twist of fait accomplis

I recall my parents had an ADT system on their first house. They seemed happy with it as much as I can remember, except they had a lot of false alarms. When they moved, however, they opted to go with another company for the new house.

We have an alarm system here but it's not ADT. I can tell you however that ADT has a cool theme song "ADT. we're home even when you're not!"

I had an alarm system when I lived in Portland (and I was burglarized once, but I had failed to turn on the alaram that night), and had a three year contract. Anyways, just yesterday I sent in my payment of $767.85 because I broke my contract :-( I only fulfilled 1.5 years of the three year contract.

I also don't understand why alarm service costs $30+/month. When I was a customer, their biggest expense was billing me.

Thena -- False alarms kind of suck, but from what the police in my area have said, the newer ADT systems have the lowest rate of false alarms of any brand (plus we get three "free" false alarms a month).

Terry -- WOW. $767.85... that's a lot. I checked and breaking the contract for ADT only costs $175, which sucks, but isn't terrible if we should really need to cancel.

They just came and installed the system, and it seems pretty decent -- easy to use, decent quality. I always get stressed when I leave home for more than a day, so maybe this'll give me a little more piece of mind.

adt sucks is an understatement. try and cancel their services, they lie, stall and harass you with bills for seervices they do not provide. stay away from adt and do yourself a big favor!!!!

I don't get! It's as if some people run around with pens in their hands and blindfolds on! I got the system because I have a little girl and I have to work nights sometimes so it's something I need. So when I invited the salesman in, I asked him 3 very simple questions. 1- What's included in my monthly rate? 2- What happens if I move? 3- How long is the CONTRACT for? He gave me the strait for as good as a SALESMAN can! I took the time to read the the thing and I agreed. If you get a free cel phone on a 2 year contract, go ahead and cancel it and see what happens. Another thing if you think things are better with the other comanies you're dead wrong! All these alarm companies install the same stuff and hire the same kinds of sales people! So read your contract and next time a sales person shows up shut the door if you're not interested.

I actually am a salesman for ADT and wanted to point out something. The free system you got was throught an authorised ADT dealer since ADT direct has never offered this. Most of these dealers are great and the one you had sounds good. Most of the complaints we get are from dealer account as they do sometimes hire people for short periods of time.

I think ADT should die. They are rude on the phone. They trick you into getting the service. They use stall tactics.

When the guy came to my house, he did not mention anything about "two-way" voice for an extra charge. My first bill, I have a charge for this. They say I can not break it because it is necessary for the equipment they installed.

I tried to break my contract and they basically told me I would ha ve to pay thousands of dollars for the crappy 100 equipment.

DO NOT GET ADT!!!!!!!!!!

Boycott ADT, their prehistoric hostile business practice have great competition from friendly companies.

I just had this sleazy sales pitch from an ADT salesman. The pitch goes like this. "I'm a manager for ADT and I'm in your neighborhood in advance of my salesmen who'll be coming through here soon. I like the location and look of your property and we'd like to have an ADT lawn sign visible to your neighbors." I told him I wouldn't be comfortable doing that and he told me, "...of course we'll provide you with a free alarm system - no obligation". I said thanks, but no thanks and did some Googling. There are many reports of folks getting hit with this apparently standard ADT sales tactic. It was shady back in the aluminum siding days and it's even sleazier today. There are ads on Craigslist hiring folks based on the same deceptive pitch. You're not selling door-to-door, you're placing demonstration systems so that lawn signs are visible.

I had an ADT wireless system installed a few weeks ago. Right now it is not functioning properly because there is something wrong with the signal. It is very expensive and I am not satisfied with it, but it's too late to get a refund. Anyone else have a bad experience with the wireless system?

I just cancelled my ADT service and am never looking back. This company is big enough that it doesn't have to give a crap about you. My battery needed replacing but they did not leave the key to the alarm box when they installed it. So I placed a service call and had to pick a 4-hour block and stay at home waiting for them to grace me with their presence. They never showed up, nor did they provide the courtesy of a phone call. Their support staff is useless and they never said a word when I cancelled, which told me they didn't care. I wish I'd known this beforehand but maybe I'll save somebody else some money and trouble.

ADT sucks. If you have problems, they blame it on the rep company that you bought it from. The rep co. in turn will blame ADT and you will get NO RESOLUTION to any problems. ADT has a money back gurantee listed on their website and the ADT people I spoke to on the phone didn't even know it existed nor that it was on their website. Goes to show how often ADT honors their "money back gurantee". Their employees don't even know about it. Choose another alarm company.

I am a commercial installer for Security company. I have read the complaints... comments... and have concluded many things. There will be many complaints about alarm systems all the time. you cant avoid it. for a company that installs hundreds of systems a day, you are bound to have a few problems here and there. It's like anything you may buy, sometimes there are problems. Now don't get me wrong. These individual experiences are horrible, but they are not frequent. I have installed Huge government systems down to the little basic package. Usually when there is a problem with a system, its a problem with the "new" equipment that the installer recieves. There isnt much a fella can do about it.

As for service calls, and when a tech "graciously" comes by. I have done service as well. The service guys from any company are overworked. They do try thier best to get out and fix your problem is a prompt manor. With the flood of customer caused problems out there, the poor tech can lose track of his schedule. Now i know, we all have the occasional dick head come to our house to change out our battery. What if he is having a bad day, or is just a shitty tech to put it bluntly? Think of the jerk at work that doesnt get much done, or is totally incompetent. Would you like your company or the place you worked at judged by his/her actions?

Basically what im trying to say is, sure ADT is a big faceless corporation, but there are still human beings working for them, and like all they are imperfect and make mistakes.

As for salesmen? well they are inherently evil and because i come from the technician/installation side, i cant speak for them :D

Technicians are people too!

I worked for this company for over 8 years. I loved it, great product. Then withen the last 3 years management has changed with a new Tyco ceo, ADT president, Managers all over that think they have the next great idea. ADT is not what they use to be. Please shop around before you commit to 3 or 5 year contract. P.S. ADT uses dealers that don't care about you or your house.

I am sure there are good technicians out there. This is not the point. The point is ADT is a nightmare to deal! If a person takes off from work (like I did twice) and the service call never happens there is a fundamental problem with the company. When I asked them to send someone after hours to fix my problem since they never showed up when they were supposed to, ADT wanted to charge me. To whom should I send MY BILL for two lost days! This company SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS at every level. When I called to complain about TWO missed appointments they were annoyed with me. WTF! I know I am the little guy here, so I am voting with my feet and leaving this service. Don't waste your time with this company, they certainly don't for the customer!

ADT has the worst customer service. They are rude on the phone, do not listen, will not answer your questions. The "package" always costs more than the "package". Even if you pay them the full 2 or 3 years contract up front they will still insist on running your credit. Do not use them. I will not again.

I dont get you people? You sign up for something for free, then get upset when things dont work out as promised.
what did you expect to get when you didnt pay anything for the system, that the Corp office wanted 1000 bucks for? I am a realtor and see people going with the "dealers of adt" as well as ADT and the people that go with the corp office are, from my experience with ADT 99% happy, where as the "dealer" people get a lower price, they hate the system. Go figure, is this actually another industry (like all of them) where you get what you pay for? If anyone wants, I 've got a great ADT guy that i've referred may people to, not just here in california, but in a few other areas that could help with issues i 'm sure. email me if you need the info
jeffinthe9@comcast.net

My neighbor has an ADT system, as the house was empty after they moved before they sold it. While they were out of town it started going off. I guess all they got was the system, not the monitoring because the police didn't show up until someone in the neighborhood called to complain that the alarm had been going off for hours. Later that day I called ADT and was treated pretty poorly (I'm not a customer, but still) and they said they would "try" to find someone in the area to turn it off. Two days later, its still going off and the police are there for the fourth time. I give them a key, and they call ADT and say they either get it turned off or they cut the power. I guess they found a volume control or something, as it got quieter, but it was still going. I'm pretty sure somebody is going to have to pay a fine, and I think it should be ADT for being such jerks, but my neighbor also never contacted the police to tell them the house would be empty, especially when they are out of town.

I work for a LARGE competitor of ADT, not Brink's, and we hear complaints all the time. You guys are right when you say customers are usually the problem, but that is true of any service based industry. It is the companies responsibility to help the customer resolve the issue.
There are some things the companies can resolve and some things the customers have to resolve. Sending a technician out to a customers house costs money and if companies did that all the time for free for non-service related issues, they would lose money and their rates would go up constantly(like ADTs do all the time).
The original post obviously was a customer that had a FREE system installed by obviously an ADT dealer. The dealers make their money by selling your service contract to ADT corporate and you are at the bottom of the food chain when you sign up for this service, of course they are not going to tell you this; that's how they make their money. These dealers offer FREE FREE FREE, but it costs consumers in the long run.
The dealers have sales people at best with high school educations, motivated to sale for commission. They will do what ever they have to, to sale you a system, and say what ever they have to not above lying. The technicians for dealers are contractors most of the time that have not had any kind of criminal or drug testing.
Do your home work before you get a free system installed from ANY company. Do you REALLY want your home secured by a company that is going to do it for free?
A security system is a life safety device, it may save your life one day. Forget the contract, monitoring rate, and intial cost, if you are serious about protecting your family, consider the important elements like the design, layout and coverage of the system.
This equipment isn't cheap and is not available to the general public, it does take a trained professional to install the equipment and program these devices.
If you want to save money buy all your equipment on ebay, have some one install it unless you are an educated do it yourselfer and then can have a reputable company to come out and activate it with a montoring station that is UL certified.
If you choose to get the monitoring from a local company make sure they use a UL monitoring center, and be careful because these small companies typically close their doors and sell there customers to companies like ADT, which means your rates will go up and you will get the same service as the people in this post. Security is a serious business, these companies are responsible for peoples lives, keep that in mind when you are shopping.

I have ADT at home and at work. I've had to call ADT for service both at work and at home. Once they wanted to charge me but I complained and they fixed it for free. They also showed up when they said they would and I found the techs to be excellent. I'm a happy customer.

