I can’t really say I blame them, in a business model; alarm monitoring is very much like cell phone service. There is however one major difference, a faulty cell phone merely needs to be brought into the local sales office for replacement. When it comes to a security system, a higher level of service is required… after all you are dealing with the safety of your home and family.
The phone companies will argue, the system is wireless and a failing device can easily be pulled from the wall and brought in for replacement… just like a cell phone? Seriously now, is that really effective home security?
It is all about the contract - This is by no means a new venture, cable companies and local phone companies have all ventured into the home security realm. Tempted by fast profits and re-occurring revenues, how can one argue. The thing is, pretty much every one of the previous companies has sold all their accounts to a third party, usually a foreign Based Company with cheap out of country monitoring. To a company less concerned with maintaining a loyal and happy client base, a monitoring account is worth anywhere from $ 600 to $ 900 on the open market. These large monitoring stations are often located out of the country where local regulations are less strict when it comes to the employee’s they hire. I am by no means saying all monitoring stations operate in this manner; in fact there are plenty of local monitoring stations within the Vancouver area who are highly regulated by the Attorney Generals Department of British Columbia.
So before you let yourself be tempted by the Beaver and their cute marketing techniques, think about how you want to be treated… as a commodity… or a person? Remember, although cute on the outside, beavers have sharp teeth. Has anyone ever truly been happy with the level of service from their cell phone company?
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Gee, Joel sounds like a nice guy – Home Security the Alarmforce way
If you live in Canada and you are looking at purchasing a home security system, I am sure you have heard the AlarmForce commercials. After all, who outside someone living in a cave hasn’t heard the irritating little jingle consisting of nothing more than a phone number?
I will be the first to admit the obvious lure of the soft spoken voice, the false empathy and of course the price…. Who can beat FREE!!!! Don’t let yourself be fooled, when it comes to home security, nothing worth getting will ever be free. This especially holds true for wireless security systems.
Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and manufacture. Mr. Matlin of AlarmForce may tell you his system is superior to hardwired and is the latest and greatest technology available. The reason he can say this with such confidence is he knows he is not marketing to people within the security alarm industry. He is taking full advantage of the naivety of the security alarm consumer and those who do not research a company fully before they purchase a home security alarm system.
Here are some simple facts about Mr. Matlins’ AlarmForce neighbourhood.
1 - The Wireless technology used is similar to that of early model garage door openers. Remember the ones with the little switches inside you could move around and open your neighbours’ garage door?
2- Aside from being bulky and ugly, sensors are put up on your wall with Velcro tape.
The “thundering” 2-way voice comes from a small transistor radio style speaker mounted in the main control unit. This is also the location of the microphone, the dialer and everything which controls the security system.
3 - The main control unit is nothing more than a box about the shape of a loaf of bread. This box is typically set in a convenient place to access. Unfortunately this is also a convenience place for the potential burglar who could easily disable the alarm by stepping on it or putting it in the neighboring microwave oven. (It fits perfectly, I’ve tried.) In fact, many in the security alarm industry refer to this type of alarm as a “toilet alarm”, as it also fits nicely in the toilet bowl.
4 - Line seizure is a term in the industry referring to the ability of the alarm panel to take control of your phone line. This ensures picking up any phone in the house will not interfere with the transmission of the signal to the monitoring station. Since a counter mounted toilet alarm which plugs directly into a regular phone jack does not have line seizure, your home is further at risk.
5 - The monitoring contract. Oh ya, Joel Matlen of AlarmForce never mentioned the contract in his ad. Yes this is typically seven years. Seven years aside, the toilet alarm being sold here is not usable by any other alarm company, therefore you will never be able to cancel with Joel and switch to another company unless you switch out all your equipment. Therefore, Joel is really not giving you anything for free, his little box is a disposable technology, similar to a cell phone which will be out of date and non-functional in a couple of years.
I sincerely hope you found this information helpful. All the information contained within this article comes from industry experience and personal observation. I am by no means stating Joel Matlin or Alarmforce are lying to the consumer, I am simply pointing out some weaknesses in the system. Yes, I am in the industry but I will not mention my company name because that would make this nothing more than a marketing piece for my company. I do not wish to diminish the seriousness of this article just to boost my credibility in the industry at the cost of another. My sole purpose with this blog is to educate potential consumers on the predators of the security alarm industry. To be quite honest, my market is local and I have plenty of happy customers to keep me busy.
I will leave you with this one last though.
Hardwire security systems will ALWAYS be superior to wireless. Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and the failure rate is higher than that of hardwired security systems.
Good Luck in the installation of your home or business security alarm system.
I will be the first to admit the obvious lure of the soft spoken voice, the false empathy and of course the price…. Who can beat FREE!!!! Don’t let yourself be fooled, when it comes to home security, nothing worth getting will ever be free. This especially holds true for wireless security systems.
Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and manufacture. Mr. Matlin of AlarmForce may tell you his system is superior to hardwired and is the latest and greatest technology available. The reason he can say this with such confidence is he knows he is not marketing to people within the security alarm industry. He is taking full advantage of the naivety of the security alarm consumer and those who do not research a company fully before they purchase a home security alarm system.
Here are some simple facts about Mr. Matlins’ AlarmForce neighbourhood.
1 - The Wireless technology used is similar to that of early model garage door openers. Remember the ones with the little switches inside you could move around and open your neighbours’ garage door?
2- Aside from being bulky and ugly, sensors are put up on your wall with Velcro tape.
The “thundering” 2-way voice comes from a small transistor radio style speaker mounted in the main control unit. This is also the location of the microphone, the dialer and everything which controls the security system.
3 - The main control unit is nothing more than a box about the shape of a loaf of bread. This box is typically set in a convenient place to access. Unfortunately this is also a convenience place for the potential burglar who could easily disable the alarm by stepping on it or putting it in the neighboring microwave oven. (It fits perfectly, I’ve tried.) In fact, many in the security alarm industry refer to this type of alarm as a “toilet alarm”, as it also fits nicely in the toilet bowl.
4 - Line seizure is a term in the industry referring to the ability of the alarm panel to take control of your phone line. This ensures picking up any phone in the house will not interfere with the transmission of the signal to the monitoring station. Since a counter mounted toilet alarm which plugs directly into a regular phone jack does not have line seizure, your home is further at risk.
5 - The monitoring contract. Oh ya, Joel Matlen of AlarmForce never mentioned the contract in his ad. Yes this is typically seven years. Seven years aside, the toilet alarm being sold here is not usable by any other alarm company, therefore you will never be able to cancel with Joel and switch to another company unless you switch out all your equipment. Therefore, Joel is really not giving you anything for free, his little box is a disposable technology, similar to a cell phone which will be out of date and non-functional in a couple of years.
I sincerely hope you found this information helpful. All the information contained within this article comes from industry experience and personal observation. I am by no means stating Joel Matlin or Alarmforce are lying to the consumer, I am simply pointing out some weaknesses in the system. Yes, I am in the industry but I will not mention my company name because that would make this nothing more than a marketing piece for my company. I do not wish to diminish the seriousness of this article just to boost my credibility in the industry at the cost of another. My sole purpose with this blog is to educate potential consumers on the predators of the security alarm industry. To be quite honest, my market is local and I have plenty of happy customers to keep me busy.
I will leave you with this one last though.
Hardwire security systems will ALWAYS be superior to wireless. Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and the failure rate is higher than that of hardwired security systems.
Good Luck in the installation of your home or business security alarm system.
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