- Report: #59431
Complaint Review: Monitronics International - Dallas Texas
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Monitronics International
12801 N. Stemmons Freeway Dallas, 75234 Texas, U.S.A.
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Monitronics International Renewing Contract Scam, they tricked and lied to me Dallas Texas
In approximately June of 2002 I called Monitronics to find out how and when I could cancel my contract. During that conversation I was informed that my contract was up in September 2002. I was instructed that I should send letter to Monitronics after that date and once they received the letter and had it on file, I could call and cancel my alarm system at any time. Not having a copy of my contract I followed these instructions. January 9th of 2003 I finally got around to sending this letter asking for cancellation. I was not contacted regarding this letter.
In February of 2003 I was billed for monthly service of $32.30. I called the Customer Support Line number found on my bank statement. The first time I called I was told that they had received my letter in January and that my service was scheduled to be turned off September 2003. I was quite surprised by this date being that it was going to take 8 months to cancel my service.
The representative then kept telling me I had renewed my contract for another year. I had not made such an agreement. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she refused to let me talk to anybody else. By the way she handled my phone call I could tell that I was by no means the first person to have this problem. Frustrated with this representative, I ended this phone call.
Approximately 2 hours later I called the phone number again and asked for a supervisor, the representative refused to transfer me. I explained my problem to the person and then was told I was being transferred, the phone then was disconnected on Monitornics end of the line.
The third time I called I was eventually transferred to a Mr. Jahmal Sap. I explained my situation again and he new exactly what I was talking about. He sympathized with me and said there was nothing he could do to end my service. I informed him that I would be contacting every person possible to resolve this matter as I feel I was scammed.
Mr. Sap then went on and explained how the sales representatives hide this details of the contract when they sell them. He explained how he used to sell cars and how he would do the same thing. He then ended with telling me that most of these end up in the hands of attornies. This was not a very good justification for me of why I was getting ripped off. Mr. Sap then agreed to fax me a copy of the contract so I could read the fine print. Approximately 2 days later I did receive that fax.
I now have read all the small print that was hidden in the contract. It is my belief that this contract was manipulative and incomplete. There was no means for me to ever cancel this contract for any reason excluding the 90 day period once a year. I then did some searching on the internet!
I typed in Montronics International, Inc and the 3rd link on the search engine was a page called Rip-Off Repor.com. The reports on this company all told of the exact same run around and story that I had experienced. I am very up-set I did not see this page before I ever talked to that sales representative.
What ever you do do not sign a contract with this company! They are not helpful and they will find a way to scam you! This warning goes for all security companies!
Chris
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
In February of 2003 I was billed for monthly service of $32.30. I called the Customer Support Line number found on my bank statement. The first time I called I was told that they had received my letter in January and that my service was scheduled to be turned off September 2003. I was quite surprised by this date being that it was going to take 8 months to cancel my service.
The representative then kept telling me I had renewed my contract for another year. I had not made such an agreement. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she refused to let me talk to anybody else. By the way she handled my phone call I could tell that I was by no means the first person to have this problem. Frustrated with this representative, I ended this phone call.
Approximately 2 hours later I called the phone number again and asked for a supervisor, the representative refused to transfer me. I explained my problem to the person and then was told I was being transferred, the phone then was disconnected on Monitornics end of the line.
The third time I called I was eventually transferred to a Mr. Jahmal Sap. I explained my situation again and he new exactly what I was talking about. He sympathized with me and said there was nothing he could do to end my service. I informed him that I would be contacting every person possible to resolve this matter as I feel I was scammed.
Mr. Sap then went on and explained how the sales representatives hide this details of the contract when they sell them. He explained how he used to sell cars and how he would do the same thing. He then ended with telling me that most of these end up in the hands of attornies. This was not a very good justification for me of why I was getting ripped off. Mr. Sap then agreed to fax me a copy of the contract so I could read the fine print. Approximately 2 days later I did receive that fax.
I now have read all the small print that was hidden in the contract. It is my belief that this contract was manipulative and incomplete. There was no means for me to ever cancel this contract for any reason excluding the 90 day period once a year. I then did some searching on the internet!
I typed in Montronics International, Inc and the 3rd link on the search engine was a page called Rip-Off Repor.com. The reports on this company all told of the exact same run around and story that I had experienced. I am very up-set I did not see this page before I ever talked to that sales representative.
What ever you do do not sign a contract with this company! They are not helpful and they will find a way to scam you! This warning goes for all security companies!
Chris
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Thomas
Palo Alto,California,
U.S.A.
