Re: An ethical conundrum... Opinions welcome!

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Nov 29, 1:26=EF=BF=BDam, Frank Olson
<use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> First, I'm not worried about not being paid. =EF=BF=BDThere's a generous
> progress payment schedule that's being very strictly monitored by both
> the client's bank and his new partner. =EF=BF=BDHe's not going to get to =
play
> any games with us.

Ok .... that's a good thing.
>
> It's not a matter of my feeling they need a new system. =EF=BF=BDThey're =
under
> order to install it.

Alright! ..... that's great.

>=EF=BF=BDAs for the old alarm company, they're welcome to
> come and collect their junk anytime they want. =EF=BF=BDI lost all sympat=
hy with
> them when I discovered they even stooped to offering this kind of
> "non-service". =EF=BF=BDAs far as I'm concerned this amounted to nothing =
more
> than a "money-grab". =EF=BF=BDThe owner may just as well have burned the =
$22.00
> a month for all the good it did him.-

That may all be true but, If the owner has a contract with the old
alarm company, what's stopping them from accelerating the contract to
obtain the balance due? Whether they were right or wrong, they can
still attempt to enforce the contract and the owner will have to
afford the defense fees, if to obtain only the fact that they were
negligent (and probably not grossly negligent). Rather than do that,
( again, regardless of who is right or wrong) At that point the owner
can just tell you to forget the monitoring and they'll just continue
the monitoring contract with the old alarm company or ..... worse, the
owner signs your contract, for what ever  your term is and then he
finds out the old alarm company wont let him out of their contract.
Now he's obligated to two contracts both of which are enforceable.
What do you do? Back down or take him to court if he decides to go
with the other alarm companys monitoring?  Either way you lose.

Maybe this is something you should bring out into the negotiations
now, just so there's no surprise. If you're going to potentially miss
out on the monitoring, you may want to rethink your installation
costs. ( However, admittedly,  I don't know how your price your jobs)