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I was showing a home and the showing service forgot to tell me there was an alarm system. After opening the door, I realized the alarm was going to go off and it did. The "voice" came on the intercom and I tried to explain who I was and why I was in the house. The "voice" told me that she was calling the police.
We looked through the house, waiting for the police. They never showed up.
We had an appointment to see the house across the street so I locked up house #1 and went to house #2. After showing house #2, I locked it up and left. The police never showed up and we were there for a while so my guess was that they called the homeowners of house #1 and they told CPI to not call the police.
When the "voice" came on, there was an indication that someone was there so I don't think they would be able to eavesdrop on you without you knowing it.
I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that CPI charges for something they can't deliver (cops ignoring the alarms) or consumers feeling safe and getting their hopes up that help is on the way only to be let down.
So does anyone have recommendations on a viable option, such as a reputable company that installs a solid system that will work and belong to the end-user even after severing ties with this company? I would like a system that at the very least have cellular backup to the wired option, a decent reputation and affordable monthly monitoring - Any suggestions based on your personal experience? I was really under the impression that CPI was above board and somewhat different than the others, but I guess I was wrong
I am confused with all these options out there and negative feedback that really leaves me a bit confused
I don't prefer to slam something I do not fully understand, or hype something I am equally unsure about. I can say, from our personal perspective, we use Broadview Security (formerly Brinks) and if we have inadvertently tripped the alarm, they call our designated phone number. We give the password and all is well.
We live in a neighborhood in Cary where I have not yet, in 5 years' time, heard of a home burglary, so we cannot compare "horror" stories about crime, lack of police response, etc. Too many variables.
So, in a nutshell, we use Broadview, lock our windows and doors when we are not home and go about our lives. We have insurance on everything that matters to us. If you have something in your house that is just too priceless to lose in a burglary, get a safe-deposit box, or a heavy safe, and forget about it.
If you are worried about a medical emergency, use Life-Alert and when you have fallen and can't get up, press the button.
If you want to deal with home invasions, best bet is firearms training and a combat shotgun close at hand.
I am not trying to be flip but a little humorous in my responses. The bottom line is don't take the bait from the actual companies. Most of them have lost business as people have cut back on expenses and this is one that you don't see a "benefit" from until you need it, and that is only under traumatic/emergency circumstances. Many people do not experience any or many of those in their homes.
So, determine EXACTLY what you need, based on your and your family's medical conditions, crime patterns in your area, etc. Use common sense (don't "invite" crime, and your local PD undoubtedly has a website to advise you on that) and proceed accordingly. Also, the advice given by other posters is very valid- the simple SIREN hooked up will deter any burglar. Gotta run for now, will post more later. Good luck!
I don't prefer to slam something I do not fully understand, or hype something I am equally unsure about. I can say, from our personal perspective, we use Broadview Security (formerly Brinks) and if we have inadvertently tripped the alarm, they call our designated phone number. We give the password and all is well.
We live in a neighborhood in Cary where I have not yet, in 5 years' time, heard of a home burglary, so we cannot compare "horror" stories about crime, lack of police response, etc. Too many variables.
So, in a nutshell, we use Broadview, lock our windows and doors when we are not home and go about our lives. We have insurance on everything that matters to us. If you have something in your house that is just too priceless to lose in a burglary, get a safe-deposit box, or a heavy safe, and forget about it.
If you are worried about a medical emergency, use Life-Alert and when you have fallen and can't get up, press the button.
If you want to deal with home invasions, best bet is firearms training and a combat shotgun close at hand.
I am not trying to be flip but a little humorous in my responses. The bottom line is don't take the bait from the actual companies. Most of them have lost business as people have cut back on expenses and this is one that you don't see a "benefit" from until you need it, and that is only under traumatic/emergency circumstances. Many people do not experience any or many of those in their homes.
So, determine EXACTLY what you need, based on your and your family's medical conditions, crime patterns in your area, etc. Use common sense (don't "invite" crime, and your local PD undoubtedly has a website to advise you on that) and proceed accordingly. Also, the advice given by other posters is very valid- the simple SIREN hooked up will deter any burglar. Gotta run for now, will post more later. Good luck!
