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Hit 1000 service calls this year and the number that shocked me was 127
That's how many false alarms I've been sent to in the last 10 months, and honestly, it's a huge waste of everyone's time. I'm talking about the same three things over and over: pets tripping motion sensors, users forgetting their own codes, and those cheap, flimsy door contacts that fail after a year. I drove 40 miles round trip last Thursday just to reset a panel because the homeowner's cat jumped on a kitchen counter. It's not just annoying, it eats into the day and makes it harder to get to real service issues. I'm starting to think we need to have a much tougher talk with customers during the install about placement and user training. Has anyone else tracked their false alarm rate and found a way to cut it down?
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mila_harris6d ago
Ugh, I feel this in my bones. Last month I wasted a whole morning on a "motion alarm" that was just a big spider building a web right over the sensor. The customer training part is key. We started doing a five minute walk-through with homeowners, making them open and close their own doors to hear the contact click. It cuts down on the "my door is broken" calls a bit.
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reese_nelson6d ago
Tell them to check for cobwebs first, saves everyone time. Honestly, making them do the walk test themselves is the only way it sticks.
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