ADT

I was really committed to getting a system. The reps were okay but I was pretty disappointed at the clarity of everything. They kept making it this huge deal where I would be getting $1,300 in equipment. The prices online were not fairly represented and the sales rep didn't represent the cost on installment day. He said, “We're gonna charge your card $100 right now. And if you like it, that's it. If you don't like it, you can send the guy away. We’ll leave as friends. We'll refund your card $100.” He didn't mention that it was gonna be another $3,000 to install the equipment. There were a lot of pre-work that the sales rep should have done. There should have been some prices provided beforehand.

When our installer came out, he tried giving us $4,000 worth of equipment. $1,300 credit really isn't worth much when it's $4,000. We still got to pull $3,000 out of pocket. It wasn't communicated that there was gonna be such an upfront fee especially when they made such a big deal out of having so much money off. We were very surprised. It was funny too. I had already been looking at the sensors because I was curious about what they look like. I did my research. The prices were not disclosed. XFINITY would say, “It’d be $600.” Ring’s security system said, “The upfront cost is $200.” ADT just said, “Zero upfront costs.” So hearing it was going to be $4,000, I was like “Yo, hold on a minute.” But ADT was very transparent about being in a contract for 36 months, which I was fine with.

There were also a lot of things in there that we didn’t need. I didn't need fire or three more carbon monoxide and smoke detectors because I already had those in the house. I didn’t need all the indoor cameras. We cut some of the things out. I do not need a front and back door sign. The system itself is loud enough. In the end, the price eventually came down.

This situation was 1,000% the sales rep’s fault for not clearly communicating and also ADT’s fault for not actually putting on the website what the actual cost of the items were going to be. What I went with cost me $600 to $1,700 even after that so-called $1300 equipment cost. We pulled $17,000 out of our savings account for settlement day two weeks ago. $1,700 is kind of a lot of money. Other people would have been more pissed off for the company not being upfront. Some people who maybe didn't have the resources would have definitely sent some away, not having known the upfront cost of the system. The company seriously needs to be transparent with upfront costs.

We're also having a problem with the cameras for whatever reason. The installer had been back three times and was not able to get them hooked up. I was a little surprised. There are also some feedback to the operations team. I'm an operations manager for hotels. I understand problems happen. But if they have an appointment, they need to be very transparent about that. They said it was between 2:00 and 4:00. The sales rep did not tell me that it was going to take eight hours to install. My appointment was between 2:00 and 4:00 PM.

The installer did not show up until 4:30 and he left a little after 11:00. We weren't even moving into the house yet. There was no Wi-Fi and there was no bed. I was not sleeping there. I had work the next day at 6:00 AM. It was 11 PM and the installer hadn't even activated the outdoor cameras. That was crazy. He was going to install another indoor camera. But I said, “Eighty-six the indoor camera. I actually don't want it after all. Come back and hook up the outdoor cameras when we get Wi-Fi.” I'm overall satisfied with the equipment. It's good and our installer was awesome. I'm still very happy with the end goal but it was was the most transparent experience. And I was exhausted. It was a long day.

The salesman said that they were giving the system for free. All I had to do was to do what I wanted inside the house and they could do the cameras once they got the house done. I didn't get a labor bill to install the alarm system and I did get the system for free. I was freaking out and when I got done, I told my neighbors to call ADT and grab their special. My house is secured. I'd walk in the house and then I'd go for the panel really quickly. I love this system. I need security especially with this epidemic and I have them.

Now, this is the problem. The salesman told me that if he put cameras on the house, he would put ADT in a liability. He couldn't put ADT cameras. So I asked what he would recommend and he told me to go to any hardware store and pick the best system that I could possibly afford. Then I would have to make an appointment and they would send a guy over and hook it up for me. I also told him that I didn't have internet service so he told me to specifically ask for a system that could be connected without WiFi internet. So I bought the best system at Home Depot and it was called Night Owl. I then called and they transferred me to this woman. The lady set up an appointment to have a technician come to my house. She also asked if I bought the system that I wanted because I told them that I didn't have internet WiFi and that was what I bought. It was a four-camera with some kind of monitor that didn't need WiFi internet.

Now, the guy, Michael, showed up and he said that they would only deal with ADT equipment. I shouldn't have bought the cameras. He told me that no technician was gonna show up and hook up the system that I got and that I should call the ADT office immediately. So there was a misunderstanding here. I got the right system but the salesman that I spoke to lied to me. Michael is an excellent employee. I learned something knowledgeable and he didn't finger point or anything. He said that I should've gone with the ADT cameras when they came over the house to put in the system. He also confirmed that I did get the system for free.

