NAPCO Service & BBS Woes
allan rich
In article <5klq25$k...@nuhou.aloha.net>,
p...@aloha.net (Patrick J. Chicas) wrote:
>Greetings,
>
>'Am I dealing with an ongoing situation or, is this isolated?
>
>-A week or so ago, I called the NAPCO folks and asked for the PCD3000.exe
>software. They said they'd send it promptly..
>
>-Last Friday 5/2/97, I logged on to the NAPCO BBS (no www site) and
>discovered that the PCD3000.exe software is not readily available. To
>obtain it, I needed to send email on the BBS to the Sysop including some
>"seminar code#" in my message (I live in Hawaii.. I have heard
>nothing about NAPCO seminars over here). I left a message to Charles, the
>NAPCO Tech Support Manager and BBS Sysop explaining my situation.
>
>-Figuring that they'd set my account up with the needed permission this
>Monday, I called the BBS back, first AM HST. Unfortunately, my account
>remainded in a restricted state.
>
>-Today 5/5/97, I called NAPCO's customer support. The call went like
>this..
>
>*CUSTOMER* I called a more than week ago and asked that you send the
> PCD3000.exe software. The nice lady I talked to said
> that it would be shipped ASAP. So far, nothing has arrived.
>
>*NAPCO* Then you don't know if we shipped it or not.
>
>*CUSTOMER* Huh? I assume that you do what you say you're going to do.
>
>*NAPCO* Let me check... Hold please..
>
>*NAPC0* Yeah, it was sent out last Thursday..
>
>*CUSTOMER* Not good.. I need it ASAP. Please, help me on this.
>
>*NAPCO* Try the BBS..
>
>*CUSTOMER* I have.. I left a message to the Sysop last Friday.
> (explained the seminar stuff and my locale).
>
>*NAPCO* Let me transfer you to tech support.
>
> ...On Hold for 15+ minutes...
>
>*CUSTOMER* Greetings, I need the PCD3000.exe software ASAP.
>
>*NAPCO* Try the BBS..
>
>*CUSTOMER* I did and I have left messages to the Sysop, Charles.
>
>*NAPCO* Tell him that you need it for the Gemini system.. He'll
> probably check the BBS within the next 24hrs and upgrade
> your access.
>
>*CUSTOMER* Please, give my name to Charles and have him read my
> email from last Friday and Sunday so that, he could
> possibly upgrade my account today.
>
>*NAPCO* Okay..
>
>-Well, it's the end of the day and I still do not have proper access to
>the NAPCO BBS. I have left 3 messages to the Sysop.. Why couldn't this be
>handled on the phone today? I would think that NAPCO is a fairly small
>business where folks talk to each other..
>
>-Couple this with the numerous long distance calls (Hawaii to NY) to
>extract code from some dark ages BBS system and I see the viablity of this
>product in my service offerings portfolio on the decline.
>
>
>Regards
>--
>
> Patrick J. Chicas * Email: <p...@aloha.net>
> Netbuilder Consulting Service
Well Patrick, all I can say is welcome to the wonderful wacky world of napco-alarm lock!
I to have had similar conversations with these geniusus and just be assured it only gets
funnier! Good luck to you with any further dealings with napco-you'll need as much luck
as you can get!
Allan
John M. Morgan
allan rich wrote:
>
>
> Well Patrick, all I can say is welcome to the wonderful wacky world of napco-alarm lock!
> I to have had similar conversations with these geniusus and just be assured it only gets
> funnier! Good luck to you with any further dealings with napco-you'll need as much luck
> as you can get!
> Allan
Some things stand the test of time. Napco is proof. Our company was a
loyal Napco user from 1983 until 1990. They wore us out. The constant
battles with their repair department were just horrible. Their tech
support was marginal and they were slow to admit problems. We finally
gave up and lept into the fire by switching to Moose (we are slow
learners). Moose corrected any problem immediately by denying it existed
and by saying we were the only company to experience it. This was the
stock answer to EVERY problem. We switched to Ademco in 93. Good boards,
good keypads (not pretty though!), high prices on accessories - - zone
expanders etc. fairly good tech support.
