Complaints

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:06/12/2023

  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 just bought a house as I was moving in a guy from adt came to the door. We told him we were not interested and he kept pushing as I was on the phone with my own job he was talking and he had Mr **** a **ntract without knowledge. I've called and explained this to them and they refuse to let me out of my **ntract. The alarm sets itself off when we open the garage door. I ** tasted them and told them that the person they spoke to is no longer a resident here but had my signature on file. I never even spoke to the salesman I can prove I was on the phone e the whole time he was at my house. I need help. I do not want their services. The alarm is faulty and having g to make it to it all hours of the night when it decides to go off is ridiculous. I asked to speak to higher up after I got off the phone with the 2nd person after being told I **uld cancel and have to pay 100 percent of the fee when the **ntract states 75 percent. I also called the day before and the lady I spoke to said she **uld help me cancel the ac**unt and never mentioned anything regarding a fee. I've reached out to the salesman with no answer.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2023

  The customer entered into a contract with the following company who handled the sale and installation of the system.
  
  Smart Home Security LLC
  ************************************************************-1540
  **************
  
  Please forward this on to the correct company.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

       We spoke to this customer for the first time last week after being in service and monitored for the past 6 months.  She expressed her concerns with her system stating the issues mentioned above.  We offered to send a technician out to resolve the issues, but the service was refused.  We asked if she had called ADT directly when the system was malfunctioning for a service appointment and she stated that she did; however, it seems she called in for service, but decided to cancel instead.  Therefore, the problems persisted.  We explained the termination process and termination fees (which are 75% of the remaining service charges on the contract) and this is when she explained she wasn't involved in the original sale.  Unfortunately, all we see from our side is the signed initial contract, the installation of the complete system (which was allowed), the deposit paid for the system on the customers provided card, and the monthly rates paid for monitoring.  Normally this constitutes agreement with the service.     

       The point of the contract is so we can recoup our initial investment from the system.  We install over $1000 of new security equipment, pay sales reps, pay installers, and we only charge a monthly monitoring fee of roughly $64.  Therefore, if someone calls in to cancel prior to the contract completion, we are losing a lot of money unless we have termination charges.    

       For this specific scenario, In speaking with the customer about the events, it seems her live in boyfriend could be the one who may have signed the agreement and provided all of her private information.  We explained to the customer that we would forgive her termination charges if we can reach her boyfriend and collect termination charges from him.  This customer stated she would have the boyfriend contact us to discuss and that is where we left off.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2022

  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.

  MISSED PACKAGE DELIVERY SCAM
  
  FRAUDULENT NOTICE LEFT ON FRONT DOOR WITH PHONE NUMBER AND TRACKING
  NOTICE MADE TO APPEAR AS IF IT WAS LEFT BY UPS
  WHEN I CALLED THE PHONE NUMBER THE MAN SAID THERE WAS NO PACKAGE AND TRIED TO SELL ME ADT SECURITY SERVICES
  THE PHONE NUMBER ON THE NOTICE IS ************ AND REGISTERED TO ****** ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2022

  We apologize to this customer if our "Sorry We Missed You" notes made them feel this angry.  That is obviously not our intent.  These notes have been approved by the office of the Attorney General of North Carolina, otherwise we would change look and wording to meet their standards.  I have included a copy of the note in question for reference.  They actually include our business address across the bottom and no where on the slip does it mention any missed delivery, package, or any other company such as ****  We are in the business of residential sales, and it's our sales representative's job to have conversations with new homeowners. When we stop by and no one is home, we leave these notes so the homeowner can reach us.  It is a very cordial phone call that explains who we are and why we stopped by.  If there is no interest from the homeowner then they are simply removed from our list.  I'm sorry this customer felt deceived, but in no way is the note intended to be deceptive.  It mentions nothing of a package and simply says "Sorry We Missed You."  The tracking number provides the sales representative specific information about the house such as location, if there is an existing security system, the date he/she stopped by, etc.., which is vital to the phone conversation.

  We have removed this customer from our database as is standard with homeowners who are not interested in our services.  

