Complain about a product or service

Monitronics Home Alarms

Dan of La Mesa CA (10/01/08)
I have had this alarm system for about 5 years, it has been nothing but problems for me. Monitronics installed these glue on contacts that fall off regularly and the contacts corrod. I have to pay them and replace batteries that I did not want in the first place. The system should be maintenace free for the home owner, not high maintenace. Also the installation was done by youg kids who slammed it in and left. I have picturs of the wrong screws that were used for the alarm box and when you open the box a bunched up ball of wires fall out.

I am a hospital inspector for the state of California and quility control is what my job is. There is no quility control or workmanship with Monitronics system. Its slam it in and send the monthly bill. I will no longer need their service, but I will advertise for them, you can count on that.

I am tired of not being able to use my system properly. I should not have to maintain it every month plus pay them.

Julie of Atlanta GA (09/25/08)
I had called Monitronics 3 months ago to inquire when my contract was up. Monitronics informed me that the date was 08/2008. I called on 09/2008 to cancel the service. I have spent an hour on the phone dealing with numberous people in the account resolution department. First I was informed that my expiration date was May, 2009. Then their supervisor got on the phone and informed me it was May, 2010. Then another supervisor informed me it was August 2010.

I cannot believe that after an hour on the phone, I received different dates as to when my agreement would be expired. Each individual I spoke had a different answer. Everyone was rude and condescending. I would never ever tell anyone to do business with Monitronics.

Andy of Little Rock AR (09/19/08)
System originally install with many errors and said to be active. Second service call about 1 year from original installation and service tech told us that we weren't hooked up but have paid service for one year. Once hooked up, two alarms and two service techs claimed the system was OK but yet still sends alarms. Cancelled with premise that we didn't receive service for the first year and charged them back for those charges per their tech. They were send documention but refuse to confirm receipt.

Calling nightly and I continue to screen at them even though they say they put us on a no-call list and will turn over to collection. Great but they continue to call so we won't answer in future. They are totally disorganized. Just installed a commercial system in a building I am duilding and wouldn't even talk to a sale rep who wanted the $2,500 system in his portfolio.

Mary of Minneapolis MN (09/11/08)
Monitronics continued to bill me after I cancelled my service. I sent a cancellation notice on 1/7/08. They claimed they did not receive this notice despite the fact that it was in the same envelope as a payment check cashed on 1/14/08. I had phone conversations with customer service reps in Feb and March without any resolution.

I faxed another cancellation notice on 3/26/08. Monitronics has continued to send me bills and collection notices even though I have disputed this claim.

Pending credit bureau reporting of this invalid debt and negative consequences of this reporting.

Dianna of Brighton CO (09/09/08)
I had a 2 year contract with this company to monitor my alarm system. I was 4-5 years into my contract when I called 6/22/08 to cancel the service. I was told that I would have to send written notice. I did that and was Charge 7/13/08 for the monthly service fee. I called and they stated that they had recevied my letter 7/9/08 and that would be my final charge. I agreed to that charge.

I received another charge my account 8/13/08 and I called knowing it was a mistake and I was told that was for July 1-July 31. I told them that I was not going to pay the charge and had my bank return the fee. I had multiple calls from them to try to keep my business.

I them received a call from their collection department stateing that I owed from 7-1-08 through 8-9-08. That I had to pay 30 days after the receipt of the letter, that it was in my contract. I no longer have a contract with them. When a contract expires it goes month to month. I canceled in June 22,2008 why should I have to pay through Aug 9 2008.

I cancelled to upgrade to a new service that offered more updated equipment. So now I have had to pay for 2 systems for 2 months.

Jennifer of Columbia SC (09/08/08)
My husband Chris signed a 3 year contract in 2004 with Monitronics. After 3 plus years of fullfilling the contract we decided it would be best to switch to ADT therefore he called and canceld the contract. We got a statement in the mail saying we still owed them. We started getting harrasing phone calls at work at home and our contact inwhich was my husbands boss saying we owed them 3 months after we canceld. The written statement we gave them they insisted it was not a valid signature therefore they couldn't cancel it? that makes no since. So we had a balance due of 64 dollars.