To the Monitronics employee
#2Consumer Comment
Thu, March 11, 2004
The Monitronics rebuttal shows exactly what's wrong with the security industry, they treat the customer like they are idiots. Let's be honest here, if they provided a good service, they wouldn't care if you cancel the contract. As it is, they won't let you cancel the contract until a certain time period is up, no matter your circumstances. My situation is pretty typical. I had the system installed, used it for 4 years, then sold the house. They will not cancel the service. To be technically correct they do "accept" the cancellation, but it is not effective until the year is up. That leads to absurd situations--My service runs from 1/6/2004 to 1/6/2005. I moved out of the house on 1/14/2004. Now any decent company who cared about customer service will say, "we don't want you paying for something you're not using." Not these people. They are sticklers to the contract and will force me to pay $360 for a year's worth of service, even though I only used the service for 8 days in 2004. Moreover, they refuse to send me written acknowledgement that the service is cancelled. All I want is a letter from them saying, "your contract expires on 1/6/2005 and will not be renewed." But that is too hard for them.
Steve
Vancouver,Washington,
U.S.A.
Common Sense Rules ..I can attest to the damage that companies like this have caused our industry.
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, October 22, 2003
As a Security Professional I can attest to the damage that companies like this have caused our industry. My first suggestion? Do not let them rush you into an immediate installation. All agreements are bound by Federal guidelines. The most important one is your 3-day right of recision. The same as buying a used car. Take this time to read the agreement. If you dont feel comfortable, hold off. It's your right. Second, do not agree to any sales over the phone. Ask to see a representative in person. That way, if you have any questions they should be able to answer them. If not, dont sign. Standard contract length is three years, but that can be negotiated with the salesperson while they are there in front of you. Most agreements roll over to 1 year agreements, except in certain states (Oregon for example). In these cases the agreement reverts to a 30 day time frame after the initial term has ended. The company I work for has this provision stated near the top of the agreement, in bold print, and the customer must initial it or the agreement cannot be completed. Last, ask how long the salesperson has been doing this type of sales. The sad truth is that most Security Salespeople have an average of 6-weeks experience. They have a hard time knowing what they are doing, let alone getting you what you need. You can aid yourself greatly by taking your time, not buying from the guy canvassing your neighborhood (Free System Anybody?), and using resources like this website, the BBB, and others. Not all Security Companies are the same, some respect and treasure their customers. That is how we earn your referrals.
Terry
Dallas,Texas,
U.S.A.
In Response To "Red Light, What Red Light? - Chris"
#4UPDATE Employee
Thu, June 26, 2003
Please also see my response to the whiner from Mundelein, Illinois. Recap of paragraph 1 from "Smell What Coffee?" Chris. By losing the contract copy you were given when the man worked for 2-3 hours in your home, you were setting it up or arranging it so that you could be surprised by what you had agreed to 2 years and 9 months before. (Almost all contracts are 3 years). Your words make it clear you never read it anyway. You could have had another copy faxed to you 2 years before by the way. The "fine print" line is an out and out lie. All contract are legal length - 14". The copy that was faxed to him is reduced to letter size because so many of these people who "lose" their contracts have old or cheap faxes that won't reproduce legal length, but everyone trying to avoid admitting they didn't take care of business like an adult seems to use that line. By the way, the way he words paragraph 3 actually means that he was so insulting and ugly with the girl that her distaste for his (or her) bullying showed in her voice. What happened (I am certain) was that she explained that supervisors return callback requests in the order they are recieved (how horrible) so when this consumer realized he couldn't bully the girl into bumping him to the front of the line,- he hung up on her. Think of a word that rhymes with murk. I can't cover all the lies and less than half truths here, but I must point out 1 more, his "excluding the 90 day period once a year" is a clear cut lie since he admits he now has a copy of the contract. (I doubt that he is illiterate and can't read). What it actually says is that written notice must be given at least 90 days prior to the end of the contract, meaning in a 36 month contract, notice can be given anytime in the first 33 months. In actuality, the company accepts as little as 30 days notice EVEN WHEN THE CUSTOMER AGREED to more, meaning in a standard 36 month contract - you have 35 months to give notice. THIRTY-FIVE! LESSON- (To the HONEST people reading this) - READ THE CONTRACT - YOU ARE AGREEING TO THINGS THAT WILL BE INPUT IN A COMPUTER AND IT WILL NOT FORGET THEM. And don't buy the whining crooks who pretend this is something horrible - thats stupid. The contract protects YOU, too!!!!!!!! The contract is the actual company explaining what they expect in return for giving you equipment and having a man work for you with no major upfront money. AND EVEN MORE THAN THAT- the contract protects you from the salesman so hungry for a commission that he starts lieing (like every one of the complainers in these 12 complaints). If he is promising something that is not printed in the contract- have him write it in clear English on the contract, initial the addition and make sure he signs at the bottom and get a businesscard showing that company name and his name and save it with the contract. In my several decades of working in credit and collections, I have never worked for a company that wouldn't honor an addition done this way, even if they would lose big money honoring it. None of the 12 complaints on this page seem to have any grasp of how to do good business like an adult. Their momma-s should copy the previous paragraph and pin it to their shirt pockets. P.S. - if the commission salesman refused to do what I detailed, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU,duh.