ADT is good, when you cut out the crap of the dealers. If youre going to sign up for service, be sure to check out their custom home service, I just got upgraded to that , and its cool, different signs and services that so far i like. Just a thought for the people that are looking for something different

I think these blogs are the target for angry people who just feel like saving the world when something bad happens to them. But if you have hundreds of thousands customers, you can expect a little percent to hate you, because no one is perfect and companies make mistakes.

I live in Mexico City. I have an ADT system in my house, and a cousin and my parents also have one in thems. They dont charge for false alarms, as someone implied above. They do have 3 years contracts, but I don't have any complaints. When I have had to call them (because the adt sign fell down and because a cable fell down from the wall) they responded rapidly and came to fix the problem.

They called me when my battery lost charge due to a blackout. They are always kind at the phone. I really dont have complaints.

As the author of the original post, I feel I should point out that we've now had our ADT system for over five years and haven't had any troubles. We've been alerted promptly when the alarm has gone off and the dispatchers have been courteous and helpful.

The only two minor complaints I have: 1. I was surprised that ADT can't remotely disable an alarm (meaning if you're away and your alarm is going off, you have to go home to disable it completely), and 2. the door sensors' tape is pretty flimsy. We've had to add our own extra layer of tape to provide enough support to keep them from falling off.

But, both minor things. We've been very happy with ADT thusfar.

I am an employee of ADT. I work in the sales department and I would like to say that ADT is a joke. We have NO customer retention department and if you are the one of five customers that have problems, it will never be resolved.

If you have been a customer and try to upgrade, you will never get that upgrade. Try to call the local office and ask a sales rep to upgrade your system. Sales reps get 10% of a $99.00 up grade, which is less than $10.00. We will never waste our time. Sales reps - the only customer service that exists, do not care about customer retention becasue we get paid absolutly nothing to retain customers. All we care about is bringing in new customers and servicing our existing customers. In a perfect system, that would work great, however turn over is one of the highest in the industry and a new sales rep wont care.

ADT advertises that we are the only one offering digital technology for cell back up. This is not true. We say we are the only one with multiple monitoring centers - not true. We say we are bigger than the next 99 competitors added up - not true. We say we service 25 million customers and is Americans number one choice. Lets look at that. We are only that big becasue we buy up all the little security companies and take over their equipment that we call junk when bidding aganist them before taking them over. But when we take them over, their equipment becomes good enough for us to charge $34.99 a month for monitoring with their junk equipment.

No previous handyman skills is necessary to be an ADT instaler and ADT claims they drug test all installers - yes, when they are first hired and never again. We say it's professionally installed and the truth is that its probably installed by a guy who has been their less than two years. I saw a customer pay for monitoring for 13 years and we were never monitoring and he had a fire and lost everything. We never owned up to our mistake and covered it up. He got one smoke detector out of the deal.

ADT is a joke. They got all my emergency contacts numbers wrong and all my billing wrong. As an employee, my check is wrong almost every week. Customers are transferred around so many times and ultimately end up talking to a sales rep who only cares about new customers. ADT is exactly where Dell and Sprint PCS was before they took a dive.

I have been a loyal ADT customer for years. Last year when I needed to change my windows, I had to also upgrade my system. In the summer, my carbon monoxide detectors started to beep - ALOT. The tech came out in a week to fix it. While here, he was asked to look at all of the other monitors, to make sure that they were all connected correctly. Well, he fixed the broken one, but then slowly one by one, all of the other ones started to act up. And I can honestly say he JUST LOOKED at them - never touched them.

I have had 3 months of hell with this. I just called again, and was told that I will have to wait 1 month to have a tech here, to fix an alarm that keeps going off every 5-7 minutes. The beep is making us all nervous and crazy. By the 3rd time he came here, he was asked to look at and fix each detector.....and of course now each one has a separate issue.

I am truly sorry that I went with ADT.
I will check to see how long my contract is, and as soon as I can, I will change.

Someone else said that they don't care - you are right. The national calling center could care less what my alarm is doing here on the east coast.

I Went withvSafeTouch security in Florida. It is Awesome 2 way communicator verifys the alarm before sending the police. They showed me on my contract it says they WILL call the police. My buddy has ADT it says they wil ENDAVOR (TRY) to call the police. My house was robbed while I was at work . Safe touch has a 45 second quaranteed response time for them. So they started talking in the house to verify my name and password. The theifs could not. Before they could get my TV out of my house the police where their.

I hate ADT. I have a wireless system that has worked maybe 60% of the time. They always tell me its the signal. I live in a major city so there should never be a problem with the signal. I have had to leave work early countless numbers of times to deal with ADT. Three of those times I left work early and ADT did not show up nor call me to tell me they were not coming. Not only that - the two installers who did the job were fired. Every piece of equipment they placed in my house as part of the system has had to be replaced. They also placed the wrong motion detector in the house (not pet sensitive) despite the fact I made it clear that was what I needed. For several days I kept getting calls that the alarm was going off - it was the pets. I hate ADT and will never ever use them again. I want everyone to know that WHATEVER YOU DO - DO NOT GET ADT!!!!! By the way I have not even had the system for a year.

I just read a coomplaint from Maura on June 5, 2006 3:21 PM , above, about sa system she had for a few wekks, how it wasn't working and she was stuck with it.
ADT offers a 6 month guarantee - anytime you decide to cancel, they will refund every cent paid (including monitoring), remove the system and leave - no questions asked.

I don't see how she's stuck with it, unless she bought it from a dealer and it's NOT ADT equipment but only monitored BY ADT (which would clearly leave the impressions that she has an ADT system).

Be careful when you buy - buy only from someone who works directly for the company, not a dealer. You'll have no complaints then.

I am glad to find this blog. I've had service with ADT for the past 4 years. We recently purchased another house less than 5 minutes away from the old house. ADT offered to transfer service for free. However, they want me to sign a 3 year contract and I was just with them for 4 years at our old house. I FLAT OUT REFUSED! Why should I sign a contract and I'm only transferring my service. ADT said it's non-negotiable and I told them I'm non negotiable too! Besides they wanted me to start paying quarterly when I've been paying monthly. Also I hate when they were calling my home leaving messages about the contract trying to sound like the police or something with some authority in their voice. ADT IF YOUR READING THIS SCREW YOU!! YOU'LL NEED ME BEFORE I NEED YOU. That's why I moved to a better neighborhood anyway.

Same problem here. I had ADT 6 years ago for 1 year and moved. When I moved I was told that if the service was turned on by the new owner then there would be no termination fee. This was after I told the sales man he could have the equipment back. Well the new owner picked up service I call and check and the balance is zero. six years later I get a call from a collection agency for $500. I call ADT and "The balance is Zero...wait a minute there is an early termination fee on this account" now they are demanding their termination fee and even thought the previous owner picked up service with the existing equipment they are not crediting the account.

I understand the charge if you get the system for free, but when it is paid for and service continues on the same equipment. That is a shady business model.

ADT -- Stay away.

the free system is a piece of garbage. Lynx and simon panels are what is referred to as a seek and destroy system. because the keypad is also the cpu includes the dialer the communicator etc. if they rip it off the wall the system is dead in the water. normal security system the keypad is seperate from the cpu in a locked metal tamper-proof box.I would not put the Lynx or simon in my dogs house.plus you are dealing with an adt dealer not adt, there is a big difference. ADt is the most expensive company out there. better to go with a local UL listed company.

I am currently an ADT residential sales representative ( corporate ), going on my 22nd year in that capacity. I was equally amused and disheartened at all of the negative ADT talk on this site. Let me address some of these issues;
* Not all but I would say the great majority of pissed off customers are dealing w/ ADT "authorized dealers", not corporate ADT. These are little mom & pop outfits that get X ammount of money to sell the monitored contracts they have secured back to corporate to monitor. These "trunk slammers" use all sub contracted installers, they sell el crapo' systems ( Lynx and Simon are the two most common models ) which we refer to as "plug and play" systems. There is no separate steel control panel anywhere in the house, the one console has everything in it ( CPU, siren, touchpad, etc. )....extremly easy to install and defeat! The fact I have to compete against these "schlock" companys using our name is another matter...NOT happy w/ that arrangement...but ADT gets a monitored account out of the deal. We get so many complaint calls from customers who think they have bought from us ( corporate ) only to find they did business w/ an authorized dealer. A free or $99. system?!?! What did your parents tell you about things that sounded to good to be true?
* Like a lot of business', ADT makes it's money on re-occuring revenue ( monthly monitoring ) Every company in the business has a 3 to 5 year monitoring commitment, ADT is 3 ( 2 for USAA members ). As of the last few years, ADT has gone to a very reasonable cancellation program. If you make it at least one year, $200. is the worst penalty you will incur if you quit service. If you make it two years, $100. The worst case is if you quit within the 1st year...$450. Every other company in the business will charge you the entire balance of your 3 or 5 year monitoring agreement! Also we RARELY end up penalizing anyone because the 2 things that get you off the hook ( if you move ) is if the new homeowner takes over the monitoring ( worth it for the homeowner insurance discounts alone )OR you initiate ADT services in your new residence....and we have SWEET relocation discounts. But you don't "transfer" your service. You would start another 3 year term at the new home....to do it any other way would be a bad business plan for ADT...( another thing w/ ADT you OWN the sytem, most co's retain ownership of the system and will attempt to repocess the system if you cancel the service! )
*Like the cable company, plumber, electrician or any other type of service business that runs mutiple calls a day it is necassary to give a four hour window. ( But no showing a customer w/ out a call is of course inexcusable ) ADT will upon request call a customer at work or on a cell when he is in route to their home so they won't have to wait for an extended time.
*ADT has problems! We are a big company and somtimes things do fall thru the cracks leaving customers "holding the bag". However, ADT WILL ultimately make things right w/ that customer. One thing that goes along w/ being so big is that we are a very stable company with the infrastructure in place to make sure things get done. We do everything by the book at ADT. Every couple of years I have to go thru DCJS ( depart. of criminal justice service ) training to keep my registration current. Our installers also have these DCJS classes plus other training hoops to jump thru if thy want to stay employed w/ us. All of our tech's are fingerprinted, background checked, etc. Most other company simply could care less about these procedures.
.........anyway sorry about this dissertation but as a long time ADT employee I'm very proud of my company. I have received many nice phone calls over the years from customers telling me that the Burgulary/Fire system i sold them actually did it's job and averted a tragedy in their home! Talk about a call that makes your day!
.......Craig Springfield, VA

I meant to leave my email address; crccook@adt.com

The last commenter stated that most of the time you are dealing with a dealer, and not ADT corperate. I've tried calling their 1800 number and their online chat, and neither of the people I talked to had ever read the residential contract, so I don't think they are going to be helpful. I recently cancelled an ADT contract within the 3 day cancellation period. Now the salesman is stalling, probably so he has enough time to put my check in the bank. My biggest concern was their contract terms, in paragraph 6 it states:

No liability, limited liability. Paraphrasing here: If it is determined that we or any of our agents, employees, subsuduarues, affiliates or parent companies are directly or indirectly responsible for any loss, damage, injury or other consequence, you agree that the damages shall be limited to the greater of $500 or 10% of the annual service charge you pay under this contract. This is your sole remedy no matter how the loss, damage, injury, or other consequence is causeed, EVEN IF CAUSED BY OUR NEGLIGENCE

So basically, ADT and any of its reps or installers could should up with a bull dozer and plow through your house and they would only be liable for $500.00 The contract goes on to state that they aren't responsible if their system doesn't work, and that they are not responsible for delays in their service.

