Complaints

This profile includes complaints for CPI Security Systems's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

CPI Security Systems has 8 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  CPI Security Systems

  4300 Sandy Porter Rd Charlotte, NC 28273-3200

  
• 

  CPI Security Systems

  38 Rosscraggon Rd Ste D Asheville, NC 28803-1165

  
• 

  CPI Security Systems

  2456 Remount Rd STE 307 North Charleston, SC 29406

  
• 

  CPI Security Systems, Inc

  7003 Pelham Rd Ste A/B Greenville, SC 29615

  
• 

  CPI Security Systems, Inc.

  7019 Albert Pick Rd Ste A Greensboro, NC 27409

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have had CPI security for the 4.5 years. I have had nothing but problems with their services since day one. I have had to call them multiple times a year for problems with the system. Now I am selling my home and moving into a rental while I build a new home and CPI is trying to force me to pay for services not rendered for the next 5 months on a home I will no longer own or live in.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2023

  Dear BBB,
  

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by **********************. We apologize for any frustration ********************** has experienced with his services. I have reviewed the account t associated with ********************** and on September 15, 2023, ********************** called in and spoke with a representative about canceling services due to issues with his system. The last time we went out for service was on July 22, 2023, and resolved the issue with his panel. The prior service apptointment was June 11, 2022. The representative advised him that for us to cancel his services we would need to send a cancel letter. ********************** started using inappropriate language and hung up. ********************* then called back on September 15, 2023, and spoke with a supervisor regarding the time remaining on his agreement. He demanded that a supervisor call him back from the department that assists with cancellations as he will not call again. On September 19, 2023, ********************** called back in, and the supervisor advised that we would not be releasing him from his agreement that he signed as it states he is responsible for the remaining terms of his agreement.  As of October 11, 2023, a cancel letter has been sent to ********************** and processed. Please let me know if there is anything further that I can do to assist.
  
  Kind regards,
  ***********;

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/12/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Their response has nothing to do with them trying to charge me for 5 months of services not being rendered during to not living in the home and it being sold. A cancel was sent and I signed it before they informed me that I was responsible for 5 more months of services to be paid for

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  Dear BBB,

  
  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the additional correspondence submitted by ***********************Per ********************** contract agreement he is responsible for the remaining months left on his agreement. I have provided an outline of the agreement Section Four under term where it states this. If he chooses to cancel, he shall remain responsible for the remaining five months. Please let us know if there is anything further that we can do to assist.
  
  Kind regards, 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Camera system is not working correctly and CPI informed me that they don't have technicians to service my area and if I want to cancel I have to pay them $5,000 however, they do understand that my ring doorbell is going to the control panel and not to my phone. Which means when someone pulls in my driveway I only see the car pull up. I never see them get out the car. I never see them come on my porch. I never see anything

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by **************** We apologize for any frustrations or inconvenience that *************** may have experienced with us. Since the initiation of Mr. **************** I have had the pleasure of speaking with ****************. We were able to assist him with the issues that he has been experiencing with his video devices and notifications. We feel this satisfies this complaint. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.
  
