Home Security Service

Updated on October 30, 2012
E.G. asks from Lubbock, TX
8 answers

Do I have a right to be upset or am I being picky? This is what is happening as of today. I called a company to set up home security and he came on Aug.18,12 and we chatted and he proceeded to install equipment and when finished pulled a form for me to sign. I signed it,not taking time to read. a 8x14 long paper. Its teeny tiny words and he never said ok here is briefly what the contract is saying and here is what you are signing. To this date,when I've called him to bring the yard sign,he ignores all calls,all texts.All I wanted was a yard sign,but now Im past that. Im upset because as a business he shouldnt treat his customers that way and I no longer want to give my money to a business who I feel has committed consumer fraud. Its a 1 man operation, has no workers,no office assistance.Just him.The contract is 36 months at 30.26 per month. Ive already contacted and reported company to BBB,They reported to me, hes ignoring them as well. What can I do,if anything.?

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So What Happened?

Ok . I didnt mean to post more than once..Im trying to undo but cant find if that is possible. The business was someone my son uses and a girfriend of one of my other boys. The son that has the service has set off the alarm and police have come out, but my husband and I never have. Im taking your advice and tomorrow setting it off to see what actually is going to happen. As far as me not reading the contract , I know , I should have but Im a consumer that never had a need for that service and we have never hired a business to come into our home. Weve always lived on base housing and now we actually are buying our home and we travel so it made me feel more secure. This summer right before hiring him, a thief stole statuary from our front yard as well as an antique wagon wheel. Then they went down the street and stole from a neighbors yard another statue and from another neighbor down the street clay planters. So this happened at about 2 am. Thats why I called him. Yes he did come recommended. Im calling it consumer fraud because he took advantage of me. He knew I did not have the ability to read a contract and i didnt know to tell him come back in a day or so , so I can get out magnifying glass to read it. It sounds crazy but I dont expect people to take advantage of a situation..I no longer care about the yard sign. Thanks for the advice about that, its that he is not professional and I do not want to do business or give him a payment for the next 3 yrs. I appreciate your advice thank you ladies.

Featured Answers

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Have you actually given them money?

Oh but you accepted equipment.

Here is the thing more than likely the contract you signed was just for the monitoring so a yard sign won't be a part of it. Actually I have never see yard sign mentioned in any alarm set up. Yeah, having something that says you have an alarm will deter those that read it but the alarm is what actually calls the police.

Most alarm companies want their sign out front because then other people call them asking for their services but I highly doubt you can legally demand one.

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T.M.

answers from Redding on

If he's a "one man show" as you say, I'd be a little leery that he's even legit.
I think I'd change all my locks and hire an accredited, well know security company.
Check your contract, if it says nothing about yard signs or window decals, he does not have to provide them :(

4 moms found this helpful
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D..

answers from Charlotte on

Bless your heart - how did you post this question 10 times?

I'd ask an attorney about this, to be honest. He or she could help you.

Never sign stuff with them standing right there. Next time check BBB before doing business with them. And, if you subscribe to Angie's List, that's a great indication of people who are good to do business with.

Good luck!
Dawn

3 moms found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

What you're saying is that you want him to put a sign in your yard? And because he hasn't done that yet you're mad? I don't understand that.

Is the system working? Is it what you expected? If so then he has done nothing wrong as far as I can tell.

Can you be more specific? I don't understand why you are upset about him not putting a sign in your yard.

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Since a yard sign or window stickers is the biggest deterrent I would be mad too. If you don't pay your monthly bill I bet you will hear from him.

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A.B.

answers from Dallas on

Well, he should have given you the yard sign when he was there. Personally, I don't want a yard sign, in case a criminal is familiar with different types of systems, how long it takes to go off, how long it takes them to alert police, etc. So, I wouldn't care that much if there were no sign. There also is sometimes a charge for the signs.

When I ordered my service, I also signed a contract after it was installed. If I had suddenly refused, it would've been easy enough for them to uninstall it or to refuse to activate it. Why did you sign what was clearly a contract without at least scanning it and asking the guy for a summary of what it was saying? You signed the contract and had opportunity to look it over had you chosen to do so. Unless you were mentally incapacitated, you're probably stuck in the contract for the next 3 years unless there is an early termination opion.

$30.26 per month sounds like a great deal for security monitoring. Mine is a lot more than that. Also, be sure to ask your homeowners insurance company about their discount for maintaining a monitored security system. They will need a copy of the contract as proof of the monitored service, and the discount should be about 10-20% of your annual premium.

Finally, if you really want to talk to them and are being ignored, then intentionally set your system off long enough that it will notify the service (30-45 seconds?). The service will call you about the alarm, and then you'll have them on the phone! THe other option is to not pay them next month, and you'll have them on the phone at that point, too.

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~.~.

answers from Tulsa on

He was installing equipment before you even signed? That right there is a red flag. If you signed the contract, you may be stuck, unless they have breached a portion of their requirements in the contract. Do you have a copy of the contract? You need to read through that with a fine tooth comb and it would still be a good idea to have an attorney look at it, even if just considered a consultation. If you set up a bank draft or recurring credit card payment, you should contact your bank to see if there is a way to block the charges. Next time, don't let anyone do anything to your home until you read the fine print.

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V.M.

answers from Sacramento on

Check to see if he breached the conract in any way? If so you may want to send him a "certified" letter that you will no longer be paying as of (date) due to this breach.

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