Re: ADT purchased Reliance/Protectron in Canada

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Friday, May 16, 2014 2:01:30 PM UTC-4, Jim wrote:
> On Friday, May 16, 2014 8:08:31 AM UTC-4, tourman wrote:
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> > On Thursday, May 15, 2014 8:26:22 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
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> > > "tourman" <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message=20
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> > > news:50490f62-2858-4d6e-a634-6113b97bc04e@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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> > > > Recently ADT in the US has purchased Reliance/Protectron here in Ca=
nada=20
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> > > > for a princely sum reputed to be about $5.5 Billion. Protectron is =
a major=20
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> > > > player in the security market here in Canada with about 400,000 acc=
ounts=20
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> > > > on line with their six major stations spread across Canada. I mysel=
f am a=20
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> > > > third party dealer on their station with 1200 accounts monitored by=
 them.
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> > > >
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> > > > Over the last twenty years, my customers have been well served by t=
heir=20
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> > > > monitoring services, which have allowed me to set up my own custom=
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> > > > priorities with their operators.My past experiences with the normal=
,=20
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> > > > instantaneous "cookie cutter" ADT response to alarms, has shown tha=
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> > > > without such signals as "cancel codes" being programmed, this has r=
esulted=20
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> > > > in far too many false alarm dispatches (which in our jurisdiction c=
osts=20
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> > > > the client $140 a visit). Today, that kind of unfiltered  response =
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> > > > close to irresponsible ! That, and other service related reasons, i=
s why I=20
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> > > > took some 200 accounts off ADT's station initially and put them ove=
r on=20
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> > > > Protectron's station.
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> > > > Now the gigantic fish has swallowed the big fish in the ocean !!!!!
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> > > > My prediction is ADT will leave the operations side of Protectron a=
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> > > > for the short term until they are able to flush out their long term=
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> > > > At that time, they will as per their normal practice, "rape and pil=
lage"=20
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> > > > the personnel of Protectron for only the best people, and let go th=
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> > > > remainder of the Protectron staff. More important to me, they will =
also=20
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> > > > force Protectron to follow their established guidelines for respons=
e, as=20
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> > > > used in their existing stations, in order to implement a consistent=
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> > > > response pattern overall.
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> > > > This is an unhappy day for clients and for dealers on Protectron's=
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> > > > stations(IMO). The day they implement those kinds of response polic=
ies is=20
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> > > > the day I swing over all my accounts to an outside independant moni=
toring=20
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> > > > station
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> > > > ADT, you've been warned (not that you really give a damn about the =
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> > > > fry.....)
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> > > They won't do that until they have sent you your new contract, that i=
f you=20
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> > > don't sign they will quit handling your accounts.  I strongly suggest=
 you be=20
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> > > prepared to swing your accounts at a moments notice.  Never allow a b=
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> > > company like that into a position where they can blackmail you, becau=
se if=20
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> > > they can they will.
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> > Yes, ADT is a totally ruthless and unprincipled juggernaut when it come=
s to pricing, and also towards small dealers they see competing with them. =
 A while back, when I complained about some of their poor response to the f=
ew remaining accounts I had left on their station, their only response was =
to raise the rate from $3 an account to $8 an account. It was clearly becau=
se I expressed disapproval and nothing else.=20
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> > I can see no good coming out of this purchase when it comes to anyone c=
urrently dealing with Protectron. The quicker I get away from them the bett=
er !!
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> Uhhhhhh ....... why wait?=20
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> Are you under any obligation to them?

No, not really, but I am one of those few dealers who feel I just cannot ar=
bitrarily change monitoring suppliers without getting the consent of my cus=
tomers. This complicates the process somewhat. But we have all sorts of pla=
ns in the works (which I don't wish to discuss in a public forum)