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.
- 49 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:08/13/2024
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.
In the summer of 2021 I purchased my very first home. I opted to have a security system, I chose guardian because several other houses in the neighborhood used them. 3 years went by and I sold my house. I tried to cancel my account but they said there would be a cancellation fee of $1200 due at the time of the call. I told the rep, that there was never a cancellation fee discussed with me at the time of set up. She stated that the contract is for 60 months and that if I end it before the 60 months there is a fee. I do see on the contract where it says 60 months but NOWHERE on the contract does it go over an early cancellation fee. I feel this is wrong of them to try to enforce a cancellation fee without putting it in their contract. I would have never signed that contract had I known that!
Business Response
Date: 08/19/2024
August
19, 2024
BBB
of Western Pennsylvania
520
E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ****** ***** * ********* ** ********
Dear
Better Business Bureau:
Thank
you for forwarding the above referenced complaint to Guardian Protection
Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian values
the opportunity to address our customer’s concern.
Our
customer has expressed dissatisfaction with Guardian’s request for payment of
the $1,250.00 Early Termination Fee noted in her agreement. She noted the Early Termination Fee was not
discussed by her sales representative and stated she would not have signed a
60-month term had she been aware of the Early Termination Fee.
For
background, our customer’s security system was sold and installed by a
representative working for AAA Home Security, LLC (“AAA”) whereby all aspects
of the sale and installation, including the electronic paperwork, took place
directly with the representative of AAA.
AAA 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 AAA, until such time that Guardian purchases the
account from AAA. Guardian does not
control any day-to-day business activities or any internal policies or
procedures of AAA, including security evaluations, sales processes,
installation practices or any other aspects of AAA’s business and employees.
Guardian
is a customer-centric organization that has put several options in place to
assist our customers who move. Guardian
offers to relocate services to our customer’s new home when possible, to waive
the balance of the customer’s agreement term if the new owner of the home subscribes
to monitoring services with Guardian, and payment of an Early Termination Fee
being the worst case scenario. Our
customer confirmed she is not in a position to relocate the service at this
time, and it is apparent the new owner is not interested in the monitoring
services.
A Guardian representative performed an in-depth review of
our customer’s account then contacted our customer. She noted the terms for terminating services
before the end of the initial term are included in our customer’s Monitoring
Agreement under Section 8) “Suspension; Termination; Default…” This being said, due to status of our customer’s
initial term and her account history, the representative found we were able to
offer a reduced early termination fee which our customer indicated was
satisfactory.
Thank
you for advising Guardian of this matter and providing an opportunity for
additional assistance to our customer. Should
you have any questions, please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 08/19/2024
[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:08/02/2024
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.
my complaint to Guardian Protection: “My video doorbells battery has been degrading over the past 4 month i literally talked to more than 4 people & no one noticed today i was harassed & threatened on my porch & my video doorbell was broken & not working because your techs failed to catch a problem. so i call service & they say i have to PAY for a new one despite the product that you sold me & backed breaking. this is the most egregious issue ive ever dealt with in my entire life, Corbin employee * ***** *iterally told me im out of luck. i just paid a $600 bill for my annual subscription & your services aren’t working, you’re breaking the contract we signed & i’m going to be reporting this to the better business bureau. the one & only time i’ve ever needed your camera the camera was broken due to a degraded battery which once again <4 techs looked at it & said nothing about battery degrading. You guys are scamming me 100% & i will not stand for it. i’m going to be reaching out to his superiors with this complaint. your company failed to protect me when i needed it to. i will not rest until the whole world knows what happened today with your equipment malfunctioning while i got harassed on my own door step. this is EGREGIOUS!!!! this is not right & you are refusing to right the situation. you’re scam artists. nothing more”Customer Answer
Date: 08/05/2024
I had to call to have my broken video doorbell camera removed from my account. they tried billing me for a broken product that they know is broken i’ve talked to so many people there. it’s a corporate scam this is in reference to *********Business Response
Date: 08/12/2024
August
12, 2024
BBB
of Western Pennsylvania
520
E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ***** ******** * ********* **********
Dear
Better Business Bureau:
Thank
you for forwarding our customer’s complaint to Guardian Protection Services,
Inc. (“Guardian”). Our customer has been
in contact with several Guardian representatives, and we invite the opportunity
to perform another review of his account and respond to his assertions.
