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COMMENT ON DISCONNECT LETTER FROM DEC 25 2014 ARTICLE
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Ken;
       Let me start by saying Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.  It's funny how one of your readers will ask a question and your response answers a host of other questions at the same time.  I read Ryan A's letter with much interest.  I too have a customer who is a nightmare.  This person is paranoid beyond description.  In the past I have always encouraged my customers to call me if they want to change any user codes in their systems.  My reasoning has always been, if they make changes themselves, but then at some later time call me with a problem that is of an emergent nature, if I forget to upload the panel before downloading the ermergency changes, any codes they added or changed will go up into the ozone.
     Last May, I took on a customer who thought she was being targeted for "something."  According to her, her ex-husband had a "mob hit" put out on her.  I tried to reassure her by telling her that if a "hit" had been put out on her yesterday, she would likely be already dead.  I told her that hit men don't get paid until they perform the service.  She rambled on that her phone and emails have been hacked.  Many times she comes home and maintains that someone has been in her home because things have gone missing or just been moved across the room from where she left them.  Yet the event log shows that there were no intrusions, and the system had not been disarmed and re-armed  while she was out.  She insisted on contacts on every window, including the second floor.  The one window, I would not be comfortable climbing up to it even on a ladder.  She had me install glass break detectors in every room, in addition to four motion sensors.  The last time she claimed someone had gotten inside her home, I checked the event log and there was nothing there.  I told her, unless her home was haunted, no one could be getting in.  I told her that even if they were coming in through the heating vents, they would still trip an alarm.  She didn't like that I was alleging that maybe she wasn't totally sane.
     Over the course of the last seven months I have had to return to her home for service calls.  If these alleged problems were real, I would certainly cover them under my warranty agreement.  She has had me change her user codes no less than 12 times.  I'm in the process of formulating a letter that I'm going to allege is going out to all my customers, but really it's just to her.  Only one user code change will be allowed per contract year.  Subsequent changes will be billed as a service call.  Calls for service after 5PM will also be billed at a higher rate.  (This woman thinks nothing of calling my business line at all hours.  One night she called at 1:30AM for a "question.")  I would like nothing better than to get rid of this customer, but as you said in your response to Ryan, the contract is a two way street.  My only recourse will be to bill her for EVERYTHING.  And as soon as she balks at the billing, I'll gladly let her out of the contract.  This person has no concept that I have other customers, and the amount of time she makes me waste, takes away from my business.  If you have any further thoughts, they would be greatly appreciated.  I think it might be in my best interest to have her sign a security equipment service contract and indicate that the service will be on a per call basis.
Sincerely,
John from NJ
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RESPONSE
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    I don't know if you have the Residential All in One, but all your issues with this subscriber would be easily handled within the terms of that agreement.
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COMMENT ON DUTY TO REPAIR FROM DEC 24 2014 ARTICLE
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Ken -
    I know it is not close to comparing apples to apples, but we vacated an apartment years ago and the cable company wasn't properly notified. A few months later, I saw a notice on my credit report from the cable provider. I guess I could have fought them, for my failure to notify them, but I just paid it and accepted responsibility. According to Mr. Didden, since my cable box had no power going to it, or even a t.v., the cable provider should have not billed me? As an alarm provider, I have phone lines, staff, cell provider, and many other expenses to pay, whether my client wishes to have their system repaired, or not. If a client could not be held liable, because the system could not report, that would excuse every client who cancelled a phone line, switched to a different provider, or unplugged their system. 
Roger D. Score, President
Arizona Alarm Dealers Association
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RESPONSE
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    Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to everyone.  Don't drink and drive, or drink and order the wrong contracts