So basically what you have in ADT is a 100 year old company that fails to stand behind ANY of its work and backs it up in writing that you won't hold it against them if they don't.

I love it when they throw in that the government uses them to try and get you to sign. The government gives grants to people to study cow farting, why should I take their use of ADT as a symbol that their service doesn't blow?

If you don't read the contract before you sign then PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, read it before the cancellation period is up.

EVERY, i repeat EVERY alarm company in the idustry has almost verbatim "limit of liability" clauses! We are not insurance company's.
If the system does not do it's job and a breakin is sucessful ( we will pay your insurance deductible up to $500. in that event ) we do have the aformentioned limit of liability but that's what YOU have insurance for!
And if our tech. screw's up and damages your home during installation we will of course pay for damages....that's what WE have insurance for!
Also ADT has a 6 month money back guarantee that is unheard of in our business..."If within the first six month's there is a problem that can not be resolved to you satisfaction we will remove the system and refund all installation and monitoring fees paid"
...Craig

People, People, People!

If you only knew!

I currently work for ADT and have held many positions in this organization. I have worked for ADT in Cincinnati Ohio for almost 20 years now. I would advise all who are looking for a reliable company to STAY AWAY FROM ADT! Why you might ask? Well let me explain a few of my personal insights that may help you with your decision.

1) In the past 7 years or so, ADT has been using "Authorized Dealers" whom often miss-represent themselves as being "true" employees of ADT. The ADT dealers are paid to aggressively market ADT products and install systems at a high production pace. They have the "get in and out" mentality and have very little regard for the customer's concerns or needs. I have seen many, many, many upset customers who have complained that their system were slammed in and were unprofessionally installed. Usually it isn't until an incident occurs (i.e. House burns down, house or business is robbed) and the system fails that ADT customer finally realizes what kind of engineered system they actually purchased. I started this note with regards to ADT "Authorized Dealers" but let me tell you, the same unethical practices exist even in the "true" ADT local branches! I have conveyed my concerns regarding these issues to the techs involved, the install supervisors and even the branch manager on several occasions, and all of whom act as though I'm stirring trouble and most always resulted in my concerns falling on deaf ears.

2) Under-trained technical personnel! New systems are very often installed prior to the technicians receive PROPER (sometimes ANY) training on the new systems! VERY SERIOUS ISSUE HERE! After all, we are talking about security and life safety systems here right? This actually has been an issue for years and is still a troubling real issue today!

3) Incomplete or bait-n-switch installations! It is very common to have items sold to be installed, to actually be not installed or swapped-out with a lesser value/quality device. Example situations: The sales representative may sell 4 power supplies and only three are required for the systems design. Well guess what!... ADT almost never makes the credit adjustment with the customer and the customer still pays for 4! Is this stealing? Hmmm… a security company stealing? Another example: The sales representative sells a 96 hour Gyer DVR ($850.00) (top of the line DVR) for the customers CCTV surveillance system being installed and during the install it was realized that the Gyer DVR was never ordered, or was the wrong model. For the sake of the jobs profit margin (oh… the sacred profit margin!) the tech is often instructed to stop-in the office to pull a lesser value DVR from the shelf just to get a sign-off from the customer to close the job so as to not to affect the production (time is money!)

You may be asking by now, why are you still with this company? Well I don’t have a good explanation at this point, but I do personally continue with struggle with this question.
Maybe it’s to shed the light for people like you whom want to know the truth!
And to any ADT management personnel who try identify the author of these exposed truths, well lets just say I have years of documented details and specifics which would be very harmful to the false image ADT tries to hide behind.

Sorry if I have disappointed any current ADT customers! Please check your system completely and check your contracts to make sure you have received what you purchased!!

Regards,

ADT employee 2006

ADT Employee 2006....I suggest you try working for another alarm company. The alarm industry as a whole is not known for it great service. ADT happens to be the best of the worst.
The problem in our area ( VA ) is the aforementioned "authorized dealers". They are truly bottom feeding, sign and never see them again, scum. The corporate ADT office gets it right.

I used to work for the greedy by number's company ADT. Let me tell you, this company treats it's Central Station staff and customer's like dirt! Brink's is another Co i used to work for that was bad also! I have been on the phone with customer's being killed, when i was told to "hang up, get the next alarm". These company's do not care about your safety! They treat customer's like a number. They rate their dispatcher's by stats. i.e. how many alarms you work in a shift. All they care about is the employee taking the next alarm. When i worked for ADT, we always had alarms that waited in a que for hours waiting to be picked up and worked. I can tell you many stories of people raped, killed etc. beacuse of storms in area's of the country and alarm's that are real and can not be worked beacuse of not enough staff to handle them. These company's want to use the least amount of worker's possible. It all comes down to MONEY & PROFITS! The customer is no longer a concern! If a dispatcher does not have good enough stat's, or you stay on the phone with a customer too long, YOUR FIRED!!! Please use a local CO, that has local UL Monitoring! It may save your life someday!!

People getting "raped and murdered" while customers wait in que for "hours"....what a bunch of bull shit!!

I worked for this company for many years. They only care about closing jobs, not the quality of the job done. Customers spend hundreds even thousands of dollars for security. All they get is a crapy install and a basic alarm with a few extra contacts or motions. Protect your self from thefts like ADT.

People, DO NOT get ADT.

After 1 month install, 1 window + 1 door sensor failed. They fixed that free of charge (still within warranty).
While testing, the repair technician found that the original installers missed 2 windows (I paid for these) + the
horn was not hooked up. Ok, Good..at least it's working now I thought- Wrong! After 3 months, another window sensor
failed. I called and was told it would cost $25 for a tech to come out. Ok fine. I paid and they came out and
repaired it. The next month, another one fails... I call ADT again and the same story... $25 charge. I pleaded
to cust service...their supervisor... All they said was it's $25 charge. Finally I gave up and paid. The next
month, another sensor failed, this time, I just clipped it... 2 months later another sensor failed... After
3 years, out of 15 windows, 8 are still working, all the rest stopped working and clipped. Out of 4 doors, 2
are left.

The day my contract ran out, I called and canceled. When asked why I was canceling, I said that ADT hardware
was failing and causing more headaches than good. The ADT rep said, "Oh OK".

You will regret if you get ADT!!!

Charles

i think that a company that has over 6 million customers is going to get a hole bunch of complaints the truth of the matter is...... if it works one time saves one persons life prevents a fire or a medical emergency the system pays in full for it self.......... i love adt and it saves lives BOTTOM LINE

I am ready to take ADT to task. I need information on the old Rollins/Security Link systems that ADT bought and now want to give the sales pitch a new ADT system must be purchased because they can't get the old parts to repair the system. If you have a Rollins system, please let me know if you still have the warranty...what it states. ADT must honor a contract and I need info on my system. Thanks for any info provided.

I used to work for ADT for almost 6 years, and let me tell you they are a horrible company. And I quit, I did not get fired, so these are not the comments of an disgruntled employee. I worked at the National Sales and Marketing center in Jacksonville, FL. To start off with, they have an extremely high turn over rate. They hire the most incompetent people I have ever seen. They get them right out of high school, and they have to find the most immature, ridiculous people they can think of. They talk slang to clients over the phone. An actual example that I heard a girl ask a client on the phone" "What screet you live on"? What the heck is a screet? And this was not an isolated incident, majority of the people they hire act like this. Secondly, they treat their employees like crap. Majority of the people I worked with hated working there, but either couldn't find another job, were close to retirement, or were fresh out of high school and couln't find another job that paid as well. And I would say about 80% of the employees thought the company was a rip off, and had shady sales tactics. When you have employees that are mistreated and don't have faith in the company, it's not a good thing. The director of the center, Sue, is just a fat, lazy, worthless piece of crap. She is pissed off about 90% of the time, probably because she is so fat and ugly, and knows that each year, the sales center that she "manages" does worse and worse. The last 2 years I was there, they were never on target for any of their goals, were over budget, and just not procuding. Probably because there are at least 100 other local companies out there that can offer better customer service, and cheaper prices. I realize that when you get something for free, you can't expect it to be the best quality, and the authorized dealers for adt caused many of their problems. ADT knew this, but wouldn't get rid of the authorized dealer program because it's where a huge chunk of their sales came from. However, ADT is outrageously priced. They charge, I think it was $70 for a door or window sensor, and I found out from working there, that the actual manufacturing cost is $10. Give me a break. And paying the higher amount wouldn't be a big deal, if the system was actually worth a crap. In most of their systems, the keypad, control panel(brains of the system) and siren are all in the same place, and are usually installed close to a phone jack. This makes it so easy for a burglar to just rip the keypad off the wall, and poof, the system is disabled. Here is a link to an article that goes into more detail. And what do you know, the picture in the article of how an alarm system should NOT be installed, is of an ADT system. They don't care about their customers. I would get frustrated when I would try and connect a client to get them some help, and I would just get bounced around and around. A lot of the people that work there do have attitude problems, and it's just an all around bad company. I think a lot of their business comes from doing commercial properties, because I don't see how they are still in business.

