atlanta security systems
atlanta security systems

What Makes American Guardian Superior to Other Security Companies?

Since 1985
Brant Henke

Brant Henke

Owner

American Guardian Security Systems, Inc., Security Systems Consultants, Norcross, GA
I often hear the question posed: “Why should I do business with your company? What makes you different or better than the other 300 plus companies doing business in Georgia?” These are perfectly fair questions to ask and it makes sense to properly address and answer these questions in this blog. I’ll do my best to do that now.

The Quality of Security Monitoring Being Offered By American Guardian is without Parallel

There is absolutely nothing more important than the quality of the monitoring being provided by your security company. Few consumers realize that you don’t have to have a license to be a monitoring station in Georgia. You could unknowingly contract with a security alarm dealer who is monitoring your home in someone’s garage or basement using operators and employees who were former convicted felons. Don’t laugh this has happened. A number of years ago there was a small security alarm dealer operating in the Griffin, Georgia area that was shut down after they were caught sharing their customer’s passwords and other sensitive information with friends who were then burglarizing their customer’s homes. These people could break into their homes and easily get away without getting caught because they had the verbal passwords and alarm codes to their security systems.
Not all monitoring is the same in quality. Some monitoring is downright substandard. Many alarm dealers in Georgia contract with monitoring stations that offer them the cheapest wholesale monitoring available. In some cases their monitoring cost these dealer as little as $2 per month. Then these alarm dealers will charge their customers $19 to $30 per month for their monitoring.
Many of our local competitors use wholesale monitoring stations that are not properly certified. All of our monitoring stations are Underwriters Laboratories listed. To be Underwriters Laboratory listed you have to be in business a minimum of five years. You also have to meet a long list of stringent requirements such as having gas turbine backup generators in case of power failure, bullet proof glass, man trap doors, weather resistant buildings etc. It is not easy to become U.L. certified. Again, not all monitoring is the same in quality.

Monitoring Response Time is Critical

Many of our competitors monitoring stations take minutes to respond. Our monitoring have a response time averaging 13seconds seconds.

The Myth of Local Monitoring

While most of our competitors use locally based monitoring stations for their customers, American Guardian uses broadly geographically separated, fully redundant monitoring command centers to protect our customers. Experts tell us never to go with a security alarm company that used a locally based security company to monitor your home or business. The reason for this is protection against criminal collusion. Remember the situation with the Griffin, Georgia security alarm dealer? When you are monitored by a local monitoring station it’s much easier for their employees to share your personal codes and passwords with their local Atlanta based co-conspirators. It’s much less likely to happen if you are monitored by multiple out of state monitoring stations.

Monitoring Station Redundancy The Ultimate in Safety and Protection

As I mentioned earlier, most security dealers in Georgia use only one local station to monitor their customers. That can pose a big problem and can leave their customers totally vulnerable if that one monitoring station goes down for some reason. Some things that can take a monitoring stations down are loss of electrical power, a hurricane, a snowstorm, a flood, a tornado or even a terrorism event. Even if these things are unlikely to happen they can and will continue to happen.

As a case in point, over 24 years ago when I was still relatively new to this business I used one monitoring station for my customers and it was based out of Metarie, Louisiana. After a few years I decided to upgrade and affiliate my company with a national redundant monitoring network. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the New Orleans area. When I called my friends at Metarie, LA monitoring station I learned that my former monitoring station was under nine feet of water! That put them out of business. With American Guardian if one station is put out of service for some reason it does not matter because four other monitoring stations are redundantly monitoring our customers. That’s one of the most important reasons to monitor your home through American Guardian. That’s why we tell our customers that American Guardian you get five for the price of one!”

No Contract Month to Month Monitoring

With American Guardian unlike other companies such as Ackerman Security, we offer our month to month monitoring without a contract. Other companies require you to sign a 36, 48 or even a 60 month contract.

With no contract our month to month monitoring advantage we have to earn your trust and your business each and every day.

Cutting Edge Security Technology

At American Guardian we offer security systems, security panels, and security peripheral components that provide our valued customers with the latest advanced technology.

