First of all, no they are not. They may look similar on the LCD screen but what's happening in the background is different for each zone and is different in reference to each corresponding MSC.

Refer to my earlier post as to why you are being quoted so high. I will further expand this by pointing out that a new programmer, coming in to take over what someone else did, initially has no idea how it was programmed or if indeed everything is working correctly or up to their standards. That requires research into the system design and connectivity and oftentimes breaking it down to the basics and starting from scratch. That takes time, time is money. The other justification is this...as soon as the new programmer touches your system, he's on the hook for it, its changes and oftentimes in the clients mind anything that happens down the road whether it's related to the programming change or not. The willingness to accept ownership involves risk; accepting the future risk is often mitigated by collecting payment in advance to cover such risk in the future.

I find it hard to swallow defending the geek squad here but I have to say I don't blame them. Based on the very limited information you are providing us with as far as system design and interoperability; we would have quoted you one guy at a full day of labor to do recon and calibration (1,350) and then a complete reprogram of the system based on 7 zones and 2 MSCs (4,500). Total estimate would be 5,850. You have to realize this is more than walking into a room and saying "oh, there's a TV on the wall with a cable box and DVD player sitting below it x 7". Where BBY came up with their number? No idea but like I said, I suspect they were pricing it so high to make it worth it and/or to cover their in the field training on a system they know nothing about.