As an aside, I’m a guy who lives in Metro Detroit, I have a wife and a small dog, and of course I worry about both when I’m not home! Read below for a ripoff story on ADT, and while more is mentioned below, I will say that Lorex is my preferred company for the perfect combination of cost and security
ADT got me! They got me good.
You see, it was January of 2009, and I had just purchased my home. Everyone knows that when you buy a home with a mortgage, you will need to have home insurance. Home insurance can be quite expensive, depending on several factors, but there are things that you can do to lower your annual home owners insurance.
You can usually get a discount of at least 5% for a smoke detector, burglar alarm or deadbolt locks. Some companies offer to cut your premium by as much as 15 or 20% if you install a sophisticated fire and burglar alarm that rings at the police, fire or other monitoring stations.
The Quest for a Security System
Knowing that I definitely wanted a discount, I was already looking for a good home security system for my new home. I normally wouldn’t admit this, but I was being lazy and didn’t do my research. As a result, you won’t be surprised by what happens next.
What happened was a door-to-door salesman came over one day and showed me his shiny ADT security system. The ADT product was much cheaper than the security systems the other door-to-door salesmen were peddling.
“Oh, this person is much cheaper. It must be a good deal,” I thought at the time.
So, I signed us up for 3 years of service at $47.99 per month.
That meant that ADT cost me $575.88 per year! Yes, I got a small discount on my home owners insurance but not enough to justify paying ADT all this money for a sub par security system.
Three years later…
I sent in my cancellation notice. I switched to a DIY system which provides me with triple the coverage and utility of the ADT system for a fraction of the cost.
The new security system cost me 389 dollars to buy and 50 dollars a year to maintain. It’s so much better than ADT it’s not even funny. The payback period for the system is less than 1 year! When I called ADT to cancel, even the representative said, “Wow, that’s a much better setup.”
Details of the New Security System
My old Alarm system included:
1x ADT keypad
1x Motion detector
2x Key fobs
2x door/window sensors
My new alarm system includes:
1 x AAS-V series keypad w.auto-dialler.
1 x AAS wireless GSM module.
1x AAS wireless outdoor siren
1x AAS wireless indoor siren w.strobe
1x AAS wireless smoking detector
1x AAS wireless glass break detector
3 x AAS wireless motion detectos.
10 x AAS wireless door window sensors.
4 x AAS wireless remote controllers.
Big difference, huh?
You can find my alarm system on the website aasalarm.com or you can check here.
There are some other high quality and low or no fee options out there that could benefit you, please see below:
LiveWatch: Get Peace of Mind with the world’s fastest home security. LiveWatch offers low monthly rates and no long-term contracts. Learn More Now!
Canary: Take control of your home with Canary
Kuna:Kuna – Smart outdoor home security, monitoring, & convienice for everyone
What I Learned
What I learned from the ADT experience is that I will never ever, ever sign a multi-year contract for services without a ton of analysis and research. I can’t be too upset at myself about my ADT mishap since I was 25 at the time. You live and you learn.
In summary, I gave ADT $1727.64 of my hard earned income for craptastic service. Now, I pay $50 a year for a better solution.
A total home security system doesn’t have to be the only choice either! I was shocked to learn that 85% of all break-ins are through a door. That is actually pretty staggering when you think about it. If you want to save money, but have the same peace of mind, check out Armor Concepts. One-time costs and extremely effective door security, click on the link and save 10%!
What are some services you saved money on recently?
ADT is awful. My parents were going to switch over to them, they wanted to double their price and they would have to drop half of their security system to be compatible.
Wow.. that's insane! Tell her to go with a DIY system. Much cheaper and better I tell ya.
I've only heard bad things about ADT and your post reinforces this. When I bought my house several years ago, the previous owner had an ADT alarm system. I was immediately spammed by ADT to sign up for service. I did not sign up, but the keypad and system were still powered on in the house. Every once in a while when the power would go out from a storm or the like, when power was restored, the siren in the attic would go off. Usually I could get it to shut up by flipping the main breaker, but after one storm that no longer worked. I had to climb into the attic and cut the wiring for the siren. Soon after that, I ripped out the rest of the system.
My wife stays at home, and Smith & Wesson protects us.
hahah "Smith and Wesson protects us" Nice. I was looking into getting the SW Govenor. I like it because it fires 45's and shot gun rounds. The alarm system is good to startle the intruder I would rather use the weapon at the last minute possible.
