Important information
- Customer Complaint:The BBB of Western Pennsylvania processes complaints for all of Guardian Protection from throughout the United States since the company is headquartered in the Western Pennsylvania service area.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Guardian Protection's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 155 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 48 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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: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've been over charged with no explanations.
I set this service up with Concierge Services, under the impression my monthly payment will be 49.99.
My first service call in April was delayed to May 6th, due to a delay in my internet.
On April 13th, I paid to activate the service 49.99. Service was not installed until May 6th. A payment came out on May 10th for 99.83. I called and was advised they will credit me for April and I will not owe the next bill. On June 10th, 12.03 was taken out for a bill of 105.11.
I have called three times now regarding my billing, I have not received any type of explanations for the overpayment and inconsistencies.
For service to be on May 6th to today, June 12th, I should of only paid two times in the amount of 100.00, 49.99 each. I have now paid a total of $161.85.
The great kicker is being told I'd have to pay over 1,800 to cancel.
I've since canceled my auto pay and I'm shopping services. I do not my security company and that should speak volumes.
Business Response
Date: 06/14/2023
June 13, 2023
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for forwarding the
above referenced complaint to Guardian Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian values the additional opportunity to provide
an explanation for the billing our customer has experienced.
Our customer believes she is
being overcharged. She set the service
up through a Concierge Service and believed her monthly payment would be
$49.99. Her activation was delayed and
she was billed for a period when she was not receiving service. She feels she has been overcharged and has
asked to be released from her agreement.
Guardian would first like to
apologize for the confusion with the billing.
Our customer’s account should not have started billing for the monthly
services until her system was installed and activated on May 6, 2023 rather
than April 13th when she signed her agreements.
Guardian initially billed the
customer a prorated amount of $99.83 for service from 4/13/2023 through 6/9/2023,
a period of just under two months. When
the billing for the monthly services was restarted, the new prorated bill was
for the time period of 5/6/2023 through 7/9/2023, just over two months. In short, this resulted in the customer’s
original payment being $12.03 short of paying the new statement in full.
The first statement our
customer received, dated May 10, 2023 was for her $49.99 activation fee,
monitoring from 4/13/23-5/09/23 in the amount of $44.09 (a little less than one
month), monitoring from 5/10/23 through 6/9/23 in the amount of $48.99, and
$6.75 in taxes. Our customer had prepaid
the $49.99 activation fee and Guardian took an autopayment in the amount of
$98.83 for the monitoring billing of $93.08 and $6.75 in taxes. On June 10, 2023 the monitoring services were
rebilled. The charges of $98.83 for
monitoring and taxes from 4/13/23 through 6/9/2023 were removed. Monitoring charges were recalculated for
service from 5/6/23-7/9/23 (just over two months) in the amount of $104.30 and
an additional $0.81 in taxes. Our customer’s payment of $99.83 was applied to
this new monitoring bill leaving an amount still due of $12.03.
Due to the error in billing, a
Guardian representative applied a credit of $12.03 to our customer’s account to
refund the autopayment Guardian took in the amount of $12.03. The refund check
will be mailed to her and should be received within two to four weeks. Our customer’s monthly fee is $48.99 plus
applicable taxes per her Monitoring Agreement. The state of Ohio does tax
Monitoring Services for all companies. Our
customer’s sales tax is 7.25%. Her
monthly bill from this point forward, beginning July 10, 2023, should be $52.54
including tax, provided she reactivates the autopay. This billing amount would only change if she does
not reactivate autopay, Ohio increases taxes, or she adds new services.
Guardian will not be releasing the customer from her agreement for a billing
error that has been corrected.
Thank you for bringing this
matter to Guardian’s attention to ensure it was resolved. We apologize again for the confusing billing
and assure our customer it has been corrected.
Should you have any questions, please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 06/19/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]Again, the billing and amounts do not match even what was provided. I will not accept until my credit is received and my next bill is showing correct amounts. If it is not resolved, I'll be taking civil action to be released from the contract.
