If you are thinking about hiring a new security systems company for your business, here are some questions to ask before BEFORE you purchase.

1. Does your security company retain ownership of any of the equipment?

Many security companies retain ownership of the equipment they install at your property via fine print in the contract. This means that if you ever want to cancel your security system services, the company will come back and claim your system in its entirety, leaving you without security. Iwatch Security will never do this and is always transparent about our contracts. When you purchase from us, the equipment belongs to you.

2. What is the length of the contract term, and does it automatically renew?

Many security companies will try to bind their customers into auto-renewing contracts, leaving you no chance to change your service requirements or cancel service. Iwatch security always makes sure that our clients understand exactly how the contract is laid out. We will also never automatically renew a contract unless that has been specifically requested by the client.

3. Does your company have the right to raise my monitoring rate during the agreement or is it price locked?

Whenever possible, Iwatch Security recommends that you ask your security system provider to price-lock your contract. If you don’t, you might get surprised by an unexpected rate hike that you had not budgeted for. Iwatch Security will never raise your rate during your contract unless it was previously agreed on beforehand, meaning that you will never be surprised by unexpected fees.

4. Does your monitoring facility have a 5 Diamond Rating from the C.S.A.A.?

Always make sure to ask your commercial security company whether their monitoring service has a 5 Diamond Rating from the CSAA. This rating means that the rating center in question has satisfied all of the “5 Points of Excellence”:

• Commitment to random inspections and quality criteria standards by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL and UL.
• Commitment to the highest levels of customer service.
• Commitment to ongoing job-related education and testing by having 100% of its central station operators certified using the TMA online training series.
• Commitment to raising the industry standards through TMA membership and participation in its activities.
• Commitment to reducing false dispatches.

With all of these requirements fulfilled, you can be confident that your security company is utilizing only the best monitoring stations.

5. What is the dialer delay in your panel?

A dialer delay is a delay built in so that a residential or commercial security panel will not immediately notify a monitoring center if the alarm is tripped. This, however, gives a criminal enough time to enter your property and acquire just about whatever he or she was planning on acquiring. Many security companies use dialer delays to save their monitoring system frivolous calls, but if they do use them, you need to be prepared and forewarned.

6. How do you protect the security system from a “smash and grab”?

A Smash and Grab, also called a Crash and Smash, is when criminals break into your property and manage to destroy or otherwise neutralize the panel that would notify the monitoring station. For many security systems, this means that there would be no notification, and the criminal would be entirely undeterred by your home security system.

Learn more about our commercial security systems for your business. Schedule a consultation with one of our certified experts. Call 919-957-9818!