May have to throw Elk-M1 away. Consider before purchase.

T

Trovan911

New Member
Let me start by saying that I haven't posted in a long time.  So long in fact that I can't recover my password to my old account.
 
I've owned the M1 Gold since they first came out.  My first model serial number was under 20.  I worked directly with David Steele who used to post under the avatar Spanky on this board.
 
I wrote the first plugin that interfaced the M1 to Homeseer, so I know the panel pretty well.  
 
When I moved into my new home, I bought an M1 since I've had years of experience with it.  A few days after I installed it, I got a battery low indicator and the panel failed.  I tested the panel and found that it wouldn't accept AC - only battery power.
 
Tonight I called Elk - and a guy answered the phone with "Yeah?".
 
I said, "Is this Elk?"
 
"Yeah"
 
I told him the problem and he said, I can't help you because you're not a company and you bought it on Amazon.  I told him my experience with his company, that I was one of the first programmers to release a plug-in, and he said "I can't help you."
 
Maybe I made a mistake in buying from Amazon, but for someone who has been so loyal to them, I guess it doesn't matter.  So, now, I don't really feel like I should buy another one.  Even if I do buy it from a preferred vendor of theirs, how do I know that I won't get the same treatment if something else goes wrong.
 
Consider this before choosing Elk.  Something has changed for the worse with them - which breaks my heart since they are a NC company - right in my backyard.
 
Mark
 
 
I hope this gets resolved. I have never had this experience in dealing with support at ELK.  I did not buy from Amazon but from a online authorized dealer but each time I had an issue they addressed it and never asked where I bought it. I have had mine since 2012 and the only issue is I had to replace the M1XEP about a year ago due to a failure.
 
Sparky retired from Elk. I know he was a great DIY advocate with that company. Hopefully his successor is as well.

I do believe it is a sign of downfall when the little things, such as professionalism when answering a business phone starts to degrade. I stopped by the Elk booth at ISC West and only recognized one face there...

Mark, I remember your plugin (you even customized it so it would accept a slope/intercept formula for analog inputs for me!).
 
It's been a few years now that I met Sparky at an EHExpo a few years back.  Thinking it was around 2003-2004?
 
He is very personable.  He had a newbie sales person with him and we went out for dinner and spoke for a couple of hours.
 
Thinking he mentioned to me that Dan owned an Elk M1.
 
I could see his life long devotion to Elk in the way he spoke with a genuine spark.
 
I do not know if Sparky looks here any more.
 
Just a note that you will be missed here.  (and I do not own an Elk panel).
 
BraveSirRobin - I remember that code well.  I hope you're also doing well!
 
Thanks all.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.  The defective unit sits in my closet without power until I make a decision.
 
Trovan911 said:
BraveSirRobin - I remember that code well.  I hope you're also doing well!
 
Thanks all.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.  The defective unit sits in my closet without power until I make a decision.
Click to expand...
Call back at a different time of day, change your name, and lie through your teeth.
 
I just stumbled on this older post, and thought I’d add some additional info.

We bought a remote vacation property in Maine this summer that has a Napco Gemini panel. Given that I had. a lot of experience with Elk and was going to use an ISY at the property, I emailed Elk to try find an authorized installer. I have installed all my own panels in the past, but due to the remote location wanted a company that could come out if we had an issue.
when away from the property.

After a few days, Elk referred me to the same company that had installed the Napco. But no one at that installer/service company knew anything about their relationship with Elk! I spoke with 3 or 4 different people, and their senior installer /service tech, and none could remember doing anything with them, nor did they have a clue about how to even buy an Elk to install. This was the only local company Elk mentioned.

So, today, that property still has a Napco. I’m not thrilled with it, but at least it’s actively monitoring the property. And Elk is out a sale from what was once a diehard fan. Something is terribly wrong over there. If they were sold, it must have been to an absentee owner from all I can tell. And Spanky was a great resource back in the day. I sure miss folks like him.
 
Classic sales BS. Everybody we shook hands with at the last trade show is our partner company now.

...what was their name again?...

Sent using Tapatalk
 
Yeah I still really like the Elk, but in California, I tried to find an Elk installer to help, and just couldn't find anyone who actually installed them.  I don't know who their pros are, but there must not be many in the world.  One of them told me "If I tried to quote an Elk for someone, they'd fall out of their chair dead, then rise again laughing, before falling over dead a second time".  
 
Once again, the best products will die off and the only worthwhile security systems will be the Ring's and SimpliSafe's because they're peel & stick and instantly online.  Nobody even wants to pay a professional anymore for recessed contacts.  This, unfortunately, kills the professional companies. 
 
IMHO, the only reason to get an ELK is the added features they offer over a standard alarm panel.  Otherwise you are just paying for a really expensive alarm panel.
 
But lets face it, those added features are quickly being replaced by IOT devices.  That's not a good thing, but it is the reality we face at this time.  HAI was first in discontinuing their automation panel, and I wouldn't be surprised to see ELK fall by the wayside too.  It's a shame because it is a good product.  It sounds like Spanky got out at the right time!
 
Unfortunately what is likely happening at ELK is not related to ELK but to the industry in general. If sales of their products are not happening, then they can't afford quality customer service people, and the writing is on the wall.   Leviton didn't get out of this business because their sales were too great. Just ELK, being smaller, can still run with lower sales, but for how long? 
 
Maybe its time to start looking at Home Automation 2.0 and not look back. What that fully is I don't know, but its certainly worth exploring.  My guess people are still protecting their property with alarms, and high-priced properties are still using some type for of home automation, so the whats, hows, and whys should be explored.
 
ano said:
Unfortunately what is likely happening at ELK is not related to ELK but to the industry in general. If sales of their products are not happening, then they can't afford quality customer service people, and the writing is on the wall.   Leviton didn't get out of this business because their sales were too great. Just ELK, being smaller, can still run with lower sales, but for how long? 
 
Maybe its time to start looking at Home Automation 2.0 and not look back. What that fully is I don't know, but its certainly worth exploring.  My guess people are still protecting their property with alarms, and high-priced properties are still using some type for of home automation, so the whats, hows, and whys should be explored.
Click to expand...
I must respectfully disagree. When you take days to get back to a customer who just wants to buy more and is not price sensitive, you are just doing a lousy job running your company. And sending someone to an installer that’s never heard of them, while basically dropping significant support for DIYers? That’s the recipe for goodbye... Elk could have a niche (look at the people on this board) separate from the easy-install consumer crowd. They just don’t appear to be choosing to serve it, from my experience. Sad, for their employees and us.
 
I want to be open minded and willing to change to meet the times so I want to understand what the alternative to Elk woulds be. The main thing I use Elk for is large numbers of hard wired inputs at a low cost per input that can be utilized by a large number of different automation platforms (at the same time in my case). Even at full retail an Elk 16 input board is around $87 for 16 inputs or $5.44 per input. System capacity is over 100 inputs and the inputs can be configured to monitor for connection trouble in in applications requiring high reliability. What IoT or stick on sensor platform can I use instead at the same price point, capacity, and reliability?
 
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