ADT Upsell Effort Results in Negative Online Review

The ADT Security commercial for the $99.00 installation is a lie and scam!  Do not fall for it...  When the gentleman came in to install our system he first walked around the home to see how many windows and doors we have.  First let me start off by saying the $99.00 installation comes with 2 motion detectors and 2 door alarms.  The first thing the installation guy said is we need a wireless communicator so if we lose power or our phone line the police would still be notified, right there was an additional $149.00 plus an additional $5.00 a month in monitoring fees.

This is a classic ploy: upsell to cellular monitoring, and add more equipment. While I agree 100% that cellular monitoring is safer, there are companies (and FrontPoint is one of them) that include the cellular radio in every system – and do not extra charge upfront. And, there's no extra charge for cellular monitoring, when every FrontPoint system includes it.

It Gets Worse

So then he went outside and did a walk around the home and went into his vehicle for about 30 minutes.  We had no idea what was going on.  Eventually he came back in and was carrying boxes and boxes of items, and I thought here we go.  He first stated to guard our whole home, Fort Knox security he called it: it was going to cost us $1,700.00!!!!  My first response was no way.  So he said “OK, I understand - I have another great deal which will still keep you and your family safe, and the cost is $800.00!!”  I told him no way again: we have two doors (the system came with two door sensors), and the two motion detectors (also included) should protect the interior.  When I told him no, his response was, “I guess you do not care about your family’s safety.”  My mouth hit the floor, and so did my wife.

Others Experienced the Same Thing

Our home is not that large: where the two motion detectors and two door sensors in place, if someone breaks in, the alarm will go off immediately.  So, be prepared for more cost when they show up, and they will tell you, you are a bad person if you don’t take the higher priced system.  When my contract is up I will be going to another company.  I do not need an installation person insulting my choices.  On top of it something that should take an hour took almost four hours because he would not stop about upgrading the system.  We have friends who went with ADT and ran into the same problem, so I recommend staying away from ADT.  I emailed ADT about the experience after he left and never heard a word from ADT.

I just posted on this issue late last year in this blog article, since it’s a pet peeve of mine. And it happens that some of ADT’s authorized dealers are thought to be serious offenders. With roughly 6,000,000 domestic alarm customers, both homes and business, ADT is by far the largest provider of electronic security in the US - if not the world. And since no company is perfect, with that number of customers, it’s only fair to expect that ADT will receive its fair share of complaints. Plus, the Internet review sites have certainly made life tougher for service providers in general. But many of these complaints are about sales practices, which is troublesome for those alarm companies (like FrontPoint) who do their best to protect homes and families with as much transparency as possible.

A Better Alternative

How about a fully programmed and comprehensive alarm system where you decide (with our expert assistance) what constitutes peace of mind for you – and then you pay less for it? You can even set the equipment up yourself in half an hour, then then enjoy the most advanced features you’ll find in home security and home automation. These systems are out there, and FrontPoint offers just such a solution. And when it’s time to move, you simply take the system with you: no charge, no contract extension, and no hassle. That’s security with convenience, and trust.

As one of the few nationwide providers of advanced home security, FrontPoint regularly competes against ADT and other large companies who seem to act as if bigger automatically means better – at least that’s the way they are often perceived. As a younger and more nimble alarm company, FrontPoint has led the alarm industry with peace of mind that is safer, smarter, simpler, more affordable, and virtually impossible to defeat. And we care deeply about every customer review we receive – both positive and negative. That’s why we’re the leader in wireless home security, and  the #1 ranked alarm company in the US.