--
bumper
Napa CA USA - 87 201 N58065
Patrick J. Chicas
John M. Morgan (bum...@sprintmail.com) wrote:
: Some things stand the test of time. Napco is proof. Our company was a
: loyal Napco user from 1983 until 1990. They wore us out. The constant
: battles with their repair department were just horrible. Their tech
: support was marginal and they were slow to admit problems. We finally
: gave up and lept into the fire by switching to Moose (we are slow
: learners). Moose corrected any problem immediately by denying it existed
: and by saying we were the only company to experience it. This was the
: stock answer to EVERY problem. We switched to Ademco in 93. Good boards,
: good keypads (not pretty though!), high prices on accessories - - zone
: expanders etc. fairly good tech support.
Well, it's now Tuesday 5/6. Still now access to the BBS this morning at
0800hrs HST. I called NAPCO's customer support and asked to speek to a
manager. Within a few minutes I was routed to Charlie, the manager of
customer support. HE asked if I had ever logged into the BBS... <sigh>
In a minute he proclaimed that I had proper access and to give it a try..
I asked him to wait 'till I was on-line and could truthfully access the
files. He said "I know it will work, your good to go". And we closed the
call.
I attempted to access the NAPCO BBS and could not log on.. I tried 4
times, connected but never received the BBS prompt.. <sigh>
I'll try again later when I have a free moment..
--
PJC
aa-2@no_spam.deltanet.com@deltanet.com
In <5knrt2$3...@nuhou.aloha.net>, p...@aloha.net (Patrick J. Chicas) writes:
>John M. Morgan (bum...@sprintmail.com) wrote:
>
>: Some things stand the test of time. Napco is proof. Our company was a
>: loyal Napco user from 1983 until 1990. They wore us out. The constant
>: battles with their repair department were just horrible. Their tech
>: support was marginal and they were slow to admit problems.
>Well, it's now Tuesday 5/6. Still now access to the BBS this morning at
>0800hrs HST. I called NAPCO's customer support and asked to speek to a
>manager. Within a few minutes I was routed to Charlie, the manager of
>customer support. HE asked if I had ever logged into the BBS... <sigh>
>
>In a minute he proclaimed that I had proper access and to give it a try..
>I asked him to wait 'till I was on-line and could truthfully access the
>files. He said "I know it will work, your good to go". And we closed the
>call.
>
>I attempted to access the NAPCO BBS and could not log on.. I tried 4
>times, connected but never received the BBS prompt.. <sigh>
>
>I'll try again later when I have a free moment..
Better yet, try another manufacturer. If this kind of treatment isn't
grounds for dumping a vendor, I don't know what would be...
NMarkow125
I used Napco Burg panels a couple of times and did not like them .
However I did like there 6000 Fire Panel
and used many of them till they screwed me around on a repair with one
that was brand new at this point I figured no more napco.
Fire panels are not something to fool around with.
Nick Markowitz
Markowitz Electric Protection
Robert L Bass
I have the Napco software. You may have a copy of it if you wish. Just
e-mail me, friend. No charge, by the way. I do this as a courtesy
service to other Napco dealers.
Here's my FTP site:
http://www.usa-ads.com/bass/software/Napco/
Just point your browser there and follow the directions in the
readme.txt TO THE LETTER.
In order to properly use the PCD3000 software from Napco, you need
either a PCI-2000 modem interface or a PCI-MINI direct connection
interface. I can get you one if you need it. Otherwise, ADI, AFY and
KingAlarm carry them. Napco is currently out of stock on the PCI-MINI.
Please make arrangements with Napco to take the course if you're going
to be installing many of these systems, since they won't give you tech
support without the course.
Regards,
RLBass
========================>
Bass Home Electronics
http://www.BassHome.com
alar...@BassHome.com
80 Bentwood Road
W Hartford, CT 06107
Voice (860) 561-2020
Fax (860) 521-2143
========================>
allan rich wrote:
> In article <5klq25$k...@nuhou.aloha.net>,
> p...@aloha.net (Patrick J. Chicas) wrote:
>
>>Greetings,
>>
>>'Am I dealing with an ongoing situation or, is this isolated?