Regards,
******* ******Business Response
Date: 06/20/2023
June 20, 2023
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: ******* ****** * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for forwarding our
customer’s additional comments regarding the above referenced complaint.
Our customer noted she won’t
be satisfied until she receives her credit, and she sees that her next bill
shows the correct amounts.
Our customer’s refund check
of $12.03 was placed in the mail on June 16, 2023. She should receive it any day now. With regard to the next bill, it will not be
generated until July 10, 2023, and it will generate at a higher amount because
our customer turned off the automatic payment service.
The July 10, 2023 bill will
generate with a Monthly Service Charge of $58.99 + tax, in accordance with her
agreement (attached), if the autopayment service is still turned off. The representative who has left messages for
our customer will manually credit the July 10, 2023 bill so our customer only
needs to pay $48.99 plus the appropriate tax.
The representative will need our customer to call her once she receives
the statement in the mail. The customer
should be able to verify receipt of the credit online shortly after it is
applied.
The Guardian representative also
encouraged our customer to review her banking statement to confirm Guardian
only took payment of the $49.99 activation fee, $99.83 for monitoring services,
and $12.03 resulting from the new bill being for a slightly longer period of
service than the original bill. The
$12.03 was put back into her Guardian account in the form of a Retention Credit
and is the amount being refunded to her.
We have also attached an
accounts receivable history to this response so our customer can see the
payments Guardian has taken to date and confirm her account balance is
currently $0.00.
We apologize again for the
confusing billing and assure our customer it has been corrected. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamInitial Complaint
Date:06/06/2023
Type: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.
Have had service with Guardian for 4 years. The touch panel on the alarm system went bad. Paid the fee and had it replaced. Without ever being used to activate the alarm the panel went out again within 5 months.
Guardian will not stand behind their equipment and will not cancel my service.
Will only “stop monitoring “ the account but still expect me to pay.Business Response
Date: 06/15/2023
June 15, 2023
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
***** ********* ****520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: **** ****** * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for forwarding the
above referenced complaint to Guardian Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian
values the additional opportunity to provide an explanation for the billing our
customer has experienced.
Our customer is unhappy
Guardian quoted a service fee to replace his security system’s touch panel when
it had been replaced within the last year. He feels Guardian does not stand
behind our equipment and will not release him from his agreement. He requested
to receive a free replacement panel or be released from his agreement without
penalty.
For background, our customer’s
system was sold and installed in February 2020 by AAA Home Security, LLC (AAA),
an authorized dealer of Guardian Protection. AAA and Guardian stand behind the equipment
installed as evidenced by the Limited Lifetime System Repair plan in the Sales
and Installation Agreement. This repair plan notes the customer will pay a trip
fee for each covered repair. Despite the terms Limited Lifetime System Repair, Guardian
currently provides a co-pay free 90-day warranty, with some exclusions, on
newly installed equipment. After the 90-day warranty expires, Guardian
continues to stand behind the security system equipment by offering the Limited
Lifetime System Repair plan with a co-pay, rather than bill time and material
charges.
Guardian did research our
customer’s equipment issues further after receipt of this complaint. We found
we too had concerns about the panel losing power and becoming unresponsive
twice within 6 months. A Guardian representative reached out to our customer to
learn more about the environment and situation. Our customer collaborated with
Guardian and agreed to meter the voltage to the outlet the panel was plugged, into
since there was a possibility the issue is with the electrical wiring in the
home. Our customer ran voltage tests multiple times a day for several days. He
found no issues with the electricity being delivered to the outlet.
Upon learning the customer’s
outlet did not appear to be an issue, Guardian made an exception and agreed to waive
the co-pay and any time and material charges that would normally have been
billed. Service was scheduled for June 15, 2023. Both Guardian and our customer
are hoping the issue is fully resolved for years to come.
Thank you for providing Guardian
with an opportunity to research this matter further and attempt to resolve it. Should
you have any questions, please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 06/16/2023
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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.
Regards,
**** ******Initial Complaint
Date:05/18/2023
Type: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.
I am getting a voicemail (even though I blocked the number) every single day. I am not a customer, have never been a customer, and have called the company two times to get my number removed from their automated system.