Whether it’s our renowned Dual Path Monitoring technology that provides you with both wireless cell radio and internet monitoring as a backup, our interactive technology systems that allow you to control your security system from anywhere in the world over your smartphone, to home automation, lighting control, energy management and security system controlled door locks; you can count on us for the latest in technology.

The Best Value in Georgia for Alarm Monitoring With Our Current Low Rate of Just $14.95 per month

With our current promotional rate of just $14.95 monthly we offer you the best rate in Georgia for comparable premium, first tier, five station, fully redundant monitoring. Other local and national out of state companies routinely charge $27.00, $34.00 per month and higher for monitoring of inferior quality.

Custom Designed Systems versus System Bundles or Packages

Other security companies use the cookie cutter or one-size-fits-all approach with their customers. They will typically offer a system with one master control, one keypad, one motion detector and three door sensors.

At American Guardian we believe that this approach represents a grave disservice to those competitor’s customers. With American Guardian our security professionals sit down with each customer and help them design a system that is custom tailored to their unique needs and requirements. We design cost effective, affordable systems that are very hard to defeat.

We use Mainstream, Non-Proprietary Security Panels That Don’t Lock You In

Many of our local and national competitors employ a business strategy designed to lock their customers into their company. They do this by installing proprietary equipment in their customers’ homes. Should their customers decide later to switch to a company with better rates or better customer service they discover that the new company can’t use the equipment that they purchased earlier because it is proprietary. This effectively locks the customer in to the other provider. Ackerman Security is one of the local companies that employs this practice.

Other national companies that use this business model are AT&T with their Digital Life security platform as well as Comcast Cable with their Xfinity Home Security offerings.

American Guardian on the other hand uses non-proprietary security equipment that can be monitored by any company. We prefer Honeywell equipment the world’s largest and most technologically advanced manufacturer of security equipment. However, we will also use DSC and 2-Gig based on our customer’s preferences.

There are many exciting, cutting edge security technologies just over the horizon. You can rest assured that we will offer them to our customers as soon as they become available.

Security Is Our Only Business

One of the things that we take great pride in is that fact that security is our only business.

As you probably know, recently there have been what I call Johnny-come-lately newcomers who have entered the security marketplace. Once again a few power companies, telecom companies and cable companies have decided to enter the security marketplace with mixed success. Over the years we’ve seen several
quasi-monopoly companies try to enter the marketplace only to shut down their security divisions after a few short years. Two of those companies were Georgia Power with their Powercall security offering and Bell South with their Bell South Security division. Both of these companies closed their security divisions after discovering that this business is much more challenging than it appears at first blush. It takes incredible focus on customer service to be successful and to be a long term player in the home security business.

Unfortunately purposeful, single minded focus is not something that these quasi-monopoly power companies, telecom companies and cable companies have in abundant supply. Security is more of an afterthought to them. Home security is simply one more revenue stream, albeit small, that they can use to tweak their bottom line. Some of these companies, have learned too late when they realize that the incremental revenue stream from home security is not worth the distraction that the customer complaints from their poor customer service represents. In other words after a short while they decide to pull out of the marketplace because they can’t stand the heat from their angry customers.

On the other hand you will be pleased to know that security is our only business and we are focused like a laser on providing a stellar customer experience for every one of our loyal customers.

The Gold Standard in Customer Service

Finally the thing that we take the most pride in is our superior, over the top customer service. Our American Guardian Customer Care team goes to extreme lengths to make sure that each customer is given gold plated customer service. Many of our customers are literally on a first name basis with us. Many of them have been our customers for 10 years, 15 years and some for over 20 years.

Give Us the Opportunity to Earn Your Business

At this time I would like to humbly ask for the opportunity to earn your business. With our month to month, no contract monitoring options we have to literally earn your business each and every day. Additionally, we are very flexible and try never to be knowingly undersold. So if you have a monitoring proposal you would like us to beat, show it to us and we will do our dead level best to beat it while providing you with better service.

There’s a reason why we have a zero complaint history with the Atlanta Better Business Bureau.

We are Atlanta’s best kept secret for locally owned, hometown, professional security.

“American Guardian – superior products, unparalleled service”

Call us now to speak to one of our specialists (770) 446-9577