  Kind Regards,
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On August 13, 2022 my ******************* home was completely destroyed by fire. At the time of the fire, I had CPI Security Services actively monitoring my home with their recommended smoke detectors and alarm system. At no time during the course of the active fire did the alarm system activate. At the time in which *********************************** had just called the fire contained, CPI called to alert me to the alarm. To give an idea of the length of time it took for the smoke detector to trigger, our daughter had already found out about the fire through social media posts, my mother had already driven from *****************, and our home and all of the contents within it were completely destroyed. Given the location and type of the fire, if it had happened in the middle of the night, our family most likely would not have survived. When CPI called that day, I told them I wanted our services cancelled immediately. This past August, they began charging me for services again, as they had never cancelled the service and had only suspended it, despite the fact that we still have not finished rebuilding our home and have absolutely no monitoring devices. At this time, I asked to have the service cancelled again, they indicated they would. In September, we were again charged and I called yet again. I was then told that I would need to pay a cancellation fee as CPI Security is claiming that I should not have expected a smoke detector to work during an active fire, as the panel would have been compromised. I am now being charged $699.86 in addition to the already charged $49.99 for both August and September for a system that never worked to save my home as I had been promised.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the correspondence submitted by **************. We apologize for any inconvenience or frustrations ************** has experienced. After a thorough review of Ms. ****** account, it has been determined that our Customers for Life team will be releasing Ms. ****** from the agreement and issuing a refund to her as well. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/11/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:   It does not seem the *** has any intent to make good on their response.   *** has indicated that they were clearing the cancellation charge on my account and refunding the charges that were made to my bank account in August and September; however, I received a statement on my account this morning 10/11/2023 and they have not cleared the account, nor have I received any refund for August and September charges.
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the correspondence submitted by **************. We apologize for any inconvenience ************** has experienced. After a thorough review of Ms. ****** account, the refund and balance on the account is still in the process of being completed. ************** has been advised to disregard the statement she received. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:  It has been 7 business days since CPI indicated my account would be credited and my account cleared, yet I am still receiving past due notifications and there are no completed nor pending credits to my account.  As indicated in my original rejection, there seems to be no intent on behalf of CPI to rectify this matter on a timely basis. 
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the correspondence submitted by **************. We apologize for any inconvenience ************** has experienced. After a thorough review of Ms. ****** account our accounting team mailed out a check to ****************** address and there's now a $0 balance. I spoke with ************** and I re-confirmed that she has been fully released from the contract.  Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Backyard cpi camera out since 10/05 . Reported to manager ****** 9n 10/06 as was told to call at 8am since the 6:30am staff could not assist. I was told emergency called put down for 5pm today someone to troubleshoot issue. I have no camera service working for my back. I'm paying for service.10/06 called CPI INFORMED them I got no called from a tech to fix my issue. Then told they are back up. All of this is lies!!! I'm not sure what's going on, They expect me to not see if an intruder cone to back if house. I'm paying for 24hr serviced monitoring

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding an additional complaint from ****************. Our records indicate that we spoke with her on 10/06 and was able to resolve her issues that she was having with her cameras. We feel this resolves this complaint. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.
  
  Kind Regards,
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We had CPI for our security system. We sold our house. The new owner didn't want a security system right now. So we tried to cancel our service. The equipment was paid in total; it was just the monitoring service. We called at the end of June before closing in July. They won't let me cancel the service. I called back at the end of July to cancel, but they still won't let me cancel. I called back in August, September, and so on. They were still drafting the monitoring fee, and we no longer live there. I called back today to see if they would settle and cancel my service since they are not monitoring anything at the address any more. They said they would draft it at the end of this month and call it completed. This month's draft was due to a 30-day notice of cancellation. I said I have a record. I have called the last four months trying to cancel. Don't use CPI for security system.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by ****************. We apologize for any inconveniences that **************** may have experienced. We received a cancel letter from **************** on October 4th and as a result her account is being terminated in its entirety. For clarification, there is still 3 months remaining on **************** monitoring agreement,which is the reasoning behind her still being drafted. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.
  
  Kind Regards,
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had reached out to the Company On 8/3/23 regarding moving our services as we had just entered into an agreement to **** the house on 7/25/23 and would be vacating the property on or before 9/25/23. To my suprise I was told a tech could come remove the equipment for a fee however I would need to sign a document giving them permission as they are not responsible for any damage. I stated I could not do that as our contract to sell the home specifically stated anything attached to the home could not be removed or we would have to pay for any damage caused. I was also informed my contract did not expire until 10/2025. That is wrong as I confirmed with a previous customer service rep my contract expired in 10/2023 and if I renewed I would only be responsible for the monitoring service expense. I requested a copy of said contract and I also asked for information regarding the moving. After waiting a week and no information received I contacted support via e-mail and phone and requested the same information and also stated the service needed to be canceled effective 9/1/2023 and to send me the contract and information along with the fees that were going to be charged, On or about 8/20/23 I reached out once again and since I still have not heard from anyone I removed the Automatitic bill pay off my account and again asked for the documents to be sent and service cancelled as of 9/1/2023. I have reached out on multiple occasions via e-mail and calls to customer service and told they have made the request for service to be canceled and documents sent and it is now 10/2/2023 and I still haven't received anything except for multiple emails and text messages regarding the panel not responding, system reported a tamper, system reported a power failure, I even received a call from CPI customer service regarding a tamper and were going to send police. I told the rep the service was suppose to be disconnected as the home was sold and I no longer live there. Cancel this service and Contract immediatly

