"I moved into a  home  with  an  alarm  system  that  Reliance  Alarm  Company  serviced  before.    How  do  I  use  the  System?" There are numerous cautions if you have just taken possession of a home with one of our systems (or anybody else's system, for that matter).  The biggest one is, we need to be "in the loop."  Topics on this page: Issue 1:  Unwanted Police and Fire Dispatches Issue 2:  Continuity of Monitoring Service from one owner to the next is not Automatic.   Issue 3:  The Audible Siren Aspect of the System Issue 4:  The After Effects Issue 5:  Unwitting and Costly Errors People Commit   Issue 1:  Unwanted Police and Fire Dispatches 1.  You need to be certain that the prior homeowner gave us an official order to stop our monitoring of the system.  You would be amazed how many unwanted dispatches result from this simple oversight by prior owners.   • Some uninformed prior owners just move out and don't do anything about the system at all.  A few simply unplug the RJ31X cord or switch off the alarm system's power switch, thinking that's all they need to do.   • They have unwittingly set a trap for any poor soul who later plugs it in or turns the system on "to see if it will do anything." • Some frightening incidents have occurred, many of them months after a change in home ownership.   • If an alarm signal goes out, central station operators will call the prior owner's phone number.  They will get a recording or reach the old owner at his new home.   • If unable to get a correct Pass Code, the operator will have to dispatch the authorities.   • I get a couple of calls every year from new owners in this situation.  Sometimes the sirens are sounding and they want to know how to stop them.  I can sense the frustration in their voices with all the noise in the background and the system repeatedly cutting off our conversation. • Unless there is overwhelming evidence that the property has indeed changed hands and we are in fact talking to the new owner, we can't give out a keypad code (assuming we even have it) that would enable the new owner to stop the alarm from sounding.    • Sometimes an incident occurs when there is no able person on the premises whom we can prompt through a shut-down procedure.  (Once in a while the call comes from a neighbor, saying the new owner just went away on vacation.)  We end up having to drop everything and hustle over to the premise.  It's a billable service call that could have been avoided! • It's especially embarrassing if the fire department is sent out.  Its even worse if the fire alarm trips repeatedly in the middle of the night due to dust buildup or spiders. 2.  You need to be sure that we have actually relayed a disconnect order to the Central Station.  (It is possible we received a verbal tip off that the house was sold or put up for sale but we did not get a specific date of settlement along with the request.) 3.  You need to be sure the Central Station has actually deleted the account from their computer.   • Some Central Stations only delete accounts once a week. • The request we fax to the Central Station may have to work its way up through the pile, and it takes a little time to actually process. A delay or failure at any point in the above sequence can mean your system is still "live."  You don't want to provoke the system in any way until you know for sure that the Central Station service is terminated. "Provoking the system" includes: • Pressing keypad buttons without prior training on the system's use • Opening the alarm box • Dismantling or disconnecting detectors as part of a renovation • Pressing panic buttons to see what will happen • Plugging the RJ31X cord in to see what will happen  • Pulling out the RJ31X cord if it was already in • Pressing the test button on any system-type smoke detector to see if it will work • Creating smoke or dust in a building equipped with system-type smoke detectors The only way to be sure is to call us, tell us you have taken possession of that property - preferably before you even enter the property - and ask us to confirm that the alarm system is in fact "Off line."  We may have to check on it and call you back, but when we do, you will know for sure that an accidental alarm will not result in a dispatch by our Central Station.. Ask for a copy of our Policy Regarding Termination of Monitoring Service.  It dispels some common misconceptions about monitoring service. Issue 2:  Continuity of Monitoring Service from one owner to the next is not Automatic.   A common misconception is that when the property changes hands, the monitoring service goes along with it, something like prorating and signing over the oil that's left in the fuel tank.  That's incorrect.  For insurance and other reasons, we need a signed, written, direct contract with the actual end user.  When we receive irrefutable evidence that a customer's property has changed hands, we will in all likelihood suspend or discontinue monitoring the system immediately, unless we have already made direct contact with you, believe you wish the service to continue, have an appointment set, and we are satisfied that you will be capable of managing the system if it goes off before we get there. Issue 3:  The Audible Siren Aspect of the System • The new owners may or may not be able to stop the alarm sirens from sounding.   • In many cases they don't have the prior owner's keypad code. • There are some types of trouble and supervisory alarms that are not cleared up simply by entering the keypad code. • While attempting to stop the alarm, they sometimes damage the system.   • If nobody is home, the alarm can cause distress to neighbors. • Even if we have deleted the account at the Central Station, a well-meaning neighbor could hear your siren and call the police. • There have been cases where a patrolling police officer has heard the siren or seen the outside strobe, and stopped to investigate.  (I think it's supposed to work that way, isn't it?) • As soon as possible after you take possession, you should have the system configured to meet your immediate needs and intentions.  That could mean anything from shutting it down completely to setting up just the fire alarm for local-only operation to completely setting up the system for monitoring under your name.  If you are going to continue operating it, or even leave it turned on in a passive mode, you need: • an operator's manual • an explanation of what is covered • a keypad code • instruction on how it works • a key for the alarm box (if applicable) • instruction on how to shut it down if it gets activated or is damaged by a storm • availability of technical assistance by telephone. • You may be required to have a permit from your local Police Department. Issue 4:  The After Effects • When the dust settles, they may think everything's fine again, while in fact, the system may be inoperable or in danger of an imminent recurrence. • An unexpected alarm activation is a bad enough experience that the owners sometimes resolve never to use the system again, even though it may be in excellent condition and is something they really should be using all the time.   Issue 5:  Unwitting and costly errors people commit New Phone Line Installations.  The most common mistake new owners make is to have a phone man immediately come out and wire up a new phone system without realizing the impact it will have on the security and fire alarm, even though the alarm is not being used at the moment.  Wiring an RJ31X jack is a tricky proposition, even for many phone men.  Figuring out that's what they are looking at can be even tougher.  They often strip down the block and reconnect just the jacks you have specified, leaving all the rest disconnected.  (If you give the man a tip, he may just be good enough to clean out all the old cables and jacks so they won't "create confusion" later on.  It's a great idea, as long as he recognizes the RJ31X wire and leaves it alone.  Fat chance.)  Phone System Rewiring.  Phone men often take advantage of a change in home ownership to clean up sloppy, old, worn, and undecipherable phone wiring.  (Sometimes it is the new owner himself cleaning up his "handyman special.")  They don't want to be responsible for return visits if the prior homeowner's terrible phone wiring acts up and you decide to blame them.  (Maybe lousy phone wiring was one of the reasons the previous owner moved.)  Accordingly, they may be inclined to rewire a lot of things. In the process, they often disconnect the RJ31X jack.  Then when we later come in to set up the system for you, what should have been a simple visit turns out to include a reinstall of your alarm connection to the phone system.  We typically get $100-175 to install an original jack.  It can take a lot more time when we try to straighten out an existing one that is bollixed.  Phone System Repairs.  Let's say your phone man has left the RJ31X jack intact, but you postpone using the security system.  The next big mistake occurs when lightning strikes the phone line, or moisture attacks the jack, causing damage to the jack or its wires.  It causes static, clicks, buzz, lack of dial tone, one-ring-then-busy, etc.  You call the phone man out.  He isolates the trouble to the RJ31X jack, disconnects it, and gives you a bill.  He looks like a hero.  Now when we come out and set the system up for you, not only is it disconnected, but when we reconnect it, it causes the same trouble all over.  It results in an inconvenience to you and a return visit for us.  It makes us look bad.  We don't like that. We need to be "in the loop" when you have your phone system revamped. Improper System Shut Down.  Next on the list is the process of shutting down the system.  If the system acts up in any way they don't want, or even just as a matter of precaution, new owners often unplug the system's power transformer, but fail to disconnect the standby battery inside the alarm box.  (They often don't even have the key for the alarm box.)  The system will eventually run the battery down and of course, it will stop bothering them.  That is, until they later come to realize they have to replace one or more $42 standby batteries that otherwise might have been fine. We need to be "in the loop" when you move in. Copyright © 2000, 2001  Luis Arellano, III. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 07, 2008 01:58  http://mysite.verizon.net/reliance.3/line_seizure.htm#RJ31Xhttp://mysite.verizon.net/reliance.3/line_seizure.htm#RJ31Xshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1