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Old 06-05-2009, 10:31 AM
 
50 posts, read 185,734 times
Reputation: 27

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I know there have been some recent threads along these lines, but I have a specific question. We are buying a new house in the Sugar Land area. The ADT alarm rep (Connect One Security) that came by the house is offering to throw everything in for free (glass break, motion, activ fee, etc.) but will not budge on the monthly monitoring fee ($33.99) for the basic plan with warranty.

Anybody have any experiences with this?
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Old 06-05-2009, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Houston, TX (Bellaire)
4,900 posts, read 13,730,475 times
Reputation: 4190
Be sure you love them because the contract is for 3 years and you cant break it without paying the whole amount due for the 3 years.
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Old 06-05-2009, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Houston, Tx
16 posts, read 47,457 times
Reputation: 13
I dont have any experiences with this but monday i'll talk with some friends that live in the heights they have ADT as a home security provider they are on a fishing trip right now. Here in Houston we have a annual city fee of $35 for a permit, HPD will not respond to a break in withou the city permit. I don't know if the city of Sugar Land requires a permit but I recommend you look into it.

Last edited by Nomik; 06-05-2009 at 10:44 AM.. Reason: misspelling
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Old 06-05-2009, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Richmond, TX.
125 posts, read 614,869 times
Reputation: 42
Default Beware

Quote:
Originally Posted by rtdrtd20 View Post
I know there have been some recent threads along these lines, but I have a specific question. We are buying a new house in the Sugar Land area. The ADT alarm rep (Connect One Security) that came by the house is offering to throw everything in for free (glass break, motion, activ fee, etc.) but will not budge on the monthly monitoring fee ($33.99) for the basic plan with warranty.

Anybody have any experiences with this?
I used to sell for ADT and am still in the business. ADT is good for name recognition their service is slow and their monitoring fees will go up on you over time. All monitoring companies are not the same in response times, and service issues. If your home already has a system then your monitoring shouldn't run you over $24.95 + Tax. PM Me and I would be more than happy to help you out on this, and answer any questions you might have.
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Old 06-05-2009, 03:42 PM
 
Location: Richmond, TX.
125 posts, read 614,869 times
Reputation: 42
Just another note. A lot of sales men and ladies in the alarm business no this and I am probably am going to get yelled at about this. But here it goes. If you just bought a home and have a good working alarm system, or even if it is currently being monitored and you want to save money NOTE: You have to have completed your 3 year agreement! Then your monitoring starts out at $19.95 a month + Tax. $24.95 + Tax with warranty.
If your home is new or old and is just prewired for a system then your monitoring starts out at $24.95 + Tax. $29.95 + Tax for warranty. The installation of the basic system is $0.
Additional equipment? Cost plus installation.
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Old 06-07-2009, 01:37 PM
 
Location: Richmond, TX.
125 posts, read 614,869 times
Reputation: 42
A lot of people want the Famous security sign just for name recognition. The bad guys don't care. All they are looking for is an easy place to break in. They will get into your home if they want too. You having an alarm system monitored in your home makes your home less attractive to break into, the bad guys will move on to the next home that doesn't have the yard signs and window stickers.
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Old 06-08-2009, 12:42 PM
 
551 posts, read 2,725,361 times
Reputation: 261
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtdrtd20 View Post
I know there have been some recent threads along these lines, but I have a specific question. We are buying a new house in the Sugar Land area. The ADT alarm rep (Connect One Security) that came by the house is offering to throw everything in for free (glass break, motion, activ fee, etc.) but will not budge on the monthly monitoring fee ($33.99) for the basic plan with warranty.

Anybody have any experiences with this?
Make sure you check with the sales person to see if there are any additional charges to cover more than the standard 1 or 2 door sensors that are included in the free or $99 offering. Getting the glass break and motion sensors for free is a good deal, but you still have to pay for the sensor contacts at each door / window, which can easily add up to over $1000 extra (assuming 15 doors + windows @ $70 per sensor). Check to see if they have a PA (Protect America) authorized dealer in your area, they should include up to 20 contacts for free, and basically sell roughly the same Ademco/Honeywell system as ADT/Brinks.

Don't rely on just a motion sensor. You want to know right away when a door/window is opened, not only after someone is already in your house and then sets off a motion detector!

AFAIK, all new installs require a ~$35 per month for 36 months plan, as this offsets the initial equipment purchase and install, and is how the company makes their money over time. With most companies, the alarm system is yours after the 36 month period is up. You can buy your own system for ~$250 and up (often, way up once you start adding sensors!), but you will need to know a little about electronics and programming of the sensors -- even with wireless sensors. Not really difficult, but it can be confusing if it's not your thing.

Also remember, about 60-90 days before your contract expires, send a letter to the monitoring company saying you do not want to auto renew. Be careful, though, as some companies "accidentally lose" your request for non-auto renewal, then auto renew you for another 36 months anyway! You can get monitoring from another company for $12-$15 per month after that.
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Old 06-08-2009, 01:01 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake, Houston TX
8,376 posts, read 30,691,505 times
Reputation: 4720
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomik View Post
I dont have any experiences with this but monday i'll talk with some friends that live in the heights they have ADT as a home security provider they are on a fishing trip right now. Here in Houston we have a annual city fee of $35 for a permit, HPD will not respond to a break in withou the city permit. I don't know if the city of Sugar Land requires a permit but I recommend you look into it.

It's $50 now for the permit every year and they won't probably respond even if you do pay up.

ADT, Brinks, big names are usually $30 x 36 months and if you already have a system the upgrade-install costs nothing extra.
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Old 06-09-2009, 05:12 AM
 
Location: Houston, TX
15 posts, read 76,240 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by Master Shake View Post
You can get monitoring from another company for $12-$15 per month after that.
Do you have any specific recommendations for low cost monitoring of an already installed system?
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Old 06-09-2009, 08:52 AM
 
Location: Richmond, TX.
125 posts, read 614,869 times
Reputation: 42
Default Prices

Quote:
Originally Posted by jpm42 View Post
Do you have any specific recommendations for low cost monitoring of an already installed system?

On an existing WORKING system $19.95 + Tax a month is what I offer.
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