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Northstar Alarm Services uses their automatic contract renewal trap to force customers into extra years of service Orem Utah
We signed a contract with these guys in June of 2003 when a salesman came by our home. It seemed like a decent deal- service charges of $50/month for 3 years in return for a security system and service for those months. We soon found that the service was a ripoff, as we didn't receive anything from it even when the alarm went off. That being said- we called in July of 2006 to see when we could cancel and what the termination fee would be. There was a stiff penalty involved (I can't remember how much), so we agreed verbally on the phone to have the service through our termination date of June 2007.
1st part of the scam: Fast forward to June 2007. My wife calls Northstar and tells them that we would now like to terminate our contract. They tell us that we can't cancel over the phone. We must write a written request to cancel the service. This is the first part of the scam- make the customer physically write a letter, and hope that the customer doesn't get in the cancellation request on time.
2nd part of the scam: When we talked to Northstar on the phone, the representatives NEVER mentioned that our written cancellation request had to be made 60 days prior to the cancellation date. So we wrote the cancellation notice and sent it in. I then received a letter back saying that they couldn't cancel the service in June 2007 because of this issue.
3rd part of the scam: The letter I received also stated that since they did not receive my cancellation notice in time, that my contract would be extended until June 2008!
Somehow they got a full extra year out of this contract. Do I have the time to fight it? No. It is not worth the money. I did tell them repeatedly over the phone that the extra $600 they made from me would sacrifice their business and reputation in my town and neighborhood, and I will spend the rest of my life destroying their reputation whenever the "home security" subject comes up.
Craig
Sandy, Utah
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Justice
Orem,Utah,
U.S.A.
Read the contract ....
#3Consumer Comment
Thu, April 02, 2009
If you dont like what is in the contract .. do not sign up for the service.. All that matters is whats on paper. Ultimately you are responsible for what you sign up for. Seems simple to me.
Thekorean
Ogden,Utah,
U.S.A.
If this is a scam then so is all alarms
#3Consumer Comment
Fri, October 03, 2008
Every alarm company requires what you just described. Don't just point a finger because your alarm company follows suit. Call Brinks, ADT, Protection One, Monitronics...ANYONE. The cancallation is the same with them all.