Here is the link to the article I mentioned above:

http://providentsecurity.typepad.com/community_security_the_pr/2006/10/criminal_instal.html

"Old Employee"....I think you ARE a disgruntled ex employee becuase you clearly don't know what you're talking about. ADT has the most advanced network of central monitoring stations in the industry. Almost all of the other company's sub contract their monitoring stations so the customer doesn't know who to call if they have a problem. And speaking of problems, ADT is the only company that has a 6 month money back guarantee "if a problem can not be resolved to your satisfaction".....and the few company's that do own their station's have only one, w/ no back up capabilities! ( ADT has five, all interlinked )
And the system you spoke of w/ the cpu, siren & keypad all in the same console is the piece of garbage the authorized dealers install, not corporate! ( You're right about the Dealer program ).
The $70. ADT charges for a transmitter is right in line with most company's...check around. Of course it's marked up...do you think profit is a dirty word? The cheap company's that do give bargain basement prices are the ones that can't stay in business and end up folding leaving the customer "holding the bag". Sure we have more overhead than most outfits...if you call overhead having the highest paid technicians in the business so we attract the cream of the crop, having more service trucks on the road, using the best technology available, the fact we sell the systems outright instead of the never fully disclosed leased systems most competitors sell, the aforementioned network of ADT owned monitoring facilities, etc.. etc.
And in answer to Jessie and his beef w/ us concerning his Rollins system that ADT can no longer service......Rollins is long out of business and for a while we were able to keep around parts to maintain them but no more. Do you think Ford would replace your car with a new one if they couldn't fine parts for an old model?

I work in a central monitoring center in Kansas City, Missouri. I must say that this job is all about numbers. I am the guy that calls you when your alarm starts beeping or blaring. I am required to handle fifteen alarms per hour, make 95% compliance, and 98% quality assurance. Quality Assurance is that beep you hear when your speaking to us. Its being all recorded, they in turn listen to it. Then they make sure I used the verbatim scripting.

This company is not doing good with the employees. Morale keeps getting lower and lower. Unless your corporate.....

I will never get a adt alarm system. Run far far away!

Also we have 5 monitoring stations in the USA. As far as the best of the best in security possibly because the other "big" security companies all employ shady practices.

good luck with your system. If you need a number to call its 1-800-238-2727.

P. S. I leave you with this

good evening this is ____ with Adt Security Services. Is everything okay?

Thank you May I please have your first and last name?

Thank you May I please also have your personal identification code? (passcode, password etc)

Thank you, Mrs/Mr. ____ glad to hear everything is okay have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening.
Thank you,
Goodbye.

ADT SUX amen! First of all, I can't tell you how many times I've dealt with their passing the buck strategy to their "parts company" and then the volley ensues back & forth, etc, etc, etc. This along with the multiple multiple hierarchical menus of voice recordings just to friggin' talk to a friggin human being is representative of the decline of the American way of service-oriented industry as we once knew it, except, ADT is the exageration of the decline of America's service oriented biz model. Thats not all...... you got yet another person to pass the buck to......the cops who don't even show up for 30min to 1 hour after a panic button call is made...I'm proof, and I don't give a damn if most calls are false alarms, I get paid to do what I do, and taxes pay to what they do, enforce the law, write speeding tickets, respond to alarms true or false. The only way to get their attention is mention the word "guns" and that for some reason electrifies the cops into rapid response action...just say "guns" and nothing else, and you might get your money's worth out of an alarm system. But ADT, who surprisingly is endorsed by USAA insurance, is an overall poor performer in the customer srvc area, and have morons for installers...sorry thats my experience. Their dispatch response team is the only good thing about them....gives you a warm & fuzzy feeling when they call back so quick, but in the words of Seinfeld...."you know how to take the reservation,....but you just don't know how to carry out the reservation". The real question to everyone here is: whats the alternative??? Please provide us with the name of a good alarm company and I'll jump ship immediately.

OUCH!!! have you people never called the post office of power company. adt is nothing compared the those offices. i have worked for 2 alarm companies over 9 years. every company has its issues. but you have to ask yourself this-- is an alarm a necessity or a luxury??? is is luxury. no a necessity like power. I have talked to so many customers who never read their contract, never tested their system, ever and cussed me out for not being chipper. ADT's policy is never to solicite door to door or give stuff for free. yes some of our operators are bad. they are up at 3 am getting yelled at for calling on a low battery that might save your life. adt is #1 for a reason. do you want to drive a lexus or a yugo??? dealers make adt look bad. just like the car dealer down the street rather than buying from chevy directly. if you put in a service call get a confirmation #. if you move yes it's a new contract new address. you can't get the same insurance for a different address can you??? if you don't like the service read your contract for the termination charge. if it's in writting they can't argue it. but i'll guess you didn't read it. the 6 month guarantee if if the system will not work. just like a computer modem it will not work every where. don't just say adt sucks because of it. an alarm is like computers, some can work it better than others. but those of on here know you get the blue screen every once in a while. so then what dell sucks!!! the other company i worked for was worse so i left and am glad every day for it. for those of you that work at all, does your boss say not to do as much, sell as much, complete as much each day. this is a numbers society. do not hate the player hate the game, dont hate the game hate the rules. every company is selling you notification service for alarms. unless it's fire or an emergency, and i have seen first hand a tech save an older ladies life. hope this helps

p.s. making a note on a contract, like this contract is for 1 year only will bind them if they accept it. if if if!!! if they want your business enough they will. but when all else fails read it.

Sorry Jenn, but you're sleeping with the enemy and don't know it yet. If you paid for a damn lexus, and end up with a Yugo wouldn't you be pissed off???? All I care about is someone standing behind their product 100%!!!!! and having some f _ _ cking quality control. At least act like you're taking care of an abused customer. I've got 4 words for ADT: "get your sh _ _t together!!!"

A few memoirs from my short 2 year relationship with ADT.....: "uh, you'll have to call this other 1-866-number because thats not our dept even though you're paying us the full amount and we're responsible for outsourcing the morons in your area"....or..."I couldn't tell you where your check is sir...I know its $350 and you wanted to avoid the quarterly statements with one yearly check, but you'll have to write another check and wait for a refund when you're original check is found..it could be anywhere, we just have so many depts that are incompetent and incapable of communicating with each other electronically or we better yet, corporate just don't give a sh_ _ t."...or... "Sorry, but the guy who just tried to fix your system the last 5 times realized it was a defective battery in your keyfob and although he told you he made a blunderous mistake and you didn't need any parts at all, he went ahead anyway, and charged you the $600 for a new motherboard in your alarm unit as well as a new remote scrambler, ..heh,heh,heh...that outsourced tech dept does the damndest things..but if you have any issues, feel free to call this 1-866-number and take it up with our parts dept cause we don't handle billing disputes regarding srvc calls parts charges.".... "And also, sorry about the tech prying open your alarm box door....never mind he didn't ask if you had the key 5 feet away, he just wasn't himself that day, had 6 more calls come 5'o'clock & felt tough that day and pried open the metal alarm box so that now it doesn't lock nor does it look so pretty any more...in any event we're not responsible for his actions since thats another dept." KAPISCHE???

There are a couple things a customer needs to know about adt. The employees are treated so badly that it isn't uncommon for an alarm to be just wiped off the screen and not handled. Hopefully, it isn't your house that is being robbed or on fire because no one will be responding! Also, don't be surprised that if you are robbed and you call adt to see where the police are; and you are informed by the representative that your account is no longer in service. But at the same time adt doesn't have any problem what so ever taking your money automatically, while not providing you service. Adt is a company that does not promote diversity in their management; fires employees if they peep a word about the sexual harrassment that goes on; and trains their employees that the customer is a liar.

I am really amazed at many of the comments and accusations made about ADT. I have worked for ADT in Residential Sales for almost 2 years now. ADT (corporate) has never trained us to belive the customer is a liar. Also, ADT corporate is probably about the only company that cares about its customers. People must understand nothing is for free!!!!!If a security company is telling you it is free----run the other way. Havent we all heard nothing is free in life? About 90% of the complaints on here are about ADT dealers, there is a big difference..if you enter a contract with a dealer you must deal with that dealer and not ADT, the dealer ownes your account. If you break your contract early you are obligated to pay them remainder of the contract unlike ADT corporate. I come across people every day that fall for the free system, and which they wouldnt have. They are many things dealers will not tell you. Dealers are out to make a sale and that is it!!!!So please if you dont want major problems stay away from authorized dealers..and finally I am amazed the few on here that work for ADT corporate and say how bad ADT is with service, training, treating their employees...ever thought that maybe your negativity may play into how people view our company..If ADT is so bad why do you continue to recieve a pay check from someone you feel is doing such a disgrace to our valued customers??? It is employees and attitudes like yours that cause many problems. I could not and would not work for a company that these people say are not fair, and just horrible at what they do..you should be ashamed..if you feel ADT is scamming people, why do you continue to scam them too..ADT must be doing something right on your pay or benefits for you to stay, so ask yourself is your pay and benefits all you are concerned about? ANYONE that would get out and put their company down, should move on, like some of you should. At ADT we have always been taught to be fair with pricing, be professional, and always take care of your customers.

GIVE ME ADVICE PLEASE!! Here is my situation: I have had ADT for going on 5 months and my cell guard my cell guard signal has been low to the point where it set my burglar alarm off twice (both times at around 2:00 am). A technician came out and determined my signal was extremely high and could not tell me a problem. The only thing he did was tighten a screw on those power packs which are always plugged in the outlet. I faxed in a letter (which they confirmed receipt of) to exercise my money back guarantee, but the lady said that another technician must come out, because they want to feel like they did their part before letting me go. I scheduled an appointment for them to come out, but I need advice!!!!

