Re: Brinks & Broadview Takeovers

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

See replies interspersed below.....

RHC: I have to admit, I am becoming very disillusioned with the
security
> > industry. With far too many companies, ethics seem to take a distant
> > back seat to making money at any cost. There are a few industry
> > "standard" self serving practices that simply are not in the best
> > interests of consumers....unnecessary and very restrictive long term
> > contracts being one..... and this business of locking boards being
> > another. Frankly, there are very few if any legitimate uses for the
> > lockout feature that many if not most manufacturers put in their
> > boards (Ademco being the exception, at the keypad programming level
> > anyway....). I truly believe these companies should be taken to task
> > for implementing a feature at the request of large companies that only
> > works against all other companies, and more often unfortunately, which
> > ends up working against the innocent end user.
>
> Maybe if you had a lot more accounts and caught other companies
> stealing your accounts you'd understand why that lockout feature is
> there.
>
RHC:  And it's something that they continue to deliberately do as if
there
> > is a legitimate reason for if . For example, DSC recently implemented
> > changes that make it impossible with our current methodology to unlock
> > their 1616 and 1832 =A0boards. An inside source has told me they did
> > this to ensure that every locked board would result in the sale of a
> > new board, and we would no longer be able to cut into this sales
> > stream. It never enters their mind of course that what they are doing
> > is WRONG; its all about a source of lost revenue to them, and to hell
> > with the ethics of it !! To me, it's a lot like the tobacco
> > manufacturers passing all the blame on to the smoking consumer and
> > washing their hands of any responsibility......
>
ML:  If I recall they did warn people about smoking, you can't outlaw
> stupidity

RHC: No, you sure can't. Up here, the government has mandated that
tobacco products carry graphic warnings about the dangers of smoking,
but people still do it in spite of overwhelming proof of the dangers
of smoking. But my point is, society is changing, and tobacco
companies are increasingly being held responsible for the bad results
of their products, and this is not likely to change. At some point,
all manufacturers have to take some responsibility for the products
they produce. To them it's likely more about the monies they have to
pay out, but the end result is they will still take additional
measures to limit their liability. It ends up at the same place....
>
RHC: Well, let me tell them if they are reading this, I will turn the
earth
> > upside down to figure out how to crack their boards, to help ensure no
> > one else can be screwed by this feature !!!!!!!!!!!
>
ML: 1. You seem to blame the manufacturer for something a dealer is
guilty
> of
>
> 2. You haven't figured out how to get around the lockout on those
> boards yet?

RHC: Nope, but we're working on it...as Jim Rojas said, it's just a
matter of time and procedures.  I blame the manufacturers for putting
in a feature that serves only to provide the big dealers a means of
protection for panels which they put out in the field. With the price
of a new board being around $50 from just about any alarm
manufacturer, it doesn't serve even that purpose anymore, since it
seems most dealers will gladly cough up that minimal amount to gain
another long term contractual monitored account. However, it does
leave the homeowner who moves into a new house highly exposed if he
wants to "self monitor" or simply use the panel in "local" mode. No
one will assist him in any fashion because there is no money in it for
them, so with a locked board, he has to go out and purchase a new
system at FAR more than $50. It's his property yet he has no control
over it....

I got a call some years ago from a Detective in the Denver, Colorado
police department. At the time he was looking into the fraudulent
aspects of companies locking boards that didn't belong to them. I
spent an hour with him on the phone....dunno if it ever went anywhere,
but he certainly agreed that he was hearing of major abuse of this
feature in his city.

As far as other companies stealing my accounts, that is a possibility
for everyone. I do know that long term contracts or locked boards are
not going to save my customers from pillaging by unscrupulous dealers.
Only the memory of good service and reasonable prices will do that. I
also know that this "loyalty" only runs skin deep sometimes, and some
customers will go elsewhere to save a buck a month. However, to date,
that has not happened. But locking my boards would only serve to leave
a bad taste in the departing customer's mouth. And you know the old
saying....happy customers will tell others, but one unhappy client
will tell millions of others !!!
>
RHC:  I still enjoy installing 2 to 3 systems a week with my son but
the
> > time is getting closer than ever to retire. Once you start focusing
> > too much on the problem areas, and forget that the silent majority of
> > alarm companies are honest and do their best for their clients, you've
> > lost your objectivity, and it's probably time to go......:))
>
ML: You have been saying that for 10 years

RHC: Yeah, one day I'll listen to myself and take my own advice....:))