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by **************. We apologize for any inconvenience that ************** has experienced. We have spoken with ************** on 10/4/2023 and we are still in the process of trying to find a feasible resolution. Weve corrected the email address we have on file and are currently in the process of terminating the old account. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/08/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:after a long conversation with ****************** this issue still has not been resolved. ***************** stated they sent my information but it was sent to an unknown email that I never had nor was ever given to them as it does not exist. ****************** stated information was sent however I still did not receive as they continued to send to the wrong email. On Thursday 10/5/2023 at 8pm eastern I finally received the screenshot shot version of my contract from ***************** however this information received is 2 1/2 months to late. I was trying to work with them and come up with a fair resolution as I no longer have my equipment as it had to be left at the old residence and due to the negligence of customer service and lack of communication from CPI until I made this complaint. ***************** stated he understands the position I am in a world like to keep our business. He did put a proposal out however I am not in agreement to paying for the initial equipment they installed. I did take a proposal to stay with CPI and believe it to be fair and reasonable due to the situation they had left us in. ****************** stated he would present this to the higher *** and get back to me with an answer on 10/6/2023. It is now 10/8/2023 and I have not heard back at all. This lack of communication and knowing what they did is wrong. At this point CPI should close my account and it should be marked as satisfied with a 0 balance since obviously they dont want to keep our business or except responsibility for their wrongdoing.
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by **************. We apologize for any inconvenience that ************** has experienced. Our leadership team was able to come up with a solution for ************** and the customer is pleased with the outcome.  Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am currently paying for CPI security however they are consistently breaking their end of the contract. Each month my portion is paid on time, however on numerous occasions my equipment malfunctions. I cannot sacrifice not having cameras due to a rise in theft.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the correspondence submitted by *********************. We apologize for any inconvenience or frustrations ********************* has experienced. A Supervisor was able to speak with her today regarding her contract and concerns. ********************* has a rescheduled appointment to have all issues resolved regarding the cameras.  A technician is scheduled for 10/5 from **** AM. We will follow up once the job is completed to make sure all issues have been addressed appropriately. We look forward to speaking with ********************* for her follow-up. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/06/2023

  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The supervisor came after not showing up for the original appointment on the 3rd. We were not given a notice that they would not be coming & instead my husband had moved all of his meetings from 10/03 to 10/04 to be available for them. Around 4:30pm, I called & found out the appointment had been cancelled despite me telling them multiple times I didnt want it cancelled because we had paid for the month. They stated that no one could come until 10/09. After telling them that this was unacceptable, they agreed to have someone here 10/04. 
  On 10/04, a technician ******** came around 9am. He was able to reconnect the cameras and garage. When asked about the sensor on the door, he stated that sometimes theres just one off things that happen. This has happened more than once to the point we didnt think the door had a sensor. I went back upstairs to my office while he finished working and my husband was downstairs. He asked my husband his email address. Unknown to us, he removed my email address from the *** account (******** knew I was the account owner, we discussed this). I have attached pictures. 
  I called *** on 10/05 at 7:49pm when I noticed this. They stated that a supervisor would call me back within ***** minutes. At 8:46pm, I still hadnt received a call and called back. I was finally transferred to a supervisor where I was told that she was sorry I wasnt notified he was changing my email and she would talk to the technicians supervisor to see why he needed to change it. My husband stated that the technician verified nothing via email while here. Additionally, I was here, upstairs working but here, and could have checked email if needed. My consent was never given to change this and I had previously had emails set up for certain alerts. There was absolutely not reason for my email address to even be altered in the first place as I am the only person on the *** contract. 
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the correspondence submitted by *********************. We apologize for any inconvenience or frustrations ********************* has experienced. After further review of ************************ account, the issues with her cameras have been fixed. The email our tech changed on ************************ account belonged to ********************. The tech onsite stated her door sensor is working properly, but ******************** stated its not. We offered to get another tech onsite, which was denied. Based on all the research and findings for this account, CPI has fulfilled what it needed to keep the system running as it should. If the customer elects to move forward with canceling, they will be responsible for fulfilling the terms of the agreement. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/14/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  As I have stated, changing the email removed my alerts. They were created to fit our lifestyle and who is home more. As stated numerous times, changing this was just another example of a security risk. 
  

