My husband & I purchased a security system 3 years ago from Firstline Security. We were told that our contract was for 3 years, & that we could not cancel the contract during that time without a penalty. We were disappointed with the security system early on, because of the issue with opening windows, which will set off the alarm, so we decided to cancel the service once our 3 year contract was met on Aug. 15, 2010. On July 30, 2010, I contacted Castlerock Security & spoke with "Lynn Combs". I told her I wanted to cancel the service & she informed me that the service had already been renewed for the next year (even though it was not scheduled to be renewed until Aug. 15, 2010). She told me that once they received a letter cancelling the service, & had received payment in the amount of $540.00 (approx.) they would be able to cancel the service. When I argued with her about this, & said that I was calling before the expiration of the policy & that my payments had always been monthly, not annual, she said she could not help me. I asked to speak to a supervisor, & she put me on hold. When she came back on the line, she said this was not a supervisory issue but was a "policy" issue & she then said that once a service policy was renewed, (as in my case) it could not be cancelled. Obviously, this is a lie because she had just said that she could cancel the policy if I paid her the $540.00 & sent a letter that cancelled the service. I am furious with this company, & I see that there are MANY complaints lodged against them. I am also sending a complaint to the Office of the Attorney Generals in both Washington state, where I live & in Illinois state, where Castle Rock has its headquarters, as well as the Better Business Bureau. I will also inform as many people as possible about this company & their dishonest & misleading business practices.

I swear it has kept me up at night fuming at how they duped me. They clearly know what they are doing. I have written Mark S. Kirk, an Illinois congressman, (707 SKokie Blvd, Sutie 350, Northbrook, IL 60062) and he forwarded my info to the Attorney General of Illinois. I would encourage anyone to write him as well, because the more letters they get, the more this company will have to answer to the AG about. I also wrote my congressman, the BBB and the state rep of that district in Illinois. Sadly, I did not even enroll with castlerock initially-they bought my contract from another alarm company. This company is a scam waiting to happen to you.

I am highly upset with Castle Rock. They are inconsiderate an inappropriate. Similar to most, I signed up with SAI not castle rock. the business was sold; however, I did not receive any notice or follow up about the change. They claim that they did. . .

Now, I have provided the appropriate documentation need to cancel my service early June; however, I was informed that I did not meet the appropriate deadline to do so. I am contesting this because I did not move into my house until June 26, 2007. This is three years to date of me sending the letter. Therefore, I did not obtain subscription until after that date. If I am required to cancel by July then, I understand; however, the current policy states otherwise and this is unacceptable. I am entitled to a month window to cancel and that month's window is not here yet.

Furthermore, I do not find the benefits for this service. My equipment continues with various operational issues. Connection, batteries, etc. I recommended a customer to t his service during the time in which I subscribe; however, I am also learning that they are not pleased with the service and is experiencing the same concern that I am having.

What to do... I am willing to join in a class action suite.
They stink... I am also submitting to BBB.
Thank you

MAKE SURE YOU CANCEL Well before 30 days ahead and get a letter of proof back from them that you did. They purchased our contract from Firstline quite a while back. Door to door salespeople came and told me the three year contract was to cover the cost of the equipment they were giving us and our only obligation to them other than monthly payments for three years was to place their sign on our front lawn as advertisement to our neighbors. I called to cancel over a year ago because I couldn't remember exactly when the three years was up and I wanted to let them know I didn't want to continue after that. They said I couldn't cancel until my contract was up this June. But they didn't tell me anything about their policy of needing a letter 30 days ahead. I call in June only to hear out about their fine print in the contract about automattically renewing year-to-year.
In my mind I did not read it the same way when it was signed. Probably because the sale people stressed over and over that the contract was for 3 years, but never said anything about the automatic renewal terms. I thought it would be continued year to year unless cancelled but could still be cancelled anytime. But I didn't drag up the contract and read it every year to remember every detail as I TRUSTED them to do right by their customer.
So after 3 years I was very suprised by how exact our cancellation had to be. I already completed the 36 months to cover the equipment I received, so it seems so wrong that I should have to pay for something I do not want and have not received. They seem to care more about money than what is truely right. Even though they hear probably hundreds of complaints they continue to mislead and cheat customers in the same exact way. They should change the wording in their contract, their communication with customers on contract end dates and requirements, and their automatic renewal policy. I should not have trusted them, and they have brought me to tears on the phone. I feel burdened by this company, cheated, and vulnerable. They are corrupt in my eyes and should be put out of business.

I had a three year contract that expired June 23, 2010. I called in March to cancel and was told that I had to wait until the expiration of my contract. (not told that I had to cancel 30 days out or auto renew occured.) I called again on June 12 th to obtain address to mail cancellation letter and was told that due to the fact that I had not cancelled thirty days out, my contract was renewed for one year. I was intentionally mislead in the March phone conversation to ensure that I would miss the "deadline". This is one of those companies that needs to be out of business. Forget about needing an alarm for thieves, you need one to protect you from the likes of these people.