Our
customer expressed dissatisfaction with his video doorbell. He noted the battery has been degrading, Guardian
was unable to detect there was an issue with the battery, the video doorbell no
longer works, and feels Guardian should replace his video doorbell at no
charge. He is also unhappy that Guardian
did not immediately stop the video doorbell service and reduce his monthly rate.
And lastly, our customer asserts a
representative literally told him he was out of luck.
Guardian
would first like to say that we are sorry the customer’s doorbell has been
malfunctioning and is now no longer working at all. With regard to Guardian detecting issues, we
refer our customer to Section 9) of his Monitoring Agreement which clearly
indicates Guardian does not monitor any signals or images from camera devices.
"9. CAMERA
SYSTEMS: If
You purchase a camera, including video doorbells,
and / or video storage (the “Camera System”),
such specialized video service will
be provided by a subcontractor. Any capture, use, storage, transmission, or
destruction of video events or alerts
pertaining to the Camera System is conducted
solely by the subcontractor. The fee for video Services is included in the
MSC. You
agree that the video Services are expressly
limited to viewing real time events,
recording and playback of events captured by
the Camera System, and receiving
alerts via Your web-connected device(s). We do not monitor the video feed from the
Camera System.
We will not receive signals or images from the Camera System
and cannot notify any Authority in response to
any signal from the Camera System.
You agree that; (a) We need to access Your
computer network to program the
Camera System; (b) Your computer network will
not be operational during
installation; (c) You will need to have or
obtain a compatible wireless router; and (d)
We are not responsible for the security of
stored images or data, including, without
limitation, those stored on Your device or Your
computer network."
The
notifications our customer received when his video doorbell lost its wi-fi
connection or had battery performance issues, were received from a
sub-contractor. Guardian Technical Care representatives
were able to help him reconnect his
video doorbell when he called on June 27, 20024, July 18, 2024, and July 30,
2024. It was when he called on August 2,
2024 that it was determined the Video Doorbell’s battery was no longer
functioning properly.
We
are sorry our customer is unhappy with the billable service rates he was quoted. The warranty on his device has expired and
the terms of his sale and installation agreement clearly state the Limited
Lifetime System Repair Coverage does not apply to several items/situations including
(a) video devices, including cameras, video doorbells, video storage (the “Camera
System”) under Section 6.3 “What Is Not Covered.”
Our
customer spoke with a representative from Guardian’s Loyalty Center on August
3, 2024, the day after our customer spoke with Technical Care regarding the video
doorbell battery issue. The Loyalty
representative made two offers to our customer, who was not eligible for a free
replacement video doorbell: 1) to have
the video doorbell replaced for a flat
charge of $175.00 rather than at our billable rates, or 2) delete the video doorbell from the
system and receive a $10.00 per month reduction of his monitoring fees.
Guardian’s
liaison tried reaching our customer to advise him Guardian will honor the
Loyalty Center representative’s offer to replace the video doorbell for a fee
of $175.00, but her voice messages were not returned. If our customer decides to take advantage of this
offer, he must contact Guardian and
schedule the replacement of the device by August 31, 2024. If our customer does elect to have his video
doorbell replaced as Guardian has offered, his monthly service fees will increase
by $10.00 per month when the video doorbell service is reactivated.
As
to our customer’s annual payment for services, his billing was changed back to
monthly billing. Guardian should be able
to request a pro-rated refund for the fees he paid for service through July 16,
2025 on August 17, 2024 when the change to monthly billing is completed.
