|
Natalie of Bowling Green KY (07/01/08)
After dealing with this dishonest company for over 6 months, I got them to release me from my contract by filing a claim with the Better Business Bureau! Everyone should do this immediately. Be sure to put all of the details of your experience, including the rude collectors that call your house. Best of luck to All!
Vincent of Richmond VA (06/26/08)
I have been stuck paying two extra years even though I notified Protect America that I had a new security provider. I was told to write a letter and fax it in 6 mos. Yes, like a person would actually remember that. Then they automatically put you in another contract at the end of your four years with a three day window to cancel. Then there is a 60 day written notice you have to give before the next annual contract in order to cancel. Then to top it off, I was called and told that they were going to file a civil suit for a breach of contract. I have to pay $800 to get out business with them. I would not advise anyone to use their services after all this headache.
I have to pay $800 to get out business with them.
Sharifa of Washington DC (06/02/08)
I called to cancel my order a year ago. They told me that I couldn't cancel until Feb 2008. I called again in May and they told me that I couldn't cancel until Feb 2009. They did not inform me that my contract was going to automatically renew. When I asked if I could have a technican come to my home to fix the stupid gadgets so that they work correctly - I was told that it would cost $150.
Financial - I stuck paying these highway badits for another 7 months!
Stephanie of Watauga TX (05/29/08)
I stupidly signed a contract on 4/6/05 with these people. Found out within a few months that the system does not work half the time, sends alarms needlessly, etc. so disconnected, but continued to pay the full contract term. I send my cancellation (certified, return receipt) on 10/17/2007 after verifying with their accounting department that my account WOULD NOT BE DEBITED after 2/15/08 (since first/last months was paid up front).
On 4/18/08 I discovered that they had debited my account illegally for March AND April. I contact the organization who told me it would take 10 to 14 BUSINESS days to check out the overage. On 5/2/08 they refunded the payment illegally debited from my account on 3/15/08; I contacted them on 5/7/08 (the FOURTEENTH BUSINESS DAY) at which time I was told that they had to wait for the second debit to clear (my bank confirmed that it cleared the day they debited the account).
I called again on 5/13/08, 5/20/08, and 5/22/08 and was told REPEATEDLY that the payment had been processed and I should check with my bank. I called the billing manager on 5/27/08 and told her that I would be filing a complaint with the small claims court unless I got my money. Christine at X8412 finally called me today and the infamous TEN TO FOURTEEN days has begun again before she asserts I will receive my money. In the event it is fourteen days, that will have been TWO MONTHS AND 3 DAYS since they illegally debited my account. How could it possibly take that long?
I have lost interest money and have spent WAY more time on this than should have been necessary.
Robert of Santa Clarita CA (05/21/08)
I was told i could return the system within 7 days no questions asked. i was made to fill the online agreement with the rep all along on the phone with me what he didn't tell that the cancellation would mean forfeiting the 79$ (two months service fee)which they charged upfront and also will charge restocking fee of another 79$ + 3 dollars extra and shipping charges
their system is so bulky and looks straight out of the star war movies era and its too heavy and one has to leave it on the table or some shelf and then rush to the door (if your exiting the house once arming it) they said we gave u free extra lighter touch pad which is meant only for indoor use and cannot be taken outside (meant only for arming and disarming) and i told them if they could give me a free keychain instead of this touch pad it would be more useful but their manager was outright rude and blatant in saying well everything costs money so have a great day!! and hung up
i made the mistake of filling the agreement online where one cant read everything so quickly and one focuses more on filling the forms correctly. but this cancellation terms should be read out aloud by the sales rep. only thing that got me sold was that they were giving 10 entry points( charging 1 $ for an additional motion detector) and 2 year contract why do they want to take your 2 months fees + restocking fees ?? its like forcing the customer to buy your system i certainly do not recomend this system not because of their unreasonable delaing with me but because its so unconvenient and bulky and limited visibility in the market as well which i came to know later (i thought GE brand name was big)
79$(two month fees)+79$ restocking fees + 3$ (god knows what fees was that) and 20$ shipping fees (for that ton of a package heavy equipment)
Greg of Hibbing MN (05/13/08)
I have already sent a complaint to the Better Business Bureau in Texas and the company called me to offer a broadband box at the price of 209.00 or 5.00 more a month on my bill. I signed up over the phone for a security service with Protect America. Since this time I have found that we do not use the system and was not informed of some issues like the company will not call you if you have an alarm and it is acknowledged witjin 60 secs. They also only give you 7 days to return the equipment and service. A contract was never sent to me until I requested that I was not using the system and would like to cancel. At that time I was told or reminded, I don't remember them telling me this but was informed that I have signed a 3yr contract and can cancel if I want but will still be charged the 29.95 per month for the remainderof the contract. I feel I should have the right to cancel with some sort of penalty, for example as they do for cell phones.If you cancel before the end of the contract time you are charged 200.00 for early termination. Also 7 days is not enough time to see if you like the service or not. After speaking to them and them offering me to buy a modem and then calling back again to tell me that they could give me the modem for free I was told that those are the options. By this time I am fed up with this company and want the contract suspened with some minor financial penalty as described before. The total left to pay is approximately 820.00 and with this they offered me a 209.00 free modem so why won't they just cancell the contract. There are issues as stated before with myself not being totally informed on how things are done and what I can expect to happen if a alarm goes of, among other things they did not tell me. My last question is can a contract be binding if done over the phone?