After 3 months of torture of many phone calls they we dealt with we called them and tried to settle. The young man said we could pay half and it would be paid.... we paid HALF! So we owed them only 32 dollars. A week later we get a bill stating we owed them NOW 130.28? ONCE AGAIN FRAUD!

We contacted an attorney and got legal advice inwhich we contacted Montronics. Needless to say they gave us the run around once again and several lies until Legal action had to be taken. We don't owe them a dime and I would advise any other customer to not give in if you are in the Right.

Barbra of Rockville MD (08/13/08)
monotronics refuses to terminate service. First they insist they have an automatic renewal clause. They deny rceiving a letter of termination of service. They continue to bill. then they claim they provide security for the President and therefore are the best provider. They continue to imply I will likely have a break in if I do cancel service. finally agree to terminate.

30 days later the process begins again. First calling for a payment, denying receipt of original letter. send second letter. monotronics insists on a hard copy. Previously excepted a fax. Then again they make exception and accept a fax. Agree to terminate service , warning it will take 24 hours. Credit back the last payment.

30 days later they send another invoice for 2 months of service. Monotronics calls again and insists service was never cancelled. Now trying to collect 2 additional months. After another 35 minute phone call, they again promise to terminate service, stop calling and mailing invoices for an account that was terminated 120 days ago.

Stressful situation , they continue to call and harass. threaten the liklihood of a burglary, break in etc. I notified my local police department of there fear tactics. Wasted time on the phone in the past 120 days I have spent over 4 hourstrying to get a confimation number of cancellation. they continue to insist it will take 24 hours. they did again agree to remove charges. One supervisor to another. The retention department puts you on hold for a very long time.Keep notes on all conversations, get employee ID numbers and keep copies of any correspondence. they must be in sad financial shape to be threatening to clients. Watch out.

Marna of Dallas GA (07/19/08)
I purchased an alarm system from Monitronics in February 2006 which I stipulated must be wireless, since I had no landline phone service. I was assured by the salesman that this was the case and it was the most sophisticated wireless system available. My parents were home the day of installation (I would not have accepted the obnoxious size of the system, had I been home), and were assured that the system was operational. On March 6, 2008 I called for a service appointment, because the alarm was constantly beeping and annoying, and there was no way to turn it off. I paid $30 for a service call in cash, which is noted on my service report.

At this time, I also found out that the system was not connected to any central system (which I paid $30 per month for over 2 years) and was never operational. I spoke to Johnny Felder who said I would need to pay an additional amount to now make the system operational. According to service tech, a land line or cell phone is needed in conjunction with the service to make it operational....a fact I was never told when sold the service. Shamika. Explained the story to her and she put me through to Account Resolution Department. Placed on hold at 6:07p Johnny Felder ... gave him my e-mail address. getting quote to see what it will be to get system operational. Tech said cost of system was $390.01 Install a TG4 cell unit. Monitronics will cover $300.00. His supervisor is Iva Williams. Director of Customer Service is Louis Ninos. Johnny Felder said he would e-mail confirmation of this conversation with a financial commitment from Monitronics and what I needed to do to move forward.

I also informed him that until this was resolved, I would not be paying for services not rendered. To date, I have not received an e-mail or phone call from either of the individuals above. I have received repeated phone calls from individuals about the bill payments, and informed them that I would appreciate a call from a supervisor of customer service to have the situation resolved, none of which has occured, although additional harrassing phone calls at home and on my cell phone have all been received. I have asked for an address to send a certified letter of my concerns and complaints to resolve this, but have been told that this would not be possible, as nobody has an address.

I have also pursued additional alarm system estimates as well as the cost of fencing my yard for additional protection, since I cannot trust a non-functioning alarm system. Monitronics breached the contract when they fraudulently told me that the alarm system was operational and then continued to accept monthly monitoring fees for services not rendered. At a cost of over $30 per month for over 24 months, the additional equipment to make the system operational has already been paid and as far as signing an extended contract.

Pamela of Cibolo TX (07/08/08)
My husband and I signed a monitoring contract with Monitronics in August, 2006 for a period of 3 years. We were told that the system supported a digital phone system. It does not. We have NEVER been able to use the security system. Not once!