Thank
you for providing Guardian with an opportunity to address our customer’s
complaint. Should you have any
questions, please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response TeamInitial Complaint
Date:07/31/2024
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.
Upon inquiring about the service I was told that the service could be transferred to new location since we anticipated needing to move before the 60 month contract was up. Was not disclosed that it had to be somewhere they operated. Moved out of state after 12 months and asked to transfer service to new location and was told the options were to pay the remaining charges for the life of the contract or transfer the contract to the new owner which they did not want. I knew that I would be moving back to my hometown and was told that it would not be an issue. When the time came I emailed the general manager and she emailed back that they did not operate in my new city.Business Response
Date: 07/31/2024
July 31, 2024
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA
15106
RE: **** ************** * ********* ********
Dear Better Business Bureau:
Thank you for advising Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) of the above-referenced matter. Guardian values the opportunity to provide address
this customer’s concerns.
This customer’s complaint states her
sales representative said the service could be transferred to a new location
but did not disclose the new location had to be in an area where they operated.
The other options for early termination
were to transfer the service to the new owner or pay the agreement’s early
termination fee. The customer stated the
new owners did not want the service and she does not want to pay the early
termination fee. She has asked that the
contract be terminated without penalty.
For background, our customer’s security
system was sold and installed by a representative working for AAA Home
Security, LLC (“AAA”), an authorized dealer of Guardian, whereby all aspects of
the sale and installation took place directly with the representative of
AAA. AAA is a separate and distinct
company from Guardian, for which Guardian provides 24-hour monitoring and
related services. Guardian does not control
any day-to-day business activities or internal policies and procedures of AAA,
including security evaluations, negotiations, sales processes, installation practices
or any other aspect of AAA’s business and employees.
Guardian’s records indicate *** ************** initially engaged AAA’s services on April 7, 2023, as
memorialized in the Sale and Installation and Monitoring Agreements, with the
installation and activation of service taking place on June 12, 2023. The
initial term of the Monitoring Agreement is designated as sixty (60)
months. *** ************** acknowledged the initial term by placing her
initials beside the separate clause which states, “The initial term of this
Agreement is 60 months.” and executed both agreements when she affixed
her electronic signature on them. Further,
AAA informed Guardian that the customer told AAA Home Security via a recorded
call that she would be I the home for approximately 5 years.
Given that *** **************** complaint
and request relate to her sale, installation, and contractual obligation with
AAA, her concerns and request will need to be addressed by AAA. In an effort to assist in facilitating
resolution, Guardian has provided a copy of the complaint to AAA.
*** ************** may contact AAA
directly at: AAA Home Security, LLC., 1*** ********** ****** ***** **** ******* ******* ** ****** ********** ***** *******7 to discuss this matter
further.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response TeamInitial Complaint
Date:07/29/2024
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.
After completing my 3-year contract with Guardian, I called to cancel the subscription. I was sent e-documents to sign to confirm the cancellation, which I did. I have continued to be billed, and it has been 6 months since the cancellation. I have called to speak to someone and every time I have called, I have been told all agents are busy and to leave a message. I have not received a callback. I would like Guardian to remove the monthly charges past my cancellation date and stop billing me.Business Response
Date: 08/06/2024
August 5, 2024
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main Street, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: ******** ***** * ********* ** ********
Dear Better Business Bureau:
Guardian Protection Services, Inc.
(“Guardian”) is in receipt of the above referenced s complaint.
Our customer is disputing monthly fees Guardian
has billed after the cancelation date of her account. She has request4ed that Guardian remove the
monthly charges for services after her cancelation date and stop billing her.
Guardian reviewed our customer’s
account in detail and found there had been an error with the cancelation of
billing and it continued beyond the January 27, 2024 cancelation effective
date.