I could use the extra 29.95 a month. Does not seem like much but every dollar will help.
Allan of Wheat Ridge CO (05/13/08)
Like most of the other complaints registered on this (and several other) websites - we have found Protect America VERY customer unfriendly. When wanting to cancel our account, we were told to simply enclose a letter with our invoice and everything would be taken care of. When the contract came due last December, we were given a litany of reasons why we would have to pay another year, including: The cancellation letter had to be sent at least 60 days in advance; The letter had to be mailed in its own envelope, not accompanying a bill; The cancellation letter had to go to a different address than the address bills were remitted to. - on and on. As reasonable as the people I have talked with are - they are absolutely, positivily unwilling to even consider that they are in any way contributing to the problem. Long story short - Protect America has lousy customer service - can not be trusted to be open and up front with their customers and should be avoided at all cost! There are plenty of good (and local) security companies out there who want the business of good customers - Protect America is not one of them.
Kellye of Kinston NC (05/06/08)
Cancelled service with Protect America and they still keep drafting money from my account. I faxed a letter and was told the service will be cancelled and they keep drafting money each month and said they would until October 2008. I have had this service for 7 years and each time I attempt to cancel they say I cant.
Cristina of Colorado Springs CO (03/15/08)
Protect America offers no way out of their contracts. Even if you do not have a home to place the system in! I was willing to pay a cancellation fee, but the only way out of an initial contract is to buy out the rest of the term. Read the fine print! I don't have that much money to put up front, so now I am stuck making monthly payments on a system I don't use.
Forced to pay for a system that is not in use.
Thorn of Carthage MT (03/11/08)
We purchased their alarm monitoring system for a 36 month term. Set to expire 4/2008. I contacted the company May 2007 and told them I wanted to cancel my service at the end of my contract. Rick told me to get back in touch with them before the contract expired that I should not cancel at that time as I still would have to buy out the rest of the contract. March 8, 2008, I call to cancel and was told to fax the request, however I had waited to long to cancel and would have to pay for another year.
Have to pay another year of service for equipment I have not used in over a year.
Melanie of Buckeye AZ (03/08/08)
I purchased a home security system from Protect America in December 2005 after my home had been robbed. The company sent a technician to my home to install the equipment and to have me execute the two-year contract. The alarm system was installed and the technician, who was in a hurry to get to his next job, presented me with the contract to sign. He did not explain the contract's term & conditions, and did not give me ample time to review the contract. I honored my two-year contract and on March 1, 2008 decided to do some comparison-shopping on-line. After reading several very negative articles about Protect America, I decided I did not want to continue to do business with such an unethical company.
On March 1, 2008 I emailed Protect America to check on the status of my contract. I received a voice mail message on March 3, 2008 in response to my email, but every time I tried to call them back I received a message after being on hold for an extended period of time that I needed to call back during business hours, but the message did not stated what the hours were. I finally reached someone at about 7:30 am on March 6, 2007 and was told my contract was in effect until December 17, 2009. I advised the customer service representative my contract expired in December 2007 and I did not authorize a renewal. I was told that because I did not send a written cancellation notice to Protect America prior to 60 days of the contracts expiration date, the contract automatically renewed for another two years. I informed the customer service rep that I did not receive any type of correspondence (i.e. email, telephone call, mail) reminding me my contract was going to expire so I could send in the necessary correspondence. I was informed that it was not Protect America's responsibility to remind me of the terms & Conditions of my contract and there is nothing I can legally do to them for renewing my contract for another two years.
I requested to speak with a supervisor, but the customer service representative refused to transfer me. He stated that if I wanted to end my current contract I would have to buy out the remainder of the contract. After my very negative and unpleasant conversation with Protect America's customer service representative, I decided to look them up on the Better Business Bureau website. They have had numerous complaints filed against them and many of the complaints have not been resolved. I have filed a complaint against Protect America with the Better Business Bureau requesting my current contract be cancelled and that they stop deducting $39.95 per month from my checking account. I am currently waiting for a response to my complaint, but after everything I have read about this companies business practices I am not expecting a positive outcome. If you are even thinking about doing business with this company, DON'T. RUN AS FAR AWAY AND AS FAST AS YOU CAN.
If I cannot get my current contract cancelled, I will be out another $960.00 for a monitoring service that I am not even 100% sure is being provided to me.