I called ADT and they told me that they wouldn't hook up anything from any store that didn't have their name on it. They said that I had been mishandled and they would take care of it for me. I had been on the phone trying to figure out why I had to pay for the internet. I gotta pay for a monthly payment that went from 28 to like $70 a month.

What knocked me off my feet was that Michael said that he could send a guy over and hook up the system. The technician would come over and hook up for cameras as quickly as possible because they saw that I needed it because of the tampering and robberies that I had. But it would be for 1,800. Another guy said 2,000. The cheapest one to hook up the cameras for my house within the next couple of days was $1,500. I almost keeled over. I was made to feel good that I didn't owe $4,000 for the system inside the house. But now, I would need $2,000 for a guy to come over to put ADT cameras. I need to get my cameras in the house but I can't afford $1,800 or $2,200.

The rep who came out was very nice as well. We didn't do a whole lot of going through stuff but he was here a while because I was trying to explain what I didn't want and I didn't want much of anything. I got bare-bones but the prices were outrageous. I've got two glass-breaking things, the stuff on the doors for opening and closing, to arm and disarm it, and the two doors going into the garage. Then the desktop thing but I haven't used it. I don't know if they got notified but it's never been turned on.

The guy that put the system was very nice, too. I thought of a lot of things after he left and there was nothing about that situation, other than the fact that I've never had a security system before. But I'm in an area where there are a lot of sirens going off, which I'm not used to. Then at some point when we get done with the house, I'm gonna be taking trips and I don't wanna have to worry about my house being robbed. I also love the ADT signs and the stickers.

Initially, I had a $2500 system here and I didn't like it. It needed a landline and AT&T screwed me over. They were gonna do voice over internet and it wouldn't work with the system. So, I fired AT&T because they're idiots. I called them four different times and told them that I needed a landline. Then, the guy showed up a month later and said he was putting in a voice over internet. But I told him that he wasn't and that I gave them four times to do it. I also told him that they hire people that have really low IQ or are not listening. It also seems like so many companies don't want to ever be contacted by the customers. We pay them money, but they never wanna speak with us in person. So, they make it really difficult. I spent oodles and oodles of time on hold trying to get through to anybody.

Other than that, I am concerned that if I leave and the dogs are here, then I arm the system and something goes wrong, it's gonna kill my dogs. It's gonna drive their ears nuts, so I won't do that with them here. If I go on vacation, that'd be the only time that I use the system. I go down to Oakland because we're selling a house down there. I stay sometimes for four days and I'll arm the system then. But there won't be any animals in the house. Aside from that, there are no motion sensors, so I don't have to worry about that.

I also have a manual fire thing, the panic button, and the two little key fobs. I was told by their rep that for my benefit, it's just the walk-in doors in the garage and not the garage doors that will set that off. Then, I contacted the city and I paid for a permit. They sent me a code that has to be used for the police if they show up and I've got so many times that I can use it before they start charging me for bad calls. But I still don't know what will happen if I'm away and the alarm goes off.

I just finished calling the officers right now. And I said, "There's two guys walking down the street. There's a lot of activity going on. They're passing by with compressors or weed eaters." So, one is looking on one side, the other one is looking at the other side. And they're hoping to see what they will hit or when they will hit or what they will do. It just doesn't feel good. That is when I said, "That's it."

I noticed a couple of things missing. The side from the front and the front from the front towards where the house again are wide open. I have privacy fence all the way to the back. And then on the other side, my nextdoor neighbor has a chainlink. So, I've never felt like I needed a fence because I could be sitting here with my doors open. I felt safe. But now, I don't. So, every time I left the house, I was worried.

My daughter was telling me, "Why don't you do the cameras, mom, like that you can take a pic?" I said, "Well, I can barely afford this." She said, "Mom, they have specials. Just call them. Maybe they can help you to set you up with a camera." Because it so happened that my front door neighbor, somebody passed. There's a lot of activity going on that we never had before. They broke her window from the passenger side and the passenger side window and the mirror. They passed by, and they hit it with a BB gun. I said, "If I had a camera, we would have gotten the vehicle and everything." This is all new to me. I'm not used to this. We always had little things happen, but we all keep an eye on each other. If anything, I would have to buy a camera and install Brinks or whatever that you just put them on yourself and be on the phone and look at what is going on.

I was sitting outside and I kept seeing people passing by and then you could tell they're on all those drugs and stuff. So, I said no. That's when I saw Protect My Home's Ad on Facebook and I called. I know they're top-of-the-line. And then, it so happened that it was perfect timing because there was a special because of COVID. It was godsent. I'm really satisfied with the gentleman's explanation who came with the installing. It took me a bit to get to understand it, but I'm almost where I need to be as far as disarming, arming, and staying. Customer service have been very patient and very detailed. So, I really appreciate that.

