Consumer Complaints: ADT Home Security

ADT is always going to have issues with it's wide customer base and as it tries to chip away as much money as possible. However they are the few big companies with calling centers nationwide so it's a gave take almost. http://www.homesecurityadvice.com talks more on this issue.

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I disagree. I have been a customer for 10+ years and there is no one better than ADT. I would trust my family with anyone else.

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lol this has got to be the most retarded reasoning i've ever seen. You even stated yourself "in my opinion."

You pay them (ADT) to call a guard service because the police in your city are too short-handed to do it themselves. It's not their fault that YOUR guard service for YOUR community has shitty employees. The fact that someone has shown up at your door says that ADT did their job. Do you see ANYWHERE on that guards car, or hell, even the guards place of work, that says ADT? No, because they have no control over them. Murphy's Law will prove to be a bitch in most of these cases where people get so butt-hurt that over refusing to take matters into their own hands because it's easier to blame the person their paying.

If I thought my TV should have 2 av inputs instead of 1 I wouldn't call best buy, I would call the manufacturer. Don't be retarded, in my opinion.

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I am not a fan of ADT. For the simple reason that my flat was one of 4 broken into a few weeks ago in secure complex with foot patrol. You can't tell me that 4 flats were nailed and all incidents went unnoticed... Fortunately my possessions were recovered by the ADT guard on duty... however he still had the cheek to ask me for a reward!

Anyway, their credibility went down the tubes once again - and probably for good this time - I was at a friend's place for lunch and his neighbours dog got shot dead in the street by.... ADT! A journalist from a national paper reported on it....:

*****A FAMILY pet was shot dead last night by security guard from a private company, who then allegedly pointed his firearm at the dog’s owner and fled the scene.

Two security guards from the world’s largest security company, ADT, were responding to an alert at a house in Orangezicht, Cape Town, when the incident happened.

Dima Sheinman found his three-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback lying in the street in a pool of blood and an ADT security guard standing over it.

His wife Jane told the NEWSPAPER the ADT guard had pointed his gun at her husband before running up the street and climbing into a City Bowl Security company vehicle.

The City Bowl guard, who asked not to be named, said the ADT guard had told him there had been an armed robbery.

"He was shaking and holding his gun, so I just decided it was best to drop him off at the ADT office," the guard said.

"Security officers are trained to use pepper spray if a dog attacks you, even if it is a Pit Bull."

ADT are the Sheinman’s alarm company but the guards were responding to an alert from another home in the street, which is badly numbered.

"Our tenant said the dogs were barking because they were rattling on the gate and pulled it open. I am heartbroken, Kandahar was the most beautiful dog. He was one of our three Ridgebacks," Jane said.

"I was playing with my children in the park. Now they’ve had to see their beloved dog dead."

The police were still taking statements when the Sunday Times was at the scene. Rob Dale, General Manager of ADT Security Cape Town, confirmed that an officer had shot a dog. "ADT is currently doing a full investigation into the matter. We sincerely regret this unfortunate incident and our condolences go out to the owners of the dog." *****

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ADT was just OK when they were my monitoring company. When they increased their rate with very little notice, I decided to "release" them. They offered to rescind the increase if I stayed on as one of their customers. I told them that I can't just arbitrarily raise my rates to my customers and see who pays it, so why should they be able to? They are already the highest monitoring company that I know of.

Anyway, now they keep billing me for multiple cancellation fees and monitoring service. When I call them they say they have no record of the bills that I have in my hands and the only charge they are aware of is the $135 that has been turned over to collection. Collection! I cancelled the service in March, this is mid April and I authorized them to bill the fees (including the cancellation fee) to my credit card!

Calls to ADT get bounced around until I finally get sent directly into a voice mail where someone is supposed to return my call. I am not holding my breath. I could go on, but I'll bet you get the picture. Who owns ADTfreakinsucksbad.com?

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ADT is absolutely horrible! I will spare you the long saga of details, but they have sent two technicians and two salesmen out, have $350 of my money and have stopped returning my calls over the last 2 months. When I call "HQ" they say I need to deal with the home office in Houston where I live. When I call the Houston office, IF anyone answers, they tell me to call HQ.

If you want to be "safe," the first step to take is get as far away from ADT as possible. Please take my word for it and save yourself the time.

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I think the reason is due to ADT's affiliate program. They grant anybody with a website "authorization" to sell their system.

Make sure you are dealing with ADT themselves or a direct dealer of ADT.

