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QUESTION: ALARM CERTIFICATES
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Ken 
    Thank you, as always, for your daily emails full of information.  
    We use your All in One and currently monitor through Rapid Response.  They no longer provide alarm certificates to their dealers because of “liability reasons.”  Normally we provide the certificates for the subs to provide to their insurance companies for a discount.  Since their new policy change, we have had to piecemeal proof of monitoring in the form of documents.  Everything that Rapid recommends we provide does not have their name on it.  The blank generic certificate they provide online through the dealer portal doesn’t even have a monitoring start date on it.  
1: Can we fabricate our own and indicate it is being monitored by Rapid through one of its dealers (us) and 
2: do you see this as becoming standard practice with other monitoring companies?
    Thank You,
DF
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RESPONSE
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    Subscribers may be entitled to discounts on their insurance, and some subscribers may need an alarm system in order to even get insurance needed for their residence or business.  I am not however aware of an "official" form.  An alarm dealer need not depend on a central station to issue a certificate; issue it yourself.  It's only confirmation of the installation and service.  The dealer is the one under contract to install, service and monitor the system.  The central station is the dealer's subcontractor for monitoring purposes.
    Some insurance companies may have their own form containing the information it wants, so use that form.  Others may need only a letter on your stationary; still others a copy of the alarm contract.  Feel free to design your own fancy "certificate", seal and all.  
    Any insurance broker have a better answer?
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MORE ON ADDITIONAL INSURED FROM JANUARY 28, 2015 ARTICLE
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Ken
    I appreciate this forum and the wealth of information it provides. I have been educated by it. 
    In my area most if not all my customers ( I am mostly a commercial systems integrator) now have custom drafted subscriber agreements that look like the KK contract, only in reverse; it protects them and screws us. Forget about them signing my contract, that goes in the trash. Ken has even been kind enough to offer free advise regarding negotiating or selling the contract to them. Its not happening. Sign it or see ya! 
    There are too many competitors now that will sign and just don't care. I just lost 6 commercial accounts (5k each per year) I had for over 10 years because I would not sign their sub agreement. The agreement kept me insuring them forever, whether I serviced the account or not. Ken gave me some valid points to discuss with them and even suggested I could modify a small portion of the contract to suit them. No go, they said forget it and they got someone else. 
    I am not sure what to do about it. The agreements are out of line and are not "boiler plate" standard as I am constantly told by the company forcing it on me. Some of the provisions have included not only insuring everyone under the Sun but also, being held liable for other trades damaging the system, personal guarantees where my own assets are used to guarantee services, liquidated damages for schedule delays when we all know GC's don't issue project schedules anymore and indemnifying them for any and all reasons negligence or not! Basically, I become the fire alarm innsurance policy! They use whatever form they can find whether it fits or not. I tell them , the next time I visit the Dentist, I will bring along my own personalized contract for him to sign before he performs his service. My landscaper, the plumber, AT&T and my Doctor, all of them will be required to sign. What do you think they will tell me? The same thing I would like to tell them only I am to respectful to do so. Sorry for the rant. I don't know if I even have a question... Help? Is there anything I could do?
Anon in South Florida
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RESPONSE
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    There is something you can and should do.  Besides being very careful in your installation and services.  Beef up your insurance coverage and make sure you have a contractual endorsement that covers your agreement to provide indemnity.  Send the contract you are being compelled to sign to your insurance broker and get written confirmation back from your broker that you have all the necessary insurance to comply with the contract.  Make sure your broker has his, her or its own malpractice insurance, just in case.  Only other thing you have to do then is keep your fingers crossed.
    It would have been too easy for me to suggest that you pass on these jobs.  That's not practical, so you have to take whatever steps you can to protect yourself.  
    Is this a reason not to have ready up to date alarm agreements?  Certainly not.  If you don't have a Standard Form Agreement to present to the subscriber then none of them are going to sign one.  The one that does sign it may be the one with the loss.  Sometimes even you have to get lucky once in a while.
    By the way, you are correct that some indemnity provisions are beyond reasonable.  You should make every effort to modify the subscriber's demand.  Learning how to sell the Standard Form Agreements is just as important as learning how to sell the alarm system, so focus on that until most if not all subscribers are signing your form agreement.