Over the past couple of years, we've found ourselves working for several wealthy customers that have had $100K plus systems installed in previous homes. In one case, the customer said he would not even talk to us if we proposed a Crestron or AMX system. He had been burned in the past by an a..h... installer who held his system hostage, then disappeared "I've got a box of worthless stuff that I paid $100K for"

The second customer has the same box of stuff, but from two homes, by two different installers. One went out of business, the other will not return his calls. He chose us because Crestron was not in our list of products.

A third customer is a home owners association in a nice condo complex downtown. they can's use the system in their entertainment room. No code, and no more installer.

I'm not saying that all Crestron or AMX dealers are like this. We all know differently. The fact is, my business is benefiting from the crappy ones, and the ones that don't provide their codes. The arrogance, greed and bad business management of some is directly benefiting me. By all means, please continue to hold on to your precious intellectual property, I'll pick up your customers when they drop you. (yes, there's a hint of sarcasm in my voice.)

I just have a hard time taking myself that seriously. About the last thing I worry about is someone stealing my ideas. I do right by my customers. The like me, they like the people around me. I fix stuff when it goes haywire. Their systems work. They tell their friends.