The alarm will beep intermittantly through the day/night. We attempted several phone calls & letters. We were told that it was an issue with our phone service. We contacted them. They told us it was an issue with the monitoring service and that they run into this problem all the time.

We contacted Monitronics (and the company that installed the security system) via mail and several phone calls. We were finally told that, contrary to what we were initially told, the system does NOT support a digital phone system and that we would have to pay to have a cell phone designated for the alarm system. This was a direct contradiction to what we were told when the system was installed (by Safe Systems). At the time of installation, we directly asked if this system would work with a digital phone and were told it would.

We have been writing letters for a year now explaining the situation and demanding the contract be void. No response. As a last desperate measure, we transferred banks (we were having the fee withdrawn automatically) to stop the payments. After much phone & written communication, we were threatened to be turned over to a collection agency if we do not pay. The contract was null and void after we were lied to regarding the digital phone system.

As of our last communication (Saturday, July 5, 2008)Monitronics has offered to install a cell phone for $5/month. We declined! We don't want any more dealings with a company that takes weeks/months to respond to concerns and issues! Then they have the nerve to threaten US!

I'm not sure of any economic damage at this point other than the harassing phone calls and letters. I haven't run a recent credit report on myself or my husband to determine the extent (if any) of damage to our credit (which was outstanding before this fiasco began). There has been no physical damage resulting from this.

Donna of Colcord OK (07/03/08)
They are still calling my family for the money that I DO NOT OWE. They just called my mother again and upset her when she told them it was an error and I do not owe it. She woman collecting for Monotronics said, No it's not an error and your daughter does owe it and must be paid now. She was beligerant with my mother who is not well.

I just called Monotronics AGAIN and they said there's nothing they can do about it but put a no call request (that's what they do every time I call them). Who can take care of a company that cannot take care of their mistakes? I would-AND I MEAN THIS! I would rather have had a burglar in my home stealing THINGS than making my family sick over an $80 bill I never owed in the first place.

My mom's blood pressure if affected-not to mention mine. I am to the point of physical nausea whenever I even hear the Monotronics name. I don't know when I've ever been so angry at such a stupid situation.

Donna of Colcord OK (05/29/08)
Monitronics is a TERRIBLY DISORGANIZED company. They have made me literally ill with their incompetence. They called as much as 3 times a day on an account with a CREDIT. I cannot believe a large operation like theirs is so incompetent.

I had my service disconnected in May of 2007. I noticed in November that I had still been paying the bill automatically. I called Monotronics and told them (no less than 20 times) and they said, yes you did, we'll issue a credit. Good, I thought. After 6 months and dozens, and I mean DOZENS of phone calls later, I was still getting phone calls about my unpaid bill. Everyone at Monotronics that called would check and find I had indeed been overcharged after disconnection and promised to credit my account. It never happened until late in April 2008, they finally cleaned it up. After numerous calls to my children, my parents, my brother's family, ANYONE THAT HAD BEEN ON MY EMERGENCY PHONE CALL LIST.

Well, the middle of May they started calling everyone again. Still trying to collect on a closed and paid account. It seems their people they have collecting for them still think we owe Monitronics. If I had the money and a lawyer, I'd harass their family and lives the way they've treated me and my family. They are TERRIBLE at their bookkeeping. SIX months to apply a credit and they still keep harrassing my family. I really don't believe they'll ever leave me alone.

Joseph of Sterrett AL (05/29/08)
I called to cancel the service effective 6/12/08 and the person on the other end wanted to know what my pass word was. It has been over 8 years I had this service and did not know what the password was. She insisted that She cannot do anything for me unless I had a password.

She put me on hold to obtain more information from my account and she asked for my last four digits of my scial security number. I provided this to her and confirmed with their data on file. She proceeded to offer various options to maintain me as a customer. Seeing that I was not taking the sales pitch. She noted to me that I would need to send them a letter with all of the necesssary information including the password to get the service disconned thirty days from the date of the postage.

I asked her what service could Monitronics provide me without a phone service which will be disconnected on June 12,2008. She noted that this is their policy and I would be charged for full time which they note is their policy. This is the most ludicrase policy I have ever heard of. This is in my opinion milking the customer for an additional several weeks. In addition the postage needed to get this done in this modern day of electronics to get something accomplished.

