Re: Need to cut through the BS on Alarm monitoring costs

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Feb 2, 9:56=A0am, Robert Macy <robert.a.m...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Feb 1, 5:58=A0pm, tourman <robercampb...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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> > On Feb 1, 5:34=A0pm, blueman <NOS...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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> > > I am looking for honest, unbiased, unemotional answers to this
> > > question. (I know it's Usenet, but one can always hope...)
>
> > > I currently have a fire & burglary monitoring policy with the local
> > > dominant alarm company. I own the equipment and I am responsible for
> > > service charges to fix the equipment.
>
> > > They charge me $36/month for straight Internet monitoring.
>
> > > National online monitoring companies offer seemingly the same service
> > > for $8.95/month. Or 1/4 the cost.
>
> > > My high-priced local company claims:
> > > - They are big (20,000 customers) - but the national competitor claim=
s
> > > =A0 40,000 customers
>
> > > - Their service center is "local" -- but it's really halfway across t=
he
> > > =A0 state so does that really mean anything in the day of the Interne=
t
>
> > > - They are a "security company" vs. competitors being "monitoring"
> > > =A0 companies. Though not sure what that means or why I care
>
> > > - They have a 5-star UL-listed center - but the national competitor
> > > =A0 claims to be UL-listed and it's not clear what 5-stars means and =
who
> > > =A0 even grants such certification. Sounds like marketing hype.
>
> > > - They have 30-second average response time -- but competitor claims =
the
> > > =A0 same
>
> > > - They say they have a better BBB track record than big national
> > > =A0 competitors - but the competitor claims an A+ BBB rating which ca=
n't
> > > =A0 be too bad
>
> > > The bottom line is that I can't see one compelling reason to pay 4 ti=
mes
> > > the competitor rate for what seems to be a commodity service.
>
> > > - I live in a very safe, low crime neighborhood.
>
> > > - I primarily pay for the monitoring to get the insurance break.
>
> > > - I don't stay up nights worrying about fires or burglaries and in an=
y
> > > =A0 case I still have the in-house alarm to warn me of a fire and sca=
re
> > > =A0 off amateur burgalers.
>
> > > - I am technically adept and have no problem servicing and programmin=
g
> > > =A0 my system
>
> > > Seems like worst case perhaps the response time will be a few seconds
> > > longer in some rare cases or maybe there is a small chance they will
> > > make a mistake -- but the point is that there are so many other failu=
re
> > > points in a security system and we are talking about rare events (fir=
e,
> > > burglary) anyway.
>
> > > So, why pay 4 times as much????
>
> > RHC; Sir, you pose a valid and excellent question. Bottom line, no
> > matter what anyone says, monitoring is pretty much the same wherever
> > you get it, regardless of price. Provided you are capable and willing
> > to look after your system yourself, there is no reason NOT to use the
> > most reasonable monitoring station around. Especially so if all you
> > need is the insurance certificate for home insurance reduction.
> > However, in fairness, I have rarely ever found any end user competent
> > enough to really understand the total functionality of his alarm
> > system, so think that one through carefully.
>
> > As a professional dealer for 20 some years, I see the market laid out
> > in different pricing segments as I will outline below. Firstly, know
> > that basic professional monitoring is available to dealers everywhere
> > from $1 to $3 monthly per account. All monies collected above pays for
> > profit and the legitimate costs of running the dealers business, or
> > goes into the high cost of running a large national organization.
>
> > Price category 1 - Monitoring sold directly to end users for $10 or
> > less by the monitoring station with no dealer interface. This is the
> > domain of the "cream skimmers" who provide only monitoring services
> > but no direct service or warranty service, or sub it out to expensive
> > subcontractors in various cities.
>
> > Price category 2 - Monitoring sold through dealers from $10 to $20 who
> > throw in (usually) a measure of service and warranty, with or without
> > a long term contract. This is usually the domain of small independent
> > alarm companies (who are not usually well advertised in a given area,
> > but hold about 85% of the North American market share).
>
> > Price category 3 - Monitoring sold through medium to larger alarm
> > companies from $20 to $30 monthly, usually with a measure of service
> > and warranty (often at additional monthly price), usually with a long
> > term contract, often with reduced pricing up front..ie: :"free
> > system", and often with national coverage
>
> > Price category 4 - Monitoring sold through the largest companies (such
> > as ADT, Brinks etc), always with highly restrictive contracts from $30
> > to $40 monthly, and generally very expensive and sometimes with long
> > service times.
>
> > Where an "end user" customer buys his monitoring services is largely a
> > measure of how receptive he is to large advertising campaigns and the
> > hype that goes with them (big national companies spend large amounts
> > to garner exposure, knowing most consumers don't shop around very
> > much). No matter how much larger companies and larger monitoring
> > stations insist they offer "better response" times, there is much more
> > to it than merely having a multitude of stations around, or even
> > having them interconnected as does the largest company. Monitoring
> > here in Canada is strictly ULC qualified, and all companies large and
> > small must meet stringent standards to keep their insurance listing. I
> > suspect it is the same in the US. It matters little whether you are a
> > small independant monitoring station or a large national....by and
> > large you as an end user can normally expect excellent service under
> > most conditions of traffic volume. Nor does it matter whether the
> > station is "local" to you or long distance - it's simply a phone call
> > at its most basic level.
>
> > It is up to YOU, the knowledgeable consumer to make sure that whoever
> > monitors your system, for whatever price, also follows these
> > guidelines as a minimum:
>
> > 1- Your panel must be programmed with an auto test signal to ensure
> > it's continued functionality.
> > 2- It is strongly recommended you have them activate in your panel (or
> > in your case do it yourself), "cancel codes" to assist in preventing
> > false dispatches
> > 3- Get a guarantee the station will call your complete calling list
> > before dispatching authorities at the end (larger companies only call
> > one, or at most two numbers before dispatching)
>
> > I have found the truly best monitoring comes from some of the larger
> > independant monitoring stations, but these are usually only provided
> > to the end user through a legitimate dealer on their station.
> > Remember, there is a lot of bullsh*t out there permeated by large and
> > small dealers alike, and it can be pretty hard to know what's real and
> > what's not. It is definately a "buyer beware" market at all levels,
> > but more so for the uninformed consumer.
>
> > Like everywhere, in every market, for every service, it's up to the
> > consumer to shop around !! If you wish to read further, my site may
> > assist....www.homemetal.com.
>
> > Good luck !!
>
> Didn't see a way to give you feedback on your website...
>
> the page you referenced says, "Click above to learn how to PROPERLY
> secure your home or business from the detailed article which is part
> of this website."
>
> Uh, ...are your articles REALLY that dangerous? ;)

RHC: Only to incompetent alarm companies....:))