We never really trusted ADT or anything that required door-to-door salespeople. We once had them come to the house and try to sell us their system. They even offered a free trial (which attached you to a 3-year contract if you didnt cancel, plus the cost of uninstalling the systems). We never really needed a security system because we had a dog. A rather loud, hyper dog. I agree with you though. Sometimes we don't look at the aggregate cost or possible alternatives before setting up for things we think may be a necessity, and just because it's a contract, it does not mean it is cheaper. It often means that if you could cancel before the contract ends, you might.
You hit the nail on the head. I was duped because I didn't do research. I was a new homeowner and I was lazy 🙁
Hmm…you must have a lot of valuables to make ADT worth it. I'll keep that in mind when I go pro-burglar.
I've been burned by door to door salespeople before. One of the many who have tried to sell me a magazine subscription offered "free" issues for a trial run. Yeah…they weren't free – he passed me something to sign with a total sale box left blank by him (not the first!). I'm sure that blank spot would have been filled with some outlandish price as he walked away from my door.
And of course I've paid the "aww aren't you cute" and "young entrepreneur" tax all to many times. Those darn kids and their $2 king sized fundraiser candy bars are just too much. I hate saying no because the last thing we need is entrepreneurial youngsters to get discouraged. A modest donation for an overpriced candy bar is something I'll tolerate.
That said, ADT, long distance/cable people, and charity salespeople over the age of 16 get a no almost immediately. Add me too the Do Not Knock list!
Good point about the multi years contract. I try to avoid those as well.
Avoid them like the plague! Especially for home security
What type of DIY system did you go with? I recently just replaced an x10-based system that I really liked. Had door/window sensors everywhere, motion detectors, glassbreak units, extra sirens, and called a monitoring service. Luckily never had to make use of it nor had it made use of, but nice to know that I have an extra few seconds of warning while sleeping.
I went with a system from aasalarm.com. it has the following items:
1 x AAS-V series keypad w.auto-dialler.
1 x AAS wireless GSM module.
1x AAS wireless outdoor siren
1x AAS wireless indoor siren w.strobe
1x AAS wireless smoking detector
1x AAS wireless glass break detector
3 x AAS wireless motion detectos.
10 x AAS wireless door window sensors.
4 x AAS wireless remote controllers.
hahah.. I have learned from my ADT experience and I am now more like you when it comes to people selling things who are over 16.
I used to use ADT. They sent a couple of kids over to my new house with hardwood floors to wire in an alarm system and the whole time I was afraid that these kids didn't know what they were doing. Cut a long story short, they dragged a heavy trashcan all around the house while they worked and left a deep scratch trail as wide as the base of the garbage can in all the hallways and rooms. The house had just been built and we hadn't moved into it at that time but I just about flipped when I saw the damage. The kids couldn't have cared less and ADT refused to take responsibility for fixing the damage. Had I been already living in the house, that trash can wouldn't have made it into the house in the first place. The kids were thoughtless and looked as though they were still in high school and the reseller who provided the system and labor was as shady as #$%. ADT? Never ever again.
Wow.. I would have been pissed off big time.
PS. I recently saved money by cancelling my ATT cell phone plans and using pay as you go phones and service from Tracfone. So far, I love it.
Great job on the savings. I found that I use my phone way too much to give up the monthly plan. damn iphones!!!
Thanks so much for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.
No problem 🙂
YFS- This is awesome! I'm actually in the market for a system and that price blows the big providers out of the water.
I'm curious though (and I can't easily determine from the site), how do emergency monitoring calls work? I see they make outbound calls, but is there actually a service that receives those calls and reports to the police/fire dept., etc? Or do you just program it to dial 911 and hope they respond to the recorded message quickly?
You would program the system to dial 911 but, I wouldn't recommend doing that. Just have it dial 6 of your closets friends. They in turn will try to reach you and if they can't will dial 911 very similar to how ADT does it
What is the type of SIM card needed for the cellular system and where can u get them for cheap pay per call plans. Thanks
T-mobile or ATT sell sim cards. It's the same one that you use in the pay as you go phones.
