Re: An ethical conundrum... Opinions welcome!

[Effenpig1 <dirtyspicevent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 29, 10:23=A0am, mleuck <m.le...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Nov 29, 3:11=A0am, Effenpig1 <dirtyspicev...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>
> > > > I've noticed a lot of high volume companies don't use timer tests
> > > > on residential systems, usually because they want to cut down on
> > > > service since they don't have anyone local.
>
> > > Yea right
>
> > Ummm, Yea right, WHAT????
>
> Ummm Yea right it's nonsense someone does not use timer tests to
> prevent service calls.

Nonsense, really?
That's funny

 My introduction to the alarm industry was when I subbed for a local
authorized dealer from one of these "high volume companies".  He was
too lazy to make his own sales so he worked off the leads they sent.
Most of these leads were overflow from the larger cities surrounding
us.  SO instead of installing in our own town he would drive an hour
or two to do these installs. The way the program was set up he
basically got a check for the three years monitoring once the
paperwork was complete. It was considered a "disaster" if he actually
had to drive back and service one of these accounts, because for most
contracts he could only charge a fixed charge of $25 or $35. The
panels we used came with the company "defaults", which included a
monthly timer test, which he always disabled. It didn't cost him a
dime to have the timer test, he knew it just increased the chance that
he might have to service the system. He would rather have a customer
think there system worked when it didn't than get a dreaded service
request fax and have to drive 2 hours for $25.

I recently took over 3 systems that had originally been installed by
ADP and then taken over by a company that does mainly takeovers. The
owner had switched to them about a year prior to this. He hadn't been
able to get them to come fix a broken contact, no surprise since they
were located over 3 hours away. When I reprogrammed the first panel I
quickly realized it wouldn't send signals. It turned out none of the
three locations would, because he had switched to digital cable phone
only a month or so after the takeover. This company was able to
collect for over a year on 3 non-working systems. If they had
programmed test signals the problem would have showed itself and they
would have had to service the systems or lose the accounts. I know the
central station they use, monthly test signals are free.

I'm sure that in many cases, maybe most cases, the lack of test
signals is directly related to trying to cut down on the amount of
signals at the CS, but in some cases it's simply a way to cut down on
service and hold onto accounts a little longer

So no, it's not nonsense