  I have declined another tech coming to my home because I do not feel comfortable with anyone else from CPI having access to my home or logging into our account. 
  

  CPI has done nothing but make excuses and defend the actions of their employees yet they continue to ignore the consumer. I pay on time every month. CPI has not held up their end of the contract  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/29/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Beware of their services if you are going through a divorce. This company allowed a court ordered no contact individual to reactivate the service in their name after I canceled. Allowing that it lead to several forms of digital stalking, harassment, vandalism and surveillance of my home for the no contact individual. Even with court ordered papers asking the unauthorized user to surrender the account they did nothing. They even refused to uninstall the equipment unless I was moving it to another location for service. This should be criminal. This makes me question the true definition of security for this company. Anything for a quick buck right?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding he complaint submitted by ******************. We were unable to locate ****************** account by the information provided. Can you please advise of the full address where the system is located so that we can look into this matter?
  
  Kind Regards,
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  refused to give master code at installation, so when changing internet provider a year later, you are unable to access the panel and change the wi-fi settings. Was in contact with CPI TECH, via text messaging, and we tried several things, but unable to access. Then was told because my home wasn't being monitored that is why I didn't have the master access code. Wrote the person that set up installation and ask if he could direct me to someone that could help me. Reply was why do I need the master code, well it is my system, and I should have that code. That is unacceptable, the equipment, belongs to me, was given to me at the time we purchased a new house. So if you are thinking about receiving a free doorbell camera, and setting up your smart home, you better have a monthly service, or you will not get the Master code, believe it is because they do not want you adding anything, without paying.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by ****************. Unfortunately, we do not offer a master code for our security panels on inactive accounts. Weve attempted to call **************** in hopes of making her aware of our policy, but we were only able to leave voice messages. We apologize if this is not the resolution **************** desires. However, this is standard company policy. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/28/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This was never an active account, the door bell and panel were free as part of the purchase of my new home. I was on the phone and emailing people for 4 days with CPI.

  and the question always was why do you need the master code.  Well #1 it is my equipment, and unable to change anything-like changing to a new internet provider?

  CPI NEEDS tell people, if you get this equipment free, and DON'T PAY to have it monitored, you can never change ANYTHING on the panel, because

  you aren't paying, so basically if, anything is changes from the original installation, the panel is trash.

  So Basically, they need to change and explain to the customer, your free equipment will only work as long as everything remains

  the same as the day you get it.  Because you are not paying to have it monitored, you don't get full access to your own equipment.

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/29/2023

  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the additional correspondence submitted by ****************. As previously explained, we are not able to provide a master code to the system because **************** does not have monitoring services provided by us. We have attempted again twice to call **************** to explain this in better detail but reached her voicemail on both occasions. Again, we apologize if this is not the resolution **************** desires. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We are moving a new business into a retail location that had CPI as their security system. I am not interested in signing a contract for security services and asked them to come remove their equipment and they refused. I asked to speak to a supervisor and the agent refused to put me through to one. The original agent finally transferred me to someone else who again said that since I am not a customer, they will not come and remove their equipment but that they may be able to put me through to tech support and could maybe get me set up with a virtual meeting to help with me removing the equipment myself. After a brief hold, he came back to the line and said that since I am not a current customer, they won't be able to do that. There are rough cut holes behind all the equipment, not at all professional. This is going to be a time consuming and costly process removing their equipment and then fixing the holes behind everything.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  Dear BBB,
  
  Thank you for your assistance in forwarding the complaint submitted by ******************. Unfortunately,we do not come out to service or remove equipment  for inactive accounts. We apologize if this is not the resolution ****************** desires. However, this is standard company policy.
  
  Kind Regards,
  *********************************