The message is that the alarm system at *** ******* ***** ******* has had a cellular communication failure.
I called on 5/12 and spoke with someone and on 5/16 and spoke with someone also about this. Both times I was told this was going to be handled, and it was not.
I am getting daily calls and daily voicemails and I need my number removed from this account and business, as this is bordering on harassment at this point.Business Response
Date: 05/26/2023
May 26, 2023
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
***** ********* ****
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: ***** ***** * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for forwarding the
above referenced complaint to Guardian Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian values the additional opportunity to
review and resolve the complainant’s issue.
The complainant advised she
has been receiving phone calls from Guardian even though she has never done
business with Guardian and blocked Guardian’s numbers. She noted she called Guardian and tried to
resolve the issue, but the calls continued even though she was told this was
going to be handled. She has requested
removal of her phone number from the account and any other business records
where it is listed.
Guardian would first like to
apologize for the delay in resolving this issue. Due to the liabilities in this industry,
Guardian first had to attempt to review the phone number discrepancy with our
contract signer for the account and services.
Unfortunately, our customer has been non-responsive.
Upon receipt of this
complaint, Guardian conducted a further review of the situation and received
management approval to remove the complainant’s phone number from our existing
customer’s records. Guardian followed up
with the complainant after the number was removed. She confirmed the issue
appears to have been resolved and agreed to contact Guardian should she start
receiving calls again.
Thank you for bringing this
matter to Guardian’s attention to ensure it would be resolved. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 06/06/2023
From: ***** ***** ************************
Date: Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 1:47 PM
Subject: *** ** * ********- Guardian Protection
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
This matter was resolved correctly and shortly after I put the complaint in.
The company reached out to me and did a couple of tests and then was able to get my number off of their list.
***** *****Initial Complaint
Date:05/15/2023
Type: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 a Subway at the above location for 15+ years & I have using the Guardian Protection Services for Alarm & fire monitoring for more than 8-10 years.
Account Name Subway - Account # 742337
In Dec 2022 I closed my Subway location for good & informed Guardian Protection & have paid up all my dues till Jan 2023.
I had called them in early January 2023 & couple of times after that & have repeatedly told them that that location has been closed permanently as of Dec 23, 2022.
After that I was out of the country for about 2 months & they keep sending me invoices for later months even though there is no service provided as all the phone & internet connections have been disconnected.
Now last week I have received another invoice threatening me that if the balance is not paid they will send it to collection.
I request you'll to call & ask them to stop harassing me unnecessarily.Initial Complaint
Date:05/10/2023
Type: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 signed an agreement with Guardian Protection on 21 Aug 2014. That contract expired after 60 months (two years). Since the contract expired they continuously raised the price for services (without notice). But I continued to pay for the service. I called (on 9 May 2023) to cancel the service. Unfortunately I had already paid for services (automatically thru my bank) for the month of May 2023. They informed me that I was on the hook for an additional 30 days since it stated in the expired 2014 contract that they required a 30 day notice. I informed them on a follow-up call on 10 May I wanted to cancel immediately and asked that they return the funds. They refused and again cited the expired contract. I do not believe I should be held to an expired contract and believe this is a unfair business practice on the part of Guardian Protection. I request that my funds be returned to me. I can see paying for a 2 day cancellation fee but 30 days is too much. While the amount is not large, I believe the company is taking advantage of their customers and should be stopped from this shoddy business practice. I included a copy of the expired contract. The info the company cited from the expired contract is in the fine print paragraph labeled Monitoring.Business Response
Date: 05/12/2023
May 11,
2023
BBB of
Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ***** ********* ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) is in receipt of our customer’s
complaint and values the opportunity to provide a response.
The
complainant states she signed a contract with Guardian on August 21, 2014 that
expired after 60 months. She states she
had several price increases without notice, and when she finally decided to
cancel services, she was unhappy to be advised Guardian requires a 30-day
notice. She feels Guardian is taking
advantage of our customers.
