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Ken,

    Regarding the police false alarm fines….  We review our activation report from our central station daily.  Anyone who had a police dispatch and they called in to cancel gets a call from us.  

    We say, “Hi Mr. Jones.  I saw on my activation report that you had a police dispatch that you later canceled.  We just wanted to touch base with you to be sure there was not an equipment malfunction that caused the activation.”  

    Then either one of two things:  

“(laughs)..yes, Mr. Jones we all forget which doors are instant from time to time.  We just want to be sure your system is functioning correctly and that you don’t get over the maximum false alarms and get into a fine with your police department.  Have a great day!”  

    Or…”Mr. Jones I am so sorry your system had a problem.  We can have a technician out to repair the problem at 2:00pm today.  Will that be convenient for you?”  

    In the first case, the customer knows that we are concerned for their safety and they are reminded of the fine and in the second the customer knows we are concerned for their safety and we complete and charge for a service call.  Either way we assist them to NOT get a fine.  Everyone wins.  

    That’s the personal touch that “Mom & Pop” companies can offer that causes them to stand out.  We usually only make 4-5 calls per day maximum.  As the old-timers here say, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”  Also I feel I am doing my part to keep Southern hospitality alive and well in Alabama!!

Tena Edwards

A.I.D. Security, Inc.

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Response

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    That's a great practice; thanks for sharing.  False alarm continue to plague the industry and subscribers, not to mention responding police, fire and EMT.  Verification practices and newer technology are helping reduce false alarms, but nothing contributes more than proper instructions to the subscriber and vigilant servicing of the system when necessary.  My guess is that the cost of your false alarm follow up is more than offset by your reduction in attrition as a result of your diligence.  

BTY, the Standard Alarm Contracts all place the burden of false fines alarms on the subscriber, often a cause of frustration, confusion and resentment by the sub.


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