The consenquences of this attitude of the Monitronics POLICY is 1)to bill me for an additional several weeks, 2) Postage, 3) Time to generate a letter to them (which does not provide me with the comfort level that it will be cancelled as requested.

Niels of Las Vegas NV (05/12/08)
In December 2007 my parents were approached by a sales representative for EDS Emergency Detection Systems of Las Vegas who are affiliated with Monotronics in Dallas Texas. The EDS Emergency Detection Systems representative activated an alarm at my parents new house that had been already installed . Since they already had a top quality alarm installed at their new Las Vegas house, we did not need any alarm components or installation, just activation. EDS Emergency Detection Systems on their website advertises zero for installation, zero for equipment. A three year contract is required.

But with no installation or equipment required we wished just month to month service EDS Emergency Detection Systems subsequently charged us $399 for installation since a three year contract would not be signed. This is a ridiculous price. I can see the $49 charge that other companies charge. My parents who arranged for EDS Emergency Detection Systems are elderly and they were clearly taken advantage off. The company representative was a bullying arrogant man who told me that they did not care that I had complained to the Better Business Bureau. EDS Emergency Detection Systems clearly does not care about having a poor reputation or poor customer service.

This does not even begin to address their faulty installation and workmanship. EDS Emergency Detection Systems should not be a consideration in your alarm company installers and monitoring service requirements. If you need alarm monitoring, access control, cameras, video monitoring or home and business security systems in Las Vegas, there are many choices other than EDS Emergency Detection Systems who will not be unreliable, incompetent and unscrupulous. EDS Emergency Detection Systems is a poor choice and not deserving of your business. This is because EDS Emergency Detection Systems just sell your contract to Monitronics so they have no vested interest in your satisfaction after they have taken your money. EDS Emergency Detection Systems has large Better Busines Bureau logos all over their website and other advertising but clearly stated to me that they did not care about our complaint to Better Business Bureau EDS Emergency Detection Systems I am voting with my feet.

Donna of Fresno CA (05/09/08)
I signed up via a promotion less than one month ago. I work out of my home with two businesses. As crazy as it sounds I have two fax machines with different headings for outgoing mail and I am connected to comcast for internet service to include routing capabilities. When I signed on with Monitronics my fax kept acting crazy.

I called Comcast and then came out and said monitronics wired their system incorrectly and the service was not even connected to be notified if someone broke in and I should call them back out to fix their installation and the messy wiring they left. Monitronics then was called out only to tell me comcast did not connect correctly and proceeded to fix something.

Now my phone voice mail doesn't work only the fax picks up. I called monitronics back and he plays with my fax rings and disconnected something and now my voice mail works again. I called comcast because he told me to call if I had any other problems so I told him about the fax and that Monitronics was out.

This has continued for three times now, monitronics comes out and something doesn't work again. Comcast indicated that Monitronics system is incorrectly wired therefore shorting out the system and suggests getting another phone line if the problem doesn't stop. Monitronics swears up and down they are perfect and I simply have too much stuff on my sytem and their unit does not tie into anything I have plugged into my phone line..... aren't they connected to my phone line? Anyway a continued annoying game. Trying to cancel a less than 30 day period has taken me to at least 4 different people now and I am still waiting for someone who isn't there to call me back.

My lost time in work due to my equipment no longer working, the frustration of having 6 different visits and numerous phone calls. A huge hole in my wall from their installation process.

Judy of Asheboro NC (05/01/08)
Our alarm keeeps going off by itself when nothing is going on. Today we have had 3 episodes. Someone called my husband on his cell phone, someone else called me on my cell phone, the law came out, then someone called on our home phone. No one is yet to come across the intercom! All we ask is that it be fixed or we are going to another company. Yes we ARE very upset! We would like to talk to the owner or CEO of the company about all this. We are both kind of disabled. My husband is totally disabled and I am taking some time off my work because I am having troubles with my heart beating too fast. We don't need this to add to our troubles!

Harry/gloria of Olive Branch MS (04/24/08)
Called Monitronics requesting assitance on how to arm system - 1st request - CS repr wasn't quite sure how to do it - next night - 2nd request --CS rep not sure - needed to talk w/technical services - held on line for @ least 10 minutes - never returned. Finally attempted to disarm self - however CS rep never followed up. We pay our bill timely every month and haven't used system but two weeks in October.