Guardian applied a credit of $264.22 to
our customer’s account, reducing her balance due to $119.82. Our customer owes $119.82 for the last two
months of her agreement’s initial 36-month term. These bills are for services provided from November
28, 2023 through January 27, 2024. A representative
tried reaching out to our customer to confirm the billing correction but she
did not answer the calls and it is unclear if the voice messages to her were
recording properly.
Guardian apologizes for the error and
the difficulty our customer experienced having the error corrected. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response TeamInitial Complaint
Date:07/23/2024
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 up for Guardian protection services in June 2021. They put me on a 5 year contract unbeknownst to me. They installed outdoor cameras and an alarm system and i started paying them monthly for services. I never really checked the work they did and didn't need to until Feb/March 2024, when i tested the cameras and found out they were not working. I reached out to guardian and they sent a technician on March 16th to figure out the issue. The technician stated that the cameras were not getting power because the previous technician had placed them in the wrong place. They advised me to place an outlet in the attic which i did. A 2nd technician was sent on April 9th to transfer the cameras to the new outlet. He said that the cameras would need to be replaced. I reached out to guardian for replacement of the cameras and they told me that i had a bill of $479 for the 2nd technician's diagnosis. There was no prior disclosure that i would incur a bill for this service. Then they told me that i would have to pay over $2000 to replace all the cameras. I told them that the cameras were incorrectly placed by the 1st technician sent to my house in June 2021. Why should i pay for replacing them, when the problem arose with the technician. They can't explain the service fee of $479 and they can't show me where it says on the contract that i am responsible for damages incurred by the technician. They have taken money out of my account for 3 years with non working equipment and still want to charge me an exorbitant amount of money for doing their job. This is fraud. How can they keep charging me for services when their equipment is not working.Business Response
Date: 08/06/2024
August 6, 2024
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA
15106
RE: ******* ***** * ********* ********
Dear Better Business Bureau:
Thank you for advising Guardian Protection
Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) of the above-referenced matter. Guardian values the opportunity to address our
customer’s concerns.
Our customer states she signed up for Guardian
in June 2021 and we put her into a 5-year contract unbeknownst to her. She also states she tested her cameras in
February or March 2024 and found they were not working. A technician was sent on March 16th to resolve the issue and the technician found the cameras were not getting
power because the installer had placed
them in the wrong place. The tech
advised her to get an outlet in the attic.
Our customer had an outlet installed in her attic. The technician was sent back and found the cameras would not power up and needed to be
replaced. She said she received a bill
of $479.00 for the second service call and was not told she would incur a bill
for the service. She was also quoted
over $2000 to replace all of her cameras. Our customer doesn’t feel she should have to
pay for replacing the cameras when the problem arose from the installation. Our customer states we also cannot explain the
service fee of $479.00.
For background, our customer’s security
system was sold and installed by a representative working for AAA Home
Security, LLC (“AAA”), an authorized dealer of Guardian, whereby all aspects of
the sale and installation took place directly with the representative of
AAA. AAA is a separate and distinct
company from Guardian, for which Guardian provides 24-hour monitoring and
related services. Guardian does not
control any day-to-day business activities or internal policies and procedures of
AAA, including security evaluations, negotiations, sales processes,
installation practices or any other aspect of AAA’s business and employees.
Guardian’s records indicate *** ***** initially engaged AAA’s services on June 14, 2021, as memorialized on the
attached Sale and Installation and Monitoring agreements. *** ***** Acknowledged the initial term by
placing her initials next to the statement “The initial term of this Agreement
is 60 months.” in Section E) of the Monitoring Agreement. The terms of our customer’s Limited Lifetime
System Repair, including what is not covered, is detailed on the first page of
our customer’s Sales and Installation agreement under Section C).
Our customer first contacted Guardian about
a camera issue on March 4, 2024, approximately 31.5 months after the
installation. Guardian first sent a
technician on site to troubleshoot our customer’s video equipment on March 16,
2024. The technician found a definite
issue with the outlet the cameras were plugged into. He was unable to power the cameras properly
and advised our customer the outlet for the cameras needed replaced, and it
would be better if it new outlet was located in the attic. Guardian’s technician was on site for nearly
an hour on March 16th, but Guardian did not bill the customer for the trip and
labor spent troubleshooting the cameras.
