LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. — Alarm Grid, a provider of DIY security systems and no-contract monitoring services, said it would not charge customers in Puerto Rico for monitoring services for six months due to hardship caused by Hurricane Maria.
“We have a lot of customers who are still without power,” says Sterling Donnelly, a co-founder of Alarm Grid, based here. “We want to make sure that amidst all the hardship caused by the hurricane, one of them isn’t our bill. There is simply too much going on there now, and this is our small contribution to the cause.”
Donnelly’s co-founding partner, Joshua Unseth, adds: “We’re being told that in some places, Puerto Rico’s going to be without power for months. We’re South Floridians. We can empathize with this disaster. We know that an alarm monitoring bill is not the first thing on the minds of those trying to figure out where they can get water.”
Honeywell, maker of the Total Connect interactive platform, also waived AlarmNet fees for companies with accounts in Puerto Rico. In an email to dealers, AlarmNet asked dealers to pass “those credits… onto… customers where applicable,” according to Alarm Grid’s news release.
“Honeywell has made our decision a lot easier,” says Donnelly. “We were struggling with how to handle our Puerto Rican customers since many of them can’t communicate with us to discuss the status of their accounts. And, besides, we didn’t think it was appropriate given the circumstance to remove their focus from storm recovery. Honeywell’s credit confirmed for us that we were doing the the right thing.” Alarm Grid is going above and beyond Honeywell’s call to action, however, giving 24 weeks of free monitoring to their customers on the island.
Alarm Grid’s clientele do not have to anything to get the free monitoring, Unseth says. “We have already applied it to their accounts and have forgiven any Puerto Rican accounts that fell into arrears during the last month. Our prayers are with everyone on the island, and we hope that this contribution on our part is meaningful to our customers who have been affected.”
The company offers self-installed systems by Honeywell and 2GIG.
