Adt Alarm Service

Can You Trust A Door To Door Alarm Salesman?

So maybe you've recently purchased an alarm from a door to door salesman, and you're wondering if you've done a bad thing. The short answer is no, most likely not. You've taken a step to making you, your family and your belongings safe. The equipment placed in your house should work and the alarm itself should as well. You most likely have not been robbed. That being said for those of you who have purchased, and for those who've never dealt with, or are currently dealing a door to door salesman, or "marketing rep", there's probably some things you want to know.

The purpose of this article will not be to abase, impugn, or destroy any part of the alarm industry, nor will it conversely be to try and convince you to buy an alarm. As a veteran of the industry I hope my insights can help people make an educated decision in the process, purchase, and sale of alarms. So, who are these people at my door?

If you've dealt with these alarm salesmen enough, chances are you've heard a variety of answers to that questions. They may say they are interns, G.E. reps, Honeywell reps, marketing department representatives from whatever monitoring company, and I've even heard of a rare few claiming to be company owners. The real answer is that they are a dealer. Just like a Toyota dealership says they are Toyota and are actually not, these people say they are G.E./ADT, or G.E/Security Networks, or Honeywell/Monitronics. G.E. or Honeywell will be the equipment they install, and ADT, Security Networks, Monitronics, SAI, or Vector are the monitoring company.

If this seems a little strange, it's probably best then that you understand how alarm companies work. Most every recognizable name in security is generally just an office in some random town. They rarely do anything themselves. Their installations, sales, and monitoring are generally all contracted out. Even when you see an advertisement in a phone book or on a website it doesn't mean that it's the company's actual number, it's generally for a dealer who has taken initiative to release that ad. So essentially an alarm company is a group that buys accounts. A dealer will sign a contract to sell alarms for that company and when they get an account (sell an alarm), they will either have their own technicians install it, or hire yet another third party to install it. Then they will sell that account to the alarm company they deal for. This company will then hire a company to monitor that account. So the company itself is generally just an investing entity. They pay dealers a sum of money upfront to receive more money in the end from your monitoring fees. This system is fairly universal in the alarm industry. Not every company works this way, but most do.

They said I was a "marketing family" or was getting the marketing/advertising deal, is this true?

Well, it's true in the sense that any deal given by any company can be said by that company to be a sale or a marketing/advertising deal. In truth no company ever loses money from these, and it's a shading of the truth no matter what the industry. They would be willing to make that deal at anytime to anyone. No company is putting itself in the red by putting merchandise and a contract of use in your hands.

So did I get a bad deal then ?

Most likely not, but that depends on a few things. These companies generally offer a pretty solid deal, and most people who say that they are comparative rip offs are failing to calculate in the reality of the cost structure. The only real way to get an alarm much cheaper is to install it yourself, and find your own monitoring.

As far as the deal you yourself received, it can be good or bad, depending on the sales rep. These reps are human like anyone else and some are greedy and some are generous. The basic offer they have to give, in most cases, is an 8 point system with a $99 dollar activation fee, or 6 points without the activation fee. They are aloud to modify that deal in many ways, but if they go over that cost structure it comes out of their pocket, if they are under they bank points that they can then spend on another more difficult to get sale than you. So depending on what you paid and what you received is how good of a deal you got. Generally the cost structures for most companies are similar so even companies that offer cheaper monitoring and have you pay more upfront are going to add up to the same deal when based off of this standard offer. So then, what is a point?

A point in the alarm industry is essentially a measurement of company cost. They generally break up into one point and two point items. Items such as a door/window contacts, and key fobs (keychain remotes) are generally one point. Items such as smoke detectors, motion detectors, glass breaks, cell units, and spare keypads are generally two points.

The installer wants to charge me for more equipment. Is this normal? If so how much should I be willing to pay? Yes this is normal, and no it doesn't mean you are being scammed. The sales rep has only so much that he/she can give out for free to you. The installer will NEVER give anything away for free, because he would have to pay for it and that would generally be more than he's making to install your system.

