Good afternoon. Lovely flowers. Have you ever considered purchasing an alarm system for your home? Expensive? Cute dog by the way. Pug? Thought so. Listen, these days, you can’t afford to NOT have an alarm system. Eat at home one night a month that you’d have gone out, and it’s paid for! You need to protect your family, because that’s no German Shepherd you’ve got there. Let me tell you about APX (formerly Apex) alarm systems.
Ok, if you’re like me we probably share the same…affinity for solicitation.
However. We (cjanechupchiefever) have had a decidedly pleasant experience with APX. Hence, the ads I’m sure you’ve noticed on http://blog.cjanerun.com/
Somebody knows somebody, and somebody gave The Chief a cool t-shirt and Ever a cute little onesie and THEN made us pretty darn good offer on an alarm, so we decided to take the plunge. Here’s my take.
The biggest selling point for me was the technology. Yes, I love technology. But not as much as you, you see.
THE PANEL!
I saw a picture of the alarm panel and asked where to sign. It looks like something from the AXIOM on Wall-E. Anybody else’s 2 year old OBSESSED with Wall-E? Everything is wireless. The touch-screen panel communicates with the sensors wirelessly, but, but, BUT! it also communicates with the monitoring station/police/fire/emergency…wirelessly. The thing has a freeking cell-phone sim card in it. So, ya know, no problem when your stalker cuts your phone lines. And it tells you what the weather is going to be tomorrow. Supposably APX is bleeding edge with this stuff. All sorts of new features and abilities are in the pipeline. Home automation, cyborg army control, the usual.
THE SENSORS!
The Gatling Gun Tower was a pretty spendy add-on, so we went with sensors on all the outside doors and one motion detector. So no, nothing like you see on Chuck, but totally adequate for our needs. Like I said, the different sensors they put on doors and windows, and the motion detectors are all wireless. Depending on your doors, the sensors can be installed inside the door and the jamb. Sano. (Total 80’s BMX word.) From the panel, you can select chimes and notifications for when any given door is opened. Kinda like ringtones for your doors. Cool. I’ll use the word tickled. We were tickled with this feature. Thanks to Nick Crossette. Nick installed our system and answered my dumb questions. 110 over phone lines? Pfft.
THE APPS!
Total fail on some awesome E.T. reference here. iPhone and Blackberry apps are available so you can arm/disarm your home when you’re away. If I actually had an iPhone, I could play with the app… Anyone else smile through the tears when your 2 year old spills a 32 ouncer of soda on your iPhone? Mmmhmm. Web access is really cool too.
So. If this sounds like a plug for APX Alarm, I kinda guess it is. Until it goes all HAL on us, we totally dig our system. Now if I could just get my picture on one of those bus ads….
c jane's quick take:
as a mom i must say i really appreciate knowing when any doors in my house are opened. when i am upstairs feeding the baby and the lovely-voiced APX lady tells me my front door just opened, i know i've got to investigate. is the chief jumping ship or did my mother just stop in?
and now my husband can go out of town all he wants.
just kidding, i didn't really mean that.
and i too, love the fact we know the time and temperature anytime of the day on our panel.
plus we look like the jetsons with our technology.
ray bradbury's veldt anyone?
p.s. really cute onesies.
two thumbs up.
Get a special cjanerun.com offer here.
9 reactions:
Just my two cents about Apx.
I live in MN, so several sellers from Apx, and other similar companies come out each summer and go door to door here.
There are currently a few lawsuits pending about sellers upselling and intimidating seniors to sign contracts that they didn't fully understand.
Also, several news stories have discussed how customers have felt intimidated and uncomfortable.
Of course no one can make you sign anything, but I think it's poor faith to go around and tell needy older people that they need to have a security system in a nice MN suburb, when they are in fact- probably just fine with the locking their doors.
It makes the sellers look bad, and sadly the LDS Church, too- since many sellers are LDS and talk about their mission experience/Church when selling (another business no-no)
I also think the culture of selling these alarm systems isn't good. The NY times did an article about this, and new sellers are left outside and not allowed to eat/get lunch and/or go the bathroom unless they ask someone door to door UNTIL they make a sale. Not being allowed to have access to a restroom while at work? That's just another lawsuit waiting to happen.
I don't admire Apx.
I live in the Hudson Valley (NY) and have a husband who travels quite a bit. We had an alarm system installed about a year ago and it has made a huge difference in terms of my general piece of mind.
We didn't have a negative experience with our alarm seller - ADT - we actually called several for quotes and they were all lovely. Even though we live in a peaceful neighborhood I feel much more secure knowing that we have an alarm system. Everytime I hear my alarm tell me that "back door open," etc. makes me smile and then ask my son what he is doing - as he tries to sneak outdoors.
Et tu, Chup?
@creole: understood. and generally the experience with solicitation, right? pest control, alarms, lawn care, vacuums... that's the point i was trying to make (too subtly?) with the intro.
we didn't deal with the solicitation and had a different experience.
fwiw, i have heard that the company is headed in a more...legit? direction. away from pushy sales and more towards brinks / ADT type of business model. fwiw.
@junioraudio
dude, do you still have my ed hardy shirt and low-rise clubbing jeans with the big white belt? i NEED them back, dude. call me. -ksweet
CK- that's good to hear. It's been a while since I've hear a ton of negativity about it, but I do remember it being a hot topic about a year ago.
Anyway, people need to make choices that are right for themselves- but not everyone needs an alarm system. I prefer double locks and a butcher knife, but that's just me (j/k about the knife)
My grandmother up in Vancouver has an alarm, and now that I know that there are ones with 'nice lady voices' I think she might need to get a new one. Because right now it just goes 'whooop whoop whooop heeey everybody I think there's a killer or something' with alarming (ha) loudness.
Cyborg army control? Sold.
The Veldt? Yes.
Does this mean you don't call Time anymore? 377----
love the intro... so true!
someday, i'll have to get one of those - i'm totally digging the idea of knowing when doors open (with the little ones...)
thanks for the review!
CJane - I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog, but APX has a terrible reputation in the alarm industry and I was concerned when I saw your glowing write-up. Just Google APX and you'll see what I mean. I'm a member of the security industry and all for alarm systems, but folks - stear clear of APX!!
Post a Comment