5 Star Security
About us
5 Star Security is a small, local company in business for over 28 years. When it comes to wireless security systems, we're the expert. It's all we do, all the time. To our knowledge we are the only security company in the D.C. area that can make that statement. Our systems use state-of-the-art technology and are designed, engineered and manufactured in the United States. Most other companies are using products manufactured in China or Mexico which suffer from inferior quality and yesterday's technology. We have tried most of them and find very high failure rates within three to four years of installation. Lenny Bianchi is the owner and president of our company. He is a Washington area native, having grown up in Fairfax County. He attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He has served as a volunteer firefighter in Loudoun and Clarke Counties. The way we do business and the way we take care of our customers is reflected in the fact that we have never had a single customer complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau in over 28 years in business and have been repeatedly top-rated by Washington Consumer's Checkbook as well as Angie's List. We offer you a very low risk experience.
Business highlights
Services we offer
& Heating System Failure., Carbon Monoxide, Fire, Flooding, Gas Leaks, Residential & Commercial Electronic Security System Installation. Monitoring Services – Intrusion
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 96% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 0% |
He. Is. The. Best.
There is nothing more to be said!
"Thank you so much for your very kind words. And thank you for your business!"
Lenny had been persistent in reminding me that I needed to replace the smoke detectors after 10 years. After ignoring his reminders for a few months, I finally scheduled an appointment. He was about 30 minutes late, but it was entirely understandable given that we had the first significant snow of the season and traffic was a mess all over. When he arrived he went right to work replacing the smoke detectors, programming the new ones into the system, making sure they were functioning properly. He then did a total system check including all the sensors and the remotes. 5 Star is always reliable, always does an excellent job, and I feel completely confident that my home is protected as well as it can be.
"As always, thank you very much for your kind and candid comments."
We interviewed 3 security companies and it was obvious that Lenny was the most knowledgeable and detail oriented. He gave a ton of information about why he uses a particular brand of equipment and a particular monitoring service. The other two companies simply didn't address those issues. Also, Lenny gives you specifics about what's in his contract and why it protects you. Neither of the other companies were willing to include those same terms in their contracts. In terms of what equipment we needed, Lenny didn't try to oversell. He told us just what we needed (as compared to one of the other companies that seemed to be piling on the equipment to increase the price). On installation day, he was prompt, efficient, and careful. He takes time to explain everything to you in detail. If you have any questions afterwards, he is available by email and phone. He's not the cheapest, and he tells you that right off the bat. However, I think sometimes you get what you pay for and in this case paying more gets you much more. The only negative, and this is not a huge thing, is that he does a bit of a hard sell on the initial appointment, giving you some extras but only if you sign that day. But other than that, it was a great experience from start to finish.
"We want to thank this customer very much for her kind comments and words. Regarding the offer of a “first call special”, we are simply following the example of many retail stores when they have a sale. Whether it’s buying a car, a refrigerator or a new pair of shoes, it’s not uncommon to see stores have sales and the special pricing is only available for a limited time, sometimes only a day. For those who feel comfortable, they may take advantage of the offer. Others may feel they cannot as they need to shop a bit more. When we make an appointment for a presentation we send the person an email which is very specific about the special we offer if they wish to arrange an installation date while we are there. That way they have time in advance to consider whether they may want to make a decision at that time. Retail stores also typically provide the information about their sales in advance. Other security companies prefer to wait until they’re with the prospective customer and then kind of “spring” it on them, when they’re not expecting it, and use the special to try and pressure people into making a decision. We don’t do that. We feel it’s more respectful to make them aware there will be a special at the time we make the appointment and exactly what it will be. That way they have time to think about it before we arrive. The justification for offering a special on the first appointment is that it saves us a second trip back to do the paperwork and get a deposit. We always explain that if they do decide to take advantage of our offer – not only do they have three business days to cancel their order (by law) – but our proposal clearly states they may make changes to their order at any time prior to the installation. Once this has been explained, in every case, if a prospective customer tells us they are not making a decision while we are there, we respect that and do not try to get them to change their mind. Many of our customers have taken advantage of this offer and some have not. The choice is theirs. Either way, the result is they have a very high quality security system at a reasonable price."
The overall process is clean other than some small holes and dust produced from running the wiring.
Everything is working great!
"Thank you very much for your kind words."
The other batteries that Mr. Bianchi replaced and charged for are as follows.
$ 75.00 12V 8aH standby battery - Quantity 1 ... I can purchase the same battery for $20.00
$255.00 1/2 AA 3.6 Volt Lithium - Quantity 17 @ $15 each ... I can purchase the same batteries for $5.00 each for a total of $85.00
$ 10.00 A23 12 Volt Alkaline - Quantity 2 @ $5.00 each ... I can purchase the same batteries for $1 each for a total of $2.00
Mr. Bianchi also charged $90.00 labor. His total cost for his one hour visit was $550.00 ($460.00 for batteries and $90.00 for one hour of labor).