A Guardian technician was next on site on April
9, 2024 after our customer replaced the electrical outlet and had it relocated
to the attic. Guardian’s technician spent
nearly two hours trying to get the cameras working properly but was again unsuccessful. It is possible the failing electrical outlet
the cameras were first plugged into caused damage to the cameras. The possibility of damage from electrical fluctuations
and surges, or lightning damage, cannot be determined until such time as power is
restored to the device(s). Our customer
was charged billable rates for this service call, totaling $479.00. The charges included a trip fee, 1.75 hours
of labor, as well as parts charges for a power supply board and battery that
were installed in an effort to get the cameras that were installed by AAA working
again.
A Guardian representative called our
customer and left a voice message to discuss this matter, but her call was
never returned. Our customer’s cameras are
well out of their original installation warranty and are not covered by her
Limited Lifetime System Repair plan. She
has the option to replace the cameras, or have Guardian turn off the camera
services and reduce her monthly fee by $10.00.
Thank you for bringing this matter to
Guardian’s attention. Should have any questions,
please contact Guardian at 1-800-776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint Response TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 08/07/2024
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:07/23/2024
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.
The alarm system faulted and my house was burglarized. Repeated attempts to get someone to address the issue have been ignored. Their customer support people keep passing me to other people and then they promise to investigate and contact me but have NEVER responded.
I lost thousands of dollars of antique coins.Business Response
Date: 07/29/2024
July 29, 2024
BBB of Western
Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA
15106
*** ******* ****** * ********* ** ********
Dear Better
Business Bureau:
Thank you for
forwarding our customer’s complaint.
Guardian Protection (“Guardian”) values the opportunity to provide
response.
Our customer states
their security system faulted and their home was burglarized, and that repeated
attempts to have Guardian address the issues have been ignored.
Guardian regretted
to learn our customer experienced a burglary, allegedly on May 21, 2024, while
they were out of town. When our customer
contacted Guardian on June 3, 2024, the date they found evidence of a burglary,
his account was immediately reviewed.
A Guardian
Customer Care representative confirmed a tamper signal was received from a door
sensor. Please note that a tamper signal
is not an alarm. It is an indication the
sensor cover became ajar or was removed, or the tamper switch itself was damaged
or worn out over time.
Three things
happened when the signal was received, 1)
Guardian placed an automated call to the only phone number we have on
file for our customer. This call would have
provided our customer with the ability to connect with our Monitoring Center if
needed, 2) an email was sent to our customer to the same email address he
provided in his BBB complaint, and 3) a push notification was sent to his
iPhone.
Our customer spoke
with a supervisor in Guardian’s Monitoring Center on June 5, 2024. The supervisor confirmed Guardian received a
tamper signal, not an alarm, and that an automated call was placed to the
customer, and an email and push notification were sent. This supervisor advised he would have our
technical team review his account to try and determine why the sensor sent a
tamper signal instead of an alarm and call our customer back.
Unfortunately, the
Monitoring Center supervisor did not call our customer back after his account
was reviewed and we apologize for this lack up follow-up. The review by Guardian’s in-house technical
team found a tamper signal had been received from this device almost monthly
since December 2023. Our customer was
notified of the previous tamper signals as well but did not contact Guardian to
discuss them or request a service call.
Guardian has
offered the customer a service call, at no charge, to service the sensor that
sent in the tamper signal, as well as another device the customer is aware is
not functioning properly. Our customer
is considering the offer.
Guardian urges
its customers to test their entire system at least monthly, and to contact
Guardian promptly to troubleshoot an issue and/or request service when an
indication of a malfunction is received.
