Two years ago just one short year after having a terrible experience to start, we had another terrible experience. Now this year, 3 years into the agreement another terrible experience. Notes from the first two experiences: As promised, wanted to follow up with you on this after the appointment on Friday. Several associates got involved after I sent the original letter, all very nice and all wanting to rectify the situation. A regional supervisor and a tech showed up at noon on Friday as promised. They checked the system and went ahead and replaced not only the faulty smoke detector but the other smoke detectors in the house as well. (There are 46 total ADT devices in the home across all types). While they were here, we began to hear a chirping noise that would be indicative to batteries needing to be replaced in a detector. They checked and said it wasnt ADTs or it would have shown up on the key pad and the key pad showed all was normal. (We have a few old units still in the house that need to be removed). Once they left, I went on the hunt trying to figure out where the chirping was coming from so I could resolve it. I ignored the ADT devices since they had already checked them. After about an hour, I found it, it was one of the ADT devices in the basement bedroom and nothing showed on the keypad in terms of a detector with low batteries. When I called and eventually was put in touch with the supervisor and the operations director who originally contacted me, they were as surprised as I was. I took the unit down, took out the Everyready Energizer batteries and replaced them with Lithium batteries. What is interesting is it didnt show up as a problem on the keypad until I removed the batteries, not when the batteries were low as the tech thought should happen. I was also surprised as was the supervisor that the batteries I pulled out of the ADT unit were simple energizer batteries than the lithium you normally used per the supervisor when I asked about it. So either the tech didnt replace the unit as called out, or the unit he put in had been used somewhere else and the batteries were never replaced, not sure there is any other answer here. The system was then fully operational as was intended. Fast forward now to this week, I get an update on my account this morning via email that there is a -$263.00 credit which I am not sure why. I sign on to my account and find the -$48.00 credit for the interruption in service ADT said they would apply to the account but also found a -$215.00 credit associated with a check number I didnt recognize. I call customer service and they arent sure why it is there either and most likely another customers check was applied to my account, they are researching it now to see where it came from. My concern is you have another customer who is not happy due to a payment made that was never applied to their account. I hope you understand why I am so concerned about my ADT account, it seems there is something around most corners that ADT either believes is happening and isnt, or making errors that seem to compound themselves. No need for a response, this is just the update I promised from my last letter. Thanks... On Wed, Aug 8, 2018 at 7:01 PM Mike Hogenmiller <;;;;;;;;;;;;hogenmillermike@***.com> wrote: I hope you find the time to review all the details below regarding my ADT account. Keep in mind that I am a new customer as of June of 17 and the owner of a substantial home that encompasses over 10,000 sq ft, so security of the home is very important for us. The issues we have had span from the start of the relationship with ADT and continue today. The information I have included is factual in nature and not emotional as I am sure you receive those types of correspondence as I did over the 40 years I spent in the service business. All were still very important learnings for me and I hope you take this in that nature which is the intent. In May of 2017 we contacted ADT to have the existing service transferred from the homeowner we purchased the home from to a new account for us. The information was passed along to us from the previous homeowner who had spoken to ADT and was told this would be an option for us. When we spoke to ADT, they in fact told us this wasnt an option and due to the size of our home, they had to send someone out to review our system. I was very explicit that I had no interest in being sold any equipment, all we wanted was someone to come to the home, show us how to use the existing system that was being deactivated the day before we wanted to activate the service. They set up an appointment for May 25th, (a five hour window from noon to 5). On the appt. day something delayed the associate so they didnt show up until after 5:00, (we had to block 12 to 5 which was the original window we were given and had to be home). Shortly after he showed up, we realized this was a salesperson who proceeded to spend the next two hours working to sell us additional equipment we had no interest in, I finally cut him off as it was closing in on 7:00 pm. I told him we just wanted the system activated which he relayed he couldnt do, he also informed us they couldnt schedule the install until we signed a contract, which we did and scheduled the install tech for June 