Regarding
the rate increases, Guardian provided notice of the upcoming rate increase on
our customer’s statement the month before the increase would take effect. As Guardian and its customers updated
practices to become more environmentally friendly, notifications of rate
increases were included on our customers’ electronic statements rather than via
a notification sent in the US mail. A
copy of the statement with the most recent rate increase notification is
attached.
With
respect to the cancelation policy, our customer’s agreement states a written
notice must be submitted, but Guardian sent our customer an electronic document
to prevent a further delay while awaiting her written notice. Guardian’s cancelation policy requesting
30-days’ notice is standard in the industry.
Guardian, and many other monitoring companies, pay vendors in advance
for services that support some of the features being provided, such as Verizon for
the dedicated cellular line our customer’s system has to our Monitoring Center,
and Alarm.com which powers the Guardian app and certain system alerts. The
cancelation process takes time when other suppliers are involved and the 30-day
notice provides time for all parties to coordinate the cancelation.
Thank you
for informing Guardian of this matter. Should you have any questions, please
contact Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 05/12/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
***** ********Initial Complaint
Date:04/29/2023
Type: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 a service plan with Guardian Protection Services. I have been with them for over seven years. Had some issues with my fire alarm continuously going off, call the company they told me it's just set up that way then the panel wouldn't turn off so I ripped it out of my ceiling. They were going to update the panel board which was out of date. I set up two different appointments for two different time frames took off of work my daughter for one day took off of work and left school. I took a day off of work this Saturday and passed up extra money because they made appointments from 12 until four on both occasions there were no calls no shows and I'm still without my upgraded panel but I still have current charges with the Guardian Protection Services disappointed they tell me that it's going to take three hours for an install. I already have all the components they're just coming to put in an updated panel board and yet no one has the courtesy to call me to reschedule they just up and reschedule or they don't show and I have a problem with that. This is a big corporation are used to work for them and I find it irresponsible and disrespectful to schedule an appointment and someone not call or not show and I would like to file a complaintBusiness Response
Date: 05/08/2023
May 8, 2023
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
***** ********* ****
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: ****** ********* * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for forwarding the
above referenced complaint to Guardian Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian is a customer-centric organization
and values the opportunity to address any concern.
Our customer stated she had
two service appointments scheduled, for which she and her daughter took off work,
but a technician did not show for either appointment and she did not receive a
call either date advising a technician would not show.
Guardian reviewed our customer’s
account. Our records show the original
service appointment was scheduled for April 17, 2023 with a technician arriving
between Noon and 4:00 PM, with the customer requesting the technician arrive as
close to 4:00 PM as possible. We found her account was not noted until 3:56 PM that
very day that the appointment could be honored.
Guardian sincerely apologizes to our customer for the lack of advanced
communication and the need to reschedule.
Our records show the appointment was rescheduled for April 29, 2023 with
arrival between Noon and 4:00 PM, that a technician did arrive on April 29th within the appointment window and upgrade was completed.
Guardian tried reaching our
customer to find out if our records were incorrect as they only indicate one
appointment was missed, but we were not successful in reaching her. A Guardian representative had already placed
a credit equal to one month of service on our customer’s account on April 19,
2023 due to the issue with the first service appointment. Guardian placed an additional credit on our customer’s
account, equal to two months of service, on this date. Our customer can confirm
the credits and her current balance online or by calling our Customer Care
department.
Thank you for informing Guardian of this matter and
providing us with the opportunity to address it. Guardian would like to thank our customer for
her patronage and once again apologize for the inconvenience caused by the
canceled service appointment and lack of communication on April 17, 2023. Should
you have any questions, please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamInitial Complaint
Date:04/17/2023
Type: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.
I am moving to a new address out of town that guardian does not provide service. They say I must pay $750 early termination fee. I do not feel I should have to pay since I am moving where they cannot provide service.Business Response
Date: 04/19/2023
April 19, 2023
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
***** ********* ****
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: ***** ****** * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for forwarding our
customer’s complaint to Guardian Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian values the opportunity to review his
account and address his complaint.