Therefore, Monitronics is getting $$$ free every month because they are not having to provide monitoring services but can't answer a simple question when you DO call for service.... Maybe it is time to discontinue service and sign a contract with a company that provides CS reprs that are willing to help and CAN speak clearly.

Left with no protection in city full of crime today......

Roderick of Kenosha WI (03/10/08)
I had my system installed in July 2007. Within weeks I had problems with the transformer (box that plugs into the outlet). There was no power to the system. I called for repairs and asked for reimbursement for lost service. I spent nearly an hour going back and forth between Platinum Protection and Monitronics. It ended up taking about a week for some one to come out. I only got credited back a few dollars (better than nothing). The transformer was replaced (with the cable lying in a mess on the floor), but then soon after I kept getting false alarms with no phone calls from the company. The alarms were easily cleared, but it would happen again and again. I left the system unarmed a few weeks because I couldn't deal with waking up in the middle of the night. I would alarm the system from time to time, but would then keep getting false alarms.

I recently had a fault message on the main box. I didn't call right away. I just kept the system disarmed. I called for service on 03-03-08 (switched to about 3-4 people). They said I would receive a call in 2 days. It's now been a week. I called to get this resolved and was switched to 7 different people. I finally told the 6th person to just forget the service and remove the system from my house. He transferred me to the 7th person. I was told a manager is looking at the service ticket to try and figure out why I am not getting any help, and I should receive a call tonight or tomorrow. We'll see. I spent nearly an hour on the phone today for a simple issue.

Bottom line, I am very disappointed in the service, both customer service and technical support. Why does it take over a week to schedule an appointment for lost service? I will most likely be charged for services I am not receiving. I will try to keep this message updated. Today is 03-10-08. The phone # listed above is the company I signed up with, but was told to call Monitronics for any problems. Their phone # is 1-800-447-9239.

Lost/faulty service for at least 2 weeks. Going on the third.

Christopher of Tucson AZ (02/26/08)
I must agree with every single negative post about this service provider named Monitronics. They have illegitimate sales practices, extremely poor levels of customer service until you get to senior management, disgraceful monitoring, and several alarms (3) due to burglary with no alarm being sounded, i.e.: faulty alarm components with 3 replacements of faulty components.

Each time my business was broken into, the store front glass was broken. The last break-in was in Nov., and we had special shatterproof glass installed. On Feb 23 the alarm went off again--after someone took 3 minutes smashing a hole into the shatterproof glass with a very large brick and proceeded to climb inside the store. Glass break sensors are installed; they never went off. Tests by the company prove nothing; their system shows everything working. However, give a criminal 5 minutes alone, and the outcome is much different. This is the 3rd time the alarm components have failed to work.

Be ready for a yelling match every time you call this company's customer service center for repair or otherwise. I can't wait for BOTH of my contracts to end with Monitronics--Commercial & Residential. The door replacement cost has averaged $535 - $700 each incident after break in, and the criminal still gets to wander around stealing products, money, and merchandise before alarm sounds. This contract I chose to sign was the worst--the most wrong decision as a business owner I have ever made the mistake of signing. I can't believe I fell for some nobody salesman who was on an internship for college. What a mistake. I am interested in finding those who have threatened a class action suit. I would participate and split initial cost of going after this business. Consumer reports, BBB, and Consumer Affairs have an unbelievable amount of negative press on this company.

PHYSICAL DAMAGE - Store front door, door casing, door hardware. Damage could also be assessed by a Physician to assess health risks involved with the levels of poor, irritating customer service. My heart should not ever pound when talking with customer service or with any company because a customer agent was either interruptive, argumentative, or just rude. Physical damage result... (3 )$600.00 doors over the last year. That is hard on a pizza business.

Devin of Coolidge AZ (01/25/08)
Monitronics is completely a bear to deal with. Rude customer service along with incompetent employees. On my top 10 worst companies to deal with ever! They gave us choices to either: renew our contract. (which extends the contract by another year), purchase new equipment (more money), or turn our service off and still pay them a monthly cost.