As far as the cost of the item itself is concerned that can vary from company to company. From 40-60 dollars per point (not per item, per point) you are getting a fair deal, anything above and you are being robbed. Depending on the company's ordering rate and cost, the cost of the point will be 30-50 dollars to them. The most common point cost from a company to it's reps and techs is 40 dollars, so a ten dollar markup on that is fair. If that doesn't seem fair, you should realize that in haggling with you, adding equipment to an order, installing and testing the equipment they are spending a great deal of their time, which may cost them the commission of another install. If the technician, on the other hand, will not sell to you below 60 dollars per point don't be afraid to tell them to stop, and call the rep. The rep will make sure you get your equipment at a reasonable price, because after knocking doors for eight hours in the hot sun he does not want to lose you. The rep said he doesn't get paid for this, is that true?

No, that's just simply not true. Often sales reps will say this to bring down defenses. People are automatically hostile to door to door salesmen, and by saying it is a marketing deal and they don't make money it takes down peoples initial barriers because it takes away what people perceive as a salesman's motives. You may judge them harshly for this, but place yourself in their shoes, and you might find yourself doing the same thing. So no this is emphatically false, but door to door sales is hard, and that's just one way to make it a little easier.

Does this involve a contract?

Yes it most certainly does. If the sales rep lied to you and said it didn't that may be grounds for you to get out of the contract, however, it's really best just to read things before you sign them. The technician doesn't seem to know a thing about the contract. Is he hiding something? Is this normal?

Chances are he knows more than he's letting on, but doesn't know it in very full detail, and is afraid of saying something incorrect, or doesn't know how to present things in the most pleasing light like a salesman. So, yes this is pretty standard. Also, contracts vary from company to company, and a good technician generally gets around. He will often be bid on by different companies. So if this is the third or fourth company he's worked for chances are he doesn't know the full details. So don't take it personally, if you have questions ask to speak with the sales rep again. How long do I have to cancel?

The short answer is 3 days. By law you have three days to get out of any contract. Many companies will have some leniency on this, so if a sales rep tells you a week or even a month, he's not necessarily lying. If he says you can cancel anytime read the contract very closely. Chances are he's saying you can cancel anytime, and leaving out the fact that you will have to pay out 70% of your contract.

They want to install it today, is this normal?

Yes this is normal, but chances are that you won't miss out on the deal if you say no. Some reps will stick to their story out of principal and won't install you at all if you don't go in that day, but they are the rare exception. Most are happy to get you set up no matter what the case. The reason for this same-day installation are two fold. First an install completed has a much lower cancellation rate than one that's just scheduled. Second the installers travel from area to area with the reps. So it they are doing installs in a town an hour away from you then they aren't going to want to come back for you. They want your sale and install, but not if it costs them others.

What is Two-Way Voice, and is it really that important? Is cellular?

Most door to door reps want to sell you two-way voice. This doesn't mean it's better, it means it's cheaper. If you look back to the points question you will see that a cell unit may cost that rep two points, which mean he has less points to give you which puts him in a position to look less than generous with equipment. So the solution for many reps is to sell to Two-Way Voice. Two-Way Voice is essentially turning your land line based alarm into a speakerphone when the alarm goes off. This allows the monitoring company to come on directly over the panel to speak to you. It's most helpful in reducing false alarm rates, because you are immediately able to cancel. Often reps will say that the monitoring company can hear everything in your house, but that's simply not true. Even if they could they won't be on the line long enough to hear any strange activity. Their number one goal when the alarm goes off is to get a hold of you and find out if it's a false alarm or if they need to dispatch. So when the come on the Two-Way voice they are going to say "This is _______ (whoever the monitoring company is), do you have an emergency?" If you fail to answer they will ask again and then hang up. So anyone who's told you that it will hear everything in a 3, 000 foot radius, and that the monitoring company will be sitting listening for as long as it takes is probably not someone you want to be dealing with. You may also hear it referred to as OnStar. If they are doing this just to make you understand what it is there is probably no harm in it, but if you actually ask them directly if it is actually the OnStar brand and they say yes, then they are lying.

