Complaints

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

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  Guardian Protection

  174 Thorn Hill Rd Warrendale, PA 15086-7528

  
• 

  Guardian Protection

  2557 Route 130 Ste 2 Cranbury, NJ 08512

• 

  Guardian Protection

  4423 Professional Pkwy Groveport, OH 43125

• 

  Guardian Protection

  7710 First Pl Ste H Bedford, OH 44146

• 

  Guardian Protection Services

  230 Great Circle Rd Suite 210 Nashville, TN 37228

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 Team
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/23/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 Team

  Customer 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:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 Team

  Customer 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:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We had 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 Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/29/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 Team

  Customer 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,
  
  
  
  ********* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been a customer of Guardian Protection for 18 months. My account is paid monthly for home a home monitoring security system. Th payment is paid by auto-debit from my checking account for the amount of $64.94. On Tuesday May 21st, someone logged into my account fraudulently and made a $1,300.00 payment from my checking account to my Guardian account. I was traveling on this day and have not logged in to make any payments ever, as they are made automatically. There is a now a $1,300.00 credit on my account. I have called the company each day requesting a refund. The first 2 days I was told this would take 24 hours to complete. When this was not done, I called back on May 25th and are now being told it will take 7 days to receive a refund. I do not understand why they keep providing different information and am demanding an immediate refund of the $1300 credit to my bank account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/03/2024

  June 3, 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 respond.
  
  Our customer states on May 21st someone logged into her account fraudulently and made a $1,300.00 payment from
  her checking account to Guardian Protection. 
  This payment resulted into a credit on her account in the amount of
  $1,300.000 for which she requested a refund. 
  Our customer said she was first told the request would take 24 hours to
  complete, then she would told it would take 7 days to receive a refund.  She has asked why different dates were
  provided and requested an immediate refund of $1,300 to her bank account.
  
  Guardian is sorry to hear about our
  customer’s situation whereby an unauthorized payment of $1,300.00 was made from
  her checking account to Guardian.  While
  our customer did not ask for, and was not provided with, an expected date of
  refund when she called on May 22, 2024, on May 23, 2024 a representative did state
  she should expect the refund to be processed within 24 hours, setting up false
  expectations.
  
  When our customer called back on May
  25, 2024, a representative told our customer the refund request looked like it
  would be processed on May 31, 2024, which was an accurate date based on
  Guardian’s need for the $1,300.00 payment to fully clear.  Guardian’s accounting department checked the
  $1,300.00 payment several times and it  was “restricted” and had not fully
  cleared.  We now believe this status was
  due to the customer entering a claim with her bank to have the payment revoked
  at the same time she requested a refund from Guardian. 
  
  Guardian was finally able to process
  the refund on May 30, 2024 and sent $1,300.00 to our customer’s checking
  account.  However, on that very day our
  customer’s bank canceled the payment, resulting in her original payment of
  $1,300 being reversed back to her checking account.  This led to our customer having $2,600.00 put
  into her account on May 30, 2024 because she entered claims with both
  companies.
  
  
  A Guardian representative tried
  reaching our customer three times to discuss the delay in getting the refund to
  her, but the calls were not returned. 
  Because our customer received the $1,300.00 back through her bank, she
  must return the $1,300.00 refund  payment
  to Guardian.  Our customer will see the
  $1,300.00 due Guardian on her June 6, 2024 statement.  Please note Guardian can only pull payments
  for monthly fees from our customer’s account. 
  Our customer will need to initiate the payment of $1,300.00 to Guardian
  via our website, or by calling in to Guardian’s Customer Care center.
  
  Guardian appreciates being notified of
  this matter and will provided additional training to our representatives
  regarding refund processing and expectations. 
  Should you have any questions, please contact Guardian directly at (800)
  776-8328.
  
  Sincerely,
  Agency Complaint Response Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/24/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I contracted to have a Neal Communities house built in Canoe Creek. I contracted to have a Guardian security system on May 31, 2022 at the Neal design center. The house took 18 months to be completed. The wiring for the security system was installed before the drywall was installed. I show my scanned receipt for $805 which says "Total Installation Price (fees) including tax". I show the scanned monitoring activation instructions that Guardian gave me which says when I move in and have internet to call and they will complete the installation. This is when the initial monitoring begins as shown on the included scan. To date, no internet service or equipment installation has occurred. Guardian has started to bill a monitoring fee even though there isn't any equipment installed to do the monitoring.
  I am selling the house and have never occupied it or installed internet, it is empty. It was my plan to have the equipment installed after the new owners move in and have their internet.
  Now Guardian is telling me that I was given a discount because they do that for Neal. I wasn't told that at purchase. The house was built by Neal builders and therefore any discount applied is appropriate. They are insisting that I pay them the $1,500 discount back for installing the wiring. I included the scanned page that says Total installation price, fees, taxes, $805. I don't feel I owe the discount or the monitoring fees since all I have are wires and no way to monitor without the rest of the equipment or internet. I have paid in full the total cost of $805.00 ($350 for hardware equipment yet to be installed and $450 for wiring installation that has been completed.) They are threatening to turn me over to a collection agency. This is very stressful for an older widow, please help me resolve this, Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/03/2024

  June
  3, 2024
  BBB
  of Western Pennsylvania
  520
  E Main Street, Suite 100
  Carnegie,
  PA 15106
  
  RE:        ******* ******** * ** ********
  
  Dear
  Better Business Bureau: 
  
  Thank you for advising Guardian Protection
  Services, Inc. (“Guardian”) of the above-referenced complaint.  Guardian appreciates the opportunity to
  address our customer’s concerns, clarify the status of her sale and
  installation and work toward resolving this matter.
  