Lee of South Bloomfield OH (01/17/08)
DON'T SIGN A CONTRACT WITH MONITRONICS. My parents and I purchased alarm systems from Monitronics at the same time. Since I could not be home when it was installed, my mother was at my house when it was installed and signed once it was completed. From that time on, if my alarm went off they responded to my parents' house and visa versa. They called us regarding my parents' account and called them regarding my account. They billed us for each other's service. We tried at least 10 times to explain to them the situation and get it straightened out with no success. Not once did they respond to the proper residence when an alarm sounded. My parents moved out of state and transferred their service there. I finally called and told them that I no longer wanted the service because they couldn't get the accounts straight.

An attorney called me about 2 years ago asking for my father regarding his address--but for my account. I told her the situation and told her to get it straight and then call me. I never heard another word....until now. My parents ran their credit reports yesterday and found out that they are being sued for $1547 for my account because I didn't meet the requirements of my contract. They say that my father cosigned and that they haven't been able to reach either of us for the past 2 years. First of all, I'm still at the home that they were supposed to be protecting with the same phone number that they were supposed to call if my alarm went off. Second, my parents are still with Monitronics at their new residence. Third, if my father cosigned, why is nothing showing on my credit report for this? I am now filing with the Attorney General's office to get this resolved.

My parents now have this on their credit report which is affecting their percentage rate in buying a new car. I now have to figure out how to get it off their record and onto mine or just pay it which it not possible right now.

Charles of Pelion SC (01/05/08)
The problem started when I accidentally triggered my alarm one day. To my surprise, Monitronics (the monitoring agency for my alarm system) did not call. I called them to ask about this and they walked me through a test. The test worked. They advised me that I needed to allow the alarm to run for at least two minutes before they would call. That sounds odd. So I purposefully tripped the alarm the next day and let it run for five minutes. No call. I called them back and they ran another test. Wouldn't you know that it worked fine. I contacted the installer of the alarm since I was getting nowhere with Monitronics. He worked on the phone with them and supposedly they found a problem and fixed it, but I didn't believe it. Remember the tests worked. And yes they did call me on the same phone that they should use for the non-test alarms during this test. So there are no issues with phone communication either. Nonetheless they have a backup number that they could use if no one answers the primary number.

So I tripped it again a week later and let it run for five minutes and again got no call. I called back and they ran another test and guess what, it worked. So at this point I'm pretty convinced they just aren't paying attention to the signal. By now I have had it and I'm not willing to do any more tests. I just gave up on it. I decided I would start looking into another monitoring service for my alarm. A few months later I was ready to make the switch. So I called Monitronics to cancel my contract for lack of service. While I was on the phone the contract guy tried to walk through the standard stuff like if I had run a test and how long I let the alarm run, etc. I wasn't interested in talking about it any further at this point as I had already done several tests. While we were on the phone I was googling them and found several complaints against them at Consumer Affairs. So he informs me that I can't get our of my contract early. At this time I was done. After seeing what I saw on google, I had no interest in wasting my time any further. I decided I'll contact my attorney to let him deal with the contract, one that I think is broken by Monitronics because they fail to provide the service in the contract.

Think about this. I get a discount on my homeowner's insurance for having an alarm. What if someone breaks into my house and Monitronics doesn't follow the procedure on their end. My insurance company is not going to be very happy. And that is the least of the problem. So I am adding this information to Ripoff Report and Better Business Bureau as well and I will let my attorney handle my personal dispute from here. But I do have a sore spot for bad businesses so I'd also consider a class action suit.

I'm paying $39.95/mo for a monitoring system that isn't working. If someone breaks into my house the alarm will go off but Monitronics will not call me or the police. I have little faith that I'll get any service if I press one of the emergency buttons (police, fire, ambulance). So worse than the monthly fee is the fact that I am not getting this valuable service.

Lisa of Bridgeport CT (12/27/07)
Monotronics made me write at least three letters requesting that they terminate my service after the contract finally expired. I went through so many horrible experiences with Monitronics I would never use them again. The contract never ends, especially if you move. They are reporting I owe them $80.00 to this day for service because they said they did not receive 2 of the 3 letters I sent them.