The only thing that happened was, a couple of days ago, I was trying to get something from the top of the refrigerator. We're seniors, and my hands are weak. I have a fractured rib that has been a permanent thing. So, when I was going to grab that thing, it fell, and the little casing fell off, and the alarm went off. Of course, I came and disarmed it right away, and I called in. They were able to walk me except that I said, "You know what, I don't know if this is gonna work. I have to get up the ladder to climb to take off the battery, restart it. And then I didn't know how to put the lid back on." I have to go up and down the ladder because the alarm would go off. But we've been it long time. I live in Bath. As far as customer service, right away. I'm very satisfied with everything except that.

My daughters all have the systems as well. I said, it's not something that we can really afford but it's something that I feel that we need. It's more a necessity than a luxury because of the situation that's going on right now. Even though we're all neighbors, but sometimes some of us wanna travel and I go to the store and we go and work, like, "Okay, is somebody going to break in?" The system gives me peace of mind.

The lady was very helpful and she explained a lot. She told me about the flyer promotion that I got and if the system was still a valid system in the home, we can have all these additional credits and things for additional pieces of equipment. They were very thorough. At the time it was all happening during COVID and we had been exposed so I wasn’t letting anybody in the house. She gave me a reference number to call back when things were ready, which I did. But before I could call back, I kept getting these phone calls saying they were calling to install our system. I hadn’t agreed to anything just yet and the guy was supposed to come out, show me the equipment, check my system, tell me what my pricing would be, and then I’d go forward. I was a little confused by that.

I called and gave my reference number. The lady that answered was very helpful. She said she doesn’t know why they said they were installing but they were just gonna come out and tell us everything. So we scheduled the time and the gentleman came out. He came out with the impression that he was installing that day, so certain information was not relayed down to him. But he walked through everything and ultimately we went with the system and he put it in that day. A lot more than what he intended because we pretty much put the window sensors in every window in our house plus all doors. It was a lengthy installation, to say the least, because the system was outdated.

He was counting everything and I specifically asked if he got all the doors, to which he said yes. But my front porch has two front doors, one in the front and one kinda on the side of the porch like a side entry, and I touched it and asked if he got that door. He said yes but when he got everything installed and was asking to walk us through everything, I looked up and I said I didn't see a door sensor on that one. He had it on my garage door. And he said he didn’t think I wanted one on that one since we keep that one locked. We put sensors on all the other doors that were external doors, why would I not want it on that one? But he couldn’t just add one because it had already been processed and paid. I said if he could take off the one on the garage door because I have the garage and then the door into the house, so if I got to choose between the two, let’s put it in the most external door. So he took it off, he changed it.

I didn’t think too much about it and he said he would just add another one to the garage door later. Over the last week or so that I’ve had it, we set the alarm, we leave, and we come back in. And it’s a new thing for us, so sometimes I forget that it is on. But I come in and do all kinds of stuff. Then, I realize I didn't turn the alarm off and I go back in there and it’s still armed. It bothered me that I was all the way to where the recliner and the couch is and there’s a motion sensor right there and nothing happened. We're gonna call the tech back and tell him something’s not right. For me to get that far into the house and nothing goes off is a little scary to me.

The ultimate point was we protected everything so that people wouldn’t get in if they tried a window or a door. We even got the little vibration thing on the window and we’ve got glass breaks. If they got in, the motion sensor would catch it. But I don’t know if it’s working or not and I didn’t really want to open the front door and make it alarm, because we set it to where it would dispatch police before the contact me. I’m a little leery to open the door and make it go off. Other than that, it’s fine. I had it before and I know it works.

I went with them in the first place because they had monitoring systems. But I was probably better off staying with Slomin's for the simple fact that anytime the alarm went off, it didn't matter if I just tripped it, someone at least would call just to see if I was okay. That's the purpose of actually having the alarm system. I recommended to my sister and she's getting it. The whole system is great, the cameras and all that stuff, but if it's not working, I don't even know who to call. It's not working right. There are little glitchy things that I don't like about the system right now.

System & Added Tech Subtotal (Less Discounts) $-200.00” was noted on my DocuSign contract — yet technician charged full $200 for DBC835-V2] - ADT HD Doorbell Camera - SILVER (Command version) and had NO visibility into this promotional offer. So scammy. From sales to scheduling to appointment confirmation to technician visit(s), there is a complete gap in communication between internal ADT departments, so much so that it creates unnecessary customer pain points.

If I could give -10 stars I would. This is the first negative review I have taken the time to post on Trustpilot (and across other social media channels) in a very long time. This illuminates how disappointed I am in my customer experience. I regret that I’m now stuck in a home security contract that I’m counting the days to get out of. Shame on you, ADT. I expected better.