"So, I signed us up for 3 years of service at $47.99 per month. That meant that ADT cost me $575.88 per year,"
Let me get this straight, you're claiming that ADT "got you good" because you didn't understand that you needed to multiply $47.99 x 12 to come up with your yearly cost? It's amazing what people are willing to do in order to avoid taking responsibility for their own lack of due diligence, or in this case, application of basic math.
I have a wireless DIY alarm system but i am having trouble setting it up :-(,
i paid £20.00 UK (Ebay)
1x code control panel
1x PIR
2x door/window detectors
2x key fob
Mine telephones your mobile phone when activated, Upto 5 personal numbers and 1 emergancy number IE police.
Good price but complicated
About the saving money thing…
I’m a recently divorced mom with two teens. When my ex left, I was in college full time, homeschooling the kids and working part time. Now I’m working full time, college full time and still homeschooling.
Needless to say, money was a pretty major panic button for me, since child support is only 1/4 of his income in our state.
I dropped cable and got Netflix. My cable package included phone and internet. By kicking the TV down to the very basic (we get about 10 channels) and keeping the internet (I’m a freelancer, it’s a must-have for my work), the bill went from $140 a month to $50. We got Netflix for $8 a month, and MagicJack (which works great as long as you have decent internet service), and we’re still saving over half the bill.
I had an iPhone on my husband’s business account, but could not see spending $100+ a month to keep it on my own contract. I loved my iPhone too, and lamented the loss of being able to check my e-mail on the go. (two teens = lots of running around). I got a Samsung tablet from AT&T, and am paying $30 a month for 3gb of wireless, which is WAY more than I actually need to check e-mail. If you watch videos or play Halo or something, you’d need more, but for me, this is plenty. Bonus, I can work away from home because the tab has a keyboard, something I couldn’t do with my phone. It acted as a replacement for my phone, and as a back-up for my computer. I’m saving $70 a month over the price of a iPhone.
If you absolutely “must have” an iPhone type device, you might want to check into Walmart or Radio Shack’s pay-as-you-go smartphones. I found plans as low as $45 a month, a pretty hefty savings over AT&T’s $100+ a month. For me, the tab plus a tracphone for texts and calls was more practical.
Ironically, a year after my ex walked out on us, I’ve landed a good contract and am no longer worried about money. In fact, I’m working on a savings plan and taking my kids on a two week camping trip this summer.
If I can come out of 17 years of being a stay at home Mom and get us back on track, anyone can get their finances in order. It takes dedication and if anyone tells you it’s easy they’re lying through their teeth, but it can be done. Just hang in there.
-Mary
So the real question is: How hard is it to set up your new system? Do you have to run wires or have to hire an electrician?
I feel like I’ve been totally scammed by ADT! Three years ago I spent $800 on installation and equipment. I paid the $50/month fee for my piece of mind. Now, I’ve purchased a new home and learned the following:
1. If you purchased your equipment through ADT corporate you do NOT have the option to get the equipment relocated. You have to repurchase all of the equipment again!
2. If you purchased your equipment through an ADT dealer, you can pay them a small fee ($150) and get the system/equipment moved.
I had no idea at the time of purchase that there was any difference.
Talk about a scam!!!
Liz
I think I will throw in a quick two cents worth. Don’t use ADT. I am a former installer, subcontractor, not employee. I was contracted to install A LOT of their systems several years ago. They sent me into people’s homes, working around all their stuff, programming their systems with my own installers code so I could go back and work on them at any time. My code is still in every system I programmed. I was never background or drug tested by ADT. just thought you might like to know that.
Also, most of us installers don’t pay for monitoring. We install our own systems, put signs and stickers up, and run it like it’s monitored. We arm and disarm like you guys, same system. We know the signs and stickers are the most valuable part of that system. If someone still tries to get in, the alarm makes all the same noises yours does, then it resets the siren after about 8 minutes. The fire and panic stuff is pretty useless since everyone old enough to push the button has a cellphone anyway.
The police rarely make alarm calls high priority since about 85% are false alarms.
And don’t forget the motto of the response teams…
“When seconds count, we’re minutes away.”
Not telling you whether or not you need a system, just giving an installers perspective.
That’s all. Thanks
I got ADT for my daughter who is away at college at Florida State in Tallahassee, FL. I’ve been paying ADT for two years and was looking forward to one more year on my 3 year contract. My daughter, like most college students, moved. Unbeknownst to me, I have to sign a new 3 YEAR CONTRACT in order to transfer my daughter’s service from one apartment to another. What a rip off. ADT wants to hold me hostage for 5 years at $35 per month. No where in the contract did it say I have to sign a new contract if my daughter decides to move. I want to write corporate but of course, there’s no address to file a complaint. If I cancel the service, it’s over $800. ADT SUCKS and they will hold you captive.