The real down side to Two-Way voice, or any land line based alarm is that it's easily bypassed. There is a box on the outside of your house labeled "phone". All anyone has to do is find that box and use a pair of scissors. Most criminals are not smart enough to do this, and many people are afraid of wires in general. Still this seems like a glaring hole in any homes defenses.

Cellular is generally your best bet in alarms. It's generally five to eight dollars more a month, and generally means you get less equipment though. Reps who sell cells door to door though are generally more honest. Cells are generally the most reliable and difficult to bypass systems, and the reps who sell them usually like to do so, because they have more faith in the product and actually feel the systems they give out are going to do something. My experience with Two-Way Voice salesmen is that they are generally more concerned with their bottom line than anything else.

Do they check my credit?

Yes they do, but it's a fairly soft check and shouldn't harm your credit score. They generally hide this fact from you for a few reasons. For one, if you don't pass it's kind of an awkward situation, and not bringing it up makes it easier for them to get away. Also, they need to know if you are even eligible to receive the offer. If you don't pass credit, an alarm is generally no longer a good deal. You have to pay a lot of money up front for it to be installed.

I called the monitoring company and they have no record of this individual. Is he a crook?

No, not necessarily, but maybe. As has been stated, the people coming to your door are a dealer, and would not be on file with the monitoring company, or the equipment supplier. There are still ways to know if he/she is a legitimate dealer. First, if your state or city requires these individuals to be licensed ask to see the license, and then call into the local police department, and ask who would be able to tell you if the license is legitimate. If you were are in one of those locations that requires no license, then ask for information about the company (the dealer company), and call them and verify he works for them. Then I'd also recommend calling the monitoring company and verifying that they do indeed employ that dealer. Get this information before you give him any of yours!

Tips on dealing with door to door alarm companies-

- If you don't want it, don't get it. Be courteous, offer them a drink of water and then tell them to have a nice day. Don't be pressured into anything.

- If you can't afford it don't get it!

- Do your research on any company you are going to enter into a commitment with. This goes for any industry not just alarms. They will want to you to make a decision today. Be firm. Tell them you are interested but will do research and call them back. Then make sure you call them back, regardless of your answer, in a timely fashion.

- Know what kind of equipment you are getting and what it will look like. Frankly it doesn't matter what kind of equipment you get as far as functionality is concerned. Some prefer one or the other, but really Honeywell, G.E., and DSC all create a decent product. As far as wireless systems are concerned most people prefer the look and ease of use that comes with the G.E. Simon XT. If you get Honeywell, be prepared for your panel to be huge.

- If your alarm goes through your phone lines make sure you have full phone line seizure. Full phone line seizure is putting the alarm first in priority for you phone lines. This ensures that your alarm will work even if you are on the phone or if someone is calling you. It should kick all the other lines off when the alarm goes off. If your installer never went anywhere but the jack he's installing at he didn't get it. Make sure before you let an installer in your home that he knows what seizure is and how to get it. The rare exceptions to this are if you only have one jack in your home, or in some rare cases DSL won't work properly with full line seizure.

- Be willing to pay a little extra to make sure your home is covered where it needs to be. Key fobs are nice and easy, but they are costing you points that could be protecting your home. First and foremost cover your home, even if you have to purchase a few extra points. Then you can worry about luxuries like key fobs.

In closing, dealing with door to door alarm reps isn't a bad idea. Often they will give you a better deal than you could ever get calling into a company. However this doesn't guarantee you a good deal. Make sure you know what's going on, and that you've done your research. Most of all make sure the alarm you get is going to cover your home. This may mean paying a little bit extra. It's not unreasonable to expect the rep to go over points for you a little bit, but at a certain point you have to start taking responsibility for the protection of your own home. You are paying astronomical sums to own the home, so in comparison, an alarm to protect it and your family is fairy nominal fee. That being said if you can't afford it don't get it. A lot of people get alarms from door to door reps, and from calling in themselves as well, that can't pay for it and aren't willing to sacrifice in other areas to pay for it. It's not worth ruining your credit score. The key is to make the informed decision, and make it for the right reason.