Alarm Company
Alarm Company questions and answers
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Q: Can an alarm company use a previously installed home alarm system?
I have a previously installed Brinks home security system in my home (though I do not currently use any service). My fiance is moving in and she has a contract with a local alarm company. The local alarm company is telling me they may charge extra when we convert her service to my house because they are not sure they can use the equipment that's already installed in my house.
Is this legitimate or are they just trying to make some extra money?
A: As long as the current alarm system can call their call center and identify the problem (ex. which window was opened) you are OK. However, it is possible that the s/w in their call center may not be combatible with your alarm system).
Two options: Since you will pay them monthly, they might as well install their system for free
Let your fiance cancel with them and call Brinks.
Q: How can I break a lease with an unreliable alarm company?
I have a lease with an alarm company for 2 years. There is a high rate of false alarms and the local police sent me a notice saying that I will be fined for each false alarm. The alarm is not hooked up to the police station, but when it rings, good citizens and neighbors call the police and a patrol car comes out. The alarm company told me that they cannot guarantee that there won't be false alarms and they are not responsible for false alarms. I am in Washington STATE, but anyone is welcome to answer and all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
I do not have any pets.
A: What is causing these false alarms? Do you have pets and motion sensors? All alarm companies do this. If your alarm goes off, it is their responsibility to take all action they can to prevent any damage to you or your home.
Unfortunately they cannot tell if it is a false alarm or not. They will usually call the house or the contact person before sending the police, but if they can't get ahold of anyone, they will send the police.
Advice: Find out what is causing the false alarms, and fix it.
You won't be able to find an alarm company that won't fine you for excessive false alarms.
I had the same problem with false alarms, and my company. Until i found that one of my cats kept opening our basement door which had a sensor on it, that was programmed to go off if the alarm was on, and the door was opened.
Good Luck.
Q: does it matter what home alarm company you choose?
I currently have brinks, but I was told that the company doesnt really matter. All calls apparently go to a centralized location used by several companies. If this is true, I plan on switching to a less expensive company. Do alarm companies use a central location for receing calls?
A: Actually Safe Touch Security has there own staff to answer calls or that's what they advertise.
Q: How and where can i pay the delinquent renewal fee for my alarm company employee license?
My alarm company employee license is expired and I need to know the price for the renewal fee, delinquent fee, and where to pay it.
A: It is paid to the State, and you might possibly have fees owed to the County and/or City Governments, as well.
Q: Security alarm company Sales Tax Question?
If a Florida security alarm company gives away an alarm as incentive to pay for monitoring do they have to pay sales tax on the alarm itself?
A: Yes, giving away something in this case is not an allowable tax deduction. The only way they would not have to pay for the tax is if the people that get the alarm system have a Tax exemption number. This would apply to things like a school.
Most of the time, the alarm equipment cost the alarm company less then $100.00 costs, which they make up in about a year on the monitoring kickbacks.
Q: Who is a good alarm monitoring company for commerical accounts in Minneapolis?
I am looking at bids for a commercial alarm/controlled entry system. If you know of someone and have had a good experience please let me know their company name and contact info.
A: I used to work for Honeywell security until I was transferred to their corporate offices and the company was then acquired by another firm out of New Jersey so I am no longer with the company.
But while I WAS working with the private and commercial alarm accounts, I can say that they were VERY good. If there was ever a snafu, it was usually the police responding to a call from us asking for them to investigate. (Like the bank who had the chief of police at the bank on a Sunday to check the alarms and waited and waited and waited for a squad to respond to the call.)
What I WILL say to you is make sure your contact list--the people that are to be called when an alarm trips--are ready, willing and able to respond too--like at 3am when that alarms goes off. Also give specific instructions (with ANY company that you choose) when an alarm goes off. For example: If an alarm goes off and it re-set, don't bother call list--unless there is no call in from the site/person tripping the alarm.
All I can do is give you the web site, but if you have questions, you can always e-mail me!
Q: What questions should I ask an alarm company before having an alarm installed?
I am getting 4 estimates for an alarm installation and wondered what questions I should ask. Thanks for any suggestions.
This is for a home alarm
A: Read these two sites, 20 minutes spent on these two threads will save you a lot of money and frustration...
Personally, I would purchase the parts online from ebay, then get an installer locally, finally get monitoring from nextalarm. This is not the easiest solution, but it is the most cost effective. Spend time reading the two threads to get an idea of what you are getting into and how to ask good questions.
Q: If a person refuses to pay for past alarm monitoring services can the alarm company put a lien on the home?
