Automated user notification system

A method of notifying a user of an occurrence of an event associated with a user item, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a set of notification instructions from the user by an automatic network operations center, wherein said receiving step is performed automatically without human intervention, and wherein said set of notification instructions are selected from the group consisting of selection of at least one of a plurality of notification devices, said plurality of notification devices coupled to said automatic network operations center, providing a notification sequence, and providing a user-defined notification message;
• storing said set of notification instructions with said automatic network operations center;
• detecting the occurrence of the event;
• transmitting an indicator corresponding to the occurrence of the event over a communication link;
• receiving said indicator by said automatic network operations center over said communication link;
• and
• automatically notifying the user of the occurrence of the event with said automatic network operations center, wherein said automatic notification step is performed automatically and without human intervention in accordance with said set of notification instructions, and wherein said automatic notification step follows said notification sequence.