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
- 154 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 46 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:11/28/2022
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.
In September of 2001, we notified Guardian Protection we were moving to a new address. We were let out of our control since the people who moved into our house signed up with Guardian for monitoring services. Guardian suggested that we keep making money payments and the sum of those payments would be used towards equipment costs for the new security system in the new house. So far, I think we paid approximately $650. We made the tough decision to no longer use Guardian as their pricing increased dramatically over what we were used to. They are telling me that I can't receive the $650 refund that I kept on my account. They never told me that I wouldn't be allowed to receive the money back. This is absurd. I am not in a contract. I would like to receive the refund of all the monies I paid.
Business Response
Date: 12/05/2022
December 5, 2022
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 opportunity to address any concern.
Our customer has expressed the
desire to be released from his current monitoring agreement that is still
billing for his former home. He stated
he was released from the agreement when the new owners moved into the home and
signed up with Guardian. Our customer is
asking to be refunded for payments made for the continued billing of the
agreement because he is not in an agreement.
Guardian is a
customer-centric organization that offers a number of programs to assist our
customers with early termination in the event they move. Guardian offers to relocate services to a new
premises when possible, to release a customer from their agreement if a buyer
subscribes and activates service in their name, and in the worst-case scenario make
payment of an Early Termination Fee.
Upon reviewing the property
address of our customer’s former home, we found no new services in effect. We
checked all databases and found no record of anyone inquiring about, or signing
up for, service at the property after our customer sold the home. Had the new owner subscribed and activated service
at the property, and Guardian continued to bill our customer due to an error, Guardian
absolutely would correct the billing error and refund the thirteen (13) payments
(less the sales tax collected) he made.
Guardian did provide our
customer with some quotes for relocating his service, and also offered to apply
his 13 payments in question to the new installation, but he has declined. This leaves our customer with the option to continue
payments monthly until the remaining twenty-six (26) months of his agreement term are paid, or to pay his $750.00 Early
Termination Fee. Guardian has generously agreed to treating the 13 payments he
made as installments to the $750.00 Early Termination Fee. To date our customer has paid $577.72 in monitoring
fees after he sold the property. Guardian
has offered to accept one final payment (installment) in the amount of $172.28
to pay off the Early Termination Fee and fully settle his account. Our customer is currently considering this
offer.
Thank you for advising Guardian
of this matter and the opportunity to provide additional assistance to our
customer. Should you have any questions,
please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamInitial Complaint
Date:11/18/2022
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.
If I could give a negative review I would. Extremally deceptive and misleading.
The technician has an ipad with all the signatures preloaded & won't give you time to read it. We were told it was a yearly contract yet in tiny print on the contract (that they finally gave me), it says 60m.
I told them I wouldn't live here that long & its why I wanted a shorter contract. With it being a higher monthly cost, I assumed wrong that was due to the shorter contract, that we discussed.
I was told by customer service that I had 72 hours after signing up to review the contract but I wasn't emailed it for over a week, past the 72 hour mark. A 5y contract is not what was advertised, discussed, or agreed upon. My name was preloaded onto so many sections that had I been properly informed on, would never had done. The technician "explained" every section I was signing...but what he said is not what was signed. It's $750 to cancel the service, that I never agreed to, plus a $35 phone fee.
I've now been locked out of my account & now it says my mother's maiden name is wrong. I know her name, plus I know it worked yesterday to log in. I can't even log in to pay my bill or cancel it.
The alarm system itself is extremally dissatisfactory. $55/m for 2 tiny door sensors & a glass break sensor, no window sensors, no cameras, no lights, no doorbell, nothing. Their competitor costs less than half what Guardian does and comes all of those & more!
Guardians sensor is dysfunctional too. I don't even have 1 second to open my door and input the passcode before the alarm goes off and they call me. We now have to partially open the door quickly enter the passcode before the extremally loud alarm goes off, & still that doesn't work always.
Customer service number is confusing to use & never has the option you need & are extremally unfriendly + mocking you.
