I requested that ADT waive a $194.72 service cancellation fee for the reasons outlined in this document. Although I was burglarized and the alarm failed, this is just one reason for my dissatisfaction, the real reason is Poor customer service .
I am a 23 year veteran of this country with service in both IRAQ and AFGH. This is no way to treat anyone, let alone a veteran.
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During the week of 25 July through 1 August, I was vacationing in CT with my family. Upon returning home in the afternoon of 1 August, I discovered that we were burglarized and approximately $5, 000 of goods was taken. I immediately contacted the Chesterfield County Police Department to report the crime. I also contacted ADT monitoring services to inform them that we were burglarized and that the Alarm key pad was showing an alarm event had occurred. ADT informed me that they had not received a signal. The representative asked me to test the system, and again, no signal was received. The representative instructed me to contact the service office to have a technician check the system.
On 3 August, I contacted the local ADT Richmond, VA office, to coordinate a technician visit. The technician came out on 4 August and discovered that the system was not connected to the phone line. In a telephonic conversation with the technician, I asked him if there was any evidence of tampering, he said “no, there is no evidence of tampering”. The technician connected the system to the phone, tested it, received positive contact with the monitoring office and departed.
On 4 August, I contacted ADT to have a sales representative visit my home to provide recommendations on up-grading my system. Sales representative visited my home on 12 August.
On the evening of 12 August. Prior to our walk through, we tested the system. I called the monitoring center and while on the line, proceeded with the test. Much to our surprise, the center did not receive the alarm signal. We tested the system again, except this time, without the monitoring center on the line. We immediately received a call from the monitoring center. Chris discovered that the system did not have “telephone seizure”. He stated that this had nothing to do with my service provider, that the technician should have checked this and had it fixed. He made note of the issue.
After our walk through of my home, he made several recommendations, which I thought were valid. I expressed to the sales rep to have these upgrades done for free or for half the price. He agreed and said he would go to bat for me. He stated that he could not make the decision; however, he would be in contact with me the next day.
After no call was received for a couple of days (7Aug), I called him. He informed me that his boss was on a camping trip and would return on 10 August and he would follow up with me then. He also put me on a three way conversation with a technician. The technician explained to me that the issue with the “phone line seizure” was not an ADT problem and that if I wanted this fixed, I would have to pay for the visit. I did not want to entertain the technician any longer after the blame game began. The technician said that he would contact his manager and see how to best resolve my situation.
Again, I did not hear from him on Monday or Tuesday. I called him on Wednesday, 12 AUG to get a status. He informed me that there was no resolution and that he would call me back. By this time, I had become extremely frustrated and decided to cancel my services.
I called ADT customer service. I cancelled my services and asked to speak to a manager to request a waiver to the cancellation fee. I explained my situation and asked her to confirm my cancellation services, which she did. She said that she could not make the decision to waive the cancellation fee, but would contact the Richmond office. She stated that she would be in touch within forty-eight hours. After not receiving a phone call from her, I called customer service again. I asked the representative to check on my file for cancellation. He stated that my file was showing active. I requested again to cancel my services immediately and to be connected to management. I left a voice mail with management, but was never contacted.
On 18 August, I called ADT Corporate, FL, customer relations. The rep said that she would investigate and contact me.
31 Aug: ADT Corporate contact me and state that they side with the Richmond Office to disapprove the waiver.
SEP 8: Placed complaint with Better Business Bureau (BBB)
SEP 11: Paid bill in order to deny ADT from ruining my credit; still awaiting BBB response.

"Paula" phones me today over a year after our contract ended (May of 08) to inform me that my verbal request and credit card payment cancellation given at two earlier dates was insufficient to "cancel" their services. Because I had not sent them a written authorization to cancel (this is required because their services are so critical and sensitive... read CYA) that I owed for the past 10 months. She would today be advising the credit bureau and collection agency that our contract was cancelled for "non-payment".

Unbelievable... three year customer plus over paid by another 6 months (always on time by credit card withdrawl) and yet the records will say we are unworthy of credit for "non-payment" because TYCO/ADT and "Paula"say so.

I worked for ADT and found that they had discriminatory business practices. They discriminated in their pricing of systems for minority customers and also low income communities. Their management practices suck - if you complain about anything they make up some crap and fire you. I complained about how they were treating a disabled customer - I found that within hours - I was accused of a host of untrue stuff and within a week terminated.

Be very cautious of this company they have a ton of stuff on line and in their training describing how fair and nondiscriminatory they are - and then blame you find out its all lies after a month.

WATCH OUT for ADT Alarms and Tyco Corporation big liars.

Bad serice, not responding to service calls & emails
I will call ADT Corporate offices as well...sick and tired
Arthur Kolacz

We had recently chosen ADT security system to protect our home. THe subcontractor was Nightwatch Protection out of Salem New Hampshire. The installation went well and there was a come on rebate that you pay 99.00 and then you are sent a 99.00 Visa gift card. My first month of service was charged to my Am/Ex card. A month later I recieved a notice to send in a Check for 99.00 for the install fee as my card was rejected. (I own a home and business and a gold, platinum am/ex cards and have impeccable credit). After app 7 minutes getting through to a human, she told me I had NO balance and did not need to send payment, but something was not right and I questioned why we received the notice of denial and we worked to update the info. I then remembered the rebate that I should have recieved by now and the woman I talked to gave me yet another 800 and for the next 25 minutes I chased down the right person to process the rebate request. I talked to 5 different women by three differnt numbers and at one point I reached the same woman twice. This person's name in Rhonda. I don't know what her title is but she is in the Nightwatch Protection Inc. Salem NH office. She said she was going to help me and not yet again hand me over. When she brought up my file she noticed the Credit card denial and with great attitude in her voice demanded more info. I told her that I just went through all that and I just want to get to the rebate Visa card. She asked me who I talked to and because it had been so long on the phone and with so many people that I gave her two names that began with L and to help I said I believe that the woman was black from her voice nuances.. Rhonda then went on a rampage and basically called me a bigot and said that no one is black or white in her office etc etc etc.. It is then that I realize that the Visa rebate is a scam and she is covering something up and I could never trust ADT with the security of my home, family and business. SHe told be that I was terminiated and I told her that I would never do business with a company that was so irrational and unprofessional as well a thiefs and to set the record straight of who I am... I am married to a black man and my children are half -black and I have many friends that are BLACK !!!. SO FOLKS LEARN FROM MY FRUSTRATIONS. KEEP YOUR BUSINESS LOCAL AND AVOID AT ALL COST ANY OF ADT PRODUCTS AND PROMOTIONS.AND AFFILIATES ...BUYER BEWARE!!!