ADT Security

[Patton]

Long story short I have a locally owned security system/company and I have talked to one of ADT's salesmen but I find nothing but bad things about ADT now. I know 20 plus years ago they were the best in the buisness and I am wondering if I am just not being fare to them or if all I read is true. Does anyone have good or bad stories about them?

[Farman]

Have had ADT monitored system for years in FL and 4 years here and their service has been great. We changed this system around a little and the servicemen were here when they said they would be and the work they did was neat and clean. Have had no false alarms except when I forget the system is armed and they usually call before I get to the phone.

[oldogy]

Our resident, and local, security system guy, DrAlarms will be by shortly.

oldogy

[Fourtyfive]

Anybody tried the Comcast system yet , or should I say Xfinity ?

[daddyo]

Used to have ADT; switched several years ago to Advanced Alarm Tech. Much cheaper and great service.

[MphsTiger1981]

Used to have ADT; switched several years ago to Advanced Alarm Tech. Much cheaper and great service.

We've got ADT, but it's been nothing to write home about. Some good, some bad. They keep creeping up on the price per month and the services haven't really increased. Please tell me more about this Advanced Alarm Tech. I have to have a monitored system to keep my homeowners insurance discount.

[Guest clownsdd]

If your current system has done well, ya might try getting them to match the price if ADT is better priced.

My alarm system is a 150lb Anatolian shepard

[Mike.357]

people claim great service and what not. I wonder how many of them have had a break in?

Contact DrAlarms with a pm and have him phone you. Dude has forgot more about home security than any here had ever learned.

[Patton]

Thats another thing, the price. I'm paying about $20 a month and I think ADT is about 30ish.

[dralarms]

Long story short I have a locally owned security system/company and I have talked to one of ADT's salesmen but I find nothing but bad things about ADT now. I know 20 plus years ago they were the best in the buisness and I am wondering if I am just not being fare to them or if all I read is true. Does anyone have good or bad stories about them?

The things I have heard............ I'll post at the bottom

Have had ADT monitored system for years in FL and 4 years here and their service has been great. We changed this system around a little and the servicemen were here when they said they would be and the work they did was neat and clean. Have had no false alarms except when I forget the system is armed and they usually call before I get to the phone.

You are one of the lucky ones.

Our resident, and local, security system guy, DrAlarms will be by shortly.

oldogy

Thanks for the vote of confidence

Anybody tried the Comcast system yet , or should I say Xfinity ?

No comment, haven't seen one of their systems but I can tell you comcast aint building them, someone else is making the equipment and comcast is just installing.

We've got ADT, but it's been nothing to write home about. Some good, some bad. They keep creeping up on the price per month and the services haven't really increased. Please tell me more about this Advanced Alarm Tech. I have to have a monitored system to keep my homeowners insurance discount.

This is a trend

people claim great service and what not. I wonder how many of them have had a break in?

Contact DrAlarms with a pm and have him phone you. Dude has forgot more about home security than any here had ever learned.

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the plug.

Now on to the question,

ADT now:

1 checks your credit

2 auto deducts from you checking account or credit card

3 does NOT have local service unless you are in a larger city

4 ropes you into a 3 year contract which ties you to them but not them to you. In other words, the contacts says you must pay them for 36 months, you get no warranty (actually you do but getting it fixed in my area is very rare), and they don;t even install equipment manufactured by a company they own, they buy it elsewhere (the reason for that is the company would not sell to them cheap enough).

Had a potential customer call me the other day, told me that she called ADt wanting a QUOTE, yes just wanting a price, insisted on getting woman's SSN, ETC and ran her credit before there was even talk of someone coming out to talk to her. Then, Then wanted her bankrouting number and account number. OMG no. When she told them that she was no longer interesed they have kept calling her harassing her.

In addition, the even called her daughter and had the nerve to tell her daughter that "her credit is so good, she won't even have to make the customary down payment, they would waive it. To me that's a violation of the privicy act but it's on them not me.