>>
>>-A week or so ago, I called the NAPCO folks and asked for the PCD3000.exe
> >software. They said they'd send it promptly..
-- snip --
MarkDecker
I've logged on to their BBS successfully, but couldn't download anything.
I had to get their software via the old fashioned way--through the mail.
Anyone else have this problem?
Robert L Bass
Click here for the Napco files.
http://www.usa-ads.com/bass/software/Napco/
Don't hold your breath waiting on them to help you out. BTW, I have
NEVER successfully downloaded ANYTHING from Napco's BBS.
There is a newer version of the software, which they are mailing to me
(I took the course). I will post it into the above FTP site as soon as I
get it. Meanwhile, the current software works on most features.
Robert L Bass
Robert L Bass
I have to assume something is wrong with my news reader program, since I
have offered repeatedly to provide the software free of charge via FTP
to any dealer in the news group. Yet everyone just keeps complaining how
hard it is to get.
If you read this post (or the e-mail, Mark) please reply so I know I'm
not working on a case of carpal tunnel syndrome in vain.
Regards,
RLBass
--
Robert L Bass
I guess the 300-400 Moose panels we installed weren't enough to get past
the problems. We never "got used to" the bad design, unexplained keypad
failures, phone line siezures, phone line lockups, denials from the tech
support team, and so on ad nauseum (no Virginia, that's not a museum for
noses).
Moose was a fine company when Wade Moose was at the helm. He was a
creative genius with the demeanor of a big kid playing with his new
toys. He and his team gave honest answers and fixed the rare problems
that did crop up quickly.
When Aritech (div of ADT) bought out MPI, things went straight downhill.
We hoped for an improvement when MPI was later sold to Sentrol. Instead,
they just got worse. Sorry friend, no more Moose panels for this dealer.
In all fairness, though I should point out that (1) MPI's peripheral
equipment, such as power siren drivers, are fine quality components.
Also, the Sentrol (not to be confused with Sonitrol) magnetic switches
are excellent.
Regards,
RLBass
MarkDecker wrote:
>
> If you are calling Moose for tech support, ask for Keith. He knows his
> stuff. Hope he is still there. We've used Moose for over 12 yrs with
> great results. I do the service, so I see every problem. Very, very few
> have to do with the Moose equipment. But you have to put in a few to get
> used to them. They are tech unfriendly and the docs are awful.
Patrick J. Chicas
Robert L Bass (alar...@BassHome.com) wrote:
: I have posted several times during this thread with the address of my
: FTP site where you may obtain the Napco downloading software immediately
: for free.
:
: Do you want the software or are you just having fun complaining?
EXCUSE ME!
I last checked this newsgroup 36hrs ago. Your posts in this thread did not
exist then. I am extremely surprised that you, a merchant, would make such
a comment.
To set matters straight, I was able to finally download the 325.exe
software last night.
: There are some truly brilliant engineers and technicians at Napco. But
: they often fall prey to stupid corporate politics. The Napco Web site is
: a typical example of this. The tech support guys had the Web server all
: set up and ready for the HTML last fall. But internal bickering with
: marketing took it away from the people who could best run it. Eight
: months later the site, at <http://www.napcosecurity.com>, is finally on
: the Web with very limited useful information. All you get is a few
: pretty pictures and some feature lists.
I was completely unaware that there was a WWW site. The URL is not
published on their literature and, the common internet search engines did
not turn anything up.
: Anyway, if you still want the software, go to my FTP site and help
: yourself. It's at <http://www.usa-ads.com/bass/software/napco/>.
Thanks for the offer.
: The other major problem I have experienced over the years with Napco is
: they release products long before they are bug-free.
Yes, I have witnessed a few crashes with 325.exe .
Also, as for classes, when they come to Hawaii, I'll be there..
PJC
aa-2@no_spam.deltanet.com@deltanet.com
In <3371A0...@BassHome.com>, Robert L Bass <alar...@BassHome.com> writes:
>I have posted several times during this thread with the address of my
>FTP site where you may obtain the Napco downloading software immediately
>for free.
I haven't used Napco panels for years, but I am curious about something.