Great post and I do understand what you are saying. However, this is all new for me as I never had to actually get a security system before and spent most of my time trying to figure out the best type of system to get (wired vs. wireless) and the expense involved, instead of focusing on which company will provide me a better package without jerking my chain. After reading those reviews about CPI, I was thrown for a curve ball because I clearly remember how agressive the sales person was when accessing our situation and not once did she mention anything about what that earlier member said about not owning the system after severing ties with them.
This is the kind of deception that I hate and why I am asking just about everyone about their experiences and recommendations since many of you are already home owners and have been down that road. Lord knows that I have been screwed over one too many times by sales people and for once would like to find a company that will be straight forward with me. If I am going to shell out thousands on a system, at the very least when my contract is up and I decide to walk away; my system should be able to function and make a loud noise like sirens are supposed to whether monitored or not. So here I am again back to the drawing board trying to find such a company as I was just about to pull the trigger on going with CPI ... bummer
This is the kind of deception that I hate and why I am asking just about everyone about their experiences and recommendations since many of you are already home owners and have been down that road. Lord knows that I have been screwed over one too many times by sales people and for once would like to find a company that will be straight forward with me. If I am going to shell out thousands on a system, at the very least when my contract is up and I decide to walk away; my system should be able to function and make a loud noise like sirens are supposed to whether monitored or not. So here I am again back to the drawing board trying to find such a company as I was just about to pull the trigger on going with CPI ... bummer
I had CPI come out and do a quote for me as well and was very ready to buy at one point. Then there were all of a sudden a bunch of add ons that were going to cost me $100 here and there. When I asked that they work on pricing and call me back, it took them two weeks. In the meantime, I signed up with another company. The sales person had the nerve to be upset with me when he'd never called me back! Whatever.
The company I chose was Safe Home Security (SHS) because I didn't have to put in a landline for their system (it's completely wireless) and the price for that was reasonable. (I think I pay $35 or $38 / month). I've not had any problems and when I'm done with the contract, the system will be mine. When a battery on a sensor went out, they were out to fix it within 2 days, even though I called them on a weekend. If you're still looking, I'd give them a call.
I have ADT and haven't had any issues with them. However, recently I wanted to upgrade my 15 year old system and they were less than helpful.
I have been considering giving CPI a call.
I don't really know WHO owns the system and that doesn't seem to matter to ME.
My point is...take the information here and talk to the sales people (I wish they were a bit more helpful instead of just trying to sell you something). See? This is a sales person...different from a Realtor (who is more of a consultant). Oops....gotta get off this soapbox!
What I like about this forum is something you get answers to questions you didn't even know you needed to ask! So, take the info. and do what is best for YOU.
I checked out Protect America. If I remember correctly, they mailed equipment and you either got someone to install it or did it yourself? I could be mis-remembering, though.
Does anyone have CPI Security's 2-way feature where in the event of an emergency a live person speaks to you over a 2-way intercom that is installed in your home and wired to their monitoring station for live and immediate response (similar to Onstar in cars)? I am trying to get some feedback on whether anyone finds this feature valuable and/or even worth it.
The intercom feature is nice. The microphone is very sensitive so they can hear you all over the house. We've been CPI customers for years, but I don't really think it (or any other wired service) secures our house very well. The wireless connection is optional and expensive, so all a burglar needs is earplugs and wire cutters to rob us blind. However, I think $34.95 a month is pretty good just for the fire protection, signs, insurance discount, and appearance of security.
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Originally Posted by escape
The company I chose was Safe Home Security (SHS) because I didn't have to put in a landline for their system (it's completely wireless) and the price for that was reasonable. (I think I pay $35 or $38 / month). I've not had any problems and when I'm done with the contract, the system will be mine. When a battery on a sensor went out, they were out to fix it within 2 days, even though I called them on a weekend. If you're still looking, I'd give them a call.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to check them out since it's wireless. I either want to dump our landline or find something cheaper than Vonage.
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