ADT , Tyco ,ADT Security Tranfer your service and ADT will force you into another 2 year contract! Jacksonville, Florida
I've had service with ADT for the past 4 years. We recently purchased another home. I called ADT to transfer my service and they said that was fine. Before we could get moved into our new home ADT called persistently to activate service. After several weeks we finally activated service. ADT said they would send out a contract for me to sign.
The contract read I must commit to 3 years of service, although I was just transferring my service and would be charge $450 if canceled. I told them I would not sign another contract because I had completed my obligation to the original contract 2 years ago. I told ADT I would probably be with them for the next 30 years but I will not be treated like a new customer and forced into a contract after having continuous service for 4 years. ADT said it was not a transfer but a new service. I told them it was a transfer and I wasn't signing anything.
The CS Manager then got on the line and said she will change the contract to 2 years because that was the law in CA. I told her I still wasn't signing any contract. The Manager then said "It's not negotiable"! I told her my terms were not negotiable either! The Manager then said she was turning off my service. I said fine! I've since received letters from ADT asking me to sign the contract so they can reactivate but I refuse.
However, I found that the alarm still works by setting it and if the thing goes off my nosey neighbors will call the police. So screw ADT and there strong arm tactics. ADT also called my home leaving messages with forceful tones sounding like the police. In fact you would've thought they were the police with the tone they use.
L.
Oakland, California
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
N
Charlotte,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
reply has misinformation, but you are rightfully frustrated
#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, November 13, 2006
I used to be a Sales Rep for ADT, and believe me, I can understand your frustration. One of the reasons I quit was because I felt like I was too honest to work for them.
First of all, ADT has a lot of contradictions and "fine print." As far as I can remember, no such "transfer" service exists. And Sales Reps will usually tell you anything on the phone just so you'll let them in the door.
You would be considered a relo (relocation) in which you would be offered a discount on a new system (assuming you would leave your old system installed in your prior residence). If you chose to go through the trouble of removing your old system, and having it re-installed at your new residence, you would still be required to sign a new contract. At the sales office I worked at, as far as ADT paperwork is concerned, any new address would require a new contract regardless of how long you have been a customer.
In addition, your security alarm may be physically functioning (arming, disarming, etc), but obviously you will not receive any monitoring service as I'm sure you are well aware of by now. Unfortunately, Peter is a little misinformed about the mechanics of the ADT security system. It would take more than informing ADT of your new phone number to get the system monitored. Techs would have to service your system at your home and connect your system to your phone line (or test your cell guard if you don't have a land line). Also, they would have to reassign each of the devices (contacts, motion detectors, etc.) to the control panel. There is a series of tests and reports they have to send to the monitoring center to get your system "online". Then they can send zone assignments to the monitoring center.
Anyway, you may have gone through these motions with a tech, but unfortunately (unless things have changed in the past year), I don't remember any customers being able to simply transfer their service as you had hoped.
Here's a hint: If your hardware is functional, call another security system such as Brinks or another well-known security system (a small local security system is not usually recommended - a lot of them contract ADT to monitor their systems). Competitors love what they call "take-overs". You should own your hardware (unless you lived in an apt or you are USAA), and if another security company has a control panel that is compatible with your hardware, they usually give some awesome deals to come out and take over your system...but it usually still requires a contract.
Sorry about your experience. I know too many that had similar ones.
Peter
Lakewood,Colorado,
U.S.A.
Several Weeks?
#3UPDATE Employee
Thu, October 19, 2006
Did you have them turn off service at the house right away? If so, the problem may be that you waited so long to activate the system at the new house. That several weeks you mention could have cause a lot of confusion at the sales and service office.
If you gave them the exact date of the move, which I'm assuming you did, it shouldn't have been a problem. They just would have removed their equipment from the old house and installed it at the new house on the same day.
In either case, if the manager can't be made to understand that it's a transfer, you should just go with another monitoring company. Like you said, the system still works, so all the new company should have to change is the phone number the system calls when the alarm goes off, and upload your zone information to their database so they know which part of the house is being broken into.