QUESTION:
Ken,
I do read all your emails. Thanks for your helpful tips. I have a customer
that put a note in with her bill that said:
"PLEASE NOTE NAME CHANGE"
I sent her a new monitoring contract with her
proper name with a one year contract ,month to month renewal. She calls in
and complains that nothing has changed, other than her getting divorce. I
asked her if the month to month contract would keep her happy, she said
no. She said it is the principle, all other companies are changing the
information with out contracts. November of 2000 she signed a 2 year
contract with us with a 2 year contract with her marriage name.
I try to keep all my customers happy & I feel that a month to month
contract with proper name change is fair for a customer to sign !
She said she was going to send in a letter instead of the contract
regarding wanting her name to be changed without using a contract.
I told her to go ahead and send something to me in the mail, however I was
done arguing with her over the phone. Please help me out.
She did sign the monitoring contract back in 2000' in her marriage
name without his signature.
Is a note from her good enough ? Should I send her a letter ,stating I
need a monitoring contract to be signed in order for us to properly change
her name, with a time limit to sign it ?
If she does not agree, then send her a certified letter regarding why we
are disconnecting her from central station ?
Is it possible that you presently remove somebody from central station if
they are paid up, but they don’t want to sign new contracts for proper
name change? It has been our believe to try to keep all of customers
happy, however our company requires a monitoring, sales, lease, service
reports etc... to be signed by anybody that has changed the company name
or personal name. Is there an exception to the rule ?
Dan
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ANSWER:
You are certainly right that you must have a written contract with
every one of your subscribers, and you need a contract that covers every
item of service you are providing. In your case, monitoring and service.
If your subscriber is a corporation or business entity, and you find that a
new entity is now in possession using your alarm, you must get a new
contract from that entity.
If your subscriber is an individual you must have a contract from that
person or persons. Do you need a new contract if the person changes their
name, a frequent occurrence for a divorcing woman? The answer is no.
A name change, while possibly confusing and requiring explanation,
does not change the fact that your subscriber signed the contract.
A more common problem is when there is a divorce and either the
husband or the wife asks you to change codes. You have to look to your
contract and the safest course of conduct would be to have anyone on that
contract consent to the changes. If however you are presented with a
court order granting occupancy to one of the parties then you can take
direction from that party. But be careful to make sure that the one with
the order remaining in possession has signed a contract. If not, get one
signed before you make changes and even before you continue any service or
monitoring.