A "HUH" phone call

["Crash Gordon" <webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

So I get a VM last night after I left the office. The message was; we just
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 anything, you
already own it because you bought it with the house. OH. How much if 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 free 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 need 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 hours 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 and
keypads up...it'd be a maintenance, trouble, false alarm free system! :-)






--
**Crash Gordon**