I signed on with ADT February of 2009, paid my monthly fee. 2012 I realize I’m not receiving a bill and I never renewed my contract or monitoring service with the police department but this was months and months later when I realized I had missed my payments. I now have lost my job my contract was up February 2012. We are now in February 2014 and I have to move out of my apartment, due to job loss. I’m now sitting here with equipment that I have not used in well over 3 years. I ‘m mortified to call them and say hey it’s me I have not paid a bill in 2 years and I’m moving come get your equipment. I read my contract, but there is nothing in there about moving out and what I need to do with the equipment. Do I just leave the equipment here, call or have them remove the equipment? I’m scared that they will ruin my very good credit but trust me I get it this is my fault. Based on what I read in these post thank GOD I did not renew my contract. I feel stupid writing this but some of your post are scary ~ I want to do the right thing but also the cheapest way possible due to current situation. Any suggestions appreciated ~ Sigh ~
That’s certainly a tough call. I would probably go the honest route and just tell them to pick up their equipment if it were me. I have no idea how much it costs, and I am sure it’s probably outdated equipment as this point. At least an anonymous call asking their procedure on this might be warranted.
So I would just like to add a little information out there for you all to think about.. First of all it is wonderful that you all feel comfortable with a dog as a burglar alarm! But, god forbid what if your out at work, working you butt off and there is a fire in our home ? ADT’s fire and smoke detectors are photoelectric and can sense a chemical change in the air before the fire bursts into flames and becomes a true danger! And as far as the smith and wesson goes would you really want to take someone’s life just because they are more desperate for something than you are ? Could you really take the chance of ending someone’s life because they made the mistake of breaking into your home…? I hope this helps you all see the view from a happy and proud ADT customer! God bless you all!
While your point on fire and smoke detectors makes me think twice, I have no problem with the smith and wesson solution! Home security is quite a bit different than smoke detectors.
I have had ADT for a long time, and have never had any complaints over them. I would like to tell you why I have ADT. I had a friend who had gotten their home broken in to. Now, while it would seem that if he had a gun, he would have been safe, except for the fact that his home got broken into in the middle of the day. AND HE HAD A DOG! The dog didn’t do anything, and it was a larger dog who was let into the back yard during the burglary. So, while I admire you having a gun (I do too, it adds a level when I am at home) I also am afraid of someone finding a way into my gun cabinet and stealing them while I am away (I trust my gun cabinet is safe, but who knows?) I think if you don’t go in thinking that it is going to do more then what you think it’s going to do you’ll be fine.
Good point Jeff…I actually have a wall safe, much more protective than a gun cabinet, and it’s in the closet in my bedroom.
I also have no problem with the smith & wesson, or in my case “Glock” Solution. I have absolutely no problem dispatching an intruder for “being more desperate” for something than I am. What if the things they wanted so desperately were your daughter’s innocence or your husband’s life? They made a conscious to break into your home, robbing you of your peace of mind. You have to make the conscious decision not to let them have it. I am also a happy ADT customer, but believe me, their system is nothing more than a warning system for me. My real defense, is 180 grains of lead leaving the muzzle.
Yeah Im not necessarily disagreeing with you on this one…protecting my family comes first, but hurting someone else might carry some guilt regardless of the reasons.
the only guilt or tragedy would be “not doing anything” and then having them harm someone else later.
When a criminal decides to steal, they decide to die.
All thats left is, who is going to be forced to defend society against their satanic evil.
You wanna talk about those DIY systems? Lol a simple frequency sniffer can jam them and make them non functional ($50) off eBay. Chances are most of you aren’t home security professionals so you won’t install your system correctly. If the system calls 911 you are getting a fine as nearly every state and county has an ordinance preventing you from doing that. You will receive absolutely no discount on your insurance of any kind, your medical, police, and fire panics will be worthless buttons, and any semipro burglar knows to look for those DIY systems and knows how to defeat them. You effectively just told the burglar that you have expensive stuff in your house and a highly ineffective system to protect it. I noticed someone mention Vivint security (formerly APX) who had to change their name because the reviews were so awful.