Gerald of Mt. Dora FL (03/08/08)
I installed a Protect America system at my previous address. I had the system for about 3 years before I sold my home. After the sale of my home in January 2007, and on the day before I moved out of my old home, the new home owner said he would very much like to keep the alarm system in tact within his home. I told him I was not sure how we can get this worked out because a contract was involved. However, we called PAI on 01/26/07, to see if they would allow the new home owner to take over the system, and they agreed. Since I was moving to a new home, I told them I would like to install a Protect America system at my new home despite the home coming with a system. In the presence of girl friend and the person who purchased my previous home, we were told by the then sales representative that it would be no problem for the new home owner to take over the alarm system. They [PAI] would mail him paper work, and he was required to sign and return the paper work to them. I have no idea what transpired between Protect America and the person who purchased my previous home.
I move into my new home on 01/28/07, and sought thereafter to call protect America to purchase a new system for my new home. That meant I would have to set up a date with the tech to install the system in my new home. The system that was in my new home was removed, and a Protect America System Tech installed theirs in February 2007. I received a contract via email from PAI, but I never returned the contract to PAI because I did not want a contract for three years. Subsequently, we were not receiving our monthly statements and sought to call PAI on numerous occasions to find out why this was so. We found out they were mailing our statement to our old address, despite having to clarify this with them every time we called. Obviously, our new address was given so that we could receive our monthly bill on time. Even to-date, we are not receiving a statement but are being harassed with at least 2 calls per day of not paying our bill.
I recently, spoke to Susan, a supervisor at PAI, and told her I had no contract with them and would like to bring this business relationship with them to an end since I did not appreciate a company who simply would not send us a monthly bill but continued to have their people call and leave messages on our answering machine. Susan indicated I had a contract with them, and I said, "What contract?" Susan said I have a contract which was consummated at the old house address. I told her that I don't live at that address and specifically told her that their sales person worked with us and the person who resides at that address, to resolve issues related to the ownership of the alarm when I sold my home. I told her there's no way I could be in a contract that reflects one address when I don't live at that address. Even though Susan knew I don't live at that address, she continued to stress I am still under contract for the alarm at the old address. The only way I can get out of this contract is to write them 60 days before the contract date, which obviously is not under the current address. To conclude, this whole episode is beginning to become a very stressful period for me and my girl friend.
Tina of Phoenix AZ (03/04/08)
We signed up with Protect America in 08/2006 when we bought our new condo. The system that I installed worked great for about 6 months. THEN...... the alarms started sending out false alarms for no reason. Even if the unit is disarmed a I would get knocks from the police at 5 am saying the alarm was going off. WE HAVE HAD OVER 20 FALSE ALARMS in the past 12 months, and will now completely unplug the unit. PM sent a tech one time who looked at the alarm for 5 min and said it was fine. The city of Phoenix is now billing us for over $500 in fees! I cant pay this; I want to sue this company for the fees insured, as well as for the value of the contract and punitive for suffering from being awakened in the middle of the night numerous times by the police. Please contact me if you can help.
Daniel of Sacramento CA (03/03/08)
My wife signed up for protect america two years ago and I tried to cancel. I was told that I could not cancel until my two year contract was up. Now my two year contract is up and I tried to cancel again and was told that I can't because I didn't send a written cancellation notice in 60 days before. So now they say I have to pay for another full year and can cancel then. I have not used the alarm system in about 16 months because it constantly had problems. Now I am stuck with a bill for a service that I don't want and no way to get out. It doesn't seem legal to me but I'm no attorney.
I've been paying on time for two years and haven't had any consequences yet, but they are way down on the list of bills that have to be paid and I can't keep paying them.
Bernadette of Medford NY (02/25/08)
We purchased a security system from Protect American which arrived this past Friday, Feb 22nd. All of the sensors were faulty. The system alleged there were doors and windows open where there weren't any. We also received sensor failure messages on all of our sensors (we had a total of 15 and they took turns working and not working all weekend long). We put the system in the mail this morning and paid a total of $36 in shipping costs. No one (at any time during our conversations with the sales staff) mentioned anything about a restocking fee.
I specifically asked what the cancellation policy was, and the representative said the system had to be returned within 7 days of receipt for a refund. That's it...nothing else. I learned shortly thereafter that there were restocking fees after reading a posting on the internet. After reviewing the ultra microscopic print on their contract I now see that there is a restocking fee of $79. This is UNACCEPTABLE when the system was faulty out of the box. It NEVER worked. I can understand if something is returned because of personal preference, but the system was a joke. I am going to contact every newspaper here in New York that I can to expose this SCAM. When I called to let them know why the system was being returned, the representative (Pete Cruces) was absolutely silent on the telephone. After explaining my entire dilemma and reasons for cancellation, I asked if he had anything to say, and he said, "what would you like me to say?". At a minimum they are making at lease $100 off of each and every one of these things that are returned. Where in America is that ok? I would like to know if there is any litigation pending against these people. Judging by their BBB track record I would be suprised if there wasn't. I was told a credit would be posted within 14 days of receipt of the system. At NO TIME during my conversation with Pete today did he say anything about a restocking fee. So, I will just have to wait and see what happens. If there is a charge of 1 cent to my card, I will dispute the charges through my credit card company.
