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ADT Security Systems

ADT Security • About ADT • Consumer Complaints • 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 and the many others we've received./p>

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.

More ADT complaints

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