KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE You can read all of our articles on our website. Having trouble getting our emails? Change your spam controls and whitelist ken@kirschenbaumesq.com ****************************** Assisting a non customer power down alarm system originally installed by us / ISC meeting sign-up October 23, 2025 ******************************** Private meetings at ISC EAST *************************** To arrange a private meeting with K&K and staff at ISC East on November 19 or 20 please contact Kathleen Lampert at 516 747 6700 x 319 or KLampert@Kirschenbaumesq.com or Stacy Spector,Esq at 516 747 6700 x 304 or SSpector@Kirschenbaumesq.com. We are planning half hour appointments between 10:30 and 4:30 on November 19 and 20. If you think you need more time let us know. We look forward to seeing you at ISC; meetings will be outside the hall at the food court area. ************************ Assisting a non customer power down alarm system originally installed by us ************************ Ken, We have been in this community for over 53 years we run into calls to our central station from homeowners that are not our customers, and non-monitored, that bought a house that has our system and it’s in alarm. They want us to tell them how to power it down or turn it off. They of course do not have any password and we have no way of identifying them. In the past, our on-call technicians have been taking these calls and walking these folks through powering down a system. Our worry is liability issues on helping power down a system we have no information on ownership, and also if a fire were to happen an hour after we help them do that are we going to get sued. Thanks Dave ********************* Response ********************* This presents an interesting issue. I thought the response complex until I remembered what I tell everyone should be your number one best practice priority, "do no alarm work without a signed contract". That certainly applies here, as uncomfortable as it may seem in the moment. You raise good points; how do you know who owns the system or who is really calling to power it down, as you call it. Is that more than unplugging it and disconnecting the battery? Is the bell going off? I guess there's no monitoring, but maybe someone heard the alarm and called the police. Maybe it's a real alarm situation or maybe someone is just making sure there is no alarm. You have no information and certainly no information you can rely on. All you do know is that at some point you installed an alarm system in this house and it's not been your customer for a long time. Well that tells you all you need to know, it's not your customer. Now comes the hard part; you don't want to be known as a nasty company and you'd really like to get this new homeowner as a customer, so better to be nice; be helpful, be cooperative; do a good deed. Forget it. Nice guys finish last and no good deed goes unpunished. You don't know who, how or why that alarm is going off and it's not your concern. With your luck you'll turn off an alarm in midst of active burglary; maybe a fire started by the caller. You can keep the caller on the line while you prepare an electronic contract for signature, send it over and wait for it to be signed and payment made. ******************** STANDARD FORM AGREEMENTS: To order up to date Standard Form Alarm / Security / Fire and related Agreements click here: www.alarmcontracts.com *************************** CONCIERGE LAWYER SERVICE PROGRAM FOR THE ALARM INDUSTRY - You can check out the program and sign up here: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/concierge or contact our Program Coordinator Stacy Spector, Esq at 516 747 6700 x 304. *********************** WEBINARS: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/alarm-webinars *********************** ALARM ARTICLES: You can always read our Articles on our website at www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/alarm-articles updated daily ******************** Wondering how much your alarm company is worth? Click here: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/what-is-my-alarm-company-worth *********************** THE ALARM EXCHANGE - the alarm industries leading classified and business exchange - updated daily ************************* PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ken-kirschenbaum-presents/id1794851477 ************************* Getting on our email list / Articles archived: Many of you are forwarding these emails to friends or asking that others be added to the list. Sign up for our daily newsletter here: Sign Up. ************************** Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC Attorneys at Law 200 Garden City Plaza Garden City, NY 11530 516 747 6700 x 301 ken@kirschenbaumesq.com www.KirschenbaumEsq.com
