December 11, 2010
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Question:
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Ken:
I would like that listing of central station which agree to use your monitoring contract if I may.
David D
NY
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Answer:
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My guess is - all of them. If they don't, get a new central station.
Let's review the issue I think this question raises, because it's not really apparent.
You provide monitoring to your subscribers. You don't have your own monitoring facility so you "subcontract" out the monitoring to a wholesale monitoring company, a central station.
The central station tells you that it requires that you and your subscribers sign a "three party" monitoring contract. This form will usually have subscriber information used by the central station to set up and monitor the subscriber's system.
A central station that doesn't really care about you won't tell you that you also need your own monitoring contract. That central station, thinking only of itself and its interests, is satisfied having you get the subscriber to sign the three party contract. That contract is however designed for the central station, not you [the three party contract I provide to the central stations does extent protection to the dealer, but that's not the real focus of that contract - which is protect the central station].
A central station that does care about it's dealers, and of course they all should, will tell you that the three party contract is not enough for your purposes and that you need your own Monitoring Contract - in addition to the three party contract. The really good central stations, and there are more than a few, will send you to me to get your Monitoring Contract, because they know it's the best contract and also the least expensive one for you to buy.
Getting back to the question, I think what is really being asked is, which central stations will not require you to get a three party contract signed, but will accept your Monitoring Contract instead? This issue arises because some dealers don't want to have to get the subscriber to sign both the dealer's Monitoring Contract and the central station's three party contract.
As a dealer - installer keep in mind that as between the two contracts, you need the Monitoring Contract, not the three party contract. Your central station needs the three party contract, not your Monitoring Contract.
There are many central stations what will accept only my Monitoring Contract, and not require the three party contract, because my Monitoring Contract extends its protective provisions to cover the central station. This is not the preferred practice however, so I don't want to put any central station on the spot or encourage the practice. The best business practice is to get both the Monitoring Contract and the three party contract signed.