Doesn't Napco have some sort of software license agreement for their
downloading software, like other manufacturers? Or is it freeware?
Bronic J. Zagrobelny
Robert L Bass <alar...@BassHome.com> writes: > I have to assume something is wrong with my news reader program, since I
> have offered repeatedly to provide the software free of charge via FTP
> to any dealer in the news group. Yet everyone just keeps complaining how
> hard it is to get.
>
> If you read this post (or the e-mail, Mark) please reply so I know I'm
> not working on a case of carpal tunnel syndrome in vain.
>
> Regards,
> RLBass
>
It's great of our esteemed colleague to offer the Napco software for so
little effort on our parts to get it. I am no longer in the installation
end of the business, but I'm going to download it just in case I have a
need for it in the future.
In regard to Napco the company, I have dealt with them for almost twenty
years, and have had nothing but the greatest of relationships with them.
Their technical support team has always been helpful, which is nice when
you consider that most technicians out there would rather use the trial-
and-error method forever instead of calling a toll-free number to get
some expert help from the people that deal with the problems daily!
Napco has always been a leader in the industry, which is supported by the
fact that they very often get voted #1 Manufacturer by the people that
install the stuff, the dealers! The security industry is speeding right
alongside the computer industry. As computer technology improves, so
do alarm panels & other components. It's difficult to keep up sometimes,
and that includes dealers as well as manufacturers. Give them a break.
They're on our side more than you know!
Bronic J. Zagrobelny
Senior Consultant
Security Consultants International
Home of The ALARM INSTALLER'S Video
http://www.securityconsultants.com
Email: s...@zagnet.com
Robert L Bass
This is why I carry many different brands on my Web site. I like the
Napco stuff but I hate their support -- not the support staff, but the
inadequate number of people in the department. I can't stand waiting on
hold for 20-30 minutes when I'm trying to fix some problem. I like the
features of the Vista but the software is awful. DSC gives about the
best bang/buck of them all. Tech support is OK (not lightning fast, but
much better than Napco or Moose.
So far I haven't had to return a single defective component to DSC.
That's remarkable, since I sell quite a few systems every week. Even
more so since my systems are being installed by do-it-yourselfers. It
seems DSC is just putting out really reliable equipment.
RLBass
----------------------------
http://www.BassHome.com
mailto:alar...@BassHome.com
----------------------------
allan rich wrote:
>
> In article <337284...@BassHome.com>,
> Robert L Bass <alar...@BassHome.com> wrote:
>
> >I have to assume something is wrong with my news reader program, since I
> >have offered repeatedly to provide the software free of charge via FTP
> >to any dealer in the news group. Yet everyone just keeps complaining how
> >hard it is to get.
> >
> >If you read this post (or the e-mail, Mark) please reply so I know I'm
> >not working on a case of carpal tunnel syndrome in vain.
> >
> >Regards,
> >RLBass
> >
> >MarkDecker wrote:
> >>
> >> I've logged on to their BBS successfully, but couldn't download anything.
> >> I had to get their software via the old fashioned way--through the mail.
> >> Anyone else have this problem?
> >
> >--
> >
> >RLBass
> >
> >========================>
> > Bass Home Electronics
> > http://www.BassHome.com
> > alar...@BassHome.com
> > 80 Bentwood Road
> > W Hartford, CT 06107
> > Voice (860) 561-2020
> > Fax (860) 521-2143
> >========================>
>
> Robert thanks for the offer to download the napco software but I dont need it. I was voicing
> my opinion on the bad service I have received from them, mostly with the electronic locking
> stuff they make. I have found the failure rate on some of these products to be just terrible
> and when something has been returned under warranty they sometimes bill me for the repair and
> keep billing me for months after. When I think the problem has been corrected, another bill
> comes in and the whole thing starts all over again! I have not had these kind of problems
> with other companies and I dont think I can bring myself to use another one of napco's
> products again. I do know that Alarm Lock used to be a great company and these types of
> problems never happened before napco bought them. I had been a customer for over 20 years and
> not one bad experience. Anyway I give up-I wont use any of their interesting products again.
> I'm patient but not crazy!
> Allan