I know a good one is ADT.com and http://www.residential-security-services.com

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I have to agree with most of the comments on here ADT SUCKS!!! I have been argueing with them since Feb. and still do not have my refund they promised me through the BBB. First there were alot of important information not filled in until I after I signed the contract, the rate increased by $12 a month after unauthorized changes had been made by someone in the HQ. I never had problems getting in contact with a real person during the inital set up time and the first month but now all I can get are automated voicemail boxes or get bumped around to different departments always hearing the same thing, "This department can not handle this problem but let me send you to someone that can" YEA RIGHT!!!

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ADT here in Douglas County, GA is HORRIBLE. Avoid them!. Our instaler was so bad that the system appeared to work fine but we had no signal going to the ADT monitoring station for months. We received no credit. Now, we have the system not working correctly again. The service tech was supposed to be here yesterday but no-showed. A day of pay is lost when one takes the day off to await ADT. They rescheduled for today and it isn't looking so good. ADT refused to give us any real credit. They offered to credit the last few days of down time at a buck a day. They are nasty to deal with and like to remind you that you are stuck in a contract with them until 2011...

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Here’s my ADT horror story. I sincerely hope potential customers will read this and decide NOT to buy an ADT alarm system. I was lied to, cheated, and even had money illegally debited from my account by ADT. I tried to be brief, but the story is just so incredible:

• October 2007 – I began inquiring about purchasing an ADT alarm system. I called ADT (the toll-free number listed on their website) and scheduled a time for a sales representative to come to my home. The sales rep visited my home a week or two later. I explained that one primary concern was that I would be moving within a year or two. He recommended that I purchase a wireless system with cellular back-up. He stated that such a system would be moved by ADT at no cost if and when I moved and my contract would just transfer over to my new residence.
• November 2007 – I called ADT to purchase the system that the sales rep had described when he came to my house. A technician came out and installed the system. The system worked well and I had no initial trouble with it.
• July 16, 2008 – Sure enough, I found out I was moving so I called ADT to have my alarm system moved to my new home. I was told by Diane, a rep at ADT, that my contract was not transferable and that if I moved and canceled it, I would be charged a hefty cancellation fee. I explained what I had been told at the time I bought the system and she escalated my call. Diane called back later that day and said that they tried to research my call and no information could be found. Recommended I submit a written complaint to the corporate office in Boca Raton, FL.
• July 2008 – Called corporate headquarters and spoke with Robert Williams who said he would research the matter. He called me back on July 22nd and said that if I wanted the equipment moved, I would have to pay labor costs. However, my contract could not be canceled and I would also have to pay a cancellation fee and then re-sign a NEW three-year contract. He stated that it was “highly unusual” to move equipment to a new location. Call was then escalated to “Lester,” the DC-area regional sales manager. He basically confirmed that nothing could be done and that if I moved the equipment I would have to pay a penalty for canceling the original contract. Lester told me that Robert Williams at corporate would have to authorize any changes with my contract and waiving any fees for labor. A few days later I hear back from Robert who says that it’s actually their billing/retention department that could waive these fees but they will not release me from the contract. He agreed to look into this and get back to me.
• August 2008 – I finally hear back from Robert and his “bottom line” was that the equipment cannot be moved. He stated that it was not possible to move the equipment and the only thing they could offer me is a “deal” on a new system. However, I would have to sign a new contract and either pay to get out of the old one or continue it for the next 2 years. I declined the offer and resolved to just run out the 2-year contract while renting out my home.
• October 2008 – I get a call from ADT that my alarm system was not working (I was no longer living in the home). I scheduled a service call for November 10th.
• November 10th, 2008 – Technician comes out. He states that an entire component in the system needs to be replaced and will have to order the necessary parts. He states that he will order the parts and then call to schedule another time to fix the system once the parts have arrived.
• November 14th, 2008 – I get a call from the technician on my cell phone at 8:00 PM at night stating that he is at my house and there to fix the system. I explain to him that he never set up an appointment with me and cannot just show up and expect me to be there. He tells me to call ADT and schedule a time to have the system fixed.
• Late November 2008 – I schedule an appointment and the technician never shows up. We schedule another appointment for early December 2008.
• December 2008 – ADT technician never shows up. Another appointment scheduled for January 20th, 2009.
• January 20th, 2009 – the appointment is scheduled and no one ever shows up. After waiting around for several hours, we call ADT and they tell us that they had to cancel the appointment because they didn’t have the necessary parts to fix the system. Another appointment is scheduled for January 23rd, 2009.
• January 23rd, 2009 – A technician shows up at 10:00 PM, several hours after the time-window we were given. He starts to work on the system, but then says he cannot complete the job because he doesn’t have all the necessary parts.
• January 24th, 2009 – We make several calls to ADT to try and get the situation resolved. ADT rep tells me that I will get a call back once the parts have arrived. I ask if I am being charged my monthly monitoring fee and they assure me that I will not be charged until the issue is resolved.
• February 2009 – No word from ADT, but they keep charging me for my monthly monitoring fee. I make 3 calls but never receive a concrete response about whether the parts have in fact arrived.
• March 5th, 2009 – I speak with “Alex” in technical support (customer service #GMV). He states that the parts have arrived and he will work on scheduling an appointment. I also call ADT’s corporate offices on this day and speak with Tim (#63538). He states that he will work to ensure my issues are resolved. He assures me that I will be credited back for all the monthly monitoring fees I had been paying when not receiving service.
• March 6th, 2009 – Tim tells me that they cannot determine what my refund amount will be. He agrees to call Ted Peterkin, the local manager, and have him be present at the time my alarm is repaired, which we schedule for Tuesday March 10th.
• March 9th, 2009 – Tim calls and confirms my appointment with the technician on March 10th. I ask for the Ted Peterkin’s number, but Tim states that if I have any trouble I should call him instead.
• March 10th, 2009 – ADT service person arrives at 5:00 PM. Issue is fixed within 45 minutes. I’m told that the problem was a defective SIM card. Ted Peterkin never shows up. I leave a message for Mr. Peterkin. He calls me back around 6:30 PM and states that ADT can only offer me a credit of one months’ service for my trouble. I tell him that this is not acceptable and that I want to be refunded for every month that I have been without service. He finally agrees to file the paperwork for 6 months’ worth of refund ($264 total).
• March 11th, 2009 – I get a call from Ted Peterkin. He states that I will be refunded $269.44 and that the refund will be issued to my checking account within 7 days.
• March 20th, 2009 – I did not receive any refund.
• March 23, 2009 – Still no refund. I leave a voicemail for Ted Peterkin. I call Tim but find out that he no longer works for ADT. I speak with Corinthian (#17391) who agrees to look into the matter. He calls me back later that day and says that refunds usually take “about 30 days.”
• March 24th, 2009 – I get a call from Bonnie Guppy who is the head of the corporate resolution team (904-565-8164). She states that the paperwork for my refund was never submitted and that she will look into the matter and call me back. Corinthian calls later in the day and states that he talked with Ted Peterkin but Ted never followed up with a response. At 3:00 PM, I called Bonnie and left a voicemail. At 6:39 PM I speak with Bonnie who states that the only way to get a refund issued would be to start the process all over again. She stated that it would take about 2-3 weeks. She agrees to send me an email confirming the amount of money I was to be credited. She apologized and confirmed that Ted Peterkin “dropped the ball” and didn’t do what he should have to get my refund issued.
• March 27th, 2009 – I am on vacation and go online via my Blackberry to check my checking account. I see that my account has a DEBIT from ADT in the amount of $269.44. I call Bonnie and explain to her what happened and she agrees to look into it. I call my bank and they confirm that the money had, in fact, been deducted from my account. I file a fraud charge and send a bank representative my email from Bonnie showing that I should have been credited those funds. Bonnie calls me back and apologizes profusely, stating that there was a “mix up.” She states that she would get it corrected. However, my bank tells me that the money had been debited and that I basically didn’t have access to those funds until the issue was resolved. The issue is finally resolved several days later.
• October 2009 – I get an online survey in an email from ADT. I fill it out, recounting my experiences with the company. I note that I would never in a million years use ADT ever again and that I active dissuade people from using ADT.
• October 29th, 2009 – I get a call from Kelly Goddard at the Springfield office to follow up on my survey results. He tries to offer me a “deal” and states that Lester at his office never received my complaint. He states that the alarm systems can in fact be moved and that should have been done to begin with. He asks if I want to move my system and continue my service. I decline. I told him that the only thing I would be doing was canceling my ADT service as soon as my contract expires.

Any one of these things alone I could have overlooked as a simple mistake. However, in totality, they just seem to indicate that ADT has no qualms about using shady sales tactics and the company has a poor approach to general customer service. I will never again use ADT and I highly discourage anyone else from using this service. While the service itself has some value, I do not think that the service is worth it when you consider the time spent dealing with such horrible customer service.

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BUYER BEWARE!

Yes, they have the biggest name in the industry, but that doesn't mean they are the best in the industry.