I voiced my displeasure regarding what Mr. Bianchi charged me for the batteries. He told me that he was in business to "make a profit". He said that he charges what he does for the batteries because there are many "counterfeit" batteries on the market. He then told me that Radio Shack charges approximately $21.00 each for the 1/2 AA 3.6 Volt Lithium batteries. However, when one goes to the Radio Shack website, the user reviews for that particular battery are critical for the excessive price that Radio Shack charges, i.e., the reviewers state that they can purchase the same battery for substantially less elsewhere (just as I found out). Also, I sincerely doubt that Mr. Bianchi purchases his batteries from Radio Shack. Mr. Bianchi then said that the maker of the alarm system requires that certain batteries be purchased because the equipment is "life safety" equipment. That argument holds no merit.
In fact, I told Mr. Bianchi that I did not buy his arguments about what he charged for the batteries. He then acquiesced and told me that "next time" I can purchase my own batteries for him to install. His having said that negates his arguments for what he charged me for the cost of the batteries and essentially is an admission on his part that he grossly overcharged (gouged) me for the cost of the batteries.
The bottom line is that Mr. Bianchi marked up the cost of the batteries by approximately 400% as compared to what I can purchase the same batteries for. What this amounts to is that Mr. Bianchi's true labor cost was approximately $425.00 for one hour of work.
Lastly, Mr. Bianchi's online business writeup on Angie's List is that he uses a Fairfax VA based monitoring company for the alarm systems that he installs. I find that statement misleading because Mr. Bianchi told me twice (at the original installation and at the time of the recent service call) that he uses an alarm monitoring company located in either North or South Carolina; and that he has used the same company for years.
Incidentally, Mr. Bianchi admitted that the batteries in the alarm system could last beyond the 4 year replacement cycle that he advocates. Five years is probably more likely.
ADDENDUM
Mr. Bianchi and I are obviously at polar opposites. So, let?s let the readers decide who is being upfront vs. who is embellishing with inaccuracies, fuzzy math and ridiculously fuzzy pricing logic. Let?s be clear: the issue here is whether or not price gouging occurred. By the way, I won?t stoop to personal insults as I believe that Mr. Bianchi has done toward me with his spurious response.
All parties can stipulate that Surefire makes very high-quality flashlights and directly sells very high-quality Lithium-Ion batteries for their flashlights. Anyone can purchase TWELVE (12) very high-quality CR123A Lithium-Ion batteries directly from Surefire for $22.50, or approximately $2.00 each. Look at this website for indisputable verification: http://www.surefire.com/Batteries
As with anything else, I readily understand and expect a reasonable markup, e.g., an oil change. However, Mr. Bianchi charged me $15 for each CR123A Lithium-Ion battery that he replaced. Simple math shows that to be a 750% markup ($15.00 vs. $2.00). I ask that you take any other product and give it a 750% markup, e.g., a quart of motor oil, to determine if price gouging took place here. You make the call.
As with the Surefire Lithium-Ion batteries, I encourage you to perform the same pricing research regarding bulk quantity Duracell CR123A Lithium-Ion batteries that are used in my system. In fact, I advocate that you do your own research independent of what Mr. Bianchi or I say to form your own conclusion if price gouging took place regarding the replaced battery types as listed in my original review. Please make sure that you do as I did and use very reputable battery sellers/websites for proper price comparisons.
Incidentally, I sincerely doubt that a fine upstanding company such as Surefire or any other reputable company is marketing counterfeit CR123A or other type Lithium-Ion batteries when purchased directly from them. I have personally made numerous such purchases with resultant stellar battery performance.
Mr. Bianchi claims that his customers have the option to replace the alarm system batteries. I would like to have Mr. Bianchi point to one piece of literature that he has ever provided me that either encourages that option or that gives the instructions on how to do so. After I once removed the lid of one of the alarm sensors, it immediately triggered the alarm system even though the system was unarmed (a tampering prevention feature - a good thing). So, where are the programming instructions for a customer to disable the alarm system to enable battery replacement? The answer is that they are nowhere to be found because they were not provided. To the contrary, Mr. Bianchi?s billing statements include comments that either he or an associate should perform all of the work on the alarm systems that he sells.
I chose not to go into detail in my initial review about Mr. Bianchi's lowered marks for responsiveness, punctuality and professionalism because I did not want to divert attention from the main issue, i.e., the price gouging that I believe took place. I will now address what actually happened regarding the service call apart from the pricing issue in order to set the record straight.
Mr. Bianchi's response to my review of how I rated his business performance is flawed. He did not discuss with me the rate of his coming out on a Sunday as opposed to "discount days" as he states that he did. Also, Mr. Bianchi?s implication that I was his only service call that Sunday and that he had to change his Sunday plans to accommodate me is erroneous because he told me that he had at least two other earlier service calls scheduled in my general area for the same Sunday. Mr. Bianchi is the one who suggested the Sunday service call, not me. I consented only because he was already going to be in the area.
Frankly, I had no desire or sense of urgency for a Sunday service call. Why? Simply because the recommended service for my system was not due until December 2011, as Mr. Bianchi states in his response. Think about it folks. Why on earth would I want to ruin Mr. Bianchi?s Sunday as he so claims let alone my own Sunday for work that could have easily waited for
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