Is Cheap Alarm Monitoring Worth the Cost?

People often ask about those companies that offer the really cheap alarm monitoring rates. There are some very cheap alarm monitoring rates that can be found on the internet, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Here is what you may be sacrificing by going with one of these cheap alarm monitoring providers.

• The monitoring station will not be UL. UL stands for Underwriters Labratories approved. A UL station must have redundant phone paths and back up generators as well as some other requirements in order to aquire the UL listing. Most insurance companies require a UL listed monitoring station if you are going to be applying for the insurance discount by having a monitored alarm system.
• The cheap alarm monitoring providers will often have very limited staff. Sure they will call you back, but how long will it take?
  
• Most all of the cheap alarm monitoring companies do not offer service on the alarms that they monitor. They will tell you to call a local company to do the service. The problem is that no alarm company in their right mind would work on a system that is being monitored by another company because of the liability involved. Even if the company would be willing to do so, the insurance company for the alarm company will not cover them for a claim if they do work for that customer because they are not under contract.
  
• No real technical support is available from these cheap alarm monitoring companies. If you need to be walked through an issue, they will usually refer you to their website. Now to be fair, if you call almost any monitoring station in the middle of the night with a problem, the operators are not going to be as helpful as the technical staff will be. They will have to call you back, but a good alarm company will have staff who can call you back the next day. The cheap online companies are not as versed in the intricacies of how your alarm works, and consequently will just ignore the call.
  

The next time you are looking at one of those cheap alarm monitoring companies online, just know the quality risks that you are taking. If you happen to live in the greater Houston area, and would like a connection for the best security systems in Houston, then click the link.

Good luck on your search for a reputable alarm monitoring company. Remember, you can get a reasonable monitoring rate and great service if you do your homework.