I paid a total of $36 to return the faulty system that I received, and have not received a refund of my $250+ as of yet. I will wait the appropriate time, however, to dispute these charges if necessary.
Chuck of Gliroy CA (02/24/08)
Protect America, Inc. is a bunch of insensitive people that are acting under the pretense of protecting America; rather they only protect their cash register with subjective and capricious ironclad contracts. When one wants to opt out it is always another year from the contract anniversary date, resulting in keeping the ching-ching ($359.40++) of their cash register ringing all the way to the bank. Being senior citizens with limited resources, we pleaded for leniency and compassion to cancel the contract, in both letters and phone calls with a detached and indifferent reply of we honor our word in our contracts.? It is sad and discouraging to see them being ranked in the top 10 of residential home alarm systems installations in the USA. The Texas Department of consumer affairs should pull their license if they have one.
Loss of $359.40.
Anne of Waterboro ME (02/21/08)
We were told there was no contract. Then we both lost our income and our phone service and protect america would not stop the service. they claim we would have to pay for the rest of our lives. They swore at us and called us names. They are continuing to bill us even though there is no posssible way for them to give us the service.
It has hurt our credit and our reputation. They are very nasty. Stay away from them!
C of Lancaster PA (02/13/08)
We had a 4 unit apartment building. Several break ins scared my tenents. I checked the yellow pages and called PAI. They were very helpful in getting my system set up and they suggested I order all 4 systems and would reduce the cost. They faxed the contracts and I signed and faxed them back. Two weeks later I helped our one tenent install the one system. A week or two later the wife did not want the police comming to the house if/when a false alarm was triggered. I called PA and discovered that the time elapse for a return had expired. Since the tenents in the other units each had cell phones and no land line, we could not set up the alarm systems until a land line was installed. I made multiple requests to return the three unused units to no avail. We have paid $29.95 per unit for three years and never had service, for a loss of $1400. Now we are trying to exit from our 4th and final service contract. We have submitted the 60 day advance notice and called two weeks prior to the roll over date and were assured that the account will be closed. So far they have issued two more monthly invoices and advised that the acct rolled over due to having received the 60 day notice late.
NO SERVICE DUE TO NO LAND LINE--3 UNITS NEVER USED SERVICE AND RETURN REFUSED $1078.
TWO OR MORE FALSE ALARMS TO POLICE BY PAI. POLICE FALSE ALARM FEE--$50 EACH.
[NOTE: NO PAI SYSTEM IN SERVICE, YET POLICE WERE DISPATCHED]
Demetrius of Paterson NE (02/05/08)
I was extremely disappointed with the lies and deceitful practices made by Protect America; therefore, I canceled my service. I requested that the service to be installed. Customer service representative Kyosha stated on 01/28/2008, the technicians will show up at my residence. She also requested that I install the system. I stated, No, I do not have the time. Kyosha stated that the installation was simple and it only takes 30 minutes. The technician did not show up to my residence on 01/28/2008. Then, they called my elderly mother to install their system after Protect America charged me $150.00 to install the service. On 02/05/2008, the technician arrived at my residence to install the system. It took two technicians over 3 hours to install the system; however, the system was beeping. After arguing with them to send a technician out, they stated that they will try. Approximately 5 minutes later, I called back Protect America requesting to cancel the service because it was not working.
Protect customer service representative Randy (SBC13) stated that I could cancel, however I would get no refund. The refund consists of $238.85 for the security equipment, $34.95 for the first month, $34.95 for the last month and $150.00 for the installation fee. I requested to speak to a supervisor. Bradley (SBC42) answered the phone and also stated that I would get no refund even though he stated that I have 3 days to cancel the order once the technician arrived at the premises. Then Bradley, in a threatening manner, stated that he does not have to cancel my account. I told Bradley that I will be getting a lawyer and contacting the media about Protect America's fraudulent practices. It is travesty that a company like Protect America owned by General Electric who also owns PC Richards, NY Channel 4, Sondex and numerous other companies are trying to rip off hardworking, honest people.
I'm out $150.00 for installation not completed, $34.95 for first month's charge, $34.95 for last month's charge, and $238.85 for equipment.
Garry of Rocky Mount NC (02/05/08)
My contract for three yrs. was up. I had no problem with them until their box broke, and they refused to fix it. I waited a little over a month, and they still did not fix their box. They lied to me three times about fixing the box. First they were going to send a power pack out but sent two wires. What was I going to do with two wires? Next they said they would send the pack out but never did. Third they were going to overnight it but never did. So I got another company and tried to cancel the contract.
I was told they rolled my contract over for another year, and I would have to pay. I will not pay for services I am not receiving. I wrote to the Attorney General and was told that it was a contractual dispute. I am going to put my story on YouTube.com, called Sky 5 is on your side TV station, and then start from the bottom with my elected officials and go to the top if I can. I hope with this many people complaining someone will do something.
