Top 5 Complaints Of Home Security Customers

Top 5 Complaints Of Home Security Customers:

This is easily the most common complaint seen on our review pages. Most alarm companies have an automatic renewal clause in their monitoring and service contract. This simply means that your contract will be renewed (usually for 12 months, although it can be as high as three years) unless you specifically request that you want to cancel your service. Many of the nation-wide alarm companies use this tactic, although some local alarm companies use it as well. Cancelling early usually involves a penalty of 75% to 100% of the value of the contract.

Possible Solutions And/Or Explanation:
Before: If at all possible, go with a local company, and buy your alarm system outright. Local companies can be more flexible, and will be more likely to accomodate a shorter contract length. You should insist on a contract with a length of 12 months only, that DOES NOT automatically renew. Above all, read your contract before signing it.

After: If you are terminating your service, don't count on a verbal assertion from a customer service representative that your contract has been cancelled. You must send them your cancellation request in writing (usually 30 to 60 days before the end of the contract). Don't send your letter by fax, email or regular mail, always use registered mail that requires a signature from the recipient. This may cost a few dollars more, but it is definitely worth it. There will be no argument from their end as to whether they received your request or not.

Over our ten years in the home security industry (and from the many emails we've received from our visitors), we've noticed that some consumer complaints about alarm systems seem to come up much more frequently than others. We've listed the most common home security customer complaints here, in order of frequency. We've also included possible solutions and explanations for each issue, if possible:

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#1: My Alarm Contract Automatically Renews!

#5: My Alarm Went Off But Nobody Called Me!

Some customers report setting off their alarm accidentally and disarming it, then patiently waiting for a call from the monitoring station that never comes.

Possible Solutions And/Or Explanation:
Often times, this is the result of a misunderstanding. Most alarm companies have a "grace period" to reduce false alarms. For example, if you have a 30 second delay on your front door and a 30 second "grace period", you will have a total of 60 seconds from the time you first open the door to input your code. If you don't reach the keypad or enter the wrong code during the first 30 seconds, your alarm will activate and the monitoring station will receive your signal. After this, you will have an additional 30 seconds to input a valid code. As long as you do, the monitoring personnel will consider this a "cancellation" that does not require a verbal confirmation. Anything over 60 seconds will mean a phone call is necessary (these times may vary slightly depending on the alarm company). Be sure that you are thoroughly trained in the use of your alarm system, and don't be afraid to ask questions!

#2: The Police Took Over An Hour To Show Up!

Some customers have reported getting a call at work from their alarm company, and rushing home to discover the police had not even showed up yet! What's the point of getting an alarm if the police can't even arrive in a timely fashion?

Possible Solutions And/Or Explanation:
If your alarm is brand new, you may not have been informed that your alarm company uses a trial or "burn" period of a week or more. During this trial period, any signals received from your alarm will be noted but police will not be dispatched. This enables the customer to get accustomed to their alarm and how it works, and reportedly reduces false alarms. If your alarm company uses this method, you can easily request that no trial period be used. You should also know that some police forces will only respond to "two zone" alarms. For example, if a door activates your alarm, there must be at least one other device that also goes into alarm (i.e. motion sensor, glassbreak, etc) along with it. Remember, not all jurisdictions have this policy.

As far as police response, it is nearly impossible to judge how quickly they will respond to your alarm signal. Response time can depend on many factors: time of day, location of cruiser when they receive the call, your false alarm history, priority of other calls (obviously an armed bank robbery will take priority over an alleged burglary). Although some response times can be over an hour, in many cases the police will arrive within minutes. Don't let this discourage you from having your alarm system monitored, though. There are many critical reasons to have your system monitored that we cover on this page: Why bother with alarm system monitoring?

#4: I Own My Alarm System, But It Can't Be Monitored By Any Other Company!

Some home security customers who wish to switch their monitoring service may find out (after it's too late) that their alarm equipment is "proprietary" and/or "locked out". If this is the case, switching alarm companies will require a brand-new system, or payment of a service fee to have the system "unlocked".

Possible Solutions And/Or Explanation:
These methods are quite common in the industry. "Proprietary" means that although you may own the equipment, it can only be monitored by the company that installed it. If your system is hardwired, you may still be able to use some of the peripheral devices (i.e. the door and window contacts, motions, siren, etc.) but will definitely need to purchase a new control panel and keypad. "Locked out" means that the equipment can be monitored by just about any alarm company, but needs to be "unlocked" by the company that installed it. This involves a very short service call: the technician will use the alarm company's "installer code" to enter the programming mode and unlock your system, so that other alarm companies can access the programming features. An alarm company will never give you their installer code, as many use the same code for all of their installations. Giving you this code would present a critical security risk for them. Before signing any documents, be absolutely certain that your system will NOT be proprietary or locked out.

#3: The Ads Say The Alarm System Is Free, Yet My Quote Is For Hundreds Of Dollars!

We've all seen the ads for the "free" alarm system. But by the time we get the quote from the salesperson, it involves investing many hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in equipment.

Possible Solutions And/Or Explanation:
The "free" alarm system is a classic bait and switch scheme. The majority of these systems are extremely basic (i.e. two door contacts and one motion sensor) and do not offer even adequate security for the average home owner. In most cases, you will need to add more equipment for an effective alarm system which of course, isn't free. This topic can be quite involved, and we cover it in great detail on this page: Secrets of the "free" alarm system.

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