Our customer stated he is
moving to an area where Guardian is not able to provide service. Our customer is upset Guardian has asked him
to pay the $750.00 Early Termination Fee in accordance with the terms and
conditions of his Monitoring Agreement dated October 13, 2021.
Guardian is a
customer-centric organization and tries to provide alternatives to paying an
Early Termination Fee when our customers move. However, Guardian is not a
nationwide company and cannot guarantee these options are always
available. Like many other businesses,
service areas may change from time to time and stores/branches may close. It is for this reason there are no agreement terms
regarding the relocation of services to a new property or the ability to
release a customer from their agreement if the new owner would subscribe to
Guardian for the monitoring of the existing security system.
A review of our customer’s
account found we did not perform a full installation. Guardian first met with our customer on site
to reprogram and test the existing system, set up his remote access and control,
and provide training. This service visit
was performed at no charge. Guardian had a technician on site again,
approximately two weeks later, to install a video doorbell at a discounted
amount in exchange for an extension to the term of the agreement he had signed
just weeks earlier.
Guardian recoups the cost of
free and discounted installation and service appointments over the course of a
customer’s monitoring term and makes business decisions and commitments to
third-party vendors based on this same term. At this time, Guardian has not yet recovered its investment at this site,
however, Guardian’s investment for this customer is lower than that of a full
system installation.
Guardian has offered to
accept a reduced early termination fee should the buyers not activate
monitoring services with Guardian after they take ownership of the home. Our customer indicated he found the offer satisfactory.
Thank you for informing Guardian of the additional
concerns. Should you have any questions,
please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 04/19/2023
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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.
Regards,
***** ******Initial Complaint
Date:04/10/2023
Type: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.
I never signed the contract with the Guardian Protection and never received its services ever since I moved into this address more than six years ago in 2017. However, I started receiving its statements, along with late charges, from February 2023. This house was NVHomes model home before we moved in and they had services with Guardian Protection.
I spoke to Ms. Nancy at the customer service department on March 7, 2023 at 9:15 am. She confirmed that I do not have contract signed with them and stated that she removed my false account while I was on the phone with her. She has assured that I will no longer receive any bills, but I still do.Business Response
Date: 04/11/2023
April 11,
2023
BBB of
Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ***** **** * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) is in receipt of the above referenced complaint
and values the opportunity to resolve her issue.
The complainant
noted she never signed a contract with Guardian, never received services from Guardian,
but started receiving statements more than six years after moving into the home
she had purchased from NVR. She believed
the billing would be stopped and the balance credited after her conversation with
a representative on March 7, 2023, but she has since received another statement.
Upon
receipt of this complaint, a thorough review of the history of services at the
premises was performed. Guardian found we
initially installed the system and provided monitoring services for NVR Homes
when this site was a model home. Guardian
also found there was in fact an electronic agreement signed by the complainant
on March 15, 2017. However, the services
were never transferred from NVR to the complainant and the agreement should
never have been considered active. The
representative the complainant spoke with was unable to share this information
with the complainant because she wouldn’t confirm her identity.
Guardian
also found the account and services for NVR homes were not terminated properly
when the services did not get transferred to the complainant. This resulted in continued monitoring and the
reactivation of billing, in error, when Guardian started receiving notifications
about the system’s cellular communication. As of this writing, the billing and the
monitoring services have been terminated. The removal of the account balance will occur on May 1, 2023 as per the
automated cancelation process. A representative left a detailed message for the
complainant today as to what to expect, as well as her contact information
should the complainant have additional concerns.
Guardian
apologizes for the error and appreciates the complainant’s patience while we
resolve this matter once and for all. Should
you have any questions, please contact Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 04/11/2023
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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.
Regards,
***** ****Initial Complaint
Date:04/06/2023
Type: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.
Guardian Protection charged me after I closed my account. This is after paying for services that I did not receive for over 3 months because they upgraded their system and would not offer weekend installation. However, it conveniently became an option when I attempted to close my account. Even though I had not received services for over 3 months, I still had to pay the month of March even though I was not receiving services and had not received services since November/December of 2022.Business Response
Date: 04/10/2023
April 10,
2023
BBB of
Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
*** **** ******* * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) is in receipt of our customer’s
complaint and values the opportunity to provide a response.