I am about to graduate with a degree in Medical Assisance in May 2008. Employers have the right to check your credit report. Before I can get a job can they put something on my credit? I am not paying them for ripping me off.
Patty of Spring TX (01/11/08)
A Protect America phone rep offered me a bronze package with 7 entry points and with the understanding that I will get additional two sensors for free. I told the sales person what I need, and if they are not going to give me these for free then I don't need the security system. He agreed to give me the package: 2 sensors, 7 windows, yard sign, and instruction for a monitoring fee of approximately $34.95 a month. But when I received the product, I was charged $307.48.
Per the internet and per their sales pitch, the system is free. Now they are charging me. I am demanding the refund of my money; and in consideration, I will continue my service with them. Protect America did not act in good faith when their salesman sold me the product for free, and the company charging my credit card (which I reluctantly gave them), for 307.48 for what was to be free. This company is not trustworthy. I will not recommend them to anyone.
George of Calumet City IL (01/11/08)
I entered a three-year contract with Protect America. After the three-year period was up, I decided to eliminate my house phone since we now have cell phones. I called Protect America to start the cancel proceedings and also ran into the 60-day notice clause and was stuck for another year for no service. I was to pay them for the next 12 months with no obligation from them for providing me with their service. The real killer was that I had been paying for three years already and discovered that the last time they received a signal from my home was 8 months ago. So for three years I never knew whether or not I was getting a signal. I was told it is my responsibility to call them and check my system every month.
So we're paying Protect America to protect us only if we call them first. This does not make any sense to me. They should respond immediately whenever a signal is lost. Since this signal can go out at any time, I would suggest calling them to check your system every day, or at least once a week. We should call and make them monitor our homes as they are paid to do. Thank God no damage was done, but if someone broke into my home and killed me and my family, Protect America would still continue to charge my credit card year after year because I did not send in the 60-day notice.
John of Laurinburg NC (12/26/07)
I purchased my alarm system December 22, 2004. I was told in three years I can cancel. Today December 26, 2007, I called Protect America (PA) to cancel the three year contract. I was told like everyone else on this web site with complaints about this company: I should have sent a 60-day notice to cancel, and I'm stuck with paying for one more year. I called my credit card company; they told me there is nothing they can do about it. The credit card company told me to send a letter to PA, but I doubt I will be able to cancel out.
There is a problem with this company, like the people wrote on this web site; they are rip off's. I asked PA to send me the original contract, and my name better be on it. I just sent them a letter this morning explaining my frustration; however, I came to this web site and found out I'm not the only one that have problems with this company. Why pay $360 more for something you no longer want. I told them in my letter I may go to the local television station and to write the BBB. Somebody please help. Who can we turn to, to straighten this problem out? I'm forced to pay and additional $360 for another year of service that I no longer want.
Kenneth of Lake City FL (11/29/07)
I no longer have the information about the company but I have talked to two supervisors and many employees about this problem. I told them that I never used their system and never asked for the equipment to be sent to me. I filled out a survey online and one was about security equipment thinking they would send the information and not the equipment. They asked me to send the monitor equipment back to them before they could cancel. I sent the equipment back and then I moved into a home that I now rent and they contacted me and told me I had to pay for one year because they never received the equipment. After moving I could not locate any paperwork. I paid for one year on the equipment that Protect America referred to as services I was using but I never used the equipment. After the year ended they said I had to send the equipment back before they could cancel the term we agreed upon. We never agreed on any term and I never signed any documents. I now received a letter from their attorney now wanting over $1100. How can this madness end? If you have a suggestion please contact me as long as you don't charging right off the bat.
Jane of Boiling Spring SC (11/29/07)
I also purchased their security system (free system) which started out costing me $79.85 for shipping and first and last months monitoring. As soon as we received I was called by Caesar and talked into returning the motion sensor detector (value $99.00) and buying two glass breakage detectors at $99.00 each which would better serve our needs and I could return the motion sensor after I received the glass breakage sensors for a $99.00 credit the two glass breakage sensors he charged me $233.20. I did exactly as he requested even insuring this item, after they received this item they are refusing to credit me the $99.00 plus and outragious amount of shipping charges he was suppose to refund in the amount of $19.36 (they only paid $6.35 to send to item to me but charged me $19.36). They now say the motion sensor is part of my package and they will not give me a credit, so I was lied to to sell me addition items. I cannot get anyone to return my phone calls now. I have disputed the charged on my credit card and had them reversed.
Lana of Cape Coral FL (10/17/07)
Purchased a security sysytem four months ago June 07', they delivered, I had my husband who is an electrician by trade install it... It never worked correctly. AFter they have charged for three months, we insisted on their professional installer to come out (Oct 16,2007), he spent three and half hours and it still did not work. The system uses Velcro and magnets and wouldn't secure a dog house, let alone a home.