For the best possible system and service look up GuardMe security INC, we use only 2GIG equipment (full smart phone integration, the Cadillac of systems) and we can generally match any other companies rates. We are UL listed, corporate, NICET certified, and we don’t use shady contractors or D2D sales tactics. We have an A+ BBB and Angie’s list rating and absolutely 0 complaints. For a company that has been around over 10 years that is.something to say.
That’s because you chose to go through a door-to-door salesman, which is an authorized dealer of ADT. They sell ADT equipment and use ADTs name. You should have called the 1800 number and spoke with ADT corporate. Adt isn’t dependant on door to door salesmen. That’s something the authorized dealer does, if you wanted more sensors you should’ve specified that’s what you wanted insead of taking the initial package offered to you. ADT offers the same package, and all the same things. There’s a reason they’ve been an alarm company for 140 years
Perhaps ADT should be more careful with who they allow to sell their products!
If you had a product and the 80% of all new accounts came from other sources I am sure you would do the same, and if customers bring it to ADT attention of certain practices they are handled and business’s lose there authorized dealer agreement with ADT
wow if ADT was so bad why are they the number one security company in the world? If they were so bad why have they been in service for over 135 years and secure the White House, Pentagon, all Federal judges houses, and all national airports? If there was someone better trust me the Gov would use them instead of ADT! its actually better to go through and authorized retailer! You call into ADT corp, your looking at paying 2500 dollars average! It looks like to me alot of you got burned by horrible door to door salesmen. All these other mom and pop security companies DO NOT have 6 monitoring centers in the US like ADT and have over 1000 employees for each of those monitoring centers.90% of security companies other than ADT have one Monitoring center, if not any! They sell the contract you signed to a monitoring center that can monitor you! Monitoring centers cost about 100,000,000 million dollars! think of it this way, how are these mom and pop security companies going to monitor their 1 million customers if that with just one center? impossible! That means the response time is about 3-5 mins and that’s just to call you to let you know whats going on! Now me as a Mid West Regional Manager all that equipment that he listed i give that all away at no cost! ADT is by FAR the best I’m pretty sure that’s why ADT is in the WHITE HOUSE not diy, vivint, monitronics, ect. If any of those were better Trust me they’d be in the WHITE HOUSE!
haha…where do u get your information on ADT protecting the whitehouse? Please share with us! Im pretty sure that is the 24/7 monitoring of the Secret Service that protects the whitehouse.
Lehman Brothers collapsed, and they were around for 158 years…that’s 23 more than ADT…so give it some time!
When ADT was installed into my house, the sales rep said that ADT provides security for the white house. After doing some research just now, I think he may have lied to me which is a bit aggravating.
Aside from the rest of the nonsense and humor I will admit ADT although no where close cheap in price in comparison with other competition does have the most monitoring centers in the US. With that alone I went with ADT. Sure I can install a DIY being a tech guy and all but the big question everyone should ask where and who is going to handle my monitoring? Who give a damn how many monitoring or sensors you have? If the monitoring systems lack staff you can have laser beams for all I care because they are worthless. It’s like comparing cellular service Verizion is the most expensive by at the end of the day when I go to make a call and my friend next to me with Sprint can’t I know that extra $20 I pay a month is worth it. You get what you pay for.
Thank you YFS!! My wife and I just purchased our new home and sure enough, mail came from ADT within a week. My wife wanted me to look into them and that’s when I read your blog. Great advice which saved me a TON of cash! We went with aasalarm as well. Thanks again!
You mention $50 in yearly maintenance cost. It didn’t see that on their website. What does that cover?
