Guardian

August 31, 2011

This was one of the meetings I was not looking forward to. I had read from some that it can be a high-pressure sales pitch, and also a meeting where the cost can get out of hand with all the neat things they offer.

Prior to the meeting, I had an idea of what we needed for the house(cable hook-ups in every bedroom), and where the phone jacks would be.  Our model came with 2 cable and one phone outlets, and the finished basement gave us one more of each.  Since we would use the 2 cable outlets in the family room and the master bedroom, that left the other 3 needing ones.

As for the security system, we were on the fence about that.  From seeing that its a contract-based system, and some of the incentives others received from signing up, we thought we would see what was offered before we made a choice.

The rep emailed a packet of what they offered before our meeting and the costs, so that helped make some of the choices beforehand.  We knew we wouldn't want a central vacuum, whole house audio, security cameras, and I was going to handle the flat panel purchases and audio.

Once we met the rep and got down to business, he was not high pressure at all and really let us make our own choices.  He answered all the questions we had and where we were on the fence about certain things, he just did his best to tell us things from both sides of the issue.

What we ended up going with was...

• The Base Package Security System
• 36-month contract (6 months complimentary)
• Additional Keypad in the Master Bedroom
• 6 Pack Outlet Package
• Pre-wire for rear speakers in Finished Basement

We went with the additional keypad upstairs because without it, the motion sensor was essentially useless for nighttime use as you couldn't arm the system downstairs and then go upstairs without setting it off, or come downstairs in the morning without disarming it first.

We chose the 6 Pack Outlet Package because we needed at least 3 more at $100 apiece, and for an extra $195 we got 3 more hookups in any combination of phone, cable, or data.  We chose to use them for data connections near the Basement and Family Room televisions, because even though we will have a wireless router for our Internet, having a dedicated wired connection will hopefully provide a better signal for any Internet usage from the Blu-Ray.

I opted for the pre-wired rear speakers in the Finished Basement, because even though currently I have a surround sound with the speaker wires ran along the floor board with wire covers painted to match, I thought it would be easier and more aesthetically appealing to just put some mounts above the couch and mount them that way.

We got out of that meeting for more $$ than I wanted, but not enough to really hurt the bottom line. Lets hope flooring would go as well!!

Next up...Rite Rug