Liability Horror Stories /
Response to Dealer Programs in Puerto Rico
April 12, 2013
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Liability horror stories. I'd like to hear from all of you out there - one of your incidents or one you know of. We won't circulate names to protect the innocent and not so innocent. Building your company only to have it taken away by one of yoursubscribers because of a loss is definitely not one of your plans. In fact, it's about the last thing you'd look forward to. Even worse than your spouse divorcing you and taking your company. Well, maybe not worse, but you get the idea.
As you read these horror stories keep in mind that you are in a protected class - the alarm industry. All you have to do to join this protected class is use proper contracts, then the courts will protect you.
But no proper contract, or no contract covering the particular work or service you provided, and you will be thrown into the common pool of those having to answer for their negligence.
So here are a few stories that come to mind.
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Burglar alarm installed in third floor residential apartment. Alarm goes off. False alarm. Subscriber is woman around 30 years of age living alone. She decides that best response to this alarm is to jump out her ssecond floor window, landing on the ground. Of course she suffers injuries.
Claim against alarm company for causing her to jump out window.
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Alarm Company's central station receives fire alarm. Calls subscriber. Subscriber answers phone and tells central everything is fine. Next morning alarm co learns house burned to ground, with the subscriber in it.
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Alarm installed in residence. Burglars cut phone line and clean out house. Subscriber sues because no radio was offered
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Locksmith services front door lock of apartment building. Several days thereafter female resident is raped in her apartment from unknown intruder. Locksmith [also alarm company] sued.
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Central station provides fire alarm monitoring to facility size of three football fields housing every major manufacturer. Facility completely burns down. Central received and reported fire signal. Alarm company sued along with almost 50 other parties. Defense costs for alarm company exceeds $100,000 defending against 200 million in damages.
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Alarm monitoring lobster tank circulator does not report signal. lobsters die. Alarm company sued.
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May as well include the infamous ADT case. Burglary. Alarm company sued. Trial judge rules alarm contract not enforcable. Jury finds against alarm co and awards 4.5 million. Alarm industry goes nuts and ADT has cost of appeal, which it wins. Defense cost? More than you want to know.
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Alarm company receives burglary alarm signal. Sends guard who can't get in. Decides not to send police. Receives 3 more signals. Decides they are false alarm and doesn't dispatch. Store is wiped out by burglars. Sues alarm co.
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Alarm co testing sprinkler alarm pulls on the Pull Station. Instead of activating the alarm it sets off the deluge system. Entire high end Fifth Avenue clothing store is flooded. Alarm co sued.
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Alarm co install alarm system. Drills into steam pipe. The ground floor business and 5 residential floors above it vacuated and the business closed 4 days. Installation was being done in Rodney Dangerfield's Comedy Club. They didn't think it was that funny.
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Alarm company's guard triggers alarm, is dispatched to premises and reports all is well, then robs the place of all its fur cost inventory. That subscriber didn't think it was that funny either.
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Elderly woman presses PERS pendant; no signal and she's found on floor 3 days later. The unti had had a false alarm 2 years earlier and hadn't reset. Sues
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Elderly woman presses PERS pendant, No signal. Unit plugges in upside down in phone jack. Loses leg and sues.
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OK - I don't want to hog all the horror stories. Hope to hear yours.
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Response to dealer programs in Puerto Rico
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The ADT Dealer program covers all of North America and Puerto Rico.
For more information call 1-800-452-6307.
Jack Teel , Director, South Central
972-429-9042
TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REPLY TO THIS EMAIL OR EMAIL Ken@Kirschenbaumesq.com. Most comments and questions get circulated.