Frustrated, get a hold of your sales rep and get him involved with getting the problem taken care of. All his commision is back charged to him if you exercise the 6 mo. $ back guarantee. Is the cell guard unit located as high in the house as possible? This gives it the most reliable, consistent signal.
If the mysterious reception problem can not be soved, I suggest you rely on a "land line" for your communication w/ ADT and if you're still concerned about the security of it being cut, talk to a handyman about physically securing the "nid" ( network interface device )in a metal enclosure or if it is an overground line...having it encased in a metal pipe where it is accessible.

There are a lot of differing opinions on this site. I have been a sales representative of ADT security for 6 years now and I am looking for another company to represent. Now, I know, everyone thinks that all sales people are evil and crooks.... this is not the case. I will not sell someone something that they do not need.

I have an ADT alarm on my house with EVERY window and door contacted... it has gone off 3 times and ADT has not called to see if we were dead or alive!!!!

I called ADT and asked them why they did not call and they said.. "because the alarm did not go off for two minutes"..... why in the hell would you wait two minutes to call and see if we needed the police? God forbid someone was in the house with a gun to my head... I would be dead by then!!

I am not saying that ADT is a bad company, but they need to pay more attention to their customers if they want to keep the customers that they have.

@CCC
IF your alarm went off 3 times and never got a call you really are an ADT sales rep, then you would know that ADT programs a 30-60 delay on the dailer of the system, and if its a motion that is the thing that sets off the system, there is another 30-60 delay on that. The installer at my house told me that, so he didnt program those, but it sounds like thats your problem, and hey,if you're ADT, then just call service.
And for the guy with the cell phone issue, be a dick. No offense, but thats whats needed. Do what I have done when the service department told me its a week to get out to my house on a service call. Call 800-238-4653 (ADT's high end customer number) and ask for a supervisor, when they as what its regarding, tell them its regarding talking to a supervisor. Once you get a supervisor, tell them the problem, and they will get service out there asap, in my case it was aobut 5 hours. Also get a hold of your sales rep or his/her manager and talk to them. The magic word to use is a "presidental dispute"

My employer has an ADT system. She has been experiencing beeps in the night coming from the keypads. She has a keypad in her bedroom and a keypad at the front door. They take turns beeping in 32-second intervals for hours. We have had every system in her house looked at to rule out other systems or devices. First the ADT guy said that it was not his system. Then we had an electrician look at the problem, a general contractor, and a handy man. We replaced all the smoke detectors, replaced all the batteries, took all travel alarms, beeping watches, ect. . .out of the house and we still have beeping. Finally the handyman left a recorder in the master bedroom and there is beeping on the tape. We can hear a silent beep, probably from the keypad located by the front door, and a louder beep coming from the keypad in the bedroom.
Has anyone ever experienced this before? We e-mailed the tape to ADT for them to listen to and we are waiting to hear back from them.

Monica, why don't you just power down the security system and see if the beeping stops? Unplug your transformer and remove the leads off your battery in your master control panel - if the beeping stops then it was the system, if not then keep looking!

I own a company that competes with ADT. There was a time several years ago that even I would say that ADT was a great, excellecnt, efficient and caring alarm company. To a degree I patterned my company based on the ADT of years ago. ADT has changed and most if not all of the comments above are valid.

I want to take exception with the commenters who try and tell you that all alarm companies are as bad as ADT. That is just not true.

In any kind of business transaction there will be errors made - installers who do something wrong, service requests that get lost, billing errors, you name it. While most companies will try and minimize errors they will happen. And this is the true test of a company - how they respond to a problem. When a customer calls in with a problem the inital call taker is obligated to remain on the telephone until the caller is connected with the appropriate person to correct the problem. We do not permit "blind call transfer" and usually the customer has to explain his problem or concern once. If my staff member who takes the call can not put the caller in contact with the proper "solution" person, he/she will identify themselves to the caller and promise a return call within 16 business hours (2 days). My customers have access to managers upon request and my managers are not permited to hide behind voice mail. My customer have access to the owner upon request and if I am unable to take their call they are promised a return call within 2 business days. And they get that call.

It is my opinion that the ADT-AD (ADT Authorized Dealer Program) has hurt the industry and given the entire business a bad name. ADT-AD sales people will say anything to get the order. The basic two doors and a motion is no where near being adequate protection for even the smallest home. An inadequate system is worse than no system because customers are given a false sense of security and in many cases may not take basic simple preventative measures to deter an intruder. Installatons done by ADT-AD people generally are sloppy, quick and in many cases not tested properly. All of my installers and service technicians are industry trained and qualified. Most alarm companies - ADT included - use sub-contractors - people who slam a system in without any thought for the future because as a sub they will never come back to service the system. Most subs are paid on a "per point" or flat rate "per job" so the pressure is on to get in and get out ASAP so they can get to the next job. Service requests are a high priority in my company. If we can not get to a customer with a service affecting problem by the close of business next working day - there is no labor charge for the call. We are serious about the business and there are lots of alarm companies out there that are serious like us. However, in the real world ADT, Protection-one, Monitorics and the like are simpply too big and too bottom line driven to provide the kind of service that security alarm customers expect and require.

Every security alarm company that is serious about the business will have a contract for a term of three to five years. In some areas a contract is a requirement by the state/provincial consumer protection legislation. Alarm companies are not insurers and as such we have to limit our liability as has been mentioned in previous posts. Our customers should expect intrusion detection, monitoring and notification to be performed. They should not expect that we are their insurance company. We are different in that we give the customer an "out" of the contract if we do not perform our duties in accordance with the terms of our written agreement. If we can't make the system work properly all the customer has to do is give us notice - verbally and in writing - and give us reasonable time to correct the problems. If we can't make it work the customer can go - no penalty.

If you are in the market for a security alarm system - be prepared to pay a fair dollar for a good system. Shop around and ASK friends and neighbours about their service providers. Do your homework before you make a decision. While the ADT-AD would like you to think a security system is like a loaf of bread - cheapest or free will do - that is not the case. Your investment in a security alarm system is the start of a long term relationship. Cheap means cheap - not better!
Dave
www.damarscurity.com

Read your contract before you sign it. They had an automatic 2 year renewal in it unless you provided a written request to cancel 30 days prior to the end of the contract. I scratched that one out before signing.

I used ADT for about 8 years. I never really had a complaint about their service. I recently called and canceled my service. The person I spoke to was very polite. I received a final bill and paid it about two weeks after I received it. I received a letter from ADT asking how they could regain my business. Yesterday I received a notice from a collection agency stating that ADT had turned the account over to them. The check had cleard before they mailed the letter. They won't be getting any more business from me.

ADT STAY AWAY FROM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE,My wife and I recently purchased a security system for my elderly parents.They Fraudulently charged my account for installation when the account was only authorized for monthly monitoring fee.caused over $500.00 in over draft.N.H.office would never even respond to my calls.I to had to call the national center in Jacksonville Fla. and was told that they had made an error and would refund our account in 5 business days.After informing them I was a former Paramedic-Firefigter was retired to the NH area and on disability and was going to make damn sure I tell every Brother and Sister I can about the treatment TYCO owned ADT dishes out,they got a little friendlier,bullshit,it still has taken 8 days since they stole the money for a partial refund,Im still waiting on the rest,and never once a call from they New Hampshire ADT dealer. USE BRINKS

We used ADT on one of the commercial buildings we manage. Within 3 weeks of trying to deal with them on this new building, I told my manager I thought they were a bad company - they don't seem to be on top of things at all... really inept customer service. We cancelled via an email and registered certified letter effective Nov 30 2006. They have billed us repeatedly since then for service going into March 2007. I have called them repeatedly and they always ask me to fax in the cancellation notices - on the last call last month, I refused to do it anymore. I told them that I'd faxed that informaiton to them plenty of times, and considered their continued notices harrassment. I just received a demand letter from an attorney that they hired!!!!! Is this what you want to face? They remind me of AOL...really hard to get loose from them once they have you. Be VERY careful...save all your paperwork, and keep a record of all phone calls you have this them, who you spoke with, when, and about what. They are big enough not to give a damn and can cause you lots of headaches. Spread the word....I am considering a bumper sticker "ADT is AWFUL"

WELL ADT HAS BY FAR THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!!!

EVERY WAY YOU GO THEY SCREW YOU OUT OF YOUR HARD EARNED CASH!!
WE HAVEN'T HAD A LAND LINE PHONE FOR OVER 5 MONTHS SO WE HAVEN'T HAD ADT'S SECURITY SERVICE BUT THEY INSIST ON CHARGING US AND HAVE BASICALLY SAID ..."TOO BAD"
WE HAVE A CONTRACT AND WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE SERVICE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 7 MONTHS EVEN THOUGH WE DO NOT GET THE SERVICE???(THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT WAS 2 YEARS)
NO WONDER BRINKS SECURITY IS TAKING ALL ADT'S BUSINESS AS ADT ARE NOTHIN BUT A BUNCH OF CROOKS!!!
THE MOMENT OUR RIP OFF CONTRACT WITH ADT EXPIRES I WILL BE CALLING BRINKS AS ADT ARE CRIMINALS/THIEVES!!!

OH..............HERE'S ANOTHER CLASSIC ADT SCREW UP...

WE HAD OUR SYSTEM FOR OVER 6 MONTHS WHEN THE FIRE ALARM SOUNDED...."NO CALL FROM ADT EVEN AFTER 30 MINS WITH THE ALARM SCREAMING!!!