Thank you for
providing Guardian with the additional opportunity to respond. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian at 1-800-776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint
Response TeamCustomer Answer
Date: 07/29/2024
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.]They claim that they responded after one call to customer service and that is not true. I made at least 4 calls and each time they claimed that someone would get back to me and they never did. As, for them leaving me a message - I have every call and every message from the last two months and they did not respond. This indicates that they are not doing what they claim and this situation is systemic and not just one person forgetting to contact me.
I knew from looking at the other complaints that they would blame the age of my system and suggest purchasing a new system. That is exactly what they did when they called. They basically said they could not explain why the door faulted instead of sending an alarm but offered to check it now - free. It’s like closing the gate after the cow escaped.
I have had their security service for over 12 years and was lead to believe they were protecting my house but in reality they only provide deterrents to burglary and cannot technically explain why it faulted instead of alarming. As, they told me on the call “we feel bad for your loss and hope your insurance company covers everything you had stolen”. I have lost all trust for Guardian and it’s security services. I will update my insurance policy to cover individual items because that is a better use of my money and buy a Ring doorbell and camera.
Regards,
******* ******Initial Complaint
Date:07/17/2024
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 Spring 2024 the tenant at a townhouse we own contacted Guardian to come out a) to repair/reset one of the master control panels and b) to repair/reset the Sonos sound system for the TV. The entire alarm/smart home system had been installed by ******* ********* a company that Guardian purchased. We have a 5-yr contract with *******/Guardian.
At a service call (25 March) the Guardian tech said that the sound system was not turned on and had been installed improperly and was missing some piece (nfi). He offered to come back with someone at a later date to fix it.
On 08 April 2024 when the Guardian techs were scheduled to return to complete the job, one technician arrived at 0800 and the other didn't show up until 0900. They argued about the nature of the problem (the surround sound would not stay on and the TV kept switching off) for nearly 3 hours. In the end, they were unable to fix it. Because the were unable to fix the issue, the tenant refused to sign the work order.
I later received a bill from Guardian for $1,032.75. I called the company to dispute the charges, noting:
-- The control panel and surround sound have NEVER worked properly. This has been an ongoing issue since we bought the property from the builder.
-- Guardian has NOT fixed the issue, and as it apparently relates to some proprietary equipment/software that Guardian controls, there is not much we can do independently to resolve.
-- The tech who arrived early billed us for the hour he was there waiting for the other technician.
When I spoke with a rep of Guardian on 3 July, I was told that we had, in fact, been overbilled, and that the actual amount we owe was closer to $400 (round figure). At that time I asked for an email documenting original charges and corrections. I have never received this.
I'm writing now because Guardian continues to try and bill us for this service call at the amount that I now know was errant. My efforts to unravel and resolve have failed.Business Response
Date: 07/24/2024
July 24, 2024
BBB of Western
Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA
15106
RE:
******* **** * ********* ** ********
Dear Better
Business Bureau:
Thank you for
forwarding our customer’s complaint.
Guardian Protection (“Guardian”) values the opportunity to provide
response and work with our customer in an effort to resolve his issues.
Our customer expressed
dissatisfaction with the performance of a sound/home theater system installed
by ******* ********* as well as the amount billed by Guardian for a service
call on April 8, 2024. He is also upset
that the sound system issue has not been fixed.
Guardian conducted
a review of the installation and service history of our customer’s systems upon
receipt of this complaint. Guardian
could find no history of an issue with the sound/home theater system in *******’s
records prior to March 2024, and it appears the touchscreen control panel issue
has been resolved.
A Guardian
representative reached out to our customer after the initial review. The first item discussed was the $1,032.75
service bill. There were errors in the logging
and bill of labor hours. Credits have
finally been placed on our customer’s account to bring the balance due for the
service call down to $462.75. Our
customer was billed for this service call because the sound/home theater system
is out of warranty and our customer does not have an extended repair plan for
it. The billing is for the corrected
time spent troubleshooting and attempting to repair the system. Guardian would like to note that no equipment
or wiring issue is promised to be resolved in a single service call. In this case, it appears a part needs to be ordered
to attempt a full repair.
