We have all heard of them, those TV, radio and newspaper ads touting free of very cheap security alarm systems. Usually these “Complete security systems” system consist of nothing more than 2 stick on / fall off door window contacts and one cheaply made wireless Motion detector made in Mainland China by children. As far as security alarm systems go, this would be a perfect solution for a very small apartment or single room construction trailer. Also, with the system being wireless, it would be best if your home was lead lined and did not contain any forms of RF interference (Cordless phones, cell phones, wireless transmitters, or electricity). Yes, common household electrical wiring can also cause problems on most any wireless security systems.
On the other hand, let’s say the “free” alarm system you just signed up for is hardwired; you still should approach this “deal” with caution. After all, rarely anything worth getting in life is really free. Properly installing a hardwired security alarm system requires skill, the best installers often have years of installation training and experience.
In conclusion, anyone considering purchasing a security system should do some research on the installation company prior to signing their contract. A poorly installed security system can result in false alarms or worse, an ineffective system with dangerous holes for potential criminals to take advantage of.
Having done some reaseach on customer complaints, false alarm statistics and over-all truth in advertising, companies with poor reputations to be weary of include, Alarmforce, ADT (Authorized Dealers & Corporate), Brinks, Protection One, Voxcom etcetera......
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Discount alarm monitoring services - So what's the big dif?
As with any other volume based scam, the commercials seem to be everywhere. Deals from $ 9.99, $ 14.99, $ 19.99 and pretty much everything in between.
So with all the different prices out there, what is the difference and what is the best way to go when it comes to monitoring your home or business security alarm system.
The first thing you should know is the industry standard rate for monitoring is right around $25.00 per month. Some companies may charge you a few dollars more of you are leasing the equipment. Some will charge you a little extra for a service contract. The thing is this $25 is pretty much what the service is worth. If you see a price for anything less than that you should be suspicious as to why the price is lower.
One needs only to call a credit card company or computer technical support to realize many companies outsource their call center work to foreign countries (Often India.) In theory, this should not be too big of a problem; in fact I have received some fairly good technical support from India. Personally, when dealing with the dispatch of police to my home during a break-in, I do not want my safety to be the victim of a breakdown in communication.
Further to that, foreign alarm monitoring stations are not subject to the same laws as domestic. In other words, your personal and private information may be exposed to the less reputable in society. Be careful who you give your banking information to. One need only look at what is happening with all those nigerian internet scams. For the most part, this sould not be a concern as there is usually some sort of local representation. The thing is to be careful and aware of the possibilities.
Even if the monitoring station is not in a foreign country, long distance carriers use a technology referred to as “Least cost routing” Basically, this means long distance calls are often routed through several switches, all with the sole purpose of saving money. With voice calls, this could result in a slight echo, or maybe a little bit of static or a change in voice frequency. These issues are not a big deal when it comes to voice. The problem arises with frequency based data transmissions such as alarm signals. A slight deviation in bandwidth could have serious side effects on the ability for the signal coming from your security alarm system to be understood.
So what does this mean in the real world? Failure to communicate is a security alarm term referring to the security alarm panel not being able to communicate an event to the alarm central monitoring station aka Monitoring Center. In other words, neither the police, fire department nor the ambulance will know about your alarm going off. Burglars will have their way in your home, your home could burn down, or worse, an elderly family member calling for help may pass.
On a lighter note, when choosing a security alarm monitoring station or security alarm Installation Company, one should also look at the service policy and labor rates. In the case of a discount monitoring center, there usually is NO service. This is not saying they will not come out, what I am simply stating is if they do have a service technician in your area, you will be charged beyond normal industry rates for any kind of service calls. This includes simple instructions, entry delay changes or even code changes. Some of these companies even have the balls to charge an activation or connection fee.
In conclusion, be careful who you choose to trust your home or business security to. Maybe you are on a tight budget and you cannot afford quality alarm monitoring services. In that case, maybe the cheap guys are for you. What ever you decide, do yourself a favor and look at all the details. Choosing the cheapest monthly rate may result in you paying more in the long run.
So with all the different prices out there, what is the difference and what is the best way to go when it comes to monitoring your home or business security alarm system.
The first thing you should know is the industry standard rate for monitoring is right around $25.00 per month. Some companies may charge you a few dollars more of you are leasing the equipment. Some will charge you a little extra for a service contract. The thing is this $25 is pretty much what the service is worth. If you see a price for anything less than that you should be suspicious as to why the price is lower.
