Re: reasonable monthly rate

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 13, 2:29=A0pm, "Bill" <billnomailnosp...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> > Actually a lot of things I buy lately are junk. Some things don't work
> new out of the box. Some things stop working after just a few months
> or a year. Gone are the days of good quality products and companies
> which back up their products. Some electronic things you buy these
> days don't even have the name and address of the manufacturer on it!
> Not on box or in the poorly written limited instructions.

RHC: That's the way of the world. Electronics are made in assembly
lines, usually offshore, and standards may or may not be the same as
they were. Modern techniques also allow companies to provide products
at a fraction of the cost of older hardware. Alarm boards and
components generally speaking are much better today due to modern
design and manufacturing techniques used, and provided they don't die
within the first 200 hours of use ("infant mortality"), they'll
usually run forever.

Perhaps manufacturers don't back up their products like they used to;
however, that's where you as a service company can take up the slack.
People will gravitate to a company that backs up their work and
products far beyond what the manufacturer will stand by. Customers are
dealing with YOU, not a particular manufacturer. If it fails and you
have to pick up the cost, at least alarm equipment is relatively low
in cost today for you to do so. But the good PR you get in supporting
your customer,  beyond the limited manufacturers warranty, is well
worth over the longer term, the small costs entailed. Alarm equipment
is almost "throwaway" in cost today. The "value add" is for you to add
on.....too many people forget this is a service business !!

I have bucket loads of older panels I've taken out of service, all of
which work perfectly, but they have outlived their useful life. If
you're providing a level of professional service, you cant afford to
risk failure of the older hardware....you're guaranteed a PO'd
customer at some point in time !! I sell the older hardware to other
installers who still haven't seen the light.......
>
> And some older alarm panels are much better than new. Like the old
> Ademco relay panels. Not prone to damage from lightning or voltage
> surges nor false alarms.

RHC: A $30 Elk phone line protective device will fix that problem with
any modern panel, and at least you'll have the more modern feature set
on today's system to work with
>
 And as I say, if it works, don't fix it!

RHC: Generally speaking, that can be a good idea, unless you are a
professional in the business of providing professional protection for
people. I'm sure not going to leave a fully working DSC1000 in service
for a customer when I know what can happen when the battery goes dead
(just one example), rather than change it out for a newer one....