Re: Esprit 728 keypads

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Feb 24, 9:13=EF=BF=BDam, tourman <robercampb...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> RHC: I actually wrote the president of Paradox about this issue of non
> compatibility. Needless to say, I didn't even get the courtesy of a
> reply.
>
> In speaking with others within the company, the whole idea of backward
> compatibility was "poo pooed" as a non issue, and not even practical
> if they plan to be innovative in their development of new products for
> the market.This is classic big company "bullshit" thinking -sell like
> hell and forget support.!!!! =EF=BF=BDWho the hell do they think thieir
> customers are??? Piss dealers off and they doom themselves in the long
> run
>
> One thing I have noticed in this industry, most alarm people are quite
> "reactionary" and somewhat unforgiving of companies that mess with
> their business. All it takes is one bad experience with a comany's
> products and =EF=BF=BDthey remember forever - even after the original pro=
blem
> has been resolved.
>
> Frankly, if they didn't make such good products, I would consider
> going back to DSC for my installations. As it is, I do more DSC
> installs now than I had ever planned to do......
>
> Paradox, I hope you're listening (but then you have to care as
> well.....)-

I'm sure that everyone is aware that this is not a new "problem" that
every manufacturer has to deal with.

There's a point that every manufacturer has to decide upon where they
break the line. They can't keep making product backward compatable
forever. It becomes increasingly more expensive to design in backward
compatability as time moves on. It doesn't make sense to make a new
product more expensive for that diminishing quantity of product in the
field and the fewer and fewer installers that want to support them.
There seems to be something in some installers book of rules that says
that a manufacturer has an obligation to produce a  product that has
an eternal life expectancy and period of support. In reality they
don't. And it's actually a marketing decision as well as bottom line.
Their dilemma is ..... How many installers are we going to lose or
piss off or please by the increased cost of new design that includes
backward compatability .... versus the number of installers we're
going tolose or piss off by cutting off backward compatability?  Also
in consideration of pricing new product and adding features to meet
compitition, do we eliminate new inovations in new products in favor
of providing backward compatability?

Every manufacturer will draw a different line.

As for me, I think about 10 years back is good enough. To off-set
that, I keep a few of each of old equipment that I've pulled out, that
I think I might be able to use in the future. I keep programing chips
and used keypads mostly and some panels.  And, if it so happens that I
don't have the item that's needed,  then the client will just have to
bite the bullet and get something new. Could I lose an account over
it? Yeah, sometimes. But if it's a real hardship case, there are
panels out now that are inexpensive enough that will take the place of
some of this old equipment very easily. In most of these instances, if
I don't have the necessary part, I''ll just switch out the equipment
for cost, just to help out. These are usually retired folks or widowed
singles that are on limited income.

To me, this is not a big issue but I can appriciate that it could be
for larger companys.