Re: Sometimes It Just Doesn't Pay To Be Conscientious

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 28, 1:30=A0am, "Bob La Londe" <nos...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Had a call a few weeks ago. =A0Another company was trying to monitor a pa=
nel I
> installed five years ago. =A0A P9600. =A0They claimed it could not be mon=
itored
> without my coming out to unlock the panel. =A0Anybody see any glaring pro=
blems
> right off the bat with that? =A0Yeah, me too. =A0No I didn't remove it. =
=A0I leave
> those in place, especially on unmonitored panels.
>
> Of course the tech disconnected the phone line while he was waiting to wa=
ste
> my time. =A0But it shouldn't be needed anyway for me.
>
> After pulling their original client file I sent a letter to the client
> explaining that for any installer familiar with Napco panels from a
> competent legitimate company they should have everything they need to
> program and monitor the system without any help or further information fr=
om
> me. =A0I got a call today basically calling me a liar. =A0I went out to t=
he
> site, and yep its still there and it works to put it in program mode just
> like I said.
>
> The customer still said I was full of shit, and the only reason I was abl=
e
> to put it in program was because I installed it.
>
> Sigh!
>
> Of course that same customer tried to get out of paying for a battery a
> couple months ago by saying I had replaced the battery a few months earli=
er.
> I tried to pass over that then by saying I would check the my records and
> see if they had been charged for one in the last year. =A0If they hadn't =
I
> would send them a bill. =A0They got insistently belligerent at that point=
.
>
> Sigh!
>
> Some people just aren't intelligent enough to own an alarm panel.
>
> I hope they are happy with their new under qualified and/or incompetent
> alarm company. =A0I sure don't want them calling me back.

RHC: You were far too kind to them Bob. I have gotten a few of these
calls from installation companies taking over my old systems for
clients moving into their new homes. I have had installers call me
insisting I unlock the board for them, when they are NEVER locked.
It's just that the installer is too incompetent to even know how to
default the board, or too lazy to do so. I tell them all the same
thing - that if they don't understand the system well enough to know
how to do a simple default it, they have no business taking on the
customers panel - period ! That's as far I will go !!

On several occasions, I have even had contact with the new owners, and
asked as politely as I can, why they didn't simply give me a call (all
pricing is posted on the can). In both cases, they were forced to
either buy out their previous contract or allow their old company to
hook them up under a new contract (while contractually legal, that's
pretty close to extortion.....).

As you experienced, a lot of customers are poisoned by the new company
coming in, and will then call and expect you to do all sorts of things
that you have no obligation to do. At this point, anything you say is
suspect at best, and an outright lie at worst.

Sometimes, it's simply a "lose, lose" situation no matter what you
do....