GUESS WHAT THEY HAD NOT READ THE CONTRACT CORRECTLY AND HAD WRITTEN OUR PHONE NUMBER DOWN INCORRECTLY. (SO I FOUND OUT LATER!!)I CHECKED THE CONTRACT AND OUR NUMBER IS CORRECT ON IT BUT THE PEOPLE THEY HIRE AT ADT ARE SO UNEDUCATED AND STUPID THAT THEY COULDN'T EVEN GET THAT RIGHT!!!!!
***GOD FORBID THE HOUSE BURNT DOWN***

IF U HAVE 3RD GRADE EDUCATION THEN APPLY FOR A JOB AT ADT AS THATS THE LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE THEY HAVE WORKING FOR THEM!!
ANOTHER CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A BIG COMPANY THAT DOESN'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMERS JUST HOW MUCH $$$ THEY CAN GET OUT OF THEM!!!

oohhhhhhhh y'all are gonna love this!!

an adt supposed manager in GEORGIA got so aggravated becuase we still didn't want to stay with the comany that he resorted to threatening me with slander...............too bad he didn't realise that all i said about the company was 100% true :0)
he also started preaching the law to me..............hmm i bet he was a security guard for some gated community before getting his desk job with ADT, heh heh.......in other words another uneducated wanna be police man trying to boss people around and how typical of an ADT Manager threatening its own customers with law suits if we say anything bad about the company.........ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC!!
GOLLY DOES HE THINK WE ARE ALL AS STUPID AS HIM...LOL!!

oohhhhhhhh y'all are gonna love this!!

an adt supposed manager in GEORGIA got so aggravated becuase we still didn't want to stay with the comany that he resorted to threatening me with slander...............too bad he didn't realise that all i said about the company was 100% true :0)
he also started preaching the law to me..............hmm i bet he was a security guard for some gated community before getting his desk job with ADT, heh heh.......in other words another uneducated wanna be police man trying to boss people around and how typical of an ADT Manager threatening its own customers with law suits if we say anything bad about the company.........ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC!!
GOLLY DOES HE THINK WE ARE ALL AS STUPID AS HIM...LOL!!

I got the walking ADT salesman pitch yesterday when I got home from work. Young guy, probably a college student, and very good at selling his stuff. "I'm going to nice neighborhoods like yours to pick three homes to recieve free ADT systems. We want to put a sign in your yard as that is a more effective advertisement to your neighbors than tv etc." I said "cool leave the sign on the porch, good job". I let him go deep into his pitch, which I trully do believe that he stood behind and believed after recieving his indoc training on how to be an ADT Rep and "help Save lives with this amazing product" etc. He asked what homeowners insurance we had and when we told him USAA he replied that he had never heard of them. Wierd considering that ADT is co-sponsord by USAA. Since my wife is a Naval Officer we told him that we move quite a bit and he assured us that as long as we stay here for 6 months they would install a new system in our next home purchase for free since we would be some kind of "ADT sucess story for their benefit". He kept the small talk going by asking us personal questions and then kept pulling out the contract. I read the contract which is pretty vague warranty info and doesn't really touch on the costs. My wife and I laughed a little when this kid went to close the deal and said "leave your number, we'll get back to you". He left a pamplet for "Stone Security" with the ADT logos and such but not one email, web address, or phone number on it. He jotted down his name and number on it which had an out of state area code. He then told us not to show the flier to anyone because he was being selective about the demo houses he was choosing for this amazing offer. Whatever. But I give this kid credit. He probably sells alot of product for his company and that is his job.
But my job as a consumer is to search websites like this before signing ANYTHING. I realize that most large companies are going to have a percentage of disgruntled customers. ADT has so much dirt from the outside and within that I would never feel good about using them. Companies that sell their reputation to low bidders and crappy re-sellers are on a quick-buck road to nowhere.
My 70lb Weimeraner can't call he cops or fire dept. but sure is a hell of a better deterent to thieves than a crappy blue sign that every thief knows is a hoax.

I got the walking ADT salesman pitch yesterday when I got home from work. Young guy, probably a college student, and very good at selling his stuff. "I'm going to nice neighborhoods like yours to pick three homes to recieve free ADT systems. We want to put a sign in your yard as that is a more effective advertisement to your neighbors than tv etc." I said "cool leave the sign on the porch, good job". I let him go deep into his pitch, which I trully do believe that he stood behind and believed after recieving his indoc training on how to be an ADT Rep and "help Save lives with this amazing product" etc. He asked what homeowners insurance we had and when we told him USAA he replied that he had never heard of them. Wierd considering that ADT is co-sponsord by USAA. Since my wife is a Naval Officer we told him that we move quite a bit and he assured us that as long as we stay here for 6 months they would install a new system in our next home purchase for free since we would be some kind of "ADT sucess story for their benefit". He kept the small talk going by asking us personal questions and then kept pulling out the contract. I read the contract which is pretty vague warranty info and doesn't really touch on the costs. My wife and I laughed a little when this kid went to close the deal and said "leave your number, we'll get back to you". He left a pamplet for "Stone Security" with the ADT logos and such but not one email, web address, or phone number on it. He jotted down his name and number on it which had an out of state area code. He then told us not to show the flier to anyone because he was being selective about the demo houses he was choosing for this amazing offer. Whatever. But I give this kid credit. He probably sells alot of product for his company and that is his job.
But my job as a consumer is to search websites like this before signing ANYTHING. I realize that most large companies are going to have a percentage of disgruntled customers. ADT has so much dirt from the outside and within that I would never feel good about using them. Companies that sell their reputation to low bidders and crappy re-sellers are on a quick-buck road to nowhere.
My 70lb Weimeraner can't call he cops or fire dept. but sure is a hell of a better deterent to thieves than a crappy blue sign that every thief knows is a hoax.

I got the walking ADT salesman pitch yesterday when I got home from work. Young guy, probably a college student, and very good at selling his stuff. "I'm going to nice neighborhoods like yours to pick three homes to recieve free ADT systems. We want to put a sign in your yard as that is a more effective advertisement to your neighbors than tv etc." I said "cool leave the sign on the porch, good job". I let him go deep into his pitch, which I trully do believe that he stood behind and believed after recieving his indoc training on how to be an ADT Rep and "help Save lives with this amazing product" etc. He asked what homeowners insurance we had and when we told him USAA he replied that he had never heard of them. Wierd considering that ADT is co-sponsord by USAA. Since my wife is a Naval Officer we told him that we move quite a bit and he assured us that as long as we stay here for 6 months they would install a new system in our next home purchase for free since we would be some kind of "ADT sucess story for their benefit". He kept the small talk going by asking us personal questions and then kept pulling out the contract. I read the contract which is pretty vague warranty info and doesn't really touch on the costs. My wife and I laughed a little when this kid went to close the deal and said "leave your number, we'll get back to you". He left a pamplet for "Stone Security" with the ADT logos and such but not one email, web address, or phone number on it. He jotted down his name and number on it which had an out of state area code. He then told us not to show the flier to anyone because he was being selective about the demo houses he was choosing for this amazing offer. Whatever. But I give this kid credit. He probably sells alot of product for his company and that is his job.
But my job as a consumer is to search websites like this before signing ANYTHING. I realize that most large companies are going to have a percentage of disgruntled customers. ADT has so much dirt from the outside and within that I would never feel good about using them. Companies that sell their reputation to low bidders and crappy re-sellers are on a quick-buck road to nowhere.
My 70lb Weimeraner can't call he cops or fire dept. but sure is a hell of a better deterent to thieves than a crappy blue sign that every thief knows is a hoax.

You all talk about Brinks like they are better than ADT, but you don't seem to realize Brinks has an even longer contract of 3 years. They don't have a small $175 cancellation fee; they will charge you a lump sum for the rest of the contract that you suppossedly owe which is usually close to $800.

So I think we have determined two things. ADT probably sucks (sounds like customer service sucks for sure), but Brinks isn't any better and at least you can get out of ADT for a reasonable price. Why you should have to pay anyone to get out of bad service I don't know.

So they verdict is in. Don't go with either Brinks or ADT and NEVER sign a contract for service. You should never be obligated to use a service still to be provided in the future (especially if you are or become dissatisfied with that service).

Here's an easy way to get rid of an ADT salesman trying to give you a 'free' or 'low cost' system:
Tell him you don't have a phone line, and never have. Tell him you have a satellite phone, or two cans and a piece of string. He will be on his way to the next suckers house so fast, he won't even hear you get to the word 'satellite'. ADT will not install anything in your house unless it can be connected to a phone line so that they can screw you out of your cash for 3 years of 'monitoring' their garbage systems.
ADT doesn't give a shit about you, your home, or anything else, other than collecting money from you for doing virtually nothing. They generally install cheap, useless, all-in-one console systems (with the little built in piezo buzzer instead of a real siren), and they use as few door contacts and motion sensors as they can get away with, all the while making you think you are secure because 'they are at home while you are not'. Putting a contact on the front door and a motion detector in the living room does not qualify as good security system. A thief can break in and wander around half the house before possibly tripping the alarm. At that point, he'll most likely bolt, with half your stuff, long before anyone shows up.
So instead of having ADT bilk you for a 3 year nothing contract, spend your money on a proper security system with contacts on every door and window and motion detectors in every room. Have a few pet immune motion detectors installed outside, close to the perimeter of your house too.This way the alarm will go off as soon as, or even before, a thief gets inside. This can make a HUGE difference. Have loud sirens and strobe lights installed outside AND inside the house. Have the installer wire some of your interior lights to the relays that any good alarm system has built in. They can be programmed to turn on and off with the clock, if a motion detector is triggered or door or window opened (armed or not), and many other ways.

There are far better ways to protect yourself than just handing your money over to ADT.

I currently have a problem with ADT that I need advice on resolving. I have read the comments from CCC, ADT Employee, regarding the 6 month cancellation guarantee and also the $175.00 cancellation fee. I signed on to ADT in March 2007, I moved into a home that had an existing alarm system, I did not have the code to & my daughter acctidentally set off. I called ADT for assistance in turning the alarm off after 3 hours of blasting my neighbors. ADT indicated that they would be happy give me instructions on disarming the system, but could not if I was not a customer, therefore, I would need to sign up for service. I asked if I could just pay a one-time service fee to disconnect and was told no. They gave me the 3 year contract speech, I indicated my worries about being tied to them for 3 years and tried to negotiate a shorter time and was told 3 years was the least available. Because I needed to get the alarm off, I agreed to the service. 3 weeks later a technician came out to "check my system" I was also told that I since a fire alarm was attached to my system, I would have to accept the fire alarm service as well as break-in service for an additional fee. OK, I did it. A few weeks later, my alarm kept going off. The first time an ADT person phoned me and said it was the fire alarm. Well, it was 3:00 a.m., no fire, no problems. The following days the alarm went off during the day time and my daughter or I were phoned by a neighbor telling us the fire department was at our door, read to break in 2 different times. I had to tell her the problem and go home to turn the system off. I notified ADT who could not come out to check the system for 3 weeks. On the date the tech was supposed to come to my home, I left work early because of the 4 hour window, he did not show up until around 8:30 p.m. clearly out of the window time-line and without any notification that he was running late. He told me that the fire alarm could not be fixed and that the first person must not have checked it. I forgot to mention that when the first person came, I had an additional wall control placed by my front door at the cost of around $100.00 which he insisted must be paid for on the spot. Fine, I paid with a check. 3 weeks later I received a bill from ADT indicating the charge for the additional wall control and the upcoming 3 months service. I phoned ADT then and was told that payment for the wall pad had likely not been posted yet.

