Now this one takes the cake ...

by Dale Burger


We got a call on Monday morning from Ed and Jean who wanted information about an alarm system. They sounded desperate so I immediately went to visit them. Ed and Jean met me at the door and as I entered the home I asked if they had just bought the house. They shook their heads and told me their story.


They had lived in this house for the past eleven years. That weekend they went out of town to their Son's college graduation. When they came home their next door neighbors were outside and surprised to see them. The neighbors thought they had moved away without saying goodbye.


When Ed asked why would they think that, the neighbors replied, 'Because of the moving van.'

While they were gone a moving van pulled into their driveway. Four big guys got out of the truck and started loading all the contents of the house into the moving van. They worked hard for hours and the neighbors had even given them iced tea.



The house was completely emptied. All the food, dirty laundry, even the rags in the garage, everything just gone. Jean said they even took the dirty dishes out of the dishwasher, and the Cake from the Fridge.

When should I use my Alarm System?

by Paul Alcock

At each install, our Techs are trained to teach the home owner or business owner how to use the Alarm System and they all have an Arm Stay and Arm Away option, but when should you use those features?

The difference on most alarm systems is simple: The Motion Detectors are not active when the System is in the Armed Stay Mode. This is ideal when someone is inside the premises. That way, if anyone opens a protected door or window the Siren will go off.

So the Armed Stay Mode is used when someone is home, usually when sleeping at night.

The Armed Away Mode activates all detection devices. This is the mode used when everyone is leaving the premises. If there is movement inside then that would trigger a Motion Detector.

The mistake often made is to leave the system disarmed when leaving the home or office for a short period. We frequently hear reports from customers that 'Just went out to the store for 20 minutes!' and in that short time a break-in occurred. That turns into an expensive trip to the store!

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She cried “all the windows have to be secure.”

She cried “all the windows have to be secure.”

There are many ways you can secure your home and the least expensive way is to secure all the doors and use 1 or 2 motion detectors as back-up. Then you can buy additional inexpensive window locks and install them on your windows. This will secure the average home 97% to 98%. If you want the windows added to the security system this will increase the security level to about 99% at quite an additional cost. No matter how much you spend you can not make your home 100% secure.

Everybody's security needs are different because of their past experiences.

I was with this young couple with a 4 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. They had been married for 11 years and lived in this house 9 years. There had been break-ins in the neighborhood and they decided to get an alarm system.

We designed the system to cover the doors, use a motion detector and he would get and install the window locks we discussed. We scheduled an install date and I was ready to leave. The wife gave me a hug and said she would feel so much better when she knew the widows were secure.

At this point I knew we had a problem. I stopped and explained to her that we were doing the doors and her husband was getting the window locks. She looked at me and her husband and cried “all the windows have to be secure.” Immediately he was concerned about the price but she insisted that the windows had to be done.

Standing there I took her hand and said “obviously you have a reason for feeling this way, would you mind sharing it with me.” Her eyes locked onto mine and she blurted “I was 12 years old, they broke in through my bedroom window I hid under the bed for hours and thought I was going to die!” After 11 years of marriage he had no idea this had happened to his wife.

We installed a full perimeter security system in their home. Two months later I got a letter from the husband thanking me for what we did. He said that now, for the first time since he's known his wife, she now sleeps soundly through the entire night.

I LOVE MY JOB.

They didn't need an alarm system because Mom was always home.

By Dale Burger

In 1989 I made a career change and went into the alarm industry. In my second month I met with a couple to discuss having an alarm installed in their home. They were doing well and had all the latest electronic toys and other nice things in the house. At the end of my visit they decided not to get an alarm system because her mother lived with them and was always home.

About a month later my pager started repeatedly going off. (didn't have a cell phone in 1989) I stopped at a payphone and called the number in my pager. A woman answered and when I said who I was she screamed “Why didn't you make us take the alarm system!”

I drove directly to their home and the police were still there dusting for fingerprints. I learned that Mom left the house for 45 minutes to do the grocery shopping. Obviously the burglars saw her leave. The police figured there were 3 or maybe 4 of them and the damage was extensive.

They pried open the family room sliding glass door and threw the curtain back so hard that the curtain rod came out of the wall. In the kitchen they smashed a gallon of milk against the wall, drank all the beer in the fridge and stole the prescription drugs in the cabinet.

In the bedrooms the dresser drawers had been pulled out, thrown across the room and smashed into the wall sending the contents of the drawers everywhere. The beds were overturned, the jewelry, cameras and guns were taken and an undetermined amount of cash stolen.

In the living room was a state of the art large screen back projection TV. Next to it was a beautiful vase on a pedestal. Since the TV was too large to take they threw the vase through the TV. Then someone defecated on the living room rug, picked it up and smeared it on the wall like a rainbow. Add to this that everything had been thrown from the shelves, cushions overturned and the police fingerprint dusting was everywhere.