When discussing
our review of Guardian’s initial investigation into the issues, our new
customer advised he had more history of the issues in email and text messages. Guardian gladly offered to review the added
information, reach out to ******* employees who have joined Guardian for
further review of our customer’s account history, and put together the best possible repair
proposal we can offer.
Thank you for
providing Guardian with the additional opportunity to work with our customer
and try to resolve the issues with the malfunctioning sound system. Should you have any questions, please contact
Guardian at 1-800-776-832.
Sincerely,
Agency Complaint
Response TeamInitial Complaint
Date:06/21/2024
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 had water damage in our house, which included damaging our Guardian Protection system. The fire department turned off the system. We were not able to turn the system back on, as it was too damaged.
Guardian told us that our system was too old to fix. They indicated that we needed to upgrade our system. It took us several months to work through the reclamation and remediation process. During that time, Guardian refused to stop billing us, even though the system was inoperable.Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
July 2,
2024
BBB of
Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main
Street, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ***** ******** ********* ** ********
Dear Better
Business Bureau:
Guardian
Protection Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) is in receipt of our customer’s
complaint and values the opportunity to address this matter.
The
complainant states his system was heavily damaged by water, that Guardian said
it was too old to be fixed and they had to upgrade their system, and that
Guardian refused to stop billing them.
Guardian
is sorry our customer experienced damage to their home after a water pipe broke.
Our customer contacted a number of Guardian representatives about the issue
over the course of several months, but for the most part our customer was
seeking technical assistance. A review
of the phone calls to Guardian revealed our representatives were not informed
of how extensive the damage was or how long home repairs would take. For the most part they assisted the customer with
placing his system on test until the customer was ready for a technician to
repair the damaged device, or possibly upgrade the system. At no time did the customer request
cancelation of the monitoring and account, leading representatives to believe our
customer would be ready to have the system issue addressed in the not-too-distant
future.
That being
said, Guardian believes its representatives could have requested more details
about the situation which would have led to better handling of our customer’s
account. For that reason, Guardian did credit
the monitoring fees that accrued after the water damage occurred through the
time the account was canceled, leaving the account closed and with a $0.00
balance.
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 TeamInitial Complaint
Date:06/01/2024
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 am the homeowner I had the service for approximately 8 1/2 years.
For the first seven years we paid up front for the whole year for an April renewal.
We moved to a new home and asked for our service to be moved there. A service person came to our house and put in a whole new system when we asked to have the new system removed and the old system put back, we were told that we had agreed to the new system, and they would take us to court if we didn't pay the new fee.
After talking to a supervisor, they went back and listened to the taped recordings of the calls. They found in fact we did not agree to the new system, and they agreed to put the old system back. Also to make up for what happened they offered us a three-year contract with a discount.
18 months into the contract and due to COVID I retired early.
We called for early termination and after several phone calls we agreed upon the Termination fee.
Since I would have never had a three-year contract if they first hadn't made such and error.
Upon receiving and email from Guardian of what the Termination Fee would be we sent the check and noted on the check Final Payment/Early Termination. (Date of email from Guardian 7/27/22)
After two years we started receiving a new bill with a $5.40 fee added. We answered many calls from customer service, but they refuse to even address the final agreement which we have mail copies of several times. (Guardian's email of the final payment and copy of check)
We had a written agreement sent to us by Guardian of what we needed to pay and we mailed the check in with in days. I have asked them serval times to go back and listen to the conversation between me and the supervisor around the date of 7/24/22 when the agreement was sent to us.Business Response
Date: 06/07/2024
June
5, 2024
BBB
of Western Pennsylvania
520
E Main St, Suite 100
Carnegie,
PA 15106
RE: ****** ********* * ********* ** ********
Dear
Better Business Bureau:
Thank
you for forwarding the above referenced complaint to Guardian Protection
Services, Inc. (“Guardian”). Guardian values
the opportunity to address our customer’s issue.