I am so angry at Guardian I am considering hiring an attorney to get my money back + out of this contract.
DO NOT USE GAURDIAN PROTECTION!!Business Response
Date: 11/28/2022
November 28, 2022
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
***** ********* ****
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: ****** ******* * ********* ** ********
Dea* *** *****
Thank you for forwarding our
customer’s complaint to Guardian Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian is a customer-centric organization
and values the opportunity to review her account and work with her to resolve
her issues.
Our customer expressed
dissatisfaction with the sale and performance of his security system. Our customer believed they were told they had
a yearly contract and were upset to learn it had a 60-month term, and the
monthly fee was high. He was unhappy and
felt he didn’t have time to review the agreement at the time of installation
when he signed it. Our customer also noted the system hasn’t been working
properly since the time of installation and they were recently locked out of
their account.
Guardian is sorry to hear of
our customer’s experience. An account
review was performed upon receipt of his complaint. Our records found our customer had been sold
his system and services by Guardian’s authorized dealer, AAA Home Security,
whereby all aspects of the sale and initial of the paperwork took place
directly with AAA Home Security. AAA Home
Security is a separate and distinct company from Guardian, for which Guardian
provides installation, 24-hour monitoring and related services for customers
whose systems were sold by them. Guardian does not control any day-to-day business
activities or any internal policies or procedures of AAA Home Security,
including security evaluations, sales processes, or any other aspects of AAA
Home Security’s business.
Guardian’s records show the Agreements
were emailed to our customer on May 3, 2022 and the email was viewed by our customer that same day, as documented
on the attached “Packet History”, but not initialed and signed. On May 13, 2022, Guardian’s technician
arrived on site to install the system but found our customer had never
completed the e-signing process of the agreements that had been emailed to
him. Guardian’s technician would not have
been able to perform the installation with unsigned paperwork. If the customer wished to keep the
installation and activation appointment that date, Guardian’s technician would
have opened the documents on his tablet to facilitate the execution of the
agreements. He would not have discussed
agreement terms negotiated by AAA Home Security and our customer.
Our customer ended up having
ten (10) days to review the terms of the agreement and only had to complete the
sale/signing transaction if he wished to have the system installed with services
commencing on May 13, 2022. One of the
agreement terms provided a significant discount if our customer enrolled in
Guardian’s autopay service.
A Guardian representative
reached out to our customer upon completion of the account to apologize for
their experience, review Guardian’s research findings, and work with our
customer to resolve their system issue. Our customer is currently trying a new arming routine in an effort to
avoid the system overriding their arming instructions. If this does not resolve the issue, Guardian
will send a service technician on site at no charge to our customer. The representative is also assisting our
customer with re-registering with Guardian’s Customer Support webpage.
Thank you for informing Guardian of this matter and for
the opportunity to review the account and resolve our customer’s issues. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamInitial Complaint
Date:11/11/2022
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.
Six months ago I disconnected my service with guardian because their system kept getting hacked I had adt disconnect it and install their system. The same day I had guardian say I had to stay with them that I had a contract. I should have had no contract they didn’t install any of their system. I used all the existing alarm I had, and all they had to do was monitor. I had a brinks system that I had purchased from brinks. Now they are trying to charge me for all the past months. I have been arguing with them about it for six months and they are damaging my credit. I work hard for my money and am barely surviving I’m not going to let them take advantage of me. I can not afford for them to take advantage of me. I’m on Medicaid Medicare and food stamps and am just trying to survive.Business Response
Date: 11/11/2022
November 11, 2022
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
***** ********* ****
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
*** ***** **** * ********* ********
**** *** *****
Thank you for advising Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) of the above referenced complaint.
Guardian values every opportunity to research and resolve our customers’ issue(s).
Our customer stated he
disconnected his Guardian system, because it was being hacked, and had ADT
install a new system. He was upset to
learn he had a 60-month agreement and Guardian would not release him from it
even though Guardian had not installed any new equipment at the time of
installation.