Not know where you are I will tell you if you are local I:

1. install industry standard equipment (meaning any alarm tech can work on it).

2. You will pay me for the equipment and installation

3. I give a 2 year warranty, parts and LABOR

4. My monitoring rates are 180 per year if you have a phone line, 360 per year if you don't and a cellular backup will work in your area (and that's only if)

5. I have no contract, my word is my contract, I install your system, get your monitoring started, train you on use of the system. When your monitoring is due in 1 year you get a bill for 180.00 (been in business 16 years and only had 2 increases on this) and if you don;t want it monitored write cancel on the bill and sign it and send it back before the due date. No problem, I'll still work on your system, and if at a later date you decide you want it hooked back up as long as I can hit it with the computer there is not service charge just 1 year monitoring.

Also just so you know, Brinks (or broadview now) is owned by ADT also.

If you need to speak with me you can find my phone number on my website @ Surveillance Systems

If you want to know anything else please feel free to ask, I'll try and get you the answer.

I just checked your location, I do service Chattanooga.

Edited September 10, 2011 by dralarms

[Patton]

Thanks Dralarms, that is exactly what I was wanting someone to break down for me. When I have trouble with Action alarms here I will give you a call. Is it true a 12 year old system should be completly replaced? This is what the ADT guy was trying to sell me.

[dralarms]

Thanks Dralarms, that is exactly what I was wanting someone to break down for me. When I have trouble with Action alarms here I will give you a call. Is it true a 12 year old system should be completly replaced? This is what the ADT guy was trying to sell me.

Is it giving you trouble? if not then NO. OTOH, if it can't be programmed then yes you may have to replce the panel, and keypad but the field devices should be fine unless they are either 1 wireless or 2 addressable.

[jcj]

The things I have heard............ I'll post at the bottom

You are one of the lucky ones.

Thanks for the vote of confidence

No comment, haven't seen one of their systems but I can tell you comcast aint building them, someone else is making the equipment and comcast is just installing.

This is a trend

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the plug.

Now on to the question,

ADT now:

1 checks your credit

2 auto deducts from you checking account or credit card

3 does NOT have local service unless you are in a larger city

4 ropes you into a 3 year contract which ties you to them but not them to you. In other words, the contacts says you must pay them for 36 months, you get no warranty (actually you do but getting it fixed in my area is very rare), and they don;t even install equipment manufactured by a company they own, they buy it elsewhere (the reason for that is the company would not sell to them cheap enough).

Had a potential customer call me the other day, told me that she called ADt wanting a QUOTE, yes just wanting a price, insisted on getting woman's SSN, ETC and ran her credit before there was even talk of someone coming out to talk to her. Then, Then wanted her bankrouting number and account number. OMG no. When she told them that she was no longer interesed they have kept calling her harassing her.

In addition, the even called her daughter and had the nerve to tell her daughter that "her credit is so good, she won't even have to make the customary down payment, they would waive it. To me that's a violation of the privicy act but it's on them not me.

Not know where you are I will tell you if you are local I:

1. install industry standard equipment (meaning any alarm tech can work on it).

2. You will pay me for the equipment and installation

3. I give a 2 year warranty, parts and LABOR

4. My monitoring rates are 180 per year if you have a phone line, 360 per year if you don't and a cellular backup will work in your area (and that's only if)

5. I have no contract, my word is my contract, I install your system, get your monitoring started, train you on use of the system. When your monitoring is due in 1 year you get a bill for 180.00 (been in business 16 years and only had 2 increases on this) and if you don;t want it monitored write cancel on the bill and sign it and send it back before the due date. No problem, I'll still work on your system, and if at a later date you decide you want it hooked back up as long as I can hit it with the computer there is not service charge just 1 year monitoring.

Also just so you know, Brinks (or broadview now) is owned by ADT also.