A client refuses to pay 129.00 for monitoring services that we performed at his home. Can the company put a lien on th property instead of going to small claims court?
A: You can only lien for the cost of equipment not paid for, not for services. You would need to obtain a judgment for that, but do not count on it. Most judges will require you to put something like this in collections.
Q: What to name an alarm installation company?
What should I name my alarm installation company? We will be privately owned, local to north Alabama, and will provide alarm system installation, monitoring, network cable and fiber optic installation and termination, and other security systems.
A: Safe & Secure
Not Alone
Here to Help
Hey if your starting a Business involving installation of alarms, a website could really build a good foundation for you company and it will bring you more customers, if you are interested check my web designing website if you like what you see, email me
dream-site-design.viviti.com, my new and current email is in contacts of this site and even if your not interested email me so i can know and please rate it.
Q: What is the best home security system / burglar alarm company?
Considering quality and cost, for a single family home in the state of Washington?
A: A locally owned company with a good reputation. I would avoid the large companies that advertise on the television. I've been in the industry for almost 30 years now and I've seen the large corporate companies loose control of quality at the local level. If you are looking for a home alarm, ask around, especially in the higher-end neighborhoods and see who gets the word-of-mouth recommendation. Our company has no advertising and no sales dept. We live on our reputation by word-of-mouth. It pays to be good and consistent.
Also, call the local police for a recommendation. We get occasional recommendations that way.
Q: How do you turn off the beeping noises for bay alarm company?
Like everytime I open the door or window, it goes beep beep and I remember deactivating it once it's ** something i forgot does anyone know?
A: Call and ask someone in the tech department, I am sure that they would help you.
1-800-610-1000
Q: Can anyone recommend a reputable burglar alarm company in Liverpool?
I need a basic alarm system for my house.
Thanks
A: Reputable burglar alarm company in Liverpool ? Ha I think not!
Q: How is the "APX" alarm company?
I am getting offered free equipment with a 60 month contract...13 point system (already had 3 points set up with old system)
$99.00 activation and about 50 per month including taxes.
Any thoughts?
A: I'd rethink it and look at the whole picture:
Pros: 1) Free equipment
Cons: 1)$3100 for the monitoring.
2) Equipment that is used is the entry level system and may not last much longer than 5 years.
3) Customer service that has been despised by current customers. (see additional answers and rip off report).
4) Non-flexibility of contract. Pay it all, or go to collections. No other options.
5) Monitoring that is spotty at best. Many people have complained to not being monitored until alarm went off and no one called, then found out they needed another piece of equipment. Over priced monitoring.
6) Going rate is $40 at most. Can be had for $30 from local companies.
7) They use advertising/sponsorship as a ploy to sign people up for monitoring. Look in the paperwork, does it mention anything about keeping that sign out there? They use that idea to get into your house to sell you on the idea
8) The fact that they only go door-to-door says a lot about the assumed desirability of their product.
9) No local office after summer months, and during summer months it is run out of a temporary apartment. Remember, the people who respond to your alarm are the local police, paid for with your tax dollars. APX calls on your local police to respond to alarms and contributes nothing to help that out in terms of taxes unless you are located in Provo, UT.
10) If your community requires a permit, your monitoring does not cover that, and you will need to pay for that to even have the police respond. The monitoring is what keeps the company going, it is their cash flow. They make $4 million per month by having 100k+ advertising/sponsor homes.
Overall, looking at the larger picture, there is no way I would go with them. The main focus of this company is extracting the maximum amount of money possible out of their customers, not your protection and security. That is secondary. Honestly, get a few quotes from a few local companies. You'd be surprised at the price difference, customer service difference, and installation quality.
Q: What kind of licensing do I need to start an alarm company in Maryland.?
A: Check with Maryland State Police or with Office of Maryland State Comptroller to see what form(s) you may need to be an alarm installer and/or alarm company.
Q: Do you work for an alarm company? If so, I need your expertise...?
I'm a manager of a retail office. Let's say a burgalar is breaking into the building and sets off the alarm. Who does the alarm company call first? The police? Me (I'm first on the list)?
What is a typical script/protocall for this call?
Is it something like , "Good Evening Ms. Smith, this is Joe from ABC Security...."
A: The alarm company will call the office first.
If no one answers the phone, or if someone answers but does not know the password (that was listed on the contract) then they will call the police next.
Next, they will call the first person on the emergency contact list. They will call the 2nd person on the list only if they could not reach the first person on the list.
(Make sure you know the password in case the alarm is set off by mistake).
You are right about the ""script" that you wrote for the type of call you would receive.