That time a homeowner unplugged my alarm panel for doing its job

Last month I finished a install at a house in Austin. Everything was running smooth until I got a call at 2 AM three days later. The customer said the alarm kept going off for no reason. I drove over the next morning and found the panel unplugged and the battery dead on the floor. Turns out their cat kept setting off a motion sensor in the hallway. They got frustrated and just killed the whole system. I had to explain that you cant solve a false alarm by disabling the security. Now I always warn people about pets before I install motion detectors. Has anyone else run into customers disabling their own systems because of a minor issue? How do you handle it?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary_patel596d ago

And that's exactly why I always ask about pets before any install now, it saves so many unnecessary 2 AM service calls. Do you make them sign something about pet triggers or just warn them verbally?

fiona_lane6d ago

Is a verbal warning really enough when people are that quick to yank the plug at 2 AM? Do you make them initial next to a clause about pets in the contract?