Tired of homeowners unplugging the panel to stop false alarms

Did a service call in Austin yesterday and found the main panel unplugged for the third time this month, homeowner said they did it because the motion sensor kept tripping at 3am from their cat. I get that nuisance alarms are a pain, but disabling the whole system leaves the place wide open and I've seen two break-ins happen exactly like that. How do you guys talk customers out of this habit without sounding like a jerk?

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davis.gavin1mo ago

Wait, are we really blaming the homeowner for wanting to sleep through the night without their own security system screaming at them? I've seen cats set off motion sensors too, it's a real headache. But here's the thing, if you know the cat is the problem, why not just adjust the sensor's range or use a pet-friendly motion detector instead of letting them pull the plug? I've had customers do the exact same thing and then get shocked when they get hit a month later because they forgot to plug it back in after a false alarm. You gotta sit them down and say, "Look, I get it, but you're not just silencing the cat, you're silencing your whole house." Maybe offer to set a schedule for the sensor during the night, or move it to a spot the cat can't reach. That way you're solving the real issue, not just telling them they're wrong.

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