Alarm Force Salesman
I was interested in Alarm force because of Joel Matlin’s statements. So, I called and spoke to a Damian who turned out to be a high pressure salesman. I wanted a technical body to come to the house to discuss what they would be doing and answer some questions I had about equipment placement and the cat as well as other situations. Damian was damn near rude in trying to tell me what I needed, he could answer all questions from there. But, how could he without seeing the situation here. He has no idea of the house size, door/windows etc. I also wanted to ask about having the contract voided if the house should become inhabitable due to fire for example, or if my wife or I died. But reading the other testimonials, I would suggest that Joel dump Damian as he is certainly no asset to Alarm force. I’ve gone with another company.
- George Root
AlarmFarce
I have worked for an security alarm company for a little over 5 year 3.5 as tech 1.5+ as an inspector. Alarm Force should be called Alarmfarce. The sytem they use is antiquated by design. What i mean is the technoligy is at least 20 years old. Also most of their customers use the phone to arm/disarm system (can you say redail!!!!!) also they do NOT have phone line siezure which means that if the phone is off hook it can NOT call out or if the Bulglar calls in it can NOT call out. Placement of the panel is another story. The kichen counter or behind a couch is good enough?? Next most devices are 2-way taped on?? Also for the first 30 to 90 seconds the “operator” you hear is a recording until a live operator can get to your alarm. Next and most important Joel Matlin advertises his 2-way as a good way to confirm alarms only thing is if the bulglar is queit the it goes the same way as any other alarm unverified. Next if it is a robbery in progress and the operator comes on after you press your panic button i really hope you are wearing a bullet proof jacket.
Happy with Alarm Force
I have an Alarm Force system and am incredibly happy with it. The radio ads and the tv commercials got me to call in (plus the fact that a few of my friends also had Alarm Force and told me they were happy with their systems). I like the fact Joel Matlin does his commercials. It puts a face with the company. I’m very happy with my choice of going with Alarm Force.
Alarm Force has Best Value
Okay, so one’s a playmate, another is a queen and the other is my lover? How does it all add up? I mean, I haven’t done the research on Voxcom (Reliance Protectron since 2008) yet, but if you made a comparison chart, who is the best when it comes to value? I don’t mean to toot their horn, but I think Alarm Force would come out on top. Basic installation is free, there’s no “up-front” cost (which often turns away young people who have debts ie: most of the Canadian population) and they don’t over-sell options. Also, if the installer works directly for the company as in the case of Alarm Force, I think there tends to be a little more respect for the customer that way. Ever get store-bought furniture delivered from an out-sourced delivery dude? “Uh I don’t really know what color the sofa’s supposed to be man, I just deliver, man” Trust me, better to deal with less out-sourcing. Mind you, I haven’t gotten an alarm system put in yet, but I would consider Alarm Force over others. Yes Joel Matlin is obnoxious at times, but his presence is made. When’s the last time you heard an ADT or Voxcom commercial on the radio? And how easy is it to get help when you need it, be it technical or intrusion based?
- Claude Bussieres
Alarm Force Company
They are not new (since 1988) but their wind is blowing hard. Their president’s image and voice are all over the market. His name is Joel Matlin. I’m contented to see Joel Matlin has his stage in some way.
The only concern is the way how he compares with his competitors. He never forgets his competitors in all his speeches. I suppose he is very stressed. In order to firm his position he tends to devalue his competitors. Everything has two sides. We need to see both sides. It’s called “all-round”. It’s not necessary for him to devalue his competitors by picking what they have, enlarging it and making it sound “only” something customers cannot live without. In this way, what customers see is his one side and they assume he only has one side, too good to be true. Remember, competitors also have A LOT he is not able to build since 1988 and it’s never necessary for competitors to give fuss about. What do his debates bring us? Personally I’m not against Joel Matlin and contrarily I appreciate his courage.
When Alarm Force focuses on their “only” something they eliminated monitored smoke detector since it’s the only way to help them control cost in order to promote their other “only” something at their affordable rate. But if you think twice, you will be easy to understand, actually the cost for all alarm companies is not much different. Price war will only invade profit margin and affect service quality in the long run although they assert life time warranty how are they able to guarantee if their company was only born in 1988? How much profit is supporting them to guarantee? We are all able to say sweet words, however, a listener should be able to think, filter but not be emotionally caught. Protectron is relatively straightforward at this point. They simply shout out “we are the most aggressive”!
I’m still not too negative till Joel Matlin started to devalue his competitors to this extent: “our competitors outsource their services to installers, so you never really know with whom you are dealing” Outsourcing installation or partnering with best suppliers are a more professional way. Some giant enterprises outsource human resources. Because they are much more specialized in and focus on their industries and therefore can ensure world class quality. “All-in-one” is not a small company can do and at the same time be able to guarantee the quality. Compared the best brands of alarm systems – DSC or Honeywell with Alarm Force’s new born “insourced” product which one will you choose to protect your home and family? If Joel Matlin didn’t shout out this point, I wouldn’t have picked it out, since as I said, everything has two sides, you can’t say what you have is definitely the only way and what others have is definitely supposed to be devalued just because of the difference! Customers will find it the most convenient when they are taken good care of individually by installers at initial period. Based on what I know, to run a company like Alarm Force taking all the risks on their own when it’s still small, financially it’s a huge burden and I believe Joel Matlin is trying his best to provide customers with quality services, however, it’s not guaranteed since he is over confident. Sometimes seeing a bit far and thinking about customers a bit more are not always to one’s disadvantage.
Joel Matlin is trying to promote his company based on a niche – they are “only” installing wireless systems. As I mentioned above, cost is obvious. He’s going to be able to import some cheap while quality material to produce equal quality products? Then he focuses on one motion detector to waive contacts. Why not simply tell customers there will be extra cost for extra devices? Why try to smile in front of people when you are so stressed in your dreams? Now it’s Customer’s choice. Customers understand there’s NO basic package that covers ALL. Alarm Force promotes their line-cut tech (cellular backup) at relatively low rate however they can’t cover basic contacts and monitored smoke detector. Which one is more basic, more important and more frequently happening? Once their company is getting more customers are they really able to take care of all customers with their current all-in-one manpower?
Compared choosing alarm company to dating, I would say, Alarm Force is a playmate.