Re: False Alarm

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Oct 12, 2:59=A0am, Jim <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Oct 12, 1:49 am, Frank Olson
>
>
>
> <use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Nomen Niesco wrote:
> > > On Oct 11, 11:19 pm, tourman <robercampb...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >> On Oct 11, 10:26 pm, mleuck <m.le...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > >>> On Oct 11, 8:17 pm, Frank Olson
> > >>> <use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >>>> mleuck wrote:
> > >>>>> On Oct 10, 11:55 pm, Frank Olson
> > >>>>> <use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >>>>>> mleuck wrote:
> > >>>>>>> On Oct 9, 4:07 pm, Injun Ear <gonsleen...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >>>>>>>> Last night, I got a call from my monitoring service saying my =
hall
> > >>>>>>>> motion detector had tripped the alarm. We were at a church mee=
ting.
> > >>>>>>>> They said they were sending the cops. When we arrived home eve=
rything
> > >>>>>>>> was intact. No doors or windows breached.
> > >>>>>>>> So, what could have caused the Honeywell Aurora motion detecto=
r, that
> > >>>>>>>> was just installed 3 months ago, to go off? Could it be a loos=
e
> > >>>>>>>> connection or could it be a bug walking across the contacts? I
> > >>>>>>>> installed this system myself using most of the existing wiring=
 from my
> > >>>>>>>> old system. This is the first problem I have had with it.
> > >>>>>>> The most likely reason for it going off is that it's a Honeywel=
l
> > >>>>>>> Aurora motion
> > >>>>>> Don't they have the multiple pulse count selector?? 2 through in=
finity
> > >>>>>> (the latter setting would ensure they *never* went off). Whoops.=
.. I'm
> > >>>>>> confusint that with the AlarmFarce "pet proof" detector. Pulse c=
ount?
> > >>>>>> What's that? We'll just mount the sucker 3 and a half feet from =
the
> > >>>>>> floor and turn it upside down. Then we'll stick a sign out front=
 with a
> > >>>>>> big red line on it. "Notice: Burglars must be taller than this l=
ine to
> > >>>>>> break in. Caution, we will use threatening language if you do (i=
n both
> > >>>>>> official languages)."
> > >>>>> Did an AlarmForce rep beat you as a kid or something?
> > >>>> Joel's constantly "beating us up" on the radio. "We have the best
> > >>>> system", "if it's not an Alarmfarce system, you're wasting your mo=
ney",
> > >>>> "we haven't raised our rates in fifteen years", "the installation =
is
> > >>>> free, the equipment is free, the warranty is free, all you pay is =
a low
> > >>>> monthly monitoring fee". I've never even seen an Alarmfarce rep (d=
o
> > >>>> they really exist???), just taken out about a hundred of their cra=
ppy
> > >>>> systems.
> > >>> Sounds like sour grapes
> > >> RHC: No Mark, it's anything but ! Frank is being too kind but entire=
ly
> > >> accurate. Alarmforce is absolutely the worst option available. It ma=
ke
> > >> the "free system" look like a good deal ! It's a triumph of slick
> > >> marketing over common sense !!
>
> > >> Their "installers" have a target of 10 installations a day (and I kn=
ow
> > >> this from one of them who left because he couldn't stand it anymore)=
.
> > >> As a professional in this business, what does that tell you ?
>
> > >> Alarmforce is apparently planning on opening up 38 franchises in the
> > >> USA. Wait until this shit comes your way......
>
> > > I used to get pissed about companies like these. But now I look at it
> > > like this: They spend tons of money getting people who might otherwis=
e
> > > have not bought security systems to buy their crap. Now the people
> > > have become security conscious.Then they inevitably get pissed at the
> > > high prices and lack of service, at which point, small, reputable
> > > companies can scoop up their customers by the truckload.
>
> > No. Unfortunately they can't. Their systems are "proprietary",
> > although I'm sure Jim's got a couple of their programmers "hidden" in
> > the back of his garage. It's mostly unsupervised crap. Most of the
> > people that get "sucked in" to their hype aren't "security conscious" t=
o
> > begin with. Who in his right mind would believe you can "buy safety and
> > security" for nothing down, and "one low monthly fee"? And then...
> > when you actually look at what they put together as a system... One
> > PIR, one door contact, and a keypad... I'm sorry... I don't subscribe
> > to that kind of marketing and I wouldn't be caught *dead* selling a
> > "cookie-cutter" system. When we go into a home, it's with a view of
> > ensuring the customer can make an educated choice on the security and
> > life safety options available to him. I'm a great believer in a
> > professional security survey.
>
> > These Alarmfarce guys don't even "see" the customer's house until the
> > day of the supposed "install" and the guy that shows up is usually a
> > pimple faced kid with a big roll of 3-M's double sided tape whom they
> > simply thrown a uniform on and call an "installer".
>
> > I had a friend of mine call them when he moved into a new house that wa=
s
> > *PREWIRED* for a security system. He mentioned the fact that the house
> > was *PREWIRED* about seven times during the telephone call with the
> > AlarmFarce rep and (sight unseen) the agent never even considered
> > utilizing the wiring in the house as even an option. When Joel says (in
> > one of his radio ads) that "AlarmFarce is one of the most trusted names
> > in the security business", I have to make sure I'm not talking to a
> > client at the counter for fear they'll think I'm having some sort of
> > apoplectic seizure I'm laughing so hard. Their stuff is *CRAP* with a
> > capital "K".
>
> > There are even rumours that ol' Joel has a Brinks system at his house..=
.
> > :-)-
>
> From the sounds of it ....... if that is true, I'd have to guess that
> he probably thinks that a Blinks system would be a step up in quality.
> And that anything like a Honeywell or Napco would be "overkill"
> You know how it is ........... people know there are RollsRoyces out
> there, but who would ever need a car like that when a Mini Cooper will
> get you there just the same.

RHC: Personally, I don't think he has the mindset to even consider
this ! His goal is like a few others of his ilk, that see only the
propensity to sell substandard crap to an all too willing audience of
people, using slick marketing to appeal to those who want to believe
you can get something for nothing in life.  It's all about the money,
and the option to collect RMR without giving anything of real value
and cost in return.

We had a company like this in our area many years ago called NPS
(National Protection Services). They made a lot of money selling to
suckers with the same kind of wireless, unsupervised crap. They lasted
a couple of years; they sold thousands of systems; the owners sold the
company, and they got rich in the process I'm told. It makes no
difference to people like this whether they are selling "chop-o-matic"
gizmos, or "alarm systems".....

Alarmforce is just another in the list of borderline scammers who are
not really in our industry, so much as they simply see an opportunity
in our industry to get rich quick. A security company, they are
NOT....