By Connected Technology Solutions

June 20, 2019

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A Lesson Learned: Price Does Not Equal Value

I had my first experience buying a house 3 years ago when I learned first hand that price does not equal value. The Denver market was hot, so much so that every house my wife and I looked at was gone in 24 hours. The pressure was on.

We finally found a house in the Highlands that we loved, which was the “place to be” for millennials such as ourselves. On paper, it was great. It was in the right neighborhood, had the right look, and most importantly – was the right price.

It was an older home that had recently been renovated. A new garage was added in the backyard that could store two cars. The floor in the basement had been completely redone. Much of the interior had been renovated with new and up to date furnishings. The contractor had assured us that the old clay pipes had been replaced and that there were permits for all the work done to date.

My wife and I were ready to make a move, but this was going to be one of the biggest decisions of our lives. Before we could commit, we made sure to hire a reputable inspector to do a deep dive before we signed on the dotted line.

The inspection report came back several days later, and it was… horrific. The new floor in the basement had been built over dirt without any protective layer separating it from the hardwood. The pipes leaving the house were all rotted clay that must have been dozens of years old and was not salvageable. The new garage had been built over the clay pipes, meaning we would have to dig up fresh concrete to rectify the piping issue. And last, but not least, there was lead paint!

We eventually found a house that was new construction with a reputable builder. It passed inspection with flying colors. While the price of the house was a bit more than we had initially planned for, his reputation was pristine and he assured us that he would cover any unforeseen issues. In fact, two summers later, we started to have issues with our AC. It took our builder a few attempts to fix the problem but he eventually replaced the entire AC unit free of charge.

The lessons I learned from this entire experience were twofold:

1. Make sure you know who you’re going into business with. Is this a person or company you can trust? Do they have a proven track record?

2. You get what you pay for. While you may save some money upfront in initial costs, you will be glad you made the decision to go with a person/organization with a proven track record versus an upstart or an also-ran. If there are any issues, do you trust that you will be taken care of in the long run? Or will you be left holding the bag?

One of the biggest reasons I’m proud to work at CTS is that we take care of our clients. We may have a higher price point than some other options on the market, but we stand by our products and it shows. It’s evident in some of the unique offerings we have that no other kiosk providers on the market can emulate (not for lack of trying).

At CTS we provide White Glove Delivery and Installation, using direct CTS employees delivering directly from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. We don’t simply label a third party service as “White Glove” and call it a day. This delivery service is one of our most well received and appreciated services. The endless compliments about our drivers and installation teams prove it. As a higher priced service option, it certainly delivers.

At CTS our help desk team members are all direct CTS employees who are nationally located experts in Epic Welcome kiosk hardware and troubleshooting. Even for on-site service with our optional warranties, we only send our expertly trained employees to service our kiosks. We don’t simply use a third party service that employs technicians who service kiosks one minute, and fix iPhones the next.

Let it be known that at CTS, our price truly is a signal of quality. Every product we build is built with intent, craftsmanship, and our clients’ needs in mind.