Cable companies get a bad rap for good reason: They notoriously rank low for customer service and quality. And many consumers feel trapped, like they have no choice but to continue to pay the high prices for the poor service, although others are turning to Amazon and Netflix as much better performing alternatives.
TV and broadband aside, however, the real issue here is home security as these same companies now offer home security as a way to broaden their offerings (and, they hope, make up for some of the business they are losing due to poor service).
If you’re considering such a move and trusting your cable company to provide your home security system, you might want to consider a few things.
Sure, you might save some money
A big reason for trusting a cable company with home security is the money saved by bundling services. Bundling offerings together seems like a good idea, and it can save you some money. (Although it also leads to a higher bill: At our house, the cell phones, landline and Internet are bundled together, which saves us a few dollars every month…and every month when the bill for the large amount arrives, I have to explain to my husband yet again that we’re not paying that much for our phone bill, but that we are paying that much for four different things.)
But do you want to trust home security to a communications provider?
Cost savings aside (and these are negligible as the prices differ widely as do the included products and services), cable companies aren’t in the home security business. I wouldn’t trust my home security provider to deliver reliable TV or broadband to my house. So I’m not sure why I would trust the cable company to deliver home security.
When talking about cable companies offering home security, we have to remember we’re not talking apples to apples here. Internet, television, telephone…these are not the same as home security. A home security system gives me peace of mind. It helps to protect my home and family from theft and fire, and to keep an eye on things, kids and pets when I’m away.
The services typically offered by cable companies, however, aren’t about peace of mind or protection. Sure, I like my Internet but it doesn’t protect my loved ones or my property. So do I really want to trust something as priceless as my home to a company that specializes in something else—and poorly at that?
Consumers already unhappy with cable
Consumers are already extremely dissatisfied with the cable and broadband companies, and only grow more so, as the American Customer Satisfaction Index reports:
“A year ago, the American Customer Satisfaction Index reported that customers were highly dissatisfied with subscription TV and Internet service—a situation that has worsened in 2015. While customer satisfaction with bottom-ranked ISPs has not budged, pay TV service has deteriorated further in the eyes of subscribers. The two telecom segments tie at an ACSI score of 63 (100-point scale), the lowest level of satisfaction among 43 consumer household industries. Fixed-line telephone service, often included in bundled packages along with Internet and TV, languishes as well—down 5.5% to 69.”
Yep! These companies are scoring around 63 points on a scale of 100. If this were a classroom, I am pretty sure that would be a D. Do we really want to trust companies that fail to get a passing grade with our home security? It’s something to think about. You might save money with the bundled services, but at what cost?