It is so funny how people talk crap about ADT and say they can get something cheaper, usually if it is cheaper there is a reason, I don’t see these other companies coming out and maintaining faulty equipment or even replacing at no cost 2 years down the road or just doing a follow up to replace batteries…and if an alarm company only charges 50 dollars a year I am afraid see who is actually monitoring, we are all intelligent people and know that everything cost something some way or another, and then you get the knuckle heads that get all the false alarms and guess what happens the police and fire, and medical will actually stop responding to certain companies, some cities even stop responding in all no matter who the company is…and ADT will then pay for a private security company to patrol and go out to all calls in these locations. You really believe that alarm company you pay the cost of 1 dinner for a whole year one time will be able to give that service…if you all want to don research make sure to ask are you ADT direct or are you an authorized dealer….and the cost to replace things adds up and I can promise that a 50 dollar company doesn’t guarantee there product over 12 months, where ADT guarantees for the life that you live at your home and will give you a free alarm if you move to be able to continue your contract which protects the home owner as much as it does ADT……THE BEST RESPONSE WAS I HAVE A SMITH AND WESSON ”WELL HAVE FUN WHEN YOU DO SHOOT SOMEONE BECAUSE NOW A DAYS EVEN A VBURGLAR CAN SUE FOR THE DUMBEST THING EVER AND HOME OWNERS GO TO JAIL AS WELL” That is why an alarm system with video is best because it will track and show proof and have no questions asked….GO ADT
I divorced the cable/phone/internet (Verizon) which was costing $111 and going up after two year special to $140 a month. I decided I didnt need to be THAT entertained. First, the home phone was constantly ringing with a telemarketer, a politician, or Mr. Unavailable on the line. We went to BestBuy and bought an HD over-the-air TV antenna, some HD cable, a preamp to boost tge signal since we are 35 miles from the towers. This brought in 44 free channels, but we mostly use ABC, CBS,NBC, FOX and PBS. We found we were in a zip code where 4g wireless internet is available for $10 a month through Mobile Beacon/everyoneon. We paid $39 for the modem and we have three computers, a Kindle and two cell phones running with only minor slow times. We bought a $99 Roku for streaming . I get FoxNews and free movies and tons of channels I dont have time to explore. I can even check Facebook, listen to iHeart Radio, or have an audio book read to me as I work on YouTube. Happy, happy, happy. The only thing missing is ESPN.
Will the do it yourself system only run on 3G? I was just about to have ADT come install at my apartment next week. Our internet is provided to us through our apartment complex and is not 3G – after reading your post and all these posts, I want to get a cheaper/better service provider. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Here’s my standpoint… I have five young kids and I want the burglar to just skip my house all together… having just the sign in my yard may be one of the reasons why I wasn’t targeted when another two neighbors got their cars broken into. I have a gun if they ever do come in my house, but no bullets bc of the kids… I will do whatever it takes to avoid them coming. ADT is a good brand. Everyone knows who they are, and it is an excellent deterrent if someone is scoping out the neighborhood. How else will I get all of my kids to safety? Otherwise, for most people, these other companies are excellent. My thought process goes to the fact that I have three levels and five kids and there’s no way I can keep them all safe. I’d die trying though… one of the other perks is that I can input a fake code if they ever do break in, and the burglar would never know the difference, but adt would be listening in and calling authorities.
a few yrs ago we purchased adt.1st mistake.2nd mistake was giving them debit card #. I was told they would only debit out 84.00.they did that alright,plus135.73 plus 232.93 all of his within 8 days then I called the bank stopped them from any more of that. now a collection company is calling me and threatening me.I called the sheriffs office and a lawyer.they have taken all the money they r going to from me.Dont give them a debit card,the guys that installed my equipment told me that if they had to remove the equipment,it was now used and they would charge me a large fee to remove it.Thats when I should have called the police dept.
There is no comparison to an ADT system professionally installed,monitored by 6 monitoring stations and fully warrantied by service plan and some cheap DIY system monitored by who knows. You get what you pay for.
If you do your research, you can find a reputable company to monitor your alarm system; in addition, if you get an alarm company to install a brand new alarm system, pay for the system up front. Read this article: http://www.artelisys.com/secrets-free-49-99-home-security-alarm-systems/
“There is no comparison to an ADT system professionally installed”
ummm. Yes there is!
You might think they have huge overhead costs; in actuality, their cost per account is relatively low! In 2014. ADT had approximately 6.7 million customers throughout the world and the average cost per account was $41.54, which equates to about $3.3 Billion dollars in revenue for 2014. The cost for revenue was about $411 Million dollars which is like $5.11 per account; it is all about numbers to them, nothing more, nothing less!
Now take a locally owned and operated alarm company in a metro area that has a total of let’s say 25,000 customer at an average cost of $30.00 a month in monitoring; this equates to about $9 Million dollars of revenue for a year. Assume that the cost of revenue for those customers is $1 Million dollars which equates to about $3.30 per customer. The cost per customer is a very close comparison. You do get value and savings by going with a locally owned and operated company in your area. Most offer comparable service plans.