2nd. We lost a week of having a security system in the house that we could use. On June 2nd the tech showed up on time and installed some additional smoke/CO2 detectors we had asked for and activated the system for us as well as showed us how it worked. We thanked him and he left. About an hour later I went down to the basement and the alarm system went off even though we didnt have it on. ADT called, we shut off the system and they dispatched the same tech back to the house to figure out what had occurred. Turned out the tech had programmed the motion sensors in the basement, (which is finished and used often), to be on all the time instead of when we activated the system. He fixed the issue and left. Same day about 4 hours later, I went up to the third floor and guess what, the alarm goes off, ADT calls, I have to shut off the system and another tech has to be scheduled for the next day. Turned out the same issue was a problem on the third floor, he resolves that and leaves. Should not have taken four visits, (salesperson, then three tech visits), to just transfer service. Fast forward now to November/December of 2017 when we decided we wanted remote access to our system via our IPHONES or IPADS which we knew our system would handle. When I called in to inquire about it, I was told our monthly fee would go up and there was a substantial fee to activate the remote system since I wasnt a new customer. I declined and left it as is. I rethought it a few days later and called back and got a different offer on the same service, more expensive than the previous one, which I pushed back hard on. After talking to several folks and a supervisor, I finally got a reasonable fee quoted to activate it, and no change in the monthly charge for service so we had it added on December 12th of 17. Not sure why we got three different answers for the same service at three different time or why we had to debate the charges to get the price we should have recieved the first time we called, again three calls to get PULSE added, seems to be a trend. Fast forward now to this week. On Tuesday we were on our way home from the movies and we got a call from ADT that a smoke detector was going off and did we need them to dispatch the fire dept. We were only a few minutes away and not sure why but I was pretty sure due to the location of that particular detector, (upstairs hallway), that it might be the equipment so I told them to hold off. We got home and I went in and everything was fine and the unit had shut off. A few minutes later, the alarm sounded again, (the system is off), ADT called, I told them it was faulty equipment and shut off the alarm. They said if it went off again to call them back, which it did about three minutes later which they called again and we went through the same steps. I told the person on the phone we needed to shut that unit off so we could use the reminder of the alarm system until they could get out to check it, they told me that wasnt possible since it was a life saving device. They would however talk me through how to remove the batteries which would take care of it. They set up an appointment for two days later. I hung up, got a ladder, followed the directions and removing the batteries still set off the alarm, ADT called, we went through the same process again. This person tells me removing the batteries wont stop the alarm that I needed to power down the system all together and not use it until they come out to check it. I complained that one smoke detector is now taking down my entire system and I no longer have a security alarm to protect the house but I didnt have any other choices. She checks and is able to schedule it for the next day, so we power it down and I wait for the tech the next day, (five hour window from 12 to 5 we need to be here). She is sympathetic and puts a one month credit on my account to compensate for the issues. (I realize now thats not much of a benefit for me, we pay annually and all a credit does is sit there on the account until we decide to pay the annual fee again in 2019). Again, multiple calls to get a single issue resolved. At 3:00 the tech calls and says he is 30 minutes away. He finally calls me at 4:00 and tells me he entered the wrong address in his GPS and now it will be at least 5:00 before he can get there and do I want to reschedule. I tell him no to please go ahead and come by. I immediately call into the office again upset about the whole situation and tell them to please place notes on my account about the scheduling issues which they say they will. About 15 minutes later someone from ADT calls me to tell me he got held up on another job, (which I know isnt true already), and am I okay with him coming later which I say thats fine but why are they telling me something that isnt true, they admit I was correct that he used an inccorrect address which sent him across town. He gets here finally a little after 5:00, checks the unit, goes to get a new one off his truck and figures out he doesnt have one. I have to reschedule again for the next day sometime between 12 and 5. He relays he will try to get me first on his route. Next day which is today, I wait until 4:15 and dont hear anything, I call in and they tell me he is in Duluth and I am the next