  Please let us know if there are any additional questions or if anything further is needed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  Beginning in October 2021 I began paying a bill each month in the amount of $63.99 ($767.88 total as of 9/28/22) for an in home security system. The installation was never completed and the security system is still not functioning. After numerous attempts of trying to get someone on the phone, I finally spoke with a representative on 9/15/22 and she informed me that someone is scheduled to come to my house between 8am-11am on Tuesday 9/20/22 to complete the install. I waited all day on 9/20 and no one showed up. I called the business THREE times and left a voicemail each time that day and still have not received a response. This company is a complete ripoff, charging a bill for a service they have never provided in a full year. I want to terminate my contract immediately so that I can get a functioning security system and I would like a refund of the money that I've already paid for the past twelve months. Charging money for a service that was never provided is not only ripping people off but it is completely illegal. I want to see some action to make this right very promptly, as I am scheduled to leave the country in less than two weeks and it is imperative I have a functional security system at that time. I have no desire to be in business with this company any further since it is obvious they are the HARDEST people to reach and cannot hold up their end of the contract within a years time.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2022

  I apologize for not responding to the original correspondence as I didn't realize it required a response.  We actually reached out to the customer that day and were able to resolve the issue.  Since the customer had finished their home remodel, we scheduled a service call to install the remaining equipment that was owed.  That service has been completed.    

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/13/2022

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2022

  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.

  Sales rep did not disclose his employer on his 9/12 visit. I said I was already working with another dealer, but that he was welcome to send me a quote based on looking at the house. He managed to be pushy at the same time as he was downselling me on *** products (which is an impressive feat in its way, but I suppose reflects employee incentive structures). When I received the document as requested, I found the name of the dealer and decided that I did not want to do business with an out-of-state company with multiple negative reviews for shoddy work, poor tech support, and questionable practices. I declined to sign the agreement, but I have now been registered as this company's customer and am locked out of proceeding with a different dealer. That means I either have to wait a month before installing an *** security system or have to go with my second choice, because I do not want to have any sort of contract with this business.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2022

          I am not sure why this needed to be a BBB complaint because we have been nothing but responsive to the customer's request.  This customer met with a representative yesterday regarding smart home security services. She sent in ONE email request after normal business hours to cancel the account after deciding not to proceed, which we still replied to just over 1 hour later acknowledging the cancelation.  We have attached a copy of the email exchange showing the very cordial interaction and response time frame after hours. In addition, this customer is not locked out of proceeding with any other company or any other *** dealer.  If another *** dealer is telling you they cannot proceed and that they have to wait 1 month, they are misinformed and we would be happy to explain that to the other *** dealer.  We understand that this customer doesn't want any contract with our business and that I why we canceled the account upon first request. 

         As far as the company reviews and company location,  we have a 4.9 google rating and A+ BBB rating and, yes, we are headquartered out of this customer's state as we are one of the larger *** Authorized dealers in the nation. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2022

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  According to a different dealer, *** corporate prevents me from moving forward for a period of 30 days because Smart Home Security ran a credit check on me. I DID NOT AUTHORIZE A CREDIT CHECK. I appreciate the cordial email response, but it does not change the fact that sales rep's behavior was unethical. I don't know if Smart Home Security is mistaken about my being able to proceed with a different dealer, or if *** is mistaken about not being able to take me on as a customer. Since Smart Home Security has behaved unethically already, I am more inclined to believe ***. On top of that, *** has no incentive to decline my business, whereas Smart Home Security presumably wants a complaint to go away.

  So no, this response is not satisfactory. The situation remains unresolved despite Smart Home Security's words to the contrary.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/14/2022

  I am truly sorry if you feel the sales representative wasn't straight forward with you.  That is obviously not how we want potential customers to feel, and it is not how we train or "incentivize" our employees to act as you suggested. I know you say you did not authorize a credit check, but the only way we can run a soft credit check is by obtaining the last 4 digits of your social security number and your birthdate, which you did provide.  You also provided an email address, emergency contact information and outlined the equipment that you were interested in having installed.  Regardless, upon first notification from you, we canceled the sale and responded to you accordingly.  

  The claim that we are preventing you from moving forward for a period of 30 days is inherently false.  As was stated in our first response we would be happy to speak directly to *** and explain the rules of ***.  If they are stating they cannot move forward for 30 days then they are simply misinformed or they are doing so for their own benefit.  You can have someone from their company reach out to me directly (**** ********.  I am sorry you have been put in the middle of this but we are trying to be straightforward and help you get this resolved.