A review of our customer’s
account confirm he had concerns about his security and called for assistance
changing arming codes and passwords a number of times. Guardian would like to state the interactive
service our customer used has never been hacked. This does not rule out the
potential of his security information being compromised at a local level.
Guardian was also able to
confirm we did not install any equipment and our only investment at the time of
installation was for the labor to create a new account, reprogram the system and
test all devices. Our customer would
have been eligible for a shorter agreement term than the one he signed and
would have satisfied it as of the date he changed providers.
A Guardian representative
contacted our customer to advise we would cancel his account and credit the
current account balance. The credits
have been placed on the account and a release letter was sent to our customer.
Guardian is sorry our
customer lost his peace of mind and urges him to keep his master level security
information private. He should be able set up secondary codes and limited passwords
with his new provider for other persons using his new security system.
Thank you for bringing this
matter to Guardian’s attention. Should you have any questions, please contact Guardian
at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response
TeamInitial Complaint
Date:11/09/2022
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.
We purchased a home security system that included a motion sensor doorbell cam for our front door, sensors on all non-second story access windows and doors and a motion sensor for inside our home to detect movement when the alarm is on. Every event was to be sent to my cell phone's Guardian Pro app.
The system worked as marketed for little more than a few weeks and then the doorbell didn't work. It diidn't not sound or alert my phone app. Customer Service and Tech Support kept telling us we didn't have enough power to properly support the sytem's functionaltiy and we needed to have an electrition replace our transformer.
To make a very long, expensive and frustrating story short, and after asking we the company multiple times to fix the problem, they finally sent a tech out on or about 7/2/22 named Jeff. He tested the system and looked at the installation and said "This was never going to work properly. It was installed incorrectly and your wiring doesnt support the device. It's totally f***** up." Yes, he used that word, also shocking. He said they work with another company Security Force for installs and he would go to corporate to find out who would fix the problem. Months later, no fix, we continue to be told this is OUR problem when they never should have installed it in the first place since we weren't a fit for their services. We have paid $1,205.61 is monthly charges. We have stopped access to our Wells Fargo account for automatic withdrawals and they still won't cancel the policy, and they want us to pay some $3k for early termination of a 3 year contract. They also said we now own the equipment so they wouldn't uninstall it or pick it up. This is one of the most unscrupulous companies I have ever encounter and my first BBB filed complaint in my life. Please help us and prevent more victims. If they had just fixed the problem everything would be fine, but they absolutely refuse to do so.Business Response
Date: 11/15/2022
November 15, 2022
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 is a customer-centric organization
and values the opportunity to address any concern.
Our customer has expressed
dissatisfaction with the performance of their Video Doorbell, the results of an
inspection by a Guardian technician, the lack of a repair and being quoted the
necessity of paying an Early Termination Fee to cancel their account.
For background, our
customer’s security system was sold and installed by Security Force, Inc. (Security
Force) whereby all aspects of the sale and installation, including the
electronic paperwork, took place directly with Security Force. Security Force is a separate and distinct
company from Guardian, for which Guardian provided 24-hour monitoring and
related services for customers whose systems were sold and installed by Security
Force, and later purchased our customer’s account from Security Force. Guardian
does not control any day-to-day business activities or any internal policies or
procedures of Security Force, including security evaluations, sales processes,
installation practices or any other aspects of Ranger’s business.
Guardian was sorry to learn our
customer has had a poor experience with his video doorbell. Guardian did send one of its own technicians
to the site on July 7, 2022, with the intent to have the video doorbell
repaired or replaced. Guardian’s technician
found the wiring was not according to Guardian’s standards and practices. The device was installed in such a way that a
licensed electrician would need to make any changes to the doorbell
wiring.
Unfortunately, Guardian’s
technicians are not licensed electricians, and it is for this reason that
Guardian has agreed to release them from the Security Force, Inc.’s Agreement
for Monitoring and Installation of Security System dated March 8, 2021.
Guardian has begun the
process of terminating our customer’s account without further penalty or
obligation. The billing of the account
has been stopped and the account balance has been credited to $0.00.
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: 11/15/2022
[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,
****** ***************
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