customer. I know based on the local geography he isnt going to make it by 5:00 but tell them to send him anyway as I dont want to reschedule again. I wait until 6:15, dont hear from the tech and call back in again. They tell me I was scheduled from 5 to 8, which I debate with the person on the phone thats not the case, and they transfer me to the scheduling dept. The scheduler tells me that in fact I was scheduled from 12 to 5 and they will call the tech while I am on hold to see whats going on. A few minutes later they come back on and tell me they need to get in touch with the coordinator or would I like to reschedule, which I say no. I already have 10 hours of my time tied up for job of just replacing a faulty smoke detector and dont want to invest another day and another 5 hours. They continue to put me on hold now calling a manager to figure out what to do to get a tech to the house still today, (which its going on 6:30PM now). Finally a little after 6:30 I got a response, he isnt coming today. They did offer to send another tech out at 8:30PM tonight as an emergency service, but I reminded them he most likely wont have the right smoke detector on his truck as the last truck didnt, they agreed and pushed the appt out to later in the week to keep the same tech as was here yesterday. Its now scheduled for 12 to 5 on Friday, will be the third visit to replace a faulty smoke detector and I have to dedicate 15 hours of my time to it. Will let you know if Friday actually comes to fruition, but wanted you to know you have serious issues that I dont think are driving customers to your doorstep or giving existing customers much piece of mind. I am the President of the HOA for a subdivision of multi million dollar homes that I cant find a good reason based on my experience to recommend ADT to any of our association members. Hope there is learning from this and somehow these situations can be avoided in the future with other customers. I am hoping you are still in your role and remember the whole ordeal laid out below from 2018, might be worthwhile to refresh your memory. Wanted to give you an update that the same smoke detector that set off the original issue in the upstairs hallway, is now causing a similar issue and once again the service is terrible and its August of 2020. Same results, 7:00 pm, false alarm on the same upstairs smoke detector, ADT calls we let it go as it reset from the master pad. Then 2:00AM it goes off again, ADT calls, there is no reason for the alarm, tell them this is a repetitive issue, they tell me they can have someone out on Sept. 8th, this is of course a life saving device which means I have to power down the system until then and we are leaving town for a week on Tuesday so we wont have a security system on our 10,000 square foot home. I complained and finally got ADT to agree to come out the next day between 12 and 5. I tell them to please make sure the tech has a smoke alarm on his truck as I knew we had this issue last time. The Tech shows up about 4:00 and sure enough, he doesnt have a smoke alarm on his truck so I have to reschedule. He told me he had one on his truck on Thursday but they took it off as they were regulating the inventory. Not sure I get it, he now has multiple labor hours and two trips not to mention the upset customer, because ADT is trying to save money regulating inventory? Smoke alarm is repaired on Monday the 1st, then on Tuesday the 2nd, we get a CO2 fault, go through same circumstances, we are leaving town and cant get the system set as its a life saving device. Its now 09/10, waiting on the tech again. System has been down now for more than 10 days......
Hello - We are terribly sorry to hear you continue to having issues with the service and the frustrations you've endured. We'd like to look into this further and assist.
Can you please send us a copy of your review/concern, along with the telephone number and address associated with the service to AlwaysThere@adt.com? Thank you, Faith
I have sent you the information you requested.
So here we are 2 weeks down the road. They have sent more technicians out and guess what.....
they didn't fix it, they actually made it worse. I am getting over 200 notifications from my front driveway camera a day, but guess what..... it doesn't go off when I go out there, get in my car and drive away.... but let a car drive down the street and I get a lovely picture of it.
So a lady by the name of Rachel called me, gave me her office number and her cell phone, she sent one more set of technicians out and when that didn't work she said they would cancel my contract since 8 visits in 2 1/2 months is over the top. She said someone would call me about getting the equipment picked up. I did receive that phone call, but when I call ANYONE back, nobody answers. One of the numbers, gives me a man who says, it is best to reach him on his cellphone, so I call his cellphone and guess what.....
He hasn't worked there for 2 years.... This place is a joke. Then to top it off they made a charge to my credit card for $1062 today for the cancellation.
My blood pressure is going through the roof and they are making it worse by the every two minute notifications I am getting on this stupid system. DO NOT GET THIS COMPANY......