When Pigs Fly

I never thought I would live to see the day when a panel like this went up on my wall:

Yes, it's true. We (meaning my in-laws) got a security system. From Vivint--my archnemesis.

After working three years for Vivint's largest competitor, I am well aware of the corruption within the security system industry. Sales representatives are often dishonest and customers end up locked into awful contracts with terms they were unaware of (because the fine print is very small and they trust the friendly salesman). So, when a man wearing a Vivint shirt came knocking yesterday, I politely told him I was not the homeowner and slammed the door.

I didn't expect he would come back again today. And I certainly did not expect that my father-in-law would listen to his horribly rehearsed spiel and be interested! After our car was broken into last month, Rex realized protecting our home might be a good thing. That, along with a couple of burglaries in our neighborhood, made him feel like an alarm system was actually a necessity.

Fortunately, I was able to use my security system based knowledge for doing good today. My favorite part of the afternoon was when I told the sales representative that I had worked for a security system and knew the contracts in and out along with their sales tactics. Essentially, I told him to cut the crap, and he read my message loud and clear. My in-laws ended up getting a great deal and will hopefully be happy with the system.

As strange as it sounds, I actually do feel safer in our home. When I thought about someone going into our minivan (which was parked 10 feet from our door), I began to think: "What if they had come into our home? What if they had hurt our children?" Obviously, your mind jumps to the worst case scenario.

So, even though I said I would never get an alarm system, I am glad for the peace of mind it provides (and it technically wasn't me who signed the contract!).

I can't believe I just typed that last sentence. My former self is dying inside. This is proof that being a mother really does change things. You are willing to accept security systems because they will make your children safer (in your mind, at least). I feel like I just aged 10 years. I hope all of my former coworkers who read this blog forgive me for passively advertising for Vivint!