Re: A "HUH" phone call

[nick markowitz <nmarkowitz@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 3, 7:45=A0am, "ABLE1" <royboynos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> "Crash Gordon" <webmas...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
> news:4a9f398d$0$89876$815e3792@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
>
>
> > So I get a VM last night after I left the office. The message was; we j=
ust
> > bought a house with your system in it and we want to know how to use it=
.
>
> > Great a new client in an old house...essentially a free new client.
>
> > So I call her back this morning; my son just bought a house with your
> > alarm system in it. OK, how can I help? How much is it? It isn't anythi=
ng,
> > you already own it because you bought it with the house. OH. How much i=
f I
> > want to use it? Nothing unless you want it monitored then it's 25 bucks=
 a
> > month, but you'll need a new battery and a service call to check the
> > system out. OH...how much is that...so I tell her the service call is f=
ree
> > if you're going to be monitored and the battery is 40 bucks. OH OK. But
> > you can just use it as it is without being monitored but you'll still n=
eed
> > a service call and battery (the one that's in there is 13 years old).
>
> > Next question;
> > Do we need that big box in the closet?
> > Yes, that is the alarm itself.
> > Oh...well can you take it out?
> > UH...sure...but that means you'll have NO alarm then, is that what you
> > want?
> > Yes I think so.
> > OK if that's what you want it's 85 bucks per hour and it'll take 2 hour=
s
> > to remove it and patch the holes.
> > You charge to remove the alarm?
> > UH...yes.
> > OK we'll call you back.
>
> > WTF ???? WTF ??? did I say WTF? After I got off the phone I felt like I
> > had had a magic mushroom for breakfast.
>
> > In retrospect I guess I could remove the box and leave the detection an=
d
> > keypads up...it'd be a maintenance, trouble, false alarm free system! :=
-)
>
> > --
> > **Crash Gordon**
>
> Similar thing happened to me.
>
> Just installed a system in a house 6 months before. =A0House ended up sol=
d.
> New owner calls and wants to know about the system. =A0I was close by and=
 had
> some time so I said I will stop over. =A0System is monitored so I need to=
 get
> new paperwork and all.
>
> Met the owner at the door. =A0Big guy is in the process of doing some
> renovation. =A0He ask how it works and I explain the monitoring issues an=
d the
> fee. =A0He says he does not want to pay that so just take it out. =A0I ex=
plain I
> just put in and there will be a fee to remove. =A0I explain that I need t=
o
> change the programming so it will not communicate and it will just take m=
e a
> couple of minutes. =A0While I am in the process at the keypad he starts
> screaming he wants the thing out and proceeds to the basement and starts
> ripping out the wires. =A0Hopefully he pulled some of the wrong wires in =
the
> process. =A0I finish at the keypad and exited stage left.
>
> Nuts!!!! =A0 Really nuts!!!!
>
> Les- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

The few residential I did when some one moves out and some one calls
for reactivation I tell them I no longer do residential work.
I refer them to one of my friends. Too many fucking ass holes in
residential that want everything free and already have a set price in
there mind what they think things cost because they went to home depot
or Lowe's or saw it on some TV show

and have no idea what it costs for overhead etc. plus having to
register with state etc. etc. I hate residential and give it to the
guys who like it and they give me the commercial,industrial stuff they
do not like. so it works out even in the end.
In my area you see many  different trade contractors who have a
separate residential service division just so it does not interfere
with there comm work with all the assholes filing lawsuits and
complaints over nothing.

Then there's a bigger problem do you know in this state if you get
hurt working in some ones home like i did there home owners insurance
only covers negligence and not accidents.
Very good friend home i was helping out the steps collapsed under me.
and i crushed my heal in 92 both of us were not worried he had
insurance . Wrong. insurance rep determined there was no negligence
because friend did not know steps where bad so it was an accident and
court agreed.Almost lost the buisness thank god i had disability
insurance., and was able to keep the fucking asshole competitors from
taking all my accounts after they told everyone i went out of buisness
just like with my cancer bout..
Were still good friends and I still do work at his store occasionally
and every time he sees me walking with the limp I have it hurts him
deeply knowing he went and got insurance and did everything right to
see me and him both screwed.