Monitronics has reported to credit agencies that I owe them $80.00 for service I did not even use. I sent letters in writing stating I would like to cancel my contract and they said they did not receive my letters.

Sara of Arvada CO (12/26/07)
Do not sign a contract with Monitronics! It is impossible to cancel even if you are willing to pay the balance in full. I had a Monitronics alarm system installed and was told I could cancel if I moved. Shame on me for not reading the small print. Regardless, the alarms were installed incorrectly and had to be reinstalled. I had since painted the house so I had to touch up through out the house for the first installation. Two years later, I was ready to sell my home. I called to cancel and was told I could only transfer to the new owner or have an alarm installed in the new house. I told them just to cancel it, and I would pay the balance in full. I continued to be charged and called back. I was told to write a letter stating I wanted to cancel and include my password. I did this in June. Then I moved.

I continued to be charged and had several conversations with Monitronics. Then the alarm went off for the new owner who had no way to shut it off. She had the fire dept and police show up. I called Monitronics AGAIN. Keep in mind that I have been willing to pay the balance in full but cannot get this thing canceled! I was told I had to write a letter with the exact wording I would like to cancel AND CEASE MONITORING. I did this and again included my credit card number for them to charge the balance in full. Guess what? The alarm went off again for my new owner who had the police dispatched. I called AGAIN and was told she would have to call and have someone walk her through powering down the alarm system. She did. Wow, I actually was not billed in September! But wait, the charges started again in October. I just got off the phone with Monitronics begging them to charge the balance in full to my card so the new owner and I can be done with this. I won't hold my breath. Funny thing is I asked the guy I spoke with if they had any history of my conversations and letters. Sure enough, they have it all but just seem to ignore it! Don't sign a contract with them - it's not worth the hassle if you need to cancel.

Michelle of Olathe KS (12/08/07)
We signed a 3 year contract with Monitronics for home security. When we sold our house we wanted to end our contract as the buyers of our home did not want to take over the contract. Monitronics told us that we had to either transfer the service to someone else or take a free move to our next home. We asked everyone we knew to take over service and no one wanted to, so we called back for the free move. In calling back, they started setting everything up for the free move--THEN told us that it would extend our contract another 18 months! Otherwise we would have had to take out the OLD system and transfer it to the new home for a free move with no contract extension.

I let my husband call back as I was furious. They told him they would not have said that it would be a free move with the old system. Basically, we have been told something different by each person we talked to. Also,they referred us to Pro Alarm who could not help us and referred us back to Monitronics. No one is willing to help.

We are continuing to pay $40/mo for a service that we are not using. This may not seem like a lot, but in the next 18 months that equals $720.

James of Smithville MS (03/03/07)

In March, 2003 I entered into a three year contract with Security First Inc. for home security monitoring. That contract was apparently sold several times and it ended up with Monitronics. After 2 years I tried to buy a cancellation because of poor service to no avail, being told it would cost more to cancel than to continue for the remaining year. I was told that was simply a billing error performed by the their computer and it should catch up in a month or two. I still continue to receive statements from them even though I moved from that address into another state.

Vanessa of Detroit MI (09/01/06)
It has been many years ago a salesman came to our door with a new monitoring system. It was suppose to be better than Brinks and I had it installed. For about three years I had it debited out of my checking account. From day one it never really worked. I called the company so much that I was tired of them and i know they were tired of me. They sent people out to fix it to no avail. They tried to fix it over the phone to no avail. But I faithfully paided them each month. It would ring when it wanted to the intercorm would come on at will. And it would call false alarms. I kept trying to work with the company until We could take no more. I then just unpluged it to stop all the years of inconvince. I called the company and told them I could take no more they just stop communicating with me. The system just didn't work in my home and I'm sure in many others.

Pickering of Yuma AZ (08/04/06)
I have been trying to cancel and account with this company for over a year and they will not allow me to. They insist that I do not have a secret code and they can not send it to my currrent address,they can only send it to the old address eventhough it does no longer exists that house has been sold and no one lives there I am unable to retrieve mail from there, i explained this to the company and I was told oh well thats all we can do.