Stephan of Mountain View CA (10/17/07)
We bought a monitored alarm system and signed a 2-year contract starting in 09-05. It has since cost us many times over the 10% discount on Homeowners' Insurance that prompted us to buy it. We sold the house a year later, but could neither cancel nor transfer the contract. I called again in early July (22 months into the 24-month contract) and was told that they could only cancel our contract on 60 days' written notice. I noted out loud that those 60 days would bring us just past the expiration date of our contract.
The rep confirmed that there was no point in writing anymore. I thought she meant the contract would have expired automatically within the next 60 days. What she was actually confirming was that the contract would RENEW automatically no matter what I said, wrote or did. Could we really be liable for a third and fourth year of charges ($838.80) for services NOT rendered? QUESTION: Is such automatic contract renewal after 2 years binding in CA?
$419.40 for the second year (already charged) and $838.80 for the third and fourth years (prospectively, under unilaterally-renewed contract) and/or damage to credit rating (currently near 800) for disputing charges via Master Card, potentially resulting in increased interest rates or inability to refinance our new home mortgage.
Sky of Jersey City NJ (09/14/07)
Most unethical rascals ever! They try to be so nice to you until you buy, saying that they are the only one to offer renters, and they trap you. I am not even using the service now as I moved into a multi dwelling apartment with lot of security.Still I have been shedding 34.95/month for the past 12 months and the next 2 years to come. No one is ready to transfer the service from me and these people want more than 1000 to cancel the contract.
Willie of Clinton MD (09/05/07)
Purchased their alarm service with a 3 year contract. Attemped to cancel per their 60 day requirement and they claim to never have received the cancellation request and start another year to contact. They don't return phone calls.
Stan King of San Jose CA (04/30/07)
My complaint is similar to the other complaints that you have posted on your web page. I called Protect America to cancel a 2 yr commitment. I called 4 business days after the contract end date of April 22, 2007. After a long wait I was told I could not cancel until April 2008 because they had renewed my contract for another year because I did not send them a written cancellation letter 60 days prior to the experation date.
It is obvious that Protect America is only interested in profits and not people. Is there anything we can do as consumers to make Protect America change it's unfair policys?
Regards,
Stan King
Jak of Branson MO (04/23/07)
I signed a contract with Protect America on September 13, 2003 in Gilbert AZ. they were offering a free garage door opener, I needed one so I bit. We moved 13 months later to Las Vegas. I called to inform them I was moving and they informed me that I still had to pay the full 2 years on the alarm system and that I could cancel at the end of my 2 year contract. I called at the end of my contract and I was informed that I needed to submit a letter of cancellation 60 days prior. The customer service rep said she couldn't help it if I was too lazy to read my contract.
I asked for a copy of my contract and never received one. I called the following June 2006 to start the whole process again and was informed that I couldn't get out of the contract for another year because I was in the middle of another 2 year contract. Each time I called them I was never told the full story of what I had to do to get out my contract.
I've been paying 39.95 every month for a system I haven't used or benefited from since November 18 2004. I guess my garage door opener has ended up costing me 1,717.85 so far with another 199.75 to go. This company is a nightmare.
Cathleen of Litchfield OH (04/08/07)
We originally got one of the free home security systems with a 2 year contract. In the fine print it states you must call the company to cancel within a 24-hour period of the expiration of the contract in order to not lock yourself into another one year term of agreement.
The financial burden has gone beyond one year past he original contract. Neither speaking to a phone person nor a supervisor will allow us to get out of the original contract after we fulfilled our two year agreement. We are locked into it.
Donna of Santa Fe NM (03/27/07)
In May 2004, a Protect America sales rep in New Mexico came to our neighborhood selling Protect America monitoring door-to-door. I signed a 2 yr agreement and asked about the renewal clause. The rep told me that Protect America would contact me to get my approval to renew. Also, he gave me a card (which I still have) showing that the rate would drop to $20.95 if I chose to renew after the 2 yr term. I sold the home in May 2006. Like so many others who signed with Protect America, when I called to cancel at the 2 yr anniversay, they informed me that I would have had to do so 60 days prior to the end of the agreement and that I am obligated to pay for 2 more years. Also, they increased my rate instead of lowering it!!!!
Protect America tells me that I have 3 options: 1) pay for 2 yrs at the increased rate; 2) get the new homeowner to take over contract; and, 3) transfer the service. I do not want to pay for 24 months for nothing. I will not coerce the homeowners into taking over the contract. I did, however, ask them to send a rep to a new location to talk about transferring. They (PA) told me that they have no rep in NM anymore but that they would mail me new equipment to install myself. I told them that I am not experienced or qualified to do that. Out of desperation (not because I think it's fair), I asked them if they have an early termination fee. Mr. Eric Landrum said NO--that I just have to keep paying for the next two years.
I have requested several times that they send me written information on what my options are and how to pursue them. They, of course, will not send me anything in writing. Now, they have turned my name over to a collection agency who calls me almost daily, including weekends. How do I shake loose from these people?