  Our customer wishes to cancel her account as she has
  decided to sell the home that Guardian has performed installation work in.  She stated she paid for the installation,
  which is incomplete, and should be released from the agreement without further
  payment.  She is also unhappy Guardian
  has started billing the monitoring fees when the services have not been
  activated.
  
  For background, our customer contracted Guardian
  (agreement attached)s for the installation of a security system; home wiring of
  cable jacks, data jacks and a wireless access point; and monthly services on May
  31, 2022.  Guardian has performed well over
  50% of the installation work but has been unable to complete the work because
  our customer has not responded to requests to schedule the appointment to
  complete the installation and activate the monthly services.  Guardian had been reaching out to the customer
  several times a month since August 23, 2023. 
  It was on April 11, 2024 that our customer finally responded and
  indicated she did not want to activate the services because she has decided to
  sell the home.
  
  Regarding payment of the installation, our customer
  paid for the home wiring options in the amount of $455.00. The $350.00 charges
  she paid for the installation of the security system were for upgrades to Guardian’s
  basic Builder Package; $150.00 for a premium panel, and $200.00 for an Edge
  Control Package which included a gateway to enable the customer to open and
  close her garage door remotely.  Guardian
  did not charge for the wiring of any security devices or the security \equipment
  installed to date in exchange for the customer’s 60-month monitoring commitment
  at the monthly fee of $55.99+tax if paid by Guardian’s Automatic Payment system
  or $65.99+tax if payments were made by another means.
  
  While the security system installation is
  incomplete, Guardian’s investment of time, materials and equipment far exceeds
  the $350.00 our customer has paid toward the installation.  Our records indicate all of the doors have been
  wired.  Please note, several sliding
  doors did not have the wire pulled through the frame and do not have the
  contacts on the end of the wires.  This
  is because the builder had not installed the
  cover piece on the sliding door tracks prior to Guardian’s last appointment at
  the home.  The pet motion detector is wired, and the wiring for a
  touchscreen keypad/control panel has been done.  The video doorbell has
  been installed as well.  The home wiring installation,
  totaling $455.00, has been completed, including the installation of the
  wireless access point for added connectivity of wireless devices to an Internet
  Provider’s router.
  
  Guardian has spoken with our customer and offered to
  accept a settlement of $1,192.00, waive the monthly charges that have billed,
  and release the customer from the 60-month Monitoring Agreement.  This figure is based on Guardian’s cost for
  the work, materials and equipment installed to date and was reduced by $100.00.  Our customer is considering the offer but has
  also questioned whether the touch/screen control panel would be installed, and
  whether any of the wiring performed by Guardian could be utilized by a new
  owner.  Guardian confirmed the panel
  would not be installed if the account were settled for $1,192.00 as added equipment
  costs and labor would be incurred should Guardian perform more work in the home,
  and that a new owner would be able to take advantage of much of the wiring and
  devices installed to date.
  
  As stated earlier, our customer is considering the
  offer which is good through June 29, 2024.  Thank you for
  the opportunity to address this matter.  Should
  you have any questions, please contact Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Agency
  Complaint Response Team

  Customer 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. 
  

  The company's response was very twisted to reflect better on them. I talked to several people and told them that I did not want to cancel the contract, but they kept insisting that I did. Each call became more nasty and demanding. I just decided it is easier to pay them because there was no reasoning with them. They were just focused on getting more money. I paid for the equipment that I didn't receive but now they are getting it back. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with such a dishonest group of people.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My alarm failed approximately 12/2023 and I tried to get a service call. No one would call me and I made several calls trying to get someone to come out. I did get an estimate for $500.00 alarm upgrade with $5.00 a month additional service charge. I did not want to do this so I told them to cancel my account. I took down my alarm and installed a new one with a different company 1/30/2024. I finally got a call from Guardian from a service man some time in February. He told me he was coming to Waco and did I need a repair. I said no I did not and I had already removed my old alarm. I also said he could have my old stuff if he wanted it. He said he did so I told him that I would leave it at my front door. He got the stuff. I can provide video that he never came in my house and certainly did not remove my alarm. I did not get a service call. I have repeatedly tried to explain this to Guardian and they are harassing me to pay for a service that I never recieved. They say that their tec removed my alarm and I must pay $85.00. He did not remove my alarm or even come in my house. I did not contract him for repair. Please help me get them off my back.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2024

  May
  28, 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 charges for a service visit to his home on February 9,
  2024.  He states he had changed companies
  and when the technician called about servicing the system, he advised that was
  no longer needed but he could pick up the old equipment that had been taken
  down.
  
  Guardian
  reviewed our customer’s account in detail and found there had been a
  mishandling of our customer’s cancelation request made on January 29,
  2024.  The unscheduled service request should
  have been canceled at that time.  Guardian
  credited the account balance of $84.19, bringing the final account balance to
  $0.00.
  
  Guardian
  apologizes for the error and the difficulty our customer experienced with
  getting  his service request scheduled.  Should you have any questions, please contact
  Guardian directly at (800) 776-8328.
  
  Sincerely,
  Agency
  Complaint Response Team
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/31/2024

  [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,
  
  
  
  *** *******