Lynda of Escondido CA (03/28/06)
For security monitoring services, the terms of statement indicate: Please allow 5-7 days for your payments to reach us. Payments received after the invoice date will be included on your next statement. If your payment is not received in a timely manner, a late fee of $3.00 will be assessed on your next statement. The terms do not indicate a specific date that a late fee will be assessed. I received my statement on March 27, 2006. The statement shows a due date of April 1, 2006 for security monitoring services from March 8 through April 7.

Because there is a delay in receiving the statement, I am forced to pay and mail this bill within 4 days of receipt to assure that Monitronics has the 5-7 days to post before the late fee is assessed. In effect, the due date is prior to the end of the security monitoring service period, and Monitronics is charging a late fee of $3.00 within 2 days of the service period and within 11 days of my receipt of the statement. I find this to be unreasonable and question its legality.

John of El Mirage AZ (02/19/04)
Shortly after purchasing my home I had a door-to-door salesman sell me on the idea of a home security system. I have since learned my lesson a few times about door-to-door salesmen, and now just send them on their way, but that’s not this story. The idea of a security system was very appealing, because I was trying to find small ways to increase the value of my home. He offered a system that he claimed was worth $800 (which means it was probably work $500 or less). But the hook was that I got the equipment and the installation for free if I signed a two-year contract for their service. It was only $29.99 a month, and this didn’t seem like much for the security system. I should have done the math, and realized that over two years I would sink in over $700 in payments. Around the two-year mark, I called Monitronics to cancel my service. They immediately asked if something was wrong. I told them that I no longer needed their service, and was tired of spending my money on a service I didn’t even use.

Eight months prior I had cancelled my local phone line, meaning they had not had an active connection to the alarm system in eight month, and they had not even noticed. I was then informed that my contract did not end until the following year. I was a little upset, and asked for an explanation. I was then told that my contract had ended on the 15th of the month, 10 days prior, and that since I didn’t inform them that I wanted to end my service before the end of my contract, that it had been automatically renewed for a year.

I became a very upset at this point, and the customer service representative hung up on me. I called back, immediately asked to talk to a supervisor. Once I was connected I ask if they had the ability to end my contract, I was informed that I could pay the balance for the rest of the year, and they would close my account for me. I then asked to speak to someone at the next level; the supervisor took my information, and said someone would call back within the hour. Three hours later I called back, asked to speak to a supervisor, then asked to speak to someone at the next level, and told the supervisor I would hold. After holding for an hour the supervisor came back on, and said that the floor manager had already gone home for the day, and someone would have to call me tomorrow. The next day came and went without a call.

Forty-eight hours after my original call, I called again, asked to speak to the floor manager, was told I couldn’t hold for them, and they would call me back within the hour. Thirty minutes later I called back, and asked to speak to the floor manager, the story was the same, so I waited thirty minutes and called back again. This time when I asked for the floor manager, I was transferred to someone. I spoke to the first reasonable person at Monitronics. She actually heard me out, and explained what the fine print actually said. Turns out I needed to inform them in writing 90 days before my contract ended, that I wanted to terminate my service. Otherwise my contract renewed for another year, and the monthly rate increased by 5%. Something that was never pointed out when I signed (although it was in the fine print).

I was very upset about this, but after discussing all my options, she finally informed she could settle with me, by taking my 90 notice over the phone, and I would have to pay the 90 days of service, and then be free of the contract. 

Rick of Wilsonville OR (03/08/03)
I paid off my contract and sent in a letter of cancellation early because of my overall dissatisfaction with the organization. This was sent early in 2002. My contract was to up in January 2003. I received a new billing just the other day and called the company to let them know of their mistake, when I was informed I had indeed renewed and was responsible for another year of payments, and in order to cancel for next year had to send in a new letter. I told them I already sent in a letter well before my contract was up with my payment. They informed me that they do not receive letters that are submitted with payments as this is the lockbox address. Funny it is addressed Monitronics Inc.

The contract states I only need to contact them in writing and does not specify an address that this notification must be sent. Anyway, the rep then informed me that there is information on the back of their statement that indicates where all correspondence should be sent. Once again, I informed him that I took the proper steps based on the contract to no avail. I have tried to escalate up the chain of command with this organization, however, they will not let my call pass the associate level. I was told I would be called by an Erlene who has never contacted me to date. 

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