Havelin of Murrieta CA (03/21/07)
My complaint is similar to the others I have read on this web site. I signed up for two years, always paid. Then in January (a full month before my first 2 yr. contract was to expire. I called the company to say I needed to cancel. They informed me that according to my contract that I was automatically signed up for another 2 years because I did not cancel in writing a full 60 days before the end of my contract. I feel that these unethical people are trying to pull a fast on and are relying on the customers to forget about the 60 day (doomsday) deadline.
Luckily I changed banks so that these LEACHES CAN NO LONGER debit away at my money. I made sure I paid the full two years that I signed up for. Not a penny more! I don't even live in the house any more. My concern now is that when I don't continue to pay, I will be reported to the credit bureaus and my account will be turned over to a collection agency.No economic damages at present, the hassle will begin when they realize I'm not paying any more.
Nelson of Anthem AZ (03/18/07)
I signed up for a 3 yr contract in march 2004. I send this company a letter in January 2007 to the address that the payment get send to informing them about cancelling services in march 2007. When I called to confirm in March I was told that it was automatically renewed for 2 years because the claim I did not send them a letter. I am trying to find a way out of this and have written to the BBB and to the Arizona State for contractors.
Tammy of Toms River NJ (03/14/07)
My mom signed up with this security company, Protect America, because it was less expensive than the other ones, and from the start, this looked like a shady operation. Firstly, they send you the box and sensors and tell you to install it yourself. Then, when you ask for a technician, it takes ages. And when you learn more about the company, it turns out they have like one technician covering the whole East Coast, driving around in a truck. I thought, 'what the heck kind of company is this?' Now we want to change our form of payment from direct debit to pay monthly by check. You'd think that's an easy and reasonable proposition. Think again with PA. They refuse, because its not in the contract.
Debbie of Perrysburg OH (01/30/07)
I am writing this for my parents who live in Texas, I live in Ohio, they have hadd a Protect America alarm system in their home for over 5 years. On Jan. 9, 2007 their home caught on fire from some electrical in their attic, the fire department as hard as they worked could not save their home, so they lost everything, so the following week they started making calls to everyone they needed to.
When they contacted Protect America to see if they could cancel or put a hold on their contract they said absolutely not, my parents are senior citizens living on a fixed income. After hearing this I set down at my computer and started researching this company and found bad reeports on them hear at Consumer Affairs and I also went onto the Texas BBB and found that they had 833 complaints on them in just 36 months. I believe that Protect America has some very disturbing business practices. So I am wondering what they are protecting since there is no home or belongings at this address now? Is there anything that can be done about this?
Elenita of Chula Vista, CA (01/11/07)
My alarm security system suddenly became inoperable a couple of months ago, so I immediately called in the problem. Days, weeks, and months; countless of follow-up phonecalls and my alarm got fixed 3 months later. For a company to act upon a simple request after three months is totally unacceptable.Barely 3 weeks after my alarm was fixed, the system went dead. As expected, I got the same unprofessional treatment from this company.
The most logical course of action is to cancel my service. I am bound by a two-year contract and I intend to get out of this.
Leonel of Paterson, NJ (01/09/07)
I signed an agreement with Protect America three years ago (for a 3-yr term) and I have being paying for it since then. Two years ago I sold my house and left the system because the new house I bought had its own system, but I was still paying for the other one.
My agreement with PA ends on 02/05/07 and I don't want to renew. Protect America doesn't want to cancel my agreement, even when I don't have neither the system nor the house. They want to keep substracting money from my checking acount for one more year. I will have to pay $360 more. I already paid $720 for the two years that I didn't have the service.
Pamela of Cedar Lake, IN (01/04/07)
Protect America installed an alarm system about one year ago. I have had several problems with this, had technicians at my home twice and several phone calls with other technicians. No one can seem to correct the problems.
This unit "talks" all throughout the night and keeps me awake. I told them I wanted to cancel my three year contract and wanted my money for the equipment. Yhey told me NO!
They were suppose to provide me with a alarm system not with a big lemon and alot of stress to go with it.
Oliver of Tracy CA (10/24/06)
Per verbal agreement during over the phone sale conversation, I had a 2 year agreement for monitoring service on a home burglar alarm monitoring. however, the service contract was for 3 years. when the 2 years was due, I called then to cancel they said that I had a 3 year agreement. I told them that the state of california had a 2 year limitiation but they told me that unfortunately the contract i signed was for two years and I cant do anything until October of 2006.
I faxed them a letter explaining what had happened and how my contract agreement was completely confising. Also I said that i would like my contract terminated upon expiration. That fax went unanswered and so I decided to honor the contract.
At my 3rd year anniversary,I called them up and to remind them that I no longer needed their service. Customer service then said that my contract was for 2 years and that it was auto renewed last year for another 2 years. Now i have to maintain another year of monitoring fees. Also even if my contract expires this year, that they have a 60 day prior auto renew policy. I then said that I fax them a termination later on my 2 yr anniversary. they claimed that they did not recieve my fax and can only track it if I have a proof such as a fax transmittal confirmation.
