Years in business: Is a good indication of a company’s long-term stability. Will they be around to honor your warranty? Since 1987, A.C.C.I. has had the same name and owner, no liens, judgments bankruptcies or lawsuits. The number of cabling companies that have come and gone from the west central Florida area alone is approaching 1000.
Check References: We have a complete set of references, including the Better Business Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce.
Financial Stability:You can and should verify the history and reduce your risk by running a Dun & Bradstreet report. Be extremely wary of companies operating under several names. This is a long time tactic used to avoid litigation and makes it difficult for someone to legally pursue them. Multiple names can also be used to avoid unemployment taxes and insurance costs. You can easily see if a company is legitimate by checking www.myflorida.com.
Licensing: On top of just a county license (which is required for any local business), legitimate cabling companies hold a State of Florida (ES) Electrical Low-Voltage License. Only these companies have the ability to pull their own permits and are Automatically Bonded by the State of Florida in the amount of $10,000.00. A.C.C.I is a state-certified low-voltage contractor.
License #ES0000181
Caution- If you use an unlicensed contractor, you may be fined by the state, or the state may determine you to be liable for them, their workers, or any incorrect work done and damages caused. According to the Florida Department of Professional Regulation, any unlicensed entity conducting business, regardless of city or county, is committing a crime. If a company is already willing to commit the crime of working without a state license, then what other crimes might they commit?
Insurance:
Workman’s Compensation-The State of Florida requires that companies carry a minimum coverage of $100,000.00 in Workers Compensation and Employer’s Liability insurance. This minimum, however, is not enough. At A.C.C.I we carry one million dollars worth of insurance with an additional one million dollar umbrella. Your company is liable for the rest if they do no have enough insurance.
Liability insurance- A.C.C.I carries two million dollars worth of liability insurance with an additional one million dollar umbrella. All of our employees are direct employees and fully insured. Beware of companies that show having insurance but it is only for one employee. When a company calls all the employees subs, it means the individual must get all his own insurance. Nine times out of ten, they don’t.
Vehicle Insurance- A.C.C.I. has company owned, fully insured vehicles. Did you know a service technician driving to your site could sue you if he or she is in an accident? Beware of companies that make their employees drive their own vehicles. Personal insurance is not enough and does not cover business use. At ACCI we have one million dollars worth of insurance with an additional one million umbrella.
RCDD and Certified Installers on Staff: A Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) has successfully completed and passed extensive examinations in the areas of telecommunication, voice and data cabling. This designation demands a commitment to a high level of integrity and conduct. It not only assures an extensive knowledge about the latest telecommunications information, it also requires continuing education in order to maintain the RCDD status. For more information visit the Building Industry Consulting Services International (BICSI) website www.bicsi.org.
Company Vehicles: A.C.C.I. technicians work from fully stocked, and fully tooled company vehicles. His means if something is added or changed slightly, we are not charging for a trip to the supply house. It also makes us much more efficient having all the various tools, safety equipment, clean up equipment, testing equipment, etc…
Testing Standards: It is important that the company you select certifies every copper data cable and every fiber optic strand. They should use an approved certification scanner that can store test results and provide printouts or CD’s. Many companies will only perform a simple pint-to-pin test on their cables. But faulty cables can pass a pin-to-pin test, which could slow network speeds, and make upgrading troublesome.
Final Comparisons: All of the factors listed above should weigh heavily in selecting your cabling company. The other factors that must be considered include the clarity of proposals and other paper work, service, change order policies, references, warranty and price.
Just because we are all quoting from the same specs does not mean that we are quoting apple-to-apples.
Advanced Cable Connection Inc. is a member of the Better Business Bureau. This standing may be verified at any time by calling 1-800-525-1447 and entering our phone number 813-978-0101 or by checking www.bbbwestflorida.org.
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