NYC Never Dies

Let us provide a bit of context. Our Control4 System was originally installed by Magnolia (Best Buy) in 2015-16. However, Magnolia stopped becoming an authorized service/technician provider and was unable to provide service and support. We didn’t fully understand how painful it is when someone stops becoming an authorized service/support technician, but for that reason, we will not purchase anything from Magnolia in the future. Beginning in 2021, things started to get wonky with our system likely due to a lack of software upgrades, etc. We had ‘duct-taped’ some workarounds to keep the system functional. After bearing these frustrations, they eventually accumulated to the point where we had to figure out a solution to go forward. After reaching out to 4-5 authorized retailers with a simple internet search, Alex from Total Home Technologies reached back out. As part of their evaluation and service, they required us to visit their showroom to discuss our needs, and presumably “wow” us with all of their capabilities. After some back-and-forth, they scheduled a home visit to evaluate our system in-person. About a week later, their proposal arrived… Sticker shock may be the understatement of the year! First, their proposal was so convoluted, it didn’t have any sub-totals or totals or any easy way to figure out the various costs of things in a logical manner. This was an obvious red flag, but we thought we needed to understand it better. Alex explained this is a common problem and that he would be happy to walk us through it. We got on the phone with him a couple of times, and over the total course of about 1.5 hours, he finally concludes that the total cost of everything was going to be about $47,000! He explained the NECESSARY hardware upgrades, licensing support, software upgrade costs, three-year subscription required for their support, etc. All of this, Alex calmly explained, was required for them to be able to access the system remotely, monitor the performance, and provide real-time support. We were crestfallen and reeling from this and told him we would think about it. Not willing to accept this rationale and sales approach outright, we asked Alex if there were ways to reduce the bill to get the basic elements of the system working. Alex ultimately stated there were things he could trim around the edges, but the core of the system needed to change and that was what would be required to upgrade. We sat on this for a couple of months, working with our ‘duct-taped system/process’ already in place. We could still use our system, it’s just we had work-arounds and it was cumbersome. We decided to reach back out to a few other authorized retailers to gain insight and perspective on what options we may have. We connected with Joe at Epic Systems with offices in NJ/NY. They were responsive and service oriented immediately. We explained our issues and asked if they could help. We screen shot our controllers, our software version, and our hardware set-up. They accessed our system remotely, diagnosed our issues, and offered a proposal, that included upgrading our controllers and software. There was no back-and-forth hassle…no wasted hours and no wasted days. They would bring in everything within a week, install it, and program everything accordingly. They would also be able to provide remote support as well as onsite support. Here’s the kicker…there all-in cost was $4,000! This was literally a difference of over 90% what Total Home Technologies offered. Don’t be a sucker! Don’t give your business to Total Home Technologies. Give your business to Epic Systems! They are honest, straight-forward, and have the customer’s best interests in mind.