I had a system sold to me recently and it's been nothing but problems ever since it was installed. The salesman convinced me that I need to purchase a cellular unit for my security system, which the installer said wouldn't work that well in my area. After making several attempts of trying to reach the saleperson(with no luck mind you) ADT decided to ahead and install the unit anyway. I didn't know at the time who to trust, the sales guy or the technician. However, the technician assured me that "if" there was a problem with my cellular unit, I would receive a display on my touchpad.

Needless to say, my security system went off a couple of weeks later. The only reason why I know this, is because we came home from work that evening and saw a display of "ALARM-DINING MOTION SENSOR", however, I did NOT receive a phone call as promised, nor did the Police show up at my home.

I immediately called ADT with the given 800 number, and was bounced around from place to place before I eventually got somebody on the phone who could help me. She began to tell me that they never received any alarm from our home. I insisted that there was the red light on my touchpad, and a message that read "ALARM- DINING MOTION SENSOR". So she scheduled me for a service appointment.

The service guy shows up, 5 hours late, but he showed up. He tells me that my cellular unit was not working. At this point, I'm furious! He tried to calm me down by saying it could just be defective, and that he would have to "re-schedule" the unit to be replaced, because he didn't have one on his truck. Now call me crazy, but if you are the biggest alarm company in the country, and your business is to install, service, and monitor your own security systems, wouldn't you think they would have the parts to be SERVICED?

I have made several attempts to contact the salesman who sold me on this junk to begin with, and he has just ducked my calls. I have over 5 messages into him already, no response as of yet. I called the local installation office for other issues prior to the scheduled installation date, and nobody ever returned my calls there either. When I reach an operator, she'll transfer me to the "correct" department, when indeed that person says, "oh no, you need so&so, I'll transfer you." That person doesn't return my calls either.

The only thing ADT has done thus far in which they indeed kept their promise, they charged my credit card $2,500.00 for the installation, and they bill me for over $50.00 per month; for monitoring and service of the system. Thus far, they have NOT installed a working system, thus they cannot monitor it correctly. They have not fixed the problem as of yet, thus they're NOT servicing it either.

It's been 2 months, and nothing but a headache. I want out of this 3 year agreement, and as soon as I figure out how to do so, I will let people know to stay far away from this company.

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01/04/2010. I echo the sentiments on this blog. However, the writer is lucky to be on month-to-month terms, having been with ADT 4 years. I have been with ADT one year, and my service has not functioned since June. Calls to the local contractor have not been returned. The salesman lied to me in his presentation. Now I want to cancel, but find there is no cancellation clause other than to pay them off for the full contract. I am moving and cannot cancel! They will transfer service to my new address for a $99 installation fee, but then I would have to sign a new 3-year contract! I won't be in that home more than 2 years! What a racket! I think I may write a letter to my Congressman. There should be a means of cancelling for poor service without having to pay the full three-year contract. Either that, or ADT should be requried to offer a 1-year contract.

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I work in the security industry (with a competitor). ADT did nothing wrong they are contracted to dispatch PD or guard response (per the customer's city ordinance) when the alarm goes off. Security companies have no control over any guard response agencies, nor the PD as well. I have seen many cases where PD are dispatched out, they go to the home but do nothing. The fault does not lie with the security company but with the guard agency or PD. I do empathize with the customer but unfortunately that is something that is required by his city. Going with a different security company won't help. They will be mandated by the customer's city ordinance as well to dispatch the guards first.

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This company is ridicules, six months ago i canceled my contract, after checking my bank statement they were still charging me. They were uncooperative, they neglected to inform me of information until it was too late, they have horrible customer service; i should have never recommended them to friends and family they will be made aware of this monstrosity.

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ADT has lousy service and poor customer relations. I was with them for 7 years in Virginia and liked the service. I moved to Ohio and TRANSFERED my system to my new house (this was what was advertised, Transfering, not canceling/starting anew). The Ohio service was terrible, they charged me hundreds to install the system in the new house and then $25 everytime they had to come out to fix a problem with their equipment. After the sixth time in less than 6 months I canceled the service. Well that is when I found out that I had obligated myself to a NEW three year contract. They threatened to ruin my credit and take me to court if I didn't pay the remainder of the contract. I ended up paying it, but now any chance I get I tell people to AVOID ADT and carefully read the "very small print" in the contract. Turns out that not only was I on a three year contract the contract automatically renews for three years at the end of each contract period UNLESS canceled in writting within a very specific 30 day window just before the contract ends. Can't cancel early or late or you'll be locked in again.

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