ADT

We came home with the sheriff, the state police, the county police, and the city police all around my house. They came through and everything was okay. But then I called ADT and I said, "This is very upsetting. This is a brand new system." They had to send someone out. I said, "I won't be charged for this, will I?" The kid said, "I don't think so, ma'am. I'm putting it in my notes because it's under a warranty for so many days." It was the entrance door to my garage. Every time we went out, I didn't even shut the door then the alarm went off. ADT sent someone out and it was the sensor. He had to put a new sensor back on. That was fine and we haven't had any trouble since.

However, I was charged for the visit. But the girl was gracious enough. She took it off. I said, "From what I understand, I could probably have gotten a better monthly rate." She gave me one, but she gave me a number to call. And when I called, the rep said I can only do that once a year. Since she lowered the rate, there was nothing they could do. But they were super nice and they tried to do what they could. The techs that came here were also very nice. What's very frustrating for me is when I call and I get someone that I can't understand. Also, when I couldn't understand somebody, and I'm on the phone forever and they end up hanging up on me. But that's the only thing.

I called back and spoke to a second person and I said just because they've decided to upgrade to 5G, I shouldn't have to be responsible for replacing all of my working equipment. They said, "Well, looking at your outdoor camera, that's going to work. Oh, and looking at this, that's still going to work. And this is still going to work." So, that was how the price went down to 1,100. I got to thinking about it again before I scheduled them to come out. I thought, "You know what? This is ridiculous that I have to put out $1,100 for working equipment." So, I called and spoke to a third person and the price came to $638. A number of items still worked. I did need to get a new panel. That was outdated, and I was fine with that. My indoor cameras are plug-in, so they're not remote. I can unplug it right now and put it in a different room. Why would I have to get new indoor cameras? I had three, but I went ahead and got two.

When they came out, I had two sensors put on. So, that was beneficial to a slider and a window on my second floor, which I hadn't done just because it was on the second floor. So, that was okay and I was all right with that. As far as payments, it was supposed to be three payments of 200 and some dollars. I went into my bank account and 400 and some dollars had been taken out. So, that was quite a fiasco to try to get that resolved. That took probably several weeks. Finally, I spoke to a manager who gave me his direct phone line to call him if I had any other issues. He resolved the problem right away. When you call in, you first have to talk to the person who asked for all your security information. Then, they transfer you to another person and if that person is not the one to resolve your issue, you go to another one.

So when I finally somehow reached this person in management, that was huge. He told me to call back if I needed anything else. I did call him one other time. I gave the extension that he'd given me, and they didn't want to transfer me. There's a reason that I have this direct line and this manager told me to specifically speak with him. I guess a lot of companies can be that way. Sometimes it’s very challenging depending on who you're speaking with. It might take four people to finally get things resolved or get to the right person. So, I understand that.

The person who came out and upgraded everything was very pleasant and professional but cordial. And anyone who's come out before that, I get the same thing. Anytime someone has come out from ADT, they're all terrific. ADT is a great company. Their marketing is terrific. Their support people who come out to address issues are very good. They're very professional and timely. They call before they're going to be here. They always protect their feet. Overall, they do a very good job. I've been very happy about that.

I've had two service calls since the system was installed. With the first one, we handled it on the phone, and the person was extremely responsive and helped me solve the problem. With the second issue, I was getting a message that a battery was running low, and then I was gonna have a systems problem. It turned out that the battery that was causing the issue was welded to my door frame. I called ADT and explained the problem. The first rep had no idea what I was talking about. But she referred me to the second rep who was very helpful. We tried a couple of things and she told me that I'm gonna have to move the battery connection to an exterior box. She said, “It's fairly simple to install. I could mail that to you and then we could give you directions or I can send someone out to do it for you.” I then said, “Well, my doors are 10 feet tall and I'm 5’ 2”. I better have someone come out.”

We scheduled the appointment. The tech was terrific. But there were two issues. I did not get a notification that he was coming until after he arrived. Also, the rep never told me that there would be a charge for that when she walked me through the options. The tech said that it was a $59 service call. That's obviously a snag in the system. Other than that, the installers were excellent. ADT has responsive employees but they are less than honest about the true costs.

Clint was my sales rep and installer. He was a lovely young man. He was very patient and he explained and showed me every piece and what it did and why it did it. He was very pleasant and very knowledgeable. He went around my home and told me, "These windows don't need it because they're on the second floor. And if they can reach them, they can have it." I also have a sunroom that has windows all the way around it and he said, "We're not gonna put an alarm on each one of those windows. That's ridiculous. We'll put a glass breakage alarm in there." If any glass in that room broke, then it would set off the system. It was very smart. He was very good about spending my money wisely. I got his card.

Something else that ADT did is the next day, I opened up the door without remembering that I had it set. The alarm went off and it scared the bejesus out of me that I couldn't remember my number to turn it off. It was very loud. ADT called and asked if I was okay. I said, "I'm fine. I just don't know how to shut this off. I don't remember my number." And it was written right there. The representative said very calmly, "Look on your screen, go down to the bottom, and you see that little square around there?" I said, "Yes." And she said, "Touch that." And I did, and she said, "There's the keypad. Now, remember your number and put it in there." I did and it shut off the alarm. That representative was so pleasant that she just calmed me down enough that I could remember my number. ADT is wonderful. Call them.

What I really like the most in my ADT package is the independence of having the fob on my keychain and being able to set my alarm as I need to. I like the feeling that my home is protected from fire by the alarm system. If ADT doesn't get me immediately on the cellphone, they call the authorities who then check my house out. Also, my alarm is very easy to work with, with the caretakers who come with my animals and stuff.

Also, the response time was amazing. It's less than 10 minutes which is the difference between night and day on things. I've had nothing but good service from them. And when I've had a problem with my bill going up, I would call them and talk to them, and due to years of service and loyalty, they would work with me and try to negotiate my bill down a little bit. That means a lot to me as a consumer. They've been really good as far as making me feel like I'm a valued customer and that goes a long way. They are Johnny-on-the-spot with what I want them to do

ADT is not that expensive and the monitoring is excellent. They do a great job and I would choose them over Ring. A lot of those systems can be hacked and from what I've been told, it's very hard to hack the actual ADT system.