get things fixed in the next version.

> DSC in my opinion is NOT a good company and I think they make the
> cheapest made products that I've ever experienced. Their panels are
> "tinny". Plastic is cheap, soft and frail. Component boards are lowest
> quality. Their tech support staff is the most unresponsive and un-
> helpful group I've ever experienced also. They don't offer anything
> beyond the exact question you ask them. It's speculation on my part
> but it seems to me that they're so used to talking to people who know
> so little about what they're doing, that the technicians are afraid
> they'll have to explain too much if they offer anything more. And it
> would be nice if they at least would sound friendly instead of a
> monotone, yes, no. And stop saying "it SHOULD work" Either it will or
> it wont!!!!!. If you don't frakin know ...... GO ASK SOMEBODY!!!

If you want a poorly made, cheap feel... stick with GE's stuff.  Their
motions especially are horrible... and the Allegro panel backplates almost
require you use a washer with the screw to make sure the screws won't pop
out the back when you touch the panel.

> They don't even say hello or goodby ...... Ya get a tech on the phone
> and say "HI, this is Joe from XYZ Alarms and you get dead silence. No
> "hello". No, " how can I help you" ..... just ..... "what are you
> working on?"

Unless you're going to be calling back and want to talk to the same person
again, do you really care what their name is?  The ability to talk to
someone with the fewest possible words and still come to a solution is nice
for a change.  For example, when I'm working on that "1832 with a 3055 I and
no phone line", they know exactly what I'm talking about.  I don't have to
say that I'm working on an "DSC 1832 alarm system with a DSC GS 3055 I cell
communicator to send signals without a phone line and using the communicator
as the only method of communication... yes... an 1832... 18... no not the
832... the 1832... and ya... cell communicator... cell... as in cellular...
30... 55... yes that one.........................."

> Hmmm. Maybe if I have a few moments today, I'll call them up and when
> they ask "what are you working on today" ......  I'll say ..........
> Nothing of yours!  ;-)

Ademco's number can surely be found on their site.  Spend a couple hours
programming a basic vista panel on compass?  I think not.