Our customer
states Guardian charged her after she closed her account. She also states she did not receive service
because we upgraded our system and would not offer weekend installation, but it
was conveniently offered as an option when she attempted to close her
account. She noted she was upset for
having to pay services through March even though she was not receiving services
since November/December 2022.
Our
customer called to cancel her account on February 24, 2023. Please note, this was the first call our
customer had made to Guardian since November 6, 2020. The representative she spoke with offered her
a Saturday service call since the option had become available during the past 27
months, which included the waning of the pandemic. Our customer declined and
the representative agreed to waive the 30-day cancelation policy and cancel her
account effective March 4, 2023, the date our customer had paid through. There
was an error with the processing of the cancelation that resulted in two additional
payments being taken out of her checking account. In fact, Guardian had
processed the refund of the March 5, 2023 and April 5, 2023 payments prior to
receiving this complaint.
Regarding
the lack of service, our customer didn’t have service since the beginning of
the new year because she never responded to Guardian’s multiple alerts, sent
via email and US Mail, advising that her 3G cellular communicator would not
function after 12/31/2023. Please note Guardian made no upgrades to its systems;
the ceasing of 3G cellular communications ended as a result of the U.S.’s largest wireless carriers shutting
down their 3G networks. While Guardian may not have received signals after the
shutdown, Guardian continued to work on behalf of our customer by notifying her,
and her emergency contacts, on a daily basis beginning January 3, 2023 about the need to resolve a communication
issue. Our customer did not respond
until February 24, 2023.
In summary,
Guardian is refunding the March 5, 2023 and April 5, 2023 payments taken in error
and her account was canceled in accordance with the terms of her monitoring
agreement. She should receive her refund
within two to four weeks. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response TeamInitial Complaint
Date:03/22/2023
Type: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 moved on 3/9/2023. I contacted Guardian on 3/13. They require a 30 day notice period. It cost me around $100 for this additional time.
Here is my problem. There is something wrong with the equipment in the house, we no longer own. The equipment is faulty and are unable to communicate with the cellular system. We started receiving phone calls about this. I explained to several reps that we do not own the house anymore.
Here is the deal - I want my money back because per their records they are not able to provide the service we are paying for, due to faulty equipment.
Thank youBusiness Response
Date: 03/23/2023
March 23,
2023
BBB of
Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ******* ********* **** * ********* ** ********
**** *** *****
Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) is in receipt of our customer’s
complaint and values the opportunity to provide a response.
The
complainant has expressed dissatisfaction with Guardian’s requirement for a
30-day notice of cancelation, which cost her around $100 for the additional
time. She feels she should not have to
pay for 30-days because the equipment is in a home they no longer own and the
equipment is faulty and not communicating.
Upon
receipt of this complaint, Guardian conducted a review of our customer’s
account. Our customer contacted Guardian
on March 14, 2023 to request cancellation of the services. Per the terms of her Monitoring Agreement,
Guardian agreed to terminate services effective April 13, 2023. Guardian pays vendors in advance for services
our customers subscribe to, such AT&T for her system’s dedicated cellular
line and Alarm.com for use of the Guardian app, and Guardian can’t guarantee exactly
when these services will be terminated on our customer’s behalf.
Our
customer’s final payment to Guardian was $94.05. At the time of our customer’s call
and payment, she had a balance due in the amount of $51.30 for monitoring services from February
21, 2023 through March 20, 2023. The
additional $42.75 she paid is the amount that was needed to pay through April
13, 2023 per the agreement terms for cancelation.
As our
customer has shared, the system is not currently functioning properly and she
is still receiving notifications. It
appears the system was unplugged or removed by either our customer or the buyer
last week and not the result of faulty equipment. The receipt of notifications is also serves
as evidence the cancelation process takes time.
Thank you
for informing Guardian of this matter and giving an opportunity for response. Should
you have any questions, please contact Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response Team
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