If you need to speak with me you can find my phone number on my website @ Surveillance Systems

If you want to know anything else please feel free to ask, I'll try and get you the answer.

I just checked your location, I do service Chattanooga.

dralarms is a wise man. I'll leave it at that.

Edited September 11, 2011 by jcj

[Patton]

Mine isn't wireless but do you advise against the wireless?

[dralarms]

Mine isn't wireless but do you advise against the wireless?

Depends, Wireless is good where it's needed and installed correctly, I can't see putting a wireless motion up in a sigle story house with plenty of attic space but I see them do it all the time.

If you don;t mind me asking, what kind of system do you have?

[Patton]

I ll look when I get home. Current company just updated the existing 12yr old system-3door-1 motion/ no glass break, no window contacts, no smoke detector

[pitt2magic]

I will never use them again. We had them several houses ago, our phone line got clipped by the weed eater and was broken for several days. When i asked them why they never called to check on us they said that its not their policy to call if there is a trouble alert on the phone line. So I asked them if all an intruder had to do to break into my house was cut the phone line and i was basically told "yes" . Cancelled that day, have been using Action Alarms and have been very pleased. If the phone or power goes out there start calling my and my wife's cell phones to make sure that we are OK.

Also my parents had ADT, my dad died of a heart attack last year and we were considering moving my mom to TN. I called them and explained that my dad was gone and that my mom was moving. They told me that they were very sorry for my loss but the disconnect fee would be $300. My parents were over 2 years into a 3 year contract (which I'm not sure how they got conned into that).

[Patton]

Im currently with Action Alarms and it has been a good experience.

[Guest Chattanoogan]

Even though it would be nice to have a security system, my dog is cheaper.... :-)

[Patton]

If you don;t mind me asking, what kind of system do you have?

It's a DSC w/8zone an d the cover flips down. I couldn't see any numbers left on it.

[lewisbd]

I have the ADT wireless security system and have never had a single problem. When the guy came over to install the system he added in several things for free(after calling his supervisor). We had two door sensors, two shatter/open window sensors, smoke detector downstairs, and motion installed.

[charlessummers]

We use ADT at work for our fire system and have had no problems with them.

However, my neighbor used ADT for their home security, and once while they were away on vacation I had to enter their house to secure some packages that were left on the porch. (They gave me a key to do so...) They did, however, forget to let me know they had an alarm. In the time that I tripped the alarm, walked back to my house to call them to get the alarm code and walk back to disarm the alarm, I waited for the phone call from ADT asking me for the passcode. No call ever came, so I called them to confirm that they received the signal. The lady on the phone told me that I had disarmed the system within their time frame so they disregarded the signal. The alarm was activated for at least 5 minutes!

Homesafe, the alarm company that we used at the time, always called immediately! They dropped ADT as soon as they heard what happened.

[dralarms]

It's a DSC w/8zone an d the cover flips down. I couldn't see any numbers left on it.

Should be programmable.

We use ADT at work for our fire system and have had no problems with them.

However, my neighbor used ADT for their home security, and once while they were away on vacation I had to enter their house to secure some packages that were left on the porch. (They gave me a key to do so...) They did, however, forget to let me know they had an alarm. In the time that I tripped the alarm, walked back to my house to call them to get the alarm code and walk back to disarm the alarm, I waited for the phone call from ADT asking me for the passcode. No call ever came, so I called them to confirm that they received the signal. The lady on the phone told me that I had disarmed the system within their time frame so they disregarded the signal. The alarm was activated for at least 5 minutes!

Homesafe, the alarm company that we used at the time, always called immediately! They dropped ADT as soon as they heard what happened.

These are the kinds of horror stories I hear all the time.

[Builder Bob]

Let me preface this by saying that I have not had ADT service, but when I was working on a local museum and they had a need for security/fire protection the Fire Marshall would not accept monitoring from ADT so they went with ADS Security. The Fire Marshall said they had many problems with the monitoring by ADT.