Here is my problem: 1: The first Tech obviously didn't do the necessary procedures to make sure my system was running properly. 2: I missed about 1 month's service because since the alarm would sound falsly I was not able to arm the alarm at any time prior to the 2nd tech. 3: I had to wait 3 weeks for the second tech to come. 4: I needlessly missed work when it would have been easy for the tech to notify me that they were running behind. At the least notifying me at 7:30 p.m. would have been the professional and considerate thing to do. 5: ADT takes longer that 3 weeks to post a $100.00 check payment that incidentally was processed through my bank withing the first few days after it was written. Yet ADT is so inefficient that they cannot post a payment at the time a payment is made and processed through a customer's bank account. 6: I had to waste time calling ADT about the missed credit for payment and wait on the phone for assistance. 7: Was shifted from ADT 800 number to a local company to rectify my service complaint described above, (they can't even take care of a complaint) 8: I received a phone call today from ADT collections and asked why I hadn't sent in the next 3 months payment, I told them that they needed to adjust the bill to delete the fire alarm service from the beginning and also delete the charge for 1 months service I did not receive. The person told me that she could delete the 1 month service but did not know how to delete the fire alarm service and that I needed to send in an amount around $200.00. I asked to speak with a supervisor who reitterated the first person's offer and said that since the system is working, I am responsible to pay. Neither of them had available the cost of fire alarm service because ADT does not provide these people the proper information to educatably speak with a customer about their bill. Also the only contact with me on this person's computer was a call in March from me. When I mentioned cancellation she indicated it would cost me $416.00. I told her that for now I want things to remain as they are, I am not going to do anything other than consult someone else. So - -- I am now consulting any of you that can provide some good advice. I do not want any collections registered against my credit, I am sure ADT takes this in account when they hold a customer hostage. As I am sure the very first person I spoke with at ADT knew when I was taken hostage to accept service to get the alarm turned off. CCC, ADT Employee and who seems to be an advocate of ADT: What do you have to say about this, other than read your contract. Just because you can enforce something legally, doesn't mean it is ethical. If I were you, I would ethically want to do the right thing. At the end of the day, what is really most important to you? Supporting a company with dishonest tactics???

I think quite a few people have quite a bit of time on their hands. To Irene above, of course you could have had ADT charge you for a tech without being a customer. Unfortunately you asked an inside resale rep that question, and they get extra for signing you on. You should have asked for a supervisor, or unplugged the beige box and disconnected the internal back up battery to silence it. Not complicated and would have saved you unnecessary pain. Word of advice, NEVER buy things from phone reps or authorized dealers. Make sure a corporate person is responsible for your satisfaction, and this goes beyond ADT.

I just got a system from an alarm company on the web, Guardcom.net It has only been up and runnng for a couple of weeks, but here is what I found so far. The equipment is good quality Honeywell equipment, and has a built in cellular back-up transmitter (this was optional - I took it). But here is the interesting part, there is no installation required. They shipped me the unit via UPS, I took it out of the box, and set it up in about 15 minutes. It is like a Lasershield alarm system on steroids. Here is why. The main alarm unit with the cell transmitter is designed to be hidden out of the way. The inside siren is wireless, and has a red light that lights when I press the armed button on the keyfob. I figure that If a bad guy breaks in, he will either run away, or try to mess around with the siren, and in the meantime the hidden cellular transmitter will be calling the monitoring station. The lasershild systems are good, but a burglar can beat those alarms by cutting a phone line or smashing the main unit, which is usually in plain sight. What I really like, is that Guardcom lets their customers cancel the monitoring service anytime without penalty. They seem to be a small company, which is guess is both good and bad, but I got great personal attention when I called.

Stay away from ADT, complete scam artists. My sales rep gave me a month by month contract. He tried to push the standard 3 years but I said I am leaving the country in a year. I have spent the past 2 weeks trying to convince them I am month by month but I was entered as a standard 3 year contract and now they want to bill me for the full 3 years after 8 months of service. I have spent hours on the phone, talked to numerous reps, 7 different voice mail boxes, 2 faxes and multiple emails for someone to call me back! I was promised I would get a call back starting next week.

If I have to eat the 3 year contract I will do so but make sure that the negative publicity will be far more damaging.

ADT sucks!

The biggest problem with ADT or any monitored servcie that isn't being mentioned is that they are badly overpriced. Paying $40+ a month to have someone notify the police when your alarm goes off? I'd rather install a loud local alarm and have my neighbor call them for nothing (I have no pet or kids to accidently set one off)

By the way, any suggestions on what kind of local alarm to install that will simply blare loud enough to scare off an intruder without renting a monitor?

WOW sounds like you all need to get a life! Any of you out there work in a multi billion dollar company? If you do and it's perfect let me know so I can buy some of it's golden stock.

Yes I work for the company and yes I am a salesman. I dont work with residential customers but I have integrity and never sell a customer short for a buck. I love this company mostly for the people that work here. AND yes I dont deny that we have a few bad eggs but every company does.

BOTTOM LINE, ALL THE LARGE COMPANYS OUR OUT TO SCAM CONSUMERS, CHOOSE A SMALL LOCAL ALARM CO. AND YOU`LL GET THE ATTENTION U DESERVE...STAY AWAY FROM ADT,BRINKS,SLOMINS,TIMEWARNER AND MORE....

I have worked in the alarm biz for many years now. In everything from sales to install. The small companies are a joke. Some actually monitor your house from some sort of a blackberry while they are playing golf(seriously). The most reliable company in terms of monitoring that I have worked with is ADT. Make sure you buy directly from adt though. 99% of the people complaining above got installed by an authorized adt dealer. They do awful jobs. For a good alarm system it is going to cost you some money. If you get the system for free or $99 from a dealer you are going to get what you pay for.

If you say away from large companies like ADT, Brink, Time warner, then who are you going to use? Some tiny company that doesnt know what they are doing? Who do you use for your cell phone? Helio? Or some small no-name company that doesnt work besides in one spot.
When it comes down to things, you get what you pay for. If you want a next to nothing installation amount for a system, then you are going to get junk. I am amazed that people just dont get that. If you spent $500 for a car, would you drive it from California to Florida and expect it to have no issues? Of course you wouldnt, so why are you complaining about a $99 alarm system. You knew it wouldnt work.

I think ADT should go to hell.
There human resource department is the most worst.
The woman who works there should lose her job.
Shje is is nasty ans very bitchy.
I was looking to maybe start a new career here.
I was toldto take a drug test.
I took it and then a few days later.
I received a call about a further backround check\to when I was a teen.
They go back 15 yrs this is very idiotic.
After all people change in fithten years.
Then they tell me they are going back
25 to 30 years I was in school at this time.
What I am going for here a government job?
Nop just a stupid high priced shitty company that lies to its customers.
I today being Sept 22 2007
Received a certifited mail stateing they declined my resume and application.
Also that they physically were throwijng out my application.
This is very childish and very unprofessional.
This is all because of my backround I worked for retail and then had bad credit.
Everypne in this world has bad credit and worked retail in their life.

Well anyway I did geta better and more promising future witha company bigger then ADT.
Paying double then they could ever imagine in their dreams.

I guess this is why Tyco bought them out
of the troubles they had because of their
big mopuths and low IQ.
Anyone who applies for a job here should think twice.The whole staff there suck and they all should be fired.
Also they promise you a offer for employment
well they lie. You are elimated because of bad credit.Well have can you have good credit when you have no money coming on a daily basis.
I am back on track and didn't need them to tell me this.
ADT IS THE WORST COMPANY AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL BE CLOSED SOON FOR THE WAY THEY LIE CHEAT AND STEAL FROM THE LITTLE OLD LADY TOP THE YOUNG FAMILY TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING.
I feel for all of youe people un happy with this asshole of a company and really lousy business corrupting people on a daily basis.
RCTVPOWER

I only had my ADT alarm installed by a dealer two days ago, but I can tell you this:

I had the best of service from the sales rep over the phone, which was the only way I had contact with him. I told him right off the bat that my brother used to install alarms for his own company, that I was knowledgable about alarm systems, that my home had an alarm system I was seeking to replace, and that I had discussed ADT and its competitors with current users. Being forewarned is forearmed. Letting the sales rep know that is best.

I got the basic package costing $99 which included three doors (the sales rep said he was throwing in one door for free), a keypad, a remote on a keyfob, one motion sensor, a siren, and the alarm box. It came with a 3 year contract for $35 per month which includes free repair parts and labor but with a $25 trip charge.

A side note about the monthly charge: Ten years ago when monthly central station charges was $25 a month, my brother only charged me his cost which was $6 a month. Yes, this is quite a mark-up and I imagine that ADT and its dealers are working on a similar mark-up. However, these folks have bills to pay and they can't make their monthly nut solely on revenues from installations; there just aren't enough homes in America. While you may not think that $35 a month is worthwhile, if you have valuables and loved ones in the house it's worth it. Thirty years ago in Brooklyn my wife would've walked in on a burglar in our apartment had not the alarm scared him away ten minutes earlier. Our guess is that the burglar thought the alarm sticker on the front door was fake.

The ADT sales rep was very informative, knowledgable and courteous.

The technician who came to install the system was quite the same. I also explained to him that I had much knowledge about alarms. He showed me the all-in-one keypad/alarm box/siren that was the size of a home plate but quickly said most folks decline it since it is so big. I told him immediately that it was no good since any intruder could just tear the whole thing off of the wall.

