When it comes to technology in our homes, I hear one thing over and over again: “I want it to be simple.”
But here’s a hard truth I’ve seen play out again and again—the word “simple” is often misunderstood.
A Story About Being Unheard
Just a few years ago, I worked with a wonderful client named Sarah H. She was building a weekend home and had been given a quote from another company, but she felt they had completely missed the mark. The proposal was filled with all the bells and whistles—audio distribution, universal remotes, and so much more—way beyond what she was looking for. She had been very specific about her needs, but she felt her requests simply weren’t heard.
When she came to me, she was somewhat skittish, afraid that I would do the same thing and sell her something she didn’t want. She was very clear: “I am not a techie. I just want this to be easy.”
(This isn’t because the other company did anything wrong, by the way. They simply put the job ahead of the customer, but that’s a whole other blog post for another time.)
I put together a proposal that was significantly less expensive because I stripped out all the unnecessary stuff. But it was still a considerable amount of money. When we got to the price, she looked at me with a look of desperation and said, “I just really need this to be easy to use. I don’t want complicated. I don’t need all the bells and whistles. I just want it to work for me and my friends, and I want it to be easy.”
When we finished the project, our team showed her how to use everything. A few days later, my office assistant went back to her house to check on a few things. Sarah was thrilled. She said, “This is exactly what Skip told me it would be! It’s easy, simple to use, and easy for my friends. It sounds great. It’s everything he said it would be. I love it!”
Four years later, her neighbor called us, telling us that “we hung the moon for Sarah” and wanted us to fix her unreliable Wi-Fi.
This is the reputation we’re here to build. We don’t exist to sell you things you don’t need or to make money where it isn’t deserved. We want to solve your problems and answer your questions. We are here to take care of you. By listening to you and truly hearing what you ask for, we can combine our years of knowledge with your requests to provide exactly what you’re looking for. And if what you’ve asked for isn’t doable or the right fit, we will ask you what your goal is and then find a way to solve it for you, even if the solution makes us zero money.
Simple Isn’t Cheap
When people say, “I want it to be simple,” they usually mean they want it to be cheap. Cheap, but it must also be easy to use, intuitive, hassle-free, and never break. What they don’t realize is that simple doesn’t mean cheap. In fact, in the world of custom installations and electronics, simple almost always means more expensive.
Think about it in other parts of your life:
A microwave dinner is simple to make, but it costs more than the ingredients to cook a meal from scratch. You’re paying for the convenience—simplicity costs more.
An automatic car with power windows is simpler to operate than a manual with crank windows, and it also costs more—simpler, but you pay more for it upfront.
Hiring a trash service is simpler than hauling your own trash to the dump, and you pay for that convenience—simple, because you pay for it and forget it.
The electronics in your home are no different. The more you want a system to “just work” without you having to think about it, the more you are paying for the engineering, programming, and quality of equipment that makes that possible.
Simple often costs more upfront.
The Problem with “Cheap”
There is a less expensive way to do almost everything, and we are always happy to discuss cost-effective solutions. We can comment on things you’ve found or give you the “Amazon” recommendations, but giving a recommendation is different from putting our company’s stamp of approval on it.
Cheap equipment often comes with bugs. This is fine if you’re willing to deal with them, but it’s less than ideal if you have to unplug and plug something back in every month. This can leave you frustrated with a product and, by extension, with the company that sold it to you. The goal is to avoid these headaches, and that’s what you pay for when you invest in a simpler, more robust system.
I know what it’s like to choose the cheaper route. We’ve all done it. But almost every time, I end up paying more in the long run. The cheap solution fails, and then you have to replace it or fix it, which ends up costing more than if you had done it right the first time.
What You’re Really Paying For
When you invest in a simple system, you’re paying for a lot more than just the equipment. You’re paying for confidence. You get a system that you know is going to work. If a component fails, you have a solid company and a manufacturer that will stand by their product. If the programming gets out of whack, you can call us or your local integrator, and we’ll come and fix it. You don’t have to troubleshoot it yourself.
In my opinion, that peace of mind is almost always worth the cost.
Simply put, simple usually costs more at the beginning—but saves you money, time, and stress in the long run. Cheap might seem easier at first, but it often creates bigger, messier problems down the road. I’ve seen it over and over again for the last 20 years. We’ll talk more about that “cheap but easy” myth in another post.
Your job is to tell us what you want. Tell us what your budget is. Allow us to put together a scope of work and equipment list. And then, once you see the proposal, don’t get spooked by all the information or price. Ask us questions, list concerns, and don’t be afraid to discuss the money. We are here to serve you regardless of what that means.
I hope this helps you understand that “simple” and “expensive” are often synonymous in our world, but they are also a recipe for a great experience that saves you from headaches—and costs—down the road.
-Skip