The point is, if you do your homework, you can find a better deal, better service, and better value for your money!
And if that local companies monitoring station goes down for some reason or gets too much traffic at once- (which happens all the time) all those customers are screwed. What does the cost per customer matter at all when it comes to security and safety ? ADT has more customers because they have been around for over 100 years. If it means I have to pay $40 a month to make sure my house is protected by a company that has been around for 100 years, has 6 monitoring stations, 20,000 employees , 400 local offices, and service plan included…. I’ll do it every time.
“What does the cost per customer matter at all when it comes to security and safety ” that is the point; they do not care about the security and safety, all they care about is your money Furthermore, by choosing a locally owned company in your state is that you are supporting locally owned businesses which favors the the Local Economy. In addition, locally owned businesses create more jobs which helps decreases local unemployment rate . Believe it our not, supporting a locally owned and operated alarm company will benefit you in savings. The average cost of monitoring from big box companies are roughly around $50.00 a month whereas, the cost from a locally owned and operated business will be on an average of $30.00
For the person that said he had a gun but no Bullets, Get some bullets and a small hand safe or get rid of the Gun. A gun with no bullets can get you killed quicker that no gun at all when someone thinks they are faster or decides to test your resolve. And to the person that said they will throw you in jail for shooting someone in your home. This is extremely rare and usually only happens when they are shot in the back and considered “not a threat” If someone is facing you in your home then you are reasonable to assume your life is in danger “and it probably is” and respond with lethal force. No Jury would convict. That is why it is rare prosecutors press or prosecute these types of cases. You have the right to protect body and property. But back to the point that started this discussion. Sounds to me like putting a security sign in the front yard will make 95% of all thieves pass your home for one without a sign. and a one time cost of a DIY System with a siren facing out the attic vent loud enough to wake the dead would take care of the other 5% I am sorry but no one would stick around to rob a house with a siren blasting alerting all the neighbors of their presence. So I say get a sign, and a DIY system. And for those rare morons that paid no attention to either “if there is anyone that stupid” You are well within your rights to put a hot slug in their chest as they deserve. have a good day! 🙂 P.S. ADT may well be popular and great at what they do but they like many other popular companies have gotten to big over the years and cost way to much money. You end up paying for all their advertising and wasted cost and company execs and pretty Vans…ect…ect…
Sadly, I work for ADT and even I wouldn’t recommend them. I have ADT service, since I get it at a discount, and the equipment is horrible. I went with the new PULSE system, which is all wireless and has an app which allows you to control your system from a smart device. First, the rate is TWICE the normal rate for this system. Second, on many occasions I have walked into my house with the system armed and it didn’t go off opening the door, it wasn’t till a few second after I walked in from of the motion sensor that it finally went off. Thirdly, the cameras, wireless, don’t stay connected to the system, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, no rhyme or reason why. And as an employee, the only thing they value is profit. ADT grows by buying smaller companies and claims growth, while in fact, people are leaving at record pace. The benefits they offer for employees is pathetic at best. They don’t promote hard working people, they promote people who can kiss-ass. So pretty much the company as a whole, for security or employment, sucks.
I got ADT for our new home since they were great at my old house. After we had this system installed we realized any time the alarm was triggered nobody even so much called to see if we were ok. We had someone out to look at it and they said it was all wrong and fixed it. So next time we triggered it accidently same thing… not so much as a call. We gave up and said we would just go with door chimes telling us what door is opening which we liked as we had small children. My question is… we recently had a metal door replaced with fiberglass door and the contractors did not remove the other half of the sensor apparently and put it on the new door because it no longer chimes. They looked on the old door and it is no longer there and i looked around for missing piece and cannot find. ADT wants 159 for service call and 85 for replacement door sensor. Contractor says to send bill but wish it was something could do myself to help out contractor. Do not know what piece looks like but part on wall is round and says adt and was jnstalled in 2003. Any ideas? Hate to have to call ADT and soak cintractor with bill.
I wish I had read this before I got into my horrible 3-year contract the ADT. Never again! As soon as the contract is up I will get a dog instead. I got duped and misled by the ADT authorized dealer Ayana Wireless.
Thanks to these comments, we’ve just avoided the ADT trainwreck… as we are soon buying a home that has ADT equipment already.. and the home purchase is still “pending”… adt has already called my husband! How did ADT get his contact information???????
