SafeStreetsUSA Home Automation

I DID NOT KNOW THAT THE GUY COMING OUT WAS A SALESPERSON…and…the technician. With that being said, he installed window alarms on every single window, smoke detectors in every single room, motion detectors, and some other thing in the hallway. He told me how the window alarms also will sound if someone taps on them, and I was amazed at the type of products they were installing. During all of this, as a first time homebuyer and first time alarm system purchase, I thought that these things are standard. The SALESPERSON/technician NEVER ONCE TOLD ME that all of these things were at an EXTRA charge, as in OPTIONAL.

At the end of the install, he handed me his PHONE to sign in some places, but NEVER went over total pricing of anything. He only said that this comes to $89/month and that he wasn’t charging me for anything upfront. Now, when I called the order in, I was told $59/month. So I’m assuming that the increase was because he was putting the extra camera and keyless door pad in with my monthly ADT monitoring charge.

Before I signed one screen on his phone, he did tell me that it was a credit check. Now I knew from my initial call that it was a 3 year contract with 70% early termination fee, so I assumed that this was just for the sake of there being a contract, which I am ok with. With me just purchasing the home, I’m also assuming that is why I got denied under my social. He simply asked if there was someone who would put it in their name. I said sure, maybe my dad. I called him and with the technician standing beside me, he heard me call my dad and ask him if he would sign for the system for the contract.

At this point, I am not aware that all of this EXTRA stuff he installed has come to the sum of over $5300 and the credit check is for this at $89/month. So as he listened to me simply tell my father that he’s agreeing to the credit check for the contract, he never corrects me to make sure that I’m informing my dad of what the credit check is actually for. Long story short, my dad receives the call and agrees to “whatever” they told him …and of course they have it all recorded and transcribed, so that legally covers them and keeps me/my dad on the hook for $5300 in alarm equipment that wasn’t even needed nor asked for.

I asked all of the questions I knew to ask. As they say, you don’t know what to ask, if you don’t know about the product or service. You simply TRUST that people will be honest and transparent, especially when there are contracts involved with items that can’t be removed without penalty, and when they see that you don’t know anything about something you are purchasing, and when they are getting someone else to put the name on the dotted line. You would like to think that they wouldn’t take advantage of a weakness.

I, of course, called in as soon as my dad received the bill and a credit card from Synchrony Bank for the $5300 loan 2 weeks after the install and I was advised that there was nothing that could be done since the buyer's remorse period was only 3 days. Which I was told nothing about, but wouldn’t have mattered because I wouldn’t have known about the extra charges until the bill came anyway.

I called in as soon as my dad received a statement 2 weeks after install for the $5300 loan and a credit card attached. For 4 days, I requested to speak with a supervisor. I was told that one would call me back later that day. No one ever called me back. On the 4th day, I called back in Anderson finally spoke with one. He advised that the case had been reviewed by the district manager and there was nothing that could be done because they have the recorded and transcribed phone call with my dad (who remember only went by what I told him in the presence of the salesperson, which included me not knowing anything about $5300 in optional equipment). The supervisor stated that he would put in a request to see if someone would call me, but to not bet on it essentially.

I've tried to cancel multiple times but they keep threatening me with paying 75% of the equipment cost which I will willingly give back to them. The cancellation period is three days that should start when all of the equipment is installed and working properly. Please save yourself a lot of hassle and order service directly from ADT. I thought I was ordering from ADT because the rep had an ADT badge and ADT van. It was very deceptive. If a SafeStreets rep shows up in your neighborhood, keep the door closed! If anyone from SafeStreets is reading this and wants to help in canceling my contract, please contact me ASAP!

The technician completely disregarded my wishes and started his installation process. Then they came in and said that none of my existing system would work with ADT equipment. He indicated that I needed an entirely new system and that was not problem since they had already powered up their panel. They started off by saying that the new system would cost around $5000.00, after their discounts which was rated to $1850. I told them no-way. After about an hour of negotiation and me constantly saying no, then ended up offering me a system that was less than what I already had for around $500.

I said no again. Then he call his manager who indicated that I was actually getting a good deal because even a system by ADT was better than their competitor. Again I said no and he tried to haggle for another 30 minutes. At this point they agreed to refund my money and take their system out. So as I waited for them to finish restoring my old system, they snuck out of the house and left my old system disconnected in pieces on the floor. Along the way they vandalized my old control panel so it would not work again. This was just the beginning of my problems. So I called ADT customer service and they said there was nothing they could do to get the technician back to reinstall my old system. Then to make matters worst they gave me a fax number to send pictures and to file a claim for the damages.

Next I spent 3 hours on the phone with the customer service department of my old system. Eventually I got to customer loyalty and they schedule a technician out to repair my system the next day. I have yet to collect any payment for the damages from ADT. This is my second bad experience with ADT. Based on this I have come to learn that their so called free system is never free. I will never let another ADT person in my house. Please beware of this company, they do not stand behind their work or their offer.

When their local guy came by and checked it out, he decided that the alarm was defective, so he replaced it. He also said that the keypads were dead and my window sensors don’t work, too. He also said that just the smoke detector upstairs and the one downstairs worked. I got 4,300 square feet of space. He offered 200 and some odd dollars and he said that he can give me two more detectors as mine were dead. This really flipped me out. My understanding was those worked and that the windows sensors were good. I paid for the extra door sensors and the doorbell plus it’s costing me 58 bucks a month for three years. I was very much not a happy camper and he knew it. They’re a security company for me and I find out that all my detectors were not working and it’s going to cost me up to one thousand to replace them.

I told the tech that I’ll just go out and buy smoke and heat detectors and install them myself. The tech said that it won’t be good because the detectors won’t call the fire department. I said that if I have one on the backside of the upstairs, then the whole house will become engulfed through the attic before they even hit Safe Streets’ smoke alarm. Somebody should have told me something because I asked them specifically. Otherwise, I would have all of them taken out. I would have discussed it. The sensors on them are good, so that should be okay. Although I don’t know a lot about alarms, I knew the questions I asked and what was answered and what we agreed to.

My big thing is fire. It is something that can kill things and I have a couple of animals. I’m really cautious on that. This house was built in ’82 and I’m in the process of having it re-wired and all the electricals redone. I live in a really nice neighborhood and the Safe Streets guys think I can afford to spend $3,000 on everything I need, which is not completely the case. I could have gone back to another company but somebody called me and said that ADT is a good company, so I went with them instead.

I had the guy who came out and fixed this mess tear every smoke detector out. I didn’t care if there were holes in the walls. I just wanted them out because if they don’t work, I don’t want them. Safe Streets was really deceptive to me. I didn’t care about the windows. If somebody breaks in, it’s all insured. And I don’t care about material things. It’s all replaceable but a fire is a life-threatening emergency. I’m glad their guy told me that the detectors were dead. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known. I assumed they were working. I’m a real estate broker, so with the last two sales that I was getting ready to get closed on, I told them to not go with Safe Streets and that I was lied to.

So he told me he could use the cellphone, which was going to be like $44.99 a month. And over the phone, when I called in, the guy didn't let me know that. But I ordered it. I wanted it in the living room so the cellphone was the only option I had to go with. The features offered in my system is good. It's everything I was looking for. I got two sensors on the wall, 3 door sensors and a hand remote thing. I'm paying a little than what I wanted to but it's good.