Alarm Installers who rely on wholesale monitoring central stations toprovide monitoring service generally select the central station. Most ifnot all communication is between the Installer and the central station, notbetween the subscriber and the central station. It's not uncommon for thesubscriber not to even realize that the central station is separate fromthe Installer. The central remains unknown even though the subscriber talksto an operator when there is an alarm signal verification or notification.

The Installer, central station, subscriber relationship has only severalvariations.

1) The subscriber has signed the Installer's monitoring contract and thecentral station's three party contract (the best situation for Installerand central station);

2) the subscriber has signed only the Installer's monitoring contract (OKfor the Installer and perhaps no protection for the central station);

3) the subscriber has signed only the central station's monitoring contract(OK for the central station and probably no help to the Installer);

4) the subscriber has signed no contract (good for the subscriber; theInstaller and central station are obviously owned by idiots).

The contract or contracts signed by the subscriber should govern therelationship between the subscriber and the Installer and the centralstation.The contract will specify the alarm company's obligations, particularlywhat is supposed to happen when an alarm condition is received, typicallycall the police, fire, subscriber and sometimes the Installer.Most often the instruction for response is provided for in the contract, sothat the central station has contact names and telephone numbers as well asany special instructions, such as verification or no verification, or callonly Installer and not police or fire.How are these instructions changed and who can change them? In almost allcases the central station will take instruction from the Installer. Afterall, it's the Installer who hired the central station, has other monitoringaccounts with the central station and pays the central station. But whatright does the central station have to take instructions from theInstaller? Depending on the contract terms that the subscriber has signed,the answer may be "none."An Installer may call the central and change a code, or callinginstructions, or verification instructions, or call in testing, advisingthe central not to respond to a signal. If the subscriber's contract doesnot authorize the Installer to change monitoring instructions andprocedures without authorization from the subscriber then the Installer hasno authority.Since the central station does not want subscribers claiming that changeswere made unless the subscriber makes the change in writing the centralstation contract most likely provides that no changes will be made unlessin writing.How does that contract provision reconcile with a telephone call from theInstaller or even a writing from the Installer? It doesn't. If the contractrequires a writing for the subscriber then that's what is necessary. If thecentral station takes instruction from the Installer and those instructionmake a change that contributes to a subscriber's loss, then the centralstation and the Installer face exposure.The contract signed by the subscriber should appoint the Installer as thesubscriber's agent for purposes of dealing with the central station if thatis going to be the reality of the relationship.My three party central station contract has had that provision for years.So does the Installer's monitoring contract. Contracts can be ordered at www.alarmcontracts.com.  

Make sure you have that provision in your contract, assuming you have acontract.