After we move in, we will have it permanently disabled! THANK YOU!!!
Duh! ADT simply had not charged the payment to our card. A clear picture of incompetence is now obvious. Today I deliberately activated the alarm to see if they would call. You have to let it beep for 45 seconds. If you deactivate the alarm before that ADT DOESN’T call. 45 seconds is ample time for a burglar to force you to the key pad with a gun to your head and make you deactivate the alarm. When they did call, they did not ask for my password. I asked her why not, and she said that if the alarm is deactivated before they call they don’t ask for the password. Again, this does away with your fail safe back up to give phony password to let them know you need help. Unfortunately every home invader probably knows the phony code. When I did give her my password she said it was wrong. She says she’ll mail me my password. What incompetent dopes. My husband is a lawyer and feels that ADT has breached the contract by their rotten performance. I called the guy who sold us the system and no surprise he hasn’t returned my call. I need to find a small local company similar to the one I had in CT. I pay $62.00 a month for monitoring. In CT I paid $88.00 for 3 months with no contract. I knew how much ADT would cost but I expect it to protect me.
Where is the first part of my comment?
I bought a house and had ADT come to install a system. The same evening I was excited to show my family the new system. While showing them around, I found 4 windows that were not secure and they failed to secure my garage at all. I was sitting on hold with them the next morning to complain about the sitation, when Monitronics happened to call me to see if I was interested in a home security system. As a matter of fact I am. I cancel ADT, within less than 24 hours of installation.
Over a year later ADT is still harrassing me! They call me everyday, demanding that I pay this early cancellation fee, that I owe for months and months of service, and they want me to jump thru hoops for them! I have told my story to every phone caller, on the daily until I am blue in the face. They are exhausting and are now threatening to put this on my credit report.
How can you trust a company that still thinks you have service with them, when the equipment has been in a box in the garage for over a year? I told them to come get their crap or tell me where to drop it off. They said they don’t need the equipment back. Ridiculous!
Thank you! Guardian is awful. I had a break in with no help, no call, nothing. When I called to say i was alive and complain because no response from them (thanks to a neighbor who called 911) they said new guy was monitoring…..oh well then ..
ADT is awful too so I hear, maybe simplisafe???
Simply Safe , Frontpoint is all awful!!
If you dont have a 2-Way System … you have Nothing ..
Idk about all other states , but in FLORIDA .
The 2way Voice Verification gives you the 1st priority with the police , they xan hear , listen and speak in your home … glass break, are automatics 1st line response with cops with 2way verification
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Can’t trust ADT anymore!!
They increase my month bill the 2nd time. The first time I don’t pay attention to it much, but ..again??…
So I called them up and they quickly said they will waive it. Feeling strange…so I ask…if there a different program that I can enroll for a lower monthly bill. Guess what the person say?….”Sure, we can lower your monthly bill to $40 a month”…What?!!!! How can this possibly be??? How can they not tell me??
So beware of ADT!!! If too many people cancel the service, they can become more extreme and rip off more customers.
To ADT: This is modern society! Have some ethics in doing business please!
Lol how am I the only one who thinks ADT is an amazing g company on this thread. First of all, you’re lying about the price, or you really are an idiot and bought from somebody other than ADT. If you buy from an authorized ADT dealer, their prices are strictly regulated by the largest in home security company in the united states, the same one that put the security system in the white house. 2nd of all, buying in home security should be to keep you safe at night, to save your thousands and thousands of dollars of personal belongings from being stolen, to keep your children safe, your “loud barking dog” alive (fire at your house and you’re at work), to help deter thieves from ever entering and violating the single most expensive thing a person ever purchases in their lives. Who the hell buys in him security to save 15 dollars a month on their homeowners insurance? And a third grader could have done the math prior to the sale and seen that 20% off of let’s say 1500 dollars a year on your homeowners insurance is 300 dollars. The sales agent obviously told you the price first. Dont say he didn’t cause we all know he did. Multiply the 45 dollar cost per month by twelve and, oh my god, you mean you can’t get state of the art protection from robbery, fire, and for your very life and the lives of your loved ones for free? Lets pray the robber doesn’t get the drop on you and that your Smith and Wesson can shoot out fires! If you haven’t guessed by now, I used to sell the system. They always did get 99% of their problems from one percent of their