One needs only to call a credit card company or computer technical support to realize many companies outsource their call center work to foreign countries (Often India.) In theory, this should not be too big of a problem; in fact I have received some fairly good technical support from India. Personally, when dealing with the dispatch of police to my home during a break-in, I do not want my safety to be the victim of a breakdown in communication.
Further to that, foreign alarm monitoring stations are not subject to the same laws as domestic. In other words, your personal and private information may be exposed to the less reputable in society. Be careful who you give your banking information to. One need only look at what is happening with all those nigerian internet scams. For the most part, this sould not be a concern as there is usually some sort of local representation. The thing is to be careful and aware of the possibilities.
Even if the monitoring station is not in a foreign country, long distance carriers use a technology referred to as “Least cost routing” Basically, this means long distance calls are often routed through several switches, all with the sole purpose of saving money. With voice calls, this could result in a slight echo, or maybe a little bit of static or a change in voice frequency. These issues are not a big deal when it comes to voice. The problem arises with frequency based data transmissions such as alarm signals. A slight deviation in bandwidth could have serious side effects on the ability for the signal coming from your security alarm system to be understood.
So what does this mean in the real world? Failure to communicate is a security alarm term referring to the security alarm panel not being able to communicate an event to the alarm central monitoring station aka Monitoring Center. In other words, neither the police, fire department nor the ambulance will know about your alarm going off. Burglars will have their way in your home, your home could burn down, or worse, an elderly family member calling for help may pass.
On a lighter note, when choosing a security alarm monitoring station or security alarm Installation Company, one should also look at the service policy and labor rates. In the case of a discount monitoring center, there usually is NO service. This is not saying they will not come out, what I am simply stating is if they do have a service technician in your area, you will be charged beyond normal industry rates for any kind of service calls. This includes simple instructions, entry delay changes or even code changes. Some of these companies even have the balls to charge an activation or connection fee.
In conclusion, be careful who you choose to trust your home or business security to. Maybe you are on a tight budget and you cannot afford quality alarm monitoring services. In that case, maybe the cheap guys are for you. What ever you decide, do yourself a favor and look at all the details. Choosing the cheapest monthly rate may result in you paying more in the long run.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Alarm Force Employees Speak Out
It is very cheaply made and can be bypassed very easily. As a customer service representative I deal with more complaints about door sensors falling off, motion detectors going off for no valid reason and the system not arming. 90% of the product sold to customers is refurbished and sent out as new. It's very tiresome to hear irate customers calling in and not be able to talk to someone in the technical support staff. Why? Because at any given time there maybe 3 or 4 people dealing with all of Canada's and the US's problems. So as a customer service rep, we generate a service ticket and tell the customers someone from service will call you back. People call back sometimes up to 2 weeks later saying that no-one from service called them back therefore having customer service deal with many irrate customers demanding service now. People are paying for a functional alarm not for a piece of trash that keeps breaking down. People then try to get out of their contracts because of constant problems only to find out that "Oh well that's to bad your locked into a contract." People beware the company does not like law suits or people going to the Better Business Beaureu. So rather then getting upset with the Alarm Force Rep. Don't just threaten to go the the BBB follow up with it and they will let you out of your contact. They don't want to ruin there reputation with BBB.
As for the Central Station, again there are only 4 to 5 people covering active alarms. So when you think it's a good idea to get Two-way, it's not. It may take up to 10 minutes before you get a response on the two-way from someone in central station. In the meantime you could be dead or your contents stolen from your home thus defeating the purpose of a two-way system. I strongly recommend you consider another company. As a employee insider they are very un-organized and they scam people when signing work orders to get them to commit for another 4 years without even advising them. They have no compassion for people who become disabled, the elderly, people who have lost there jobs or even people who run into hard times. They protend to give you the best for your money but in the end you are a number, not a customer. Just to inform you that they are losing at least 100 to 150 customers a day because people are becoming wiser that this company is a joke. THINKING ALARM FORCE THINK AGAIN
As for the Central Station, again there are only 4 to 5 people covering active alarms. So when you think it's a good idea to get Two-way, it's not. It may take up to 10 minutes before you get a response on the two-way from someone in central station. In the meantime you could be dead or your contents stolen from your home thus defeating the purpose of a two-way system. I strongly recommend you consider another company. As a employee insider they are very un-organized and they scam people when signing work orders to get them to commit for another 4 years without even advising them. They have no compassion for people who become disabled, the elderly, people who have lost there jobs or even people who run into hard times. They protend to give you the best for your money but in the end you are a number, not a customer. Just to inform you that they are losing at least 100 to 150 customers a day because people are becoming wiser that this company is a joke. THINKING ALARM FORCE THINK AGAIN
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