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Question - trip charges
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Ken
We are trying to get a handle on what the industry is doing in the area of charging a flat “trip/mileage” fee. It would be for almost any service call except for a new installation. We do charge for parts and labor. The trip charge is something our Comptroller suggested. We have been charging a flat $35 trip charge fee for our service calls. There is the occasional instance where it is waived.
1) Is this standard practice?
2) If it is, what seems to be the acceptable rate range?
3) If it is a case by case charge, when is it used? Distance related? Multiple call related?
4) Any legal implications for charging it or how it is charged?
Thanks for your help.
Daniel Osinski, Director of Sales
EMERGENCY NETWORK
Colorado Springs, CO
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Response
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I don't see why you can't charge for this as long as you cover the charge in your Service Contract. I don't know if it's prevalent in the alarm industry. Many service companies charge a minimum charge to make a service call.
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alarm company shares subcriber story
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Ken
I read your emails every day for many years. It has enlinghtened me on various issues and have learned alot from the forum and comments from other dealers like myself. I am a long time reader but first time participant. I use your contracts and had a pleasure of meeting you in Las Vegas. I would like to share my story with the forum as this can happen to anyone.
An incident happened to one of my customers and could have been potentially deadly for me and my company.
On a warm sunny Miami hot Sat afternoon (August 3rd, 2013) at around 3:25 PM, my customer was inside her room and armed on STAY. She hears a loud bang noise coming from the kitchen which trigerred a Glass break and sirens going OFF both inside and outside. She comes out of her bedroom only find out this 20 year old black kid (muscular with tatoos) in her living room face to face. She screams and he runs out thru the same broken sliding door. Apparently, a rock was thrown on her slider.
She turns off the alarm using a duress code which I normally program at xxx. (presence of mind to even remember a duress code. Most of my customers dont remember to even have one.)
Alarm turns OFF. Then, she calls 911 using her cell phone. We (central station) calls her cell phone since there is NO location phone and does NOT answer as she was with 911. We leave message on her voice mail. We call her mother as the next emergency contact on the list who cancels the dispatch. She did this because we had false alarm on Glass break many times before due to low ceeiling in the kitchen, everytime, she closes cabinets hard or closes fridge etc glass break has gone off. She has a marble floors and low ceeilings. Police gets there after 10 min which is quick by Miami standard. After the door is boarded up and things cool down, she listens to the message we left and it only mentions glass break. She calls 911 dispatcher to ask if they responded on the duress code or the call she made. They informed her, it was from the call she made and they never received any calls from the central station.
She calls central and they inform her that they only got glass break signal and NO duress signals came in and they followed the protocol of calling the call list before the dispatch and that mother had cancelled the dispatch. I get a call on Sat at around 8:30 pm informing me of the incident and also asking me about the duress code and how the reporting works. On my acct profile with the central station, we dispatch first and then call back in 15 minutes. We also inform emergency contacts right away that duress has been activated. Since I have NO access to the panel, I go to her house on Sunday. Apparently, the duress code signal never went thru and was a programming error on my part.
The duress code was programmed as xxxx and duress profile on the code was checked but the report code on the reporting side was left at 00 instead of FF. I was using an automatic report codes format. I always send duress signal to central when I do any job. In fact, when I am trigerring the zones for testing, I disarm with the duress code and then check for all signals.
In this particular case, she had an older panel which I had installed 4 years back and last June, she got hit with lightning which took my panel, cell back up along with some of her appliances. I replaced it in June 2012, I replaced the new board and then transferred the programming from panel to PC first and then Pc to the new panel. Only the communication side of the panel was hit so I was able to retrieve the old programming from the old panel.
Apparently, the report code for duress did NOT transfer and I remember I was in Keywest for a camera job and I did this on my way home and was very late. I dont remember if I disarmed the system via duress code but I did send test signals and have been monitoring 24 hour test signals, etc.
Totally my fault and she was cool about it and I explained the mistake as she had already called central and 911.
I am very cautious on everything we do. I check and double check my work. I am a small dealer 400 accts with 2 installers. Anything installers program, they send me a programming file for me to check and download panels remotely after completion of every job when possible.
I guess we all make mistakes. I have your contracts and EO insurance. I dont know how the contract could have benefited me if it had gone the other way. I know the limitation of liability and error/ omission. I just got lucky.. The customer is a petite 35 years old chineese woman. It could have gone the other way. Many times, when this Kitchen glass break was going off, I had suggested to her that we place it on STAY but she refused. I guess what saved her was the siren noise.
Who would think to break in someones house on a sat afternoon where the neighbors are home, some outside washing their cars, etc and this is a community. Who arms system on STAY at this hour and to remember the duress code.
Morale of this is check your work and treat it as it is your own house and send signals on all panics, smokes/heat and the Duress code. You never know....
Thanks..
Tony from Miami
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Response
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That's some story. Your contract would hold up and protect you and your E&O carrier would cover you for defense and any damages. When you have an incident like this you should immediately call counsel [me] and then we'll decide if your carrier should be notified and what investigation you should make and what report you should generate.
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