I have used ADT for three different houses and for two of three houses they were a decent service provider with which I have no complaints. My third house, however was vastly different.
When we moved into our last house (since sold and moved) we were under obligation to payout or get a new system and start a new three year agreement. I decided that this was standard for my previous houses and I thought they were doing a good job up until now.
I at that time also had IP phones installed due to the cost effectiveness and features available. I know ADT's policy of cell phone backup (assinine, I know the reality as I am a Communications technologist and thoroughly know the technology involved) but I accepted it.
Later on in the service agreement I switched back to a POTs line (standard landline telephone). I informed ADT of the switch and told them to cancel the cellphone backup and to retap my landline for regular service. A tech came to my house and completed the request.
The problem came when ADT accounts locally did not cancel cell phone backup at all. They continued to charge me the extra 15 dollars per month. I should have been more vigilant with my bank statement but I trusted them for quite a few years already and thought nothing of it as I didnt notice it happening.
Fast-forward to the sale of the home. I notified ADT that I was moving and that I needed to know my cancellation fee or cost of a new system and option of a month to month contract since I may be moving out of province soon.
They told me my cancellation fee would be pro-rated to the amount of time left in my agreement. This is contrary to my contract writing and the verbals from the sales rep. I told my local office this and they said thats not what it means. My contract and sales rep said it was a flat termination fee and it made sense to hold a person to the final months not opting out and recieving the most benefit possible.
I asked the amount and it was roughly the same as the flat termination fee. That made it easier to take but it was still wrong. When the local admins calculated up the pro-rated fee over the phone I then noticed she was quoting me the "cell-phone back-up included" fee of 45ish dollars per month.
I told her that we had suspended that service a year ago and that her office had sent the tech to make the change. She said its not on record. She said the change must be requested in writing. I asked her if the phone number had changed in the past year. She said it had. I waited for it to click in. It took three minutes and you could literally hear the hamster die.
When I figured that it had been all fixed, she said she had no authority to make the adjustment and I had to wait a week until the branch manager came back. I understood this as all people have to take holidays once in a while.
The next week I got no call so I called them. The branch manager was busy everyday I called.
That weekend my mother called me. She has an ADT system due to my recommendation. She said she has bad news. She said that she hasnt had to pay for her system activation and extra equipment added to her system. She said that when she contacted ADT, ADT said it had been paid for.
I paid for it on my account. ADT debited my account for her extras and activation on her move. I called ADT Victoria. They had no answer for me and went to look into it.
I had no faith in them now but decided to see if they could make it any worse.
I called today and asked what was being done and the woman said, and I quoute " Sir you signed for both accounts and therefore you have to pay for them"
I told her my mother and I had different first names and that we had different accounts. I told her the closest thing to me on her account was that I was on the callout list. She said in the same conversation that it was a mistake and that she would have accounting get ahold of me to rectify the problem. The she repeated the part about me being the signatory of both accounts. Admitting mistake and making accusations of self imposed wrong in the same conversation. How rich.
Had they really fudged this up that bad. I was really aggravated at this point. I called my laywer for advice and he said that if Accounting didnt call me and sort it out to my liking that he would be stepping in to push the (insert non-cononsious consumer fraud legalese here) card and dress them down in public courts. He is very good at it. I have no doubt in his abilities. He intends to go after the local entity as a singular unit not tied to ADT as it was not in ADTs fault but bad filing and hiring process loaclly.
At this point, with the money they owe me from the over-charges from my mothers account and the cell phone back up money for a year, I would be content to wash my hands of them, with them wiping the debt clean and apologizing publicly.
My advice to anyone who wants to use a security firm is that as a national unit ADT is alright. Just ensure you read all the fine print, keep copies of everything, get it in writing and for gods sake, ... treat your local firm as if they were children and walk them through everything and double check their work. They are synonymous with slow.
Trevor
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
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