KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ
ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE
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Comments on are you pricing yourself out of business and working for no money / ISC Group meeting schedule
March 11, 2023

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Schedule for Group Discussion Meetings at ISC [subject to dealer interest]  Meetings are limited to 6 dealers.  Contact Stacy Spector,Esq at 1 516 747 6700 x 304 or SSpector@Kirschenbaumesq.com to reserve a spot.  Private meetings with Ken Kirschenbaum are still available – contact Stacy for appointment.  All meetings presently scheduled at Palazzo Prestige Lounge.
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Group Meeting Schedule:
Tuesday, March 28 at 2:00pm-2:45pm: Employee Retention Credit Group Meeting with Mitch Reitman
Tuesday, March 28 at 3:00pm-3:45pm: Central Station Group Meeting with David Smith, COPS

Wednesday, March 29 at 10:00am-11:00am: Finance Group Discussion with Jim Wooster, Alarm Financial Services
Wednesday, March 29 at 3:30pm-4:00pm: AIN Buying Group with Stan Matysiak

Thursday, March 30 at 9:30 - 10:30am at ESA meeting room: Bassano Suite 2705 by convention floor:  Liability, insurance, horror stories, claims and other issues from perspective of Claims Administrator [Bart] and Alarm Defense Attorney [Ken].  Ken Kirschenbaum and Bart Didden.  This promises to be entertaining and informative.  You don't want to miss this.  

Thursday, March 30 at 11:00am-11:45: Alarm Brokers Group meeting with Rory Russell, Acquisition & Funding Services
Thursday, March 30 at 1:00pm-1:45pm: Contracts Group Meeting with Ken Kirschenbaum
Thursday, March 30 at 2:00pm-2:45pm: Insurance E&O Group Meeting with Shawn Iverson, The Insurance Center
Thursday, March 30 at 3:00pm-3:45pm: Sale or Purchase of Business Group Meeting with Ken Kirschenbaum

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Private Meeting Schedule:
Tuesday, March 28 at 11:00am-11:30am- Booked
Tuesday, March 28 at 11:30am-12:00pm- Open
Tuesday, March 28 at 1:00pm-1:30pm- Open
Tuesday, March 28 at 1:30pm-2:00pm- Open

Wednesday, March 29 at 11:00am-11:30am- Booked
Wednesday, March 29 at 11:30am- 12:00pm- Open
Wednesday, March 29 at 12:00pm-12:30pm- Booked
Wednesday, March 29 at 1:00pm-1:30pm- Booked
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Are you pricing yourself out of business – are you working for no money from article on March 2, 2023
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Ken
          Calling someone a PUTZ is like you pointing finger at someone, however there are at least three other fingers pointing back at you.
          But I see the following different scenarios that says $55.00 a month is a reasonable price point
          They use a Kirshenbaum up to date Fire-all-in-one contract, they used the Kirschenbaum disclosure statement form (which btw was another form born from a discussion between me and Ken back during the first cellular sunset) and this price does not include any test and inspection, or repair services.
  *  Maybe the company runs very lean on overhead costs
  *  Maybe the owner is the only salesperson and does not have to share the RMR with a salesperson
  *  Maybe the company operates it operation out of its vehicle? I met an alarm company owner who worked out of a converted mobile home for complete office and stockroom support at the job site.
  *  Maybe the so called PUTZ got a free M2M fire approved communicator from USA (my company) and only pays $8.00 a month for cellular services?
          I think that if this PUTZ is showing $40.00 a month in gross profit, that maybe he is NOT THE PUTZ.
          Come see USA at ISC West Booth #8042
Or sign up for my meeting with Ken Kirschenbaum at ISC about E&O Insurance and what you should expect from the claim management team from your insurance carrier – check Ken’s schedule for the meetings.
 Bart A. Didden, President
U.S.A. Central Station Alarm Corp.
Port Chester, NY
Milford, CT
St. Paul, MN
Pasco,WA
877-872-1266
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Another comment
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Ken,
          In regards to: Are you pricing yourself out of business
          Name Withheld must be paying his central station a large amount of money on his fire alarm accounts. Assuming you have your own receiver lines at your central station and assuming you have your own 360 account with Alarmnet you should be paying about $16 to $18 per month for the central to monitor that account including the Alarment fees. Here is the breakdown. Alarmnet with IP as the primary should be costing you about $8.00 per month. If it was just cellular alone the cost form Alarmnet would be $12.00. My central station charges me $8.00 per month for the fire alarm account monitoring (no I am not aloud to say who they are its in my contract not to say) That is $16.00 per month you pay out of your pocket. Assuming IP with cellular backup. If I take the pricing of $55.00 you said your competitor was charging and subtract the $16.00 out, I get a profit of $39.00 per month profit. Isn't that good enough? Even if you use a Napco single or dual path the pricing is about the same. The only issue with Napco is that their NOC goes down at least four times a year causing your central station to get flooded with communications failures. Alarment is more stable and easier to program.  
            When I see a quote where a company is charging over $100.00 for monitoring and it is not a leased system it makes me wonder what their central station is charging them and what their business operating overhead expenses are. In my opinion I believe the single largest overhead expense for any company in any industry is health care. That cost factor must be worked into all business charges. If I were you I would shop around for a different central station. I priced mine around a few years ago and found I was getting pretty good deal. There are some that can do it for $4.00 per month but, you will soon learn you get what you pay for. Go to ISC West in Vegas and talk with different centrals that are there to see what you can get. 
   Good Luck,
Anonymous
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Another comment
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Ken
          This is a very old subject,
          There's a story I've heard about two doctors who met at a cocktail party who were discussing pricing. One doctor says that he gets $$3000.00 for an appendectomy. The second doctor says "Why that's pretty low, I get $5000.00. The next day the first doctor raises his price to $5000.00.
          Two alarm dealers meeting at the same cocktail party discussing pricing; one says he gets $50.00 a month for monitoring. The second says, I only get $40.00. The next day the first alarm dealer lowers his price to $35.00.
          I've never figured out why this is so.
Jim Davis
Certified Alarm
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Another comment
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Ken
          In response to the PUTZ statement , what do you charge for the fire alarm cell monitoring Please edumacate us.
 JD
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Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Attorneys at Law
200 Garden City Plaza
Garden City, NY 11530
516 747 6700 x 301
ken@kirschenbaumesq.com
www.KirschenbaumEsq.com