The installer then showed me a far better package from GE/Concord Express that included a separate alarm box.

He spent the next five hours removing the old alarm box and replacing it with the new one in the basement. He hooked up my old motion sensors to the ADT system at no charge thereby saving me a LOT of money. He took due care to run all the wires through the walls, following the paths of the old alarm system's wire, thus leaving no wires visible. He hard-wired the basement windows through the drop ceiling at my request rather than use the radio sensors he placed on the upstairs windows at their usual charge. He wired up the old alarm system's siren to the ADT system at no charge so now I have two sirens. He installed an additional keypad that we wanted at the usual charge. He tested the entire system. I stayed with him throughout the installation and he very pleasantly answered all of my questions. He prepared the contracts and bills and explained them to us. He also explained the workings of the system and the keypads.

This installer told me that other installers might take short cuts or staple wires to wall molding, but he preferred to do it the right way. I didn't have to insist on anything with him as he was on my frequency from the first moment on.

I've had three occasions in which I spoke with ADT itself on the phone about the system and about their website where you can place those you want on your call list. The phone personnel were pleasant and informative.

So, we're very pleased with the experience. We got a LOT of service and product during the installation at a modest price. We're impressed with the modern, technological features of the system and hope we have as good an experience with ADT as other friends have.

My advice: get advice from others first and stay with the installer all the time!

Here's one for everyone: I called ADT on the 5th of September to schedule canceling my account on the 14th of September (someone bought my house, closed on the 14th). My contract ended 7 months ago so it should have been easy. Right? Not so. Today (4 Oct 07) I see another charge on my credit card for ADT. Why? I canceled my account and turned off the phone line on the 14th of September. So what happened? The Customer Service person I spoke with on the 5th of September, 2007 was very difficult to understand (not from the U.S.A. originally) and put me on hold for 7 minutes while he went to "Speak with a supervisor about waiving the 30 day notice for cancellation). Right. He finally comes back on the phone and said they would waive the 30 days and cancel my account on the 14th of September. This guy was rude and hung up on me. Nice people. Well, they didn't. I called Customer Service tonight (4 OCT 2007) and spoke with "Dan" who explained that the notes say to cancel the account on the 5th of OCTOBER. What? I told Dan that made no sense since my phone was canceled on the 14th of September and they should have received a loss of phone line signal. Dan transfers me to a supervisor after a two minute wait on hold. A woman (couldn't understand her name since she spoke too fast to comprehend) asked if she could help. I explained to her that I canceled my account on the 5th of September 2007 and she said the record showed it was to be canceled on 5 Oct. I told her that made no sense since the house belonged to someone else on the 14th of September and all utilities including the phone were turned off in my name that day. I also told her that I should have received a "loss of phone line signal" call from ADT if they were still monitoring my old phone number and she told me that they did not have that capability. B.S. Yes, they do. Several times over the last 3 and a half years I received a "Loss of phone line signal" call from ADT when my phone line was back on line. She denied they ever did that and said they did not have that capability. She told me they require a 30 day notice in their contract for cancellation. I told her I had NO CONTRACT with ADT and she quickly acknowledged that fact and that they were updating my account to show it was canceled on the 14th of September, 2007. What a bunch of bull shit! STAY AWAY FROM THESE ASSHOLES.

Ok so I was skeptical to sign a contract with them, wish I hadn't. The sales guy told me it was a two year contract. I didn't want to sign and he said, well you have 6 months to cancel. So all along I am thinking I can cancel. Now the bills are tight 4 months into it and I see it is a 3yr contract and I call to cancel and they say they don't know why he told me I could cancel and I CAN"T unless I want to pay 672 bucks. So I am thinking, well I might just not pay the bill anymore. I don't know what to do. I am wondering how many other people were scamed into the 6month cancel if they want to w/o a disclaimer? I am thinking CLASS ACTION SUIT. Also their customer service was terrible. I was lied to then treated like an idiot. I guess I am an idiot for signing up with them.

Dear SNL Former,

Learn to spell and turn the caps lock off. Then we'll take you seriously pal.

Oh and RCTVPOWER... come on buddy. You failed your drug test. It's fine. Just admit it.

Don't think ADT will be shutting the doors soon as they have been in business forever.

I am going to be a research rat for ya all here. I have an interview with ADT in the next few days. I am going in to the residential sales. From everything I have gleaned the one question I am going to ask is if they are Corporate or an Authorized Dealer.

I will also request to read the contracts before I agree to be a salesman for them.

I have liked everything I have seen about ADT. The HR Dept. has been very professorial and has done everything they said they would do. I am going in with an open mind BUT I do have some questions that have been generated by your posts.

More later....

I,m a long time employee of ADT and the position
I have is a small one.,But when I have a call
from some of you? I make it a point to call you first to make sure you are at home . To make sure your address is correct! ,,,and to let you know that I,m ON MY WAY! When I arrive you are greeted with a smile and a hand shake.I first listen to your problem,or problems and go over the possiablies that may have caused your system to fail or act up. Sometimes its not an easy task
but when I,m finished I take the time to go over what I,ve found and show you what I,ve done!
What if anything is needed to complete the repair.
,,,and how long it will take to return,and finish the job!
Before I leave I make sure that you understand your system. That you are comfortable in using it.
That you can call on ME 24 -7. if you have any future problems!!I leave my card with you with my local # and the office # of my supervisor. The customers I have are for the most part VERY PLEASED in my service, my appearance, and professional attitude. I try to be as efficient,caring,and reliable to you as the company will allow. Knowledge is of the most importants of the ADT Tech. To read these letters from all of you is disheartening,but understandable. WE ARE ALL CUSTOMERS, and there are bad and good in EVERY company be it big or small. Please try to understand that no matter how bad a company is the little people that work for you are trying to make this world a safer place.We here at ADT are taught excellents in everything that we do. YES there are bad apples in every co. I,m sure that you ,yes you yourselfs
know someone in your company thats not the best, or has that" give a shit". attatude!!! If you run across a person in a company ADT etc. Go to some one else in that co. and find the answers your looking for. I,m positive that someone will meet your needs and make your day a little better!
Sincerely,
Your ADT Techican.

I have passed the initial screening process. Today I am heading to the actual interview with the company. It is corporate not an authorized dealer.

I am here to tell you the screening process was tough! Every date had to be right on my resume. I was asked tons of questions and everything I said was verified.

Now I move to the second phase. This is where I get to meet the local people and get grilled over again.

I will fill you in on the rest.

So far, I have not run in to anything like the above mentioned posts.

I can only say what I've seen and heard firsthand. I work for a rival security company. I've had customers tell me that it's taken 30 minutes after an alarm has sounded for ADT to call them. A lot of valuable items could easily be stolen in 30 minutes. Our equipment is UL listed and comes with a lifetime warranty. I get paid by the hour, and not by the job, which means I'll take the time to make sure the alarm system is installed right the first time. Bottom line is to keep customer satisfaction at top priority. We are in the business of keeping our customers families and their homes safe afterall. If we're not doing that, then we've failed in everything our company stands for.

ADT is the best!!!!!!!

I am an ADT employee in Rochester NY, for the Service Center (National Dispatch) - yes it is true, ADT does worry about quantity vs. quality - I would like to make 1 customer happy...just one. But, they are too concerned about me taking 50 phone calls in an hour. I am a service coordinator, so am incharge of making sure things get done. They dont. Most of the service managers really dont care if you cant reach the emergency tech or if he chooses to not return your phone call. My biggest pet-peeve is our inbound reps are mostly all idiots. The person who put the comment in earlier about "what screet you live on?" while talking to a customer...oh yeah...thats normal. You should need more than a GED to work for a security company. We are not bonded - we know WAY TOO MUCH info about movie stars, sports stars etc... HR needs to have these people tested for geographic, grammar, math, etc...not just "how many words do you type?"...ugh...........

Don't use ADT. They suck.

They stealth bill (come up with random charges)
They perform call-outs without invoking the call tree, inflating the charge.
They can't manage their own billing system - the statement doesn't tell you how much you owe at the bottom of the bill, only the latest invoice.

Stay AWAY!

I am looking into getting a security system for the first time and was going to choose ADT by going through a dealer, but not after all these negative comments. Does anyone have a security system they are happy with. Thanks

Where do I start? I have seen a lot of myths being bantered about on this page. Some are true and some are way off base. I see some ADT sales people trying to defend “the good name” of ADT. Let’s face it, you are not going to with anyone back on this site. The main purpose of this page is for people to vent about a horrible experience that they had with the world’s largest security company.
Now a little information about me. I worked for corporate ADT, as a technician, for more than eight years. It was a great learning experience. ADT has great benefits. They paid for me to finish my engineering degree. The health insurance is great. I paid about $200 a month for family coverage. My new job, I pay more than $600 a month for comparable coverage. I left for a big promotion, a big fat raise, and a chance to use my degree. Some days were absolutely horrible and there were a few days that didn’t make me want to kill some of the incompetent bastards within the company.
I learned a lot about the security industry, which is an industry that is very different than any other industry in the world. It is one of those differences that unless you are part of the industry you probably would not understand.
ADT used to be an awesome company. Then Tyco bought them. As you may recall, the CEO for Tyco is in prison for being a crook. This may sound like an illusory correlation but there are a lot of people in the company that operate in the same manner. Of course this is to be expected when Tyco employs around 80,000 people. ADT employs around 17,000. With that many people there is bound to be some corruption somewhere. There are a few people in the company that are really good and are very knowledgeable about their job and care about the customer. Now once you get past the few good people and the crooks then most everyone else is a warm body. They needed someone to fill a position in a hurry. These people do not receive proper training and are not properly equipped to make good business decisions. Most of these people cannot spell “business decisions.” The average length of service in a call center is around six months. This is obviously not enough time to become proficient at this kind of job.
Now on to the sales people. Their main job is to get you to sign the contract (press hard you’re making three copies). So what’s the big deal if they tell you a little white lie here or there just as long as they “earn” your business? A lot of these salesmen seem like used car salesmen and the truth is they are worse. The reason that these people are salesmen is because they are good at making you believe that they are knowledgeable and that they care. Where else can a person go and make the kind of money that they make with no dis