Our
customer expressed dissatisfaction with the continued billing of his account when
he finalized the early termination of the account in late July 2022 due to
their . Our customer has asked for the
cancelation of the billing and to have the balance due credited to $0.00.
Guardian
would like to apologize to our customer for all of the confusion associated
with the activation of services at the home he purchased in Delaware in
2020. A misunderstanding by a Guardian
representative resulted in a new agreement for the installation of new
equipment when new equipment was not needed.
In fact, upon further investigation, we found Guardian had monitored the
system for the former owner of the Delaware home and reprogramming of the
system is all that was needed.
Guardian
did install the unnecessary new equipment with a 60-month agreement. Our customer asked Guardian to put the
original system back in place as he did not want or request upgraded devices. When Guardian corrected the installation and
activation mistake, a new agreement was sent for a 36-month term and a reduced
fee. Guardian had an error processing
this new agreement and overcharged the customer for over a year.
Based on the errors that occurred with
setting up our customer’s home security services, agreements, and monthly
billing, Guardian has agreed to stop the billing and credit the account balance
to $0.00.
Guardian would like to apologize to our
customer for his experience, and for the long delay in resolving this
matter. Should you have any questions,
please contact Guardian at (800) 776-8328.
Sincerely,
Agency
Complaint Response TeamInitial Complaint
Date:05/29/2024
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.
In 2021, Guardian installed a security package in our new home and promised the ability to cancel month to month. The installer said this explicitly and we asked him explicitly because we believed we would not be in the home long term. He then gave me a long contract to sign and buried within the second page it says that the monitoring time period is 60 months. Verbally, Guardian agreed to month to month billing and cancellation - anytime. They hid terms in a contract and lied to me while I signed it. They install their equipment in new homes (built by DR Horton) and trap their customers in long-term, binding contracts. Cancellation requires a written letter to their headquarters in PA. If it is not written, the contract automatically renews for another 5 years. This is dishonest business. Guardian simply states they cannot waive the early termination fee. I've paid all of their previous bills on time.Business Response
Date: 06/03/2024
May 24, 2024
BBB of Western Pennsylvania
520 E Main Street, Suite 100
Carnegie, PA 15106
RE: **** ******* * ********* ** ********
Dear Better Business Bureau:
Guardian Protection Services, Inc.
(“Guardian”) is in receipt of the above referenced complaint and values the
opportunity to review and respond.
Our customer states he had Guardian
install a security system and the installer advised verbally that he would have
the ability to cancel month to month. The
customer felt the terms were hidden when he signed it. Our customer is unhappy that Guardian will
not waive the early termination fee.
Guardian performed a thorough review of
our customer’s account. Per the copy of
the complaint attachment our customer posted, the agreement included a coverage
page that is part of the unsigned and finished copy of the signed
agreement. He also affixed his initials
beside the statement on the agreement that noted his initial term was 60
months.
Moving into a new home and setting up
multiple services can be a chaotic time.
Guardian believes any discussion of being able to cancel month to month
by our technician was in reference to what happens after the initial term. While Guardian’s agreements still state the
term will automatically renew, Guardian is not enforcing automatic renewal and
the initial term would renew on a month-by-month basis. Guardian believes the customer may have missed
part of the installer’s statement when he was discussing the ability to cancel
month by month.
This being said, Guardian and our
customer were able to reach an amicable settlement fee for the account. Our customer paid the fee, has been sent
confirmation his account has been terminated.
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: 06/03/2024
[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. I believe it should be noted that Guardian chooses "not to enforce the automatic renewal" portion of their contract, but definitely enforces the early termination fee. Also, the front page is added on an email, but not presented with original contract at time of signing. The front page clearly spells out the length of contract and should be presented at time of signing. I am grateful that Guardian responded to my complaint and decided to work with me.
Regards,
********* *****
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