Imagine coming home to this type of disaster. The estimated loss from stolen property was $21,000.00 and estimated damages were $27,000.00. Then to add insult to injury after they got the insurance claim money their homeowners insurance policy was canceled. When they got another insurance carrier the rate was $400.00 a year higher. (remember these are 1989 prices)

Fact is most people get a security system after a break-in and that's just a shame.

Be on your guard

They are in your area!

by Paul Alcock

We received a call this afternoon from one of our customers. They had been approached at their home by a 'Rep' who stated he was there to change out their security system since they had bought out our alarm company.

The customer felt that something was not quite right and asked them to return another day. Then she called our office to see if it was a legitimate call.

This approach has been tried numerous times and is well documented in the Alarm Industry News. The idea is a simple one, or should I say 'two'

Here's the first scenario: A guy knocks on your door, wearing a cap that looks like it belongs to a security company rep. When the you answer the door, the 'rep' informs the you that their company bought out your old alarm company and the new one needs to update the alarm system. If you agree, then they come into the home, make a change to your alarm panel, provide you with a new contract that requires a bank or credit card payment and off they go. You have just been 'Slammed' and now you are in trouble!

You now have two payment responsibilities: Your existing alarm company and the new alarm company that will be charging you. So now you are liable for two payments. Not a good spot to be in.

Here's the second scenario: In this scenario, the guy knocks on the door and following the same ruse, he gets inside your home.. can you spell 'Burglar' because your home has just been 'entered' and your valuables are likely to be missing when he leaves.

Both of these scenarios have been reported in various Alarm Industry News all over the country. 

So be aware. 

If a sales rep visits your home, the probability is that they are legitimate sales reps. But you can ask for their ID card. All alarm system sales reps in Florida must carry their Alarm Certificates. 

No legitimate alarm sales rep will approach you to upgrade your alarm system because your old company was bought out!

Thanks to the mindful home owner in this article, she was not taken in by this scam and did not fall for it.

Hopefully, reporting on this incident will assist other homeowners. So please share this article with your friends and neighbors.

For more information, call us at 954-7956-7070 or visit our website at ACT-Security.com

Look under the bed!

Question ... When you come home alone, do you do a search of the house to make sure no one is there?

by Dale Burger.

I was shocked to learn that for 10 years after our friends house was broken into, my wife was afraid to enter our home alone. My wife and her best friend walked into her friends home and there was 3 burglars in the house. They ran out the front and the burglars ran out the back. From that point on every time she came home from work she went through a routine of checking every room, looking in the closets and under the beds before she could relax and change her clothes.

I changed careers and went into security system sales. We had a security system installed and a couple months later my wife told me it was so nice to come home, turn off the alarm system and know that no one was there and no one had been there. That was when she told me about the routine she had followed for 10 years and it made me realize how I was actually helping people. That was 23 years ago.

Since then I have asked this question or told this story to many couples only to find that many women go through this type of routine and their husbands are totally unaware.

Please share your experience with us.

Reduce your risk of Burglary

by Paul Alcock

Really! 

With years of experience in the alarm industry, we have seen how burglars have broken in to homes and we have learnt how to reduce the risk of them doing so without detection.

So here are some of the most effective things you can do to reduce the risk of burglary at your home:

• Don't advertise that you have new stuff!
• When you get that awesome 60inch Flat Screen, Internet Ready, HiDef TV from the local discount store.... Don't put the box out with the trash! It's just an Ad to your friendly neighborhood burglar.. "Brand New TV here! - Come and get it!"
• Lock your doors!
• When our grandparents left the house to take the buggy into town, they could leave the front door wide open! Not today! Burglars will brazenly walk up to the front door and knock. If no reply, they will see if the door opens. "Thank You"!
• Lock your windows!
• Think about it. The Oliver Twist days are long gone, burglars today do not want to get cut squeezing in through the narrow opening of a broken window, but if they can pull the window open, that's a "Thank You"! It's easy to lock your windows. Most home hardware stores carry window locks that only cost a dollar each. 
• Display your alarm system notice at the front and back of your home.
• This is often thought of as advertising for the alarm company. The big sign at the front is readable from a passing car, and the window stickers around the side and back entry points are certainly visible to would be intruders. Every deterrent reduces your risk of being burglarized.
• Use your alarm system!
• We learn of so many home owners that were broken into while their alarm system was disarmed, even when the home owner was at home! News programs often report how a home was broken into while the home owner slept. Use the alarm system even when someone is home.
• Test your alarm system!
• So many home owners are getting rid of their land line phones and switching to VOIP or just using their cell phone. This saves a lot of money, but does their alarm system still work? Testing your alarm system at least monthly ensures you are getting the service you are paying for, it also helps you sleep better at night, because you do 'Use your alarm system!' right?