Glenn of Richton MS (07/28/06)
i was refered to Protect America by Mississippi Power. My fiancee signed all the paper work and she faxed it back to the company. A box came in the mail a week or 2 later -- they told her to install it herself so she tried and it never worked. So she called to cancel. They keep telling her they will get someone to install it. Finally she called 5 days later and a man told her it is hers she is stuck with the alarm system.
She kept calling the alarm system company and they claimed they was sending someone out in dec. No one ever showed. Then finally in the month of June a representive came to the house. Now they have sent me to a collection agent called Crenshaw. We tried to tell them something about the company and was treated very rudely.
Joel of Fontana CA (01/16/06)
These people sold me an alarm system for my house. It never worked. I tried calling them till i give up. They got me into a 2 year contract. Their customer service is the worst in the world. What happened is that i tried today calling to cancel my service after two years and the person that answer is telling me that i can't cancel because I was supposed to send a letter 60 days before the day of the contract expired, otherwise it renews automatically for another year. She told me you only have two choices -- pay for the other year or transfer the service to another person and I said I'm not a sales person plus I will not want to pass this nightmare to somebody else.
Connie of Henryville PA (10/14/05)
Alarm System was first installed on June 25, 2002 but had to be replaced on August 25, 2002 because the first system wasn't working.Their cancellation policy says to give 60 days written notice. Several of the sensors were not working, even though we had replaced all the batteries. I tried on numerous ocasions to contact them to get a technician out to repair the system. When I finally got through I was told no technician but she that she would walk me through to see why the thing kept beeping.
I was then told to take down the sensors and mail them back to them and they would then send me new ones. At that time I had agreed to buy 2 fire alarms (which I later refused when they arrived). After I got off the phone it dawned on me that I must be crazy to agree to such a bogus way of running a business. (We were excellent customers, I usually sent payments months in advance.) Why should we (I'm 60 yrs old) be expected to climb around taking these things down and mail them back! Why should we be expected to go months with a faulty system.
I then wrote a cancellation letter myself. This letter I sent certified mail. By this time every single sensor and motion detector had failed! Well that one got a response. Some lady called and told me I could not cancel because I hadn't given notice 60 days in advance. I was furious, I asked her what I should do with the equipment that didn't work. She said it was mine to keep. Well I threw it in the trash.
After this phone conversation I told my husband and that's when he told me he had had his secretary write a letter of cancellation in April. That's when we first started having trouble with the sensors. He had decided then that the whole system was really not very good. I wrote to the Texas BBB and Protect America's response was not what I wanted. I find it very convenient that they ackowledged my certified letter but not my husband's letter that was sent via regular mail. The contract just states 60 days written notice - does not say it should be sent certified. I have copies of all correspondence.
On 10/11/05 I recieved a call from Protect America and was again told that I could not cancel. She said she needed proof that the first letter was sent.
Dorothy of Piedmont AL (08/03/05)
Initial term was three years, after three years they automatically renew the contract for one-year unless the customer gives written notice of cancellation at least 60 days prior to the end of any initial or renewal terms. They rely on the customer's forgetfullness and or misplaced contracts.
I called last year and told them I had misplaced my contract and I needed to know how to cancel. I was told that I could not do any thing until after July 27th of 2005 called back in June of 2005 and was told then that I could not cancel because I could not get a written letter of cancellation to them 60 days before July 27 2005. so it would be renewed of one year more. They should have told me last year when I called that I had to send a letter of cancellation 60 days before July 27th 2005. they should be made to send out letters and give the customer the right to cancel or renew like the state of New York made them do.
Anhtuan of Phoenix AZ (03/14/05)
I signed a contract to have a home security alarm service by Protect America Inc. two years ago. Now after two year of the contract, but I can not cancel the contract because the fine line in the contract saying that I have to give them a written notice 60 days prior to the end of term. It is ridiculous! Nobody will be able to get out of this contract.
Cathy of Chesterfield MO (03/25/04)
I sold my home in November, 2003 and had been notifying Protect America since September that the house was sold and that I was discontinuing service or that they could contact the new homeowners regarding service continuation. It took months of notes and phone calls to get the message through to the company who basically said too bad you have a 3 year contract, which would expire on 7/20/04 but had one month paid in advance. I begrudgingly paid their bill through the end of June, 2004 but they are sending me notices for collection.
I have sent them a copy of the notice from my bank of the online payment in the hopes of trying AGAIN to remedy the situation. During the time I had their service I had continued problems trying to get the service fixed when it wouldn't work properly, but this was a final straw.
Matt of Charlotte NC (04/04/03)
Protect America installed a security system in our home 6 yrs. ago...as of April 2002 - our system was no longer working. I called to inform them the security box was broke and no longer connected to police system. They informed me they would be sending a new box out to replace. We did not receive the new security box and when I called the second time, they said that they had no obligation to repair or replace...we then advised them to cancel our service and pick up the box. They called again to say that they would not cancel due to our contract...despite the fact that we had no security service valid in case of emergency and they would continue billing us...
Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.
|
