Security/alarm company price matching and using their contract

[Alarm Guy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MD


I am taking over the family business and one of our biggest things these days is competing with big brands such as ADT and now Comcast, XFinity etc...

So one thing i am considering is matching what they offer to make sure we don't lose customers.

the hard part is making up a new contract with all the different terms that they have.

Could we have a contract of our own that the customer signs that says they are getting the same terms that they were offered by the other company, and then just staple the two together.

as i type this it sounds more of a bad idea but some input or ideas would be great

Thank you in advance

 

[Dave1952]

You need detailed help in drawing up your contract. It would be best to discuss this with a lawyer. If you have a specific question we may be able to help but we can't draw up a contract for you. Sorry.

 

[TheGeekess]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MD


I am taking over the family business and one of our biggest things these days is competing with big brands such as ADT and now Comcast, XFinity etc...

So one thing i am considering is matching what they offer to make sure we don't lose customers.

the hard part is making up a new contract with all the different terms that they have.

Could we have a contract of our own that the customer signs that says they are getting the same terms that they were offered by the other company, and then just staple the two together.

as i type this it sounds more of a bad idea but some input or ideas would be great

Thank you in advance

The basic install of the big security companies is a simple system. 2 door contacts, a motion, board, can, battery, interior siren, keypad (~$125 wholesale). Then they charge $40/mth for monitoring on a 24-36 month contract.

Your best bet is to reach out to your wholesale equipment seller for quotes when you're working a job. You're not going to make money on the install, but you will make money on the monitoring.

 

[Alarm Guy]

thank you for the response. ill be more specific

Our business has already been around for about 40 years. We already have our own contracts. We dont have the money to get a lawyer.

my question is: if a customer comes to me with a bid and contract from a rival company that is quoted at $XXX up front and $XX per month for XX months and I tell them I will match that offer, can i just have them sign a contract of ours saying they agree to the terms on the competitors contract.

Is this legally allowed, or is piggybacking their contract to ours just a really bad idea.

 

[Zigner]

thank you for the response. ill be more specific

Our business has already been around for about 40 years. We already have our own contracts. We dont have the money to get a lawyer.

my question is: if a customer comes to me with a bid and contract from a rival company that is quoted at $XXX up front and $XX per month for XX months and I tell them I will match that offer, can i just have them sign a contract of ours saying they agree to the terms on the competitors contract.

Is this legally allowed, or is piggybacking their contract to ours just a really bad idea.

I'm going to go with "really bad idea"

 

[Indiana Filer]

I'm going to go with "really bad idea"

I agree. Alarm Guy, you may not agree with everything in that contract from ADT and may not want to be bound by those terms. What if, for example, the other contract says all legal claims are to be handled under Nebraska law? Are you prepared to follow NE laws? See where I'm going with this?

 

[Alarm Guy]

thank you, yeah i thought it was a bad idea i just needed to hear it from other people and talk it out.

 

[FlyingRon]

ADT is nasty. I wouldn't use any of their terms. I don't think any of the cable TV companies that offer alarm services actually provide those directly, they just pass through some other service (much as many are reselling NEXIA's home automation stuff now).

Frankly, write your own contract terms with blanks for the amount and duration. That's really all the customer cares about. Why sign on to someone else's baggage when you don't have to.

 

[tranquility]

Theoretically, it could be a violation of copyright. I don't think it would be prosecuted for some reasons, but it is conceivable. Realistically, reading contracts is hard. Especially when there is a lot of "hiding the ball" in complex contracts, why would you commit yourself to terms you don't understand because they were not explained to you by your attorney?

 

[Dave1952]

The only part of the contract that the customer read, most likely, was XXX to install and YY per month. Give him your contract and offer XXX-$25 and YY/mo. I don't understand why you would want to use more than one type of contract for your alarm customers. That's nuts.