That $80 cellular communicator I cheaped out on just cost me a service call

Honestly, I thought I was being smart saving 40 bucks on a no-name cellular communicator for a client's new build. Big mistake. Three weeks after install, the panel went offline and the homeowner couldn't arm their system. I drove 45 minutes out to find the thing had a loose antenna connection that wasn't even my fault, just cheap manufacturing. Total waste of an afternoon and gas money, plus the client was ticked off. I ended up swapping it for a Honeywell unit at $120 and it's been solid ever since. Has anyone else had luck with those cheaper communicators, or do you just stick with the big brands now?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole99411d ago

Blew a transmission on my old Ford once because I cheaped out on a rebuilt one from a guy in a parking lot. Paid a tow truck 80 bucks to drag it to a real shop, then dropped 2 grand on a factory rebuild. That cheap rebuild lasted maybe 4000 miles before it started whining like a sick dog. The shop owner just shook his head and said he sees that all the time. Sometimes you just gotta learn the hard way that saving money upfront means spending more later.

nancythomas15d ago

Cheap parts always seem to cost the most in the end, don't they?

veraj5315d ago

Is it really that cheap parts cost the most, though? I mean, sometimes you get what you pay for sure, but there's a difference between "cheap" and "good value." A lot of times people mistake "expensive" for "quality" when really you're just paying for the name or fancy packaging. Idk, I've had some pretty cheap tools and parts that lasted me years just because they were simple and didn't have a lot of unnecessary stuff on them. Maybe it's just me, but I think the real trick is knowing what you actually need versus what they're trying to sell you.