Archive for October, 2009

Customer complaints

Every company of every size deals with customer complaints.  When you Google Monitronics, you’ll notice that we’re not immune to unhappy customers expressing their frustrations.  And we don’t want customer’s to be silent, because what makes the difference is how Monitronics helps customers. Responding to customer concerns is important to us.  That’s not “I want your business” lip service either.  Just ask Esther Curiel of Austin, Texas.  She gave a poor review on the Monitronics Facebook fan page.  Here’s part of what she said:

“I wish i could say that i’m a fan of yours, but i can’t….i just want you to fix the alarm system i paid for. I dont want to have to pay all these BS charges you’re tacking on for your mistake. I want my children to be safe. That’s all. Good customer service goes a long way. There are a lot of social networking sites out there. Word of mouth goes a long way too. Do the right thing guys.”

It’s not that Esther posted something on Facebook or Twitter that got our attention. It was Esther’s perception of Monitronics and the fact that her security system needed work. We value our reputation and want our customers to enjoy their Monitronics alarm monitoring service. We understand. We make mistakes. But we also strive to make them right. Here’s what happened with Esther once we made contact with her and asked how we could make the situation right.

“You guys direct messaged me back [on Twitter] and asked what had happened and what you could do to help, so I told you what was wrong with my alarm. You got back to me and went step by step the whole way with me. You sent someone out a couple of days later—he did a great job and was really nice.  You could work on the courtesy of the initial customer service experience, [but] you all did a fantastic job and everything went smoothly.”

Thank you, Esther. This is the heart of Monitronics and is our core values in action. We strive to get it right the first time and when we don’t, we want to hear from you. Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/monitronics or our Twitter page at www.twitter.com/monitronics and let us know how we are doing with your account. We want to know. We want to help make your situation right as best possible.  Outcomes like Esther’s may not always happen, but we’ll do our best.

Tuesday tip for preventing crime

This time of year, many of us open up our windows to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Nothing wrong with that. But an open window, particularly in an unoccupied house, is an easy target for a burglar. You need to secure them or keep them shut (and turn on your Monitronics monitored alarm system when you’re away or sleeping).

So if you want the window cracked, make sure it is no more than six inches open and use secondary blocking devices, like a wooden dowel or stick for a horizontal sliding windows or a through-the-frame pin or “screw lock”for vertical sliding windows. Make sure that you can’t reach through the open window and remove any of these things.

For the times when the window is shut, place a highly visible alarm company sticker. Monitronics makes some nice ones that are available from customer service at 800-447-9239.

All that sizzles is not safe in bedroom

It’s national Fire Prevention Week 2009 from October 4-10, a time to pay special attention to risks around our homes. According to the National Fire Protection Association, last year, fires caused more than $15.5 billion in directly property loss, with $8.6 billion of that being residential.

Many of those fires started in the bedroom, a place that’s designed for comfort and relaxation, but is no safe haven when it comes to home fires: Nearly 6,000 people die annually from bedroom fires, says the United States Fire Administration.

Sleep tight with these safety tips for the bedroom:

  • Replace mattresses made before 2007 that don’t meet the new flammability standard.
  • Never smoke in bed.
  • Make sure that electric blankets, bed warmers, and space heaters are lab tested and do not have frayed electric cords.
  • Operate space heaters at least three feet away from flammable objects, like curtains, clothes, bedspreads, sheets, and blankets.
  • Keep matches, lighters and candles out of the reach of children. When children play with these items, they often do so in their bedrooms.  This is especially critical during the holiday season when the number of house fires by children increases to a peak of 60 fires per day during mid-December.
  • Routinely check under beds, in closets, and furniture in children’s rooms for lighters, burnt matches, or other signs that they might be playing with fire.