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FOLLOW UP TO WHY ADD ANYONE AS ADDITIONAL INSURED FROM FEBRUARY 19, 2016 ARTICLE
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Ken
    There’s A LOT of potential reasons for adding someone as an Additional Insured.  On Christine’s question though from your Feb 19 newsletter, it sounds like she may be getting a request from a contractor her company’s doing work for, perhaps as a pre-wire or installation sub. 
    It should be considered normal to see a requirement to name the contractor that hired you as Additional Insured, but it’s important for the alarm company to keep in mind that the devil’s in the details, and here those details may be in the form of multiple additional paragraphs in the contractor’s contract defining what types of extra policy wording that Additional Insured is required to be based on.  Out here on the West Coast we’re seeing alarm companies being asked to sign contracts with more and more aggressive insurance requirements that make their policies responsible for litigation from claims not even related to their work, offer their policy limits up first even when the General Contractor or Project Owner are more proximately responsible for the claim, and eliminate the possibility of getting reimbursed if the alarm company’s insurance has to pay out even when it’s not their fault.
    So while some types of Additional Insured requests are normal and fine, others using non-standard language like that above creating additional risk for the alarm company *can and should be negotiated away when possible*.  We routinely work with alarm companies to help then comply with contracts containing insurance requirements that start out aggressive and even adversarial, but wind up satisfied and happy with a standard Additional Insured that doesn’t put anyone at extra risk.   
    Your readers know the value of making sure their own contracts are well-written, and it’s just as important when the alarm company is signing someone else’s contract.  The key is to read the fine print, be proactive in making sure they understand what they’re being asked to sign, push back on items they don’t like, and know that pushing back is ok.
Thanks,
Larry St John, CIC
President, Eclipse Marketing & Insurance Services
Membership Committee Chair, California Alarm Association
lstjohn@eclipseinsurance.com
707.469.6776 x102
www.eclipseinsurance.com
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Ken    

     I sent this request to my insurance agent:   

                                           “Please share your thoughts on whether an alarm dealer should name the central station as an additional insured to avoid a battle of carriers over who is primary and who is secondary or excess if there is a claim.”

     Here is the reply:
    “We do not recommend that our insured Installers named the Monitoring Company as an Additional Insured.  In fact we always request that our Insured Alarm Installation Companies have the Monitoring Company name them as Additional Insured.  You do not want to pick up the liability of a flawed monitoring. If it is required for you to name your Monitoring Company as an Additional Insured, we will be happy to send that request to your insurance carrier.  We are not sure if they will comply.” 
anon
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RESPONSE
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    You need a new insurance broker and I suggest you look on The Alarm Exchange under the insurance broker category.  Why do I say that?  Your broker doesn't recommend naming the central station?  Your broker wants you to ask the central station to name you, the dealer?  Well, I can only conclude that your broker knows nothing about the alarm business, your business, and I suggest you find a broker who does.  Central stations don't name dealers on the cs policy.  Dealers are typically required to indemnify the central station.  If you don't name the central station as additional insured you can't be sure that you will be covered for your indemnity.  
    This is the typical relationship.  Can a dealer with thousands of accounts push a central station to waive indemnity, maybe even agree to indemnify the dealer?  Sure, but that's not how it typically works.
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SELF MONITORING SUBSCRIBERS
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Ken
    We have purchased All-in-ones from you before, but are now faced with a different situation. We have a subscriber who does not have reliable cell service in his area or a hard wired phone system anymore, and he wants to only have notifications of an alarm sent to his phone via the internet.  Although we don't make much on that service, this is a good client of ours who has other accounts with us and we are willing to allow it. Do you have a contract that covers us when a customer needs/wants to self-monitor?
Thank you,
Jennifer H 
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RESPONSE
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    Self monitoring is an option on the All in One forms.  Self monitoring, particularly for DIY systems, is common.  The All in One Agreement for either residential and commercial covers you for this service.
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AT&T MARCH ZIPCODE SHUT-DOWN LIST
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Ken,
    In your email of 2/14/16, Janet Stone mentioned an “AT&T March zipcode shut-down list”.  Do you know where I can get this list?  If not, can you forward my request to Janet?   
    Thanks for all of the valuable information!!
Thank you,
Michael
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RESPONSE
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    Apparently that information is not easy to come by.  Janet did send this info:
    If you use Alarmnet radios you can log in to your dealer dashboard go to notifications and there is a state by state list. But I have found that those from Telguard and uplink are more accurate.
I would contact your Telguard and Uplink reps (if you use these), since they are really on top of it. Telguard has really kept up with letting us know specific zip codes, on a monthly basis.  **FYI- as you change out your 2g's don’t just throw them away different providers are offering different deals by turning in old sims**
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