Warning To Those Considering A Home Security Alarm System

["Sonicduck" <jones1019@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ADT Security Systems




ADT Security
=B7 Sales practices
=B7 Service
=B7 Military clause
ADT is by far the largest home security alarm service in the U.S. and
also does a big business in providing service to business and
government. ADT works with independent re-sellers and it also has
partnerships with Sears and other retailers.

It's important to note that you're buying two things when you get a
home alarm system -- the equipment and the "service," which basically
consists of monitoring your system and responding in whatever manner
you agree to when alarms are received. Note that you must provide a
working telephone line.

Like cell phones, security services will offer all kinds of deals,
including "free" equipment and, sometimes, "free" installation. Of
course, it isn't really free. The cost is simply built into the
contract you sign, which usually runs two years or more. Like any
contract, the ADT contract means what it says -- and only what it says.
Nothing your salesman tells you means anything. Verbal promises are
meaningless.

Therefore, read the contract fully before you sign it. Understand what
you're getting into -- a multi-year contract that obligates you to pay
whether the system works or not, whether your phone line works or not,
whether you have a job or not.

Sure, there might be a few cases where you could get out of the
contract but it's a lot easier to be safe than sorry. Read it
thoroughly. If you don't understand it, don't sign it until you find a
disinterested third party, preferably a lawyer or paralegal, who can
read it and explain it to you. Otherwise, you'll end up like the
complainants whose tales appear in this section.

Don't believe us? Check out the complaint below ...

Patricia of Tracy, CA (10/20/05)
We signed a contract with ADT in 1998 for a term of three years. The
account was in my husband's name and his signature is on this contract.
When I called ADT to cancel our services in June of this year, I was
told that my husband had to cancel because it was his account. My
husband called later in the week and was told that the company required
a 30-day notice for cancellations. Since we had already sent our
payment for the quarterly statement, the rep told my husband that we
were going to be pro rated on our refund.

Several weeks later we received a statement telling us that we owed
$331.22 for the balance of the contract. We were expecting a refund,
not a balance. We were very surprised to receive a copy of a second
contract made out in my husband's name but showing my name in the
signature. When I questioned the rep about the discrepancy in this
"new" contract she didn't have an explanation.

Damages: ADT constantly calls and wants to collect this money that we
feel that we do not owe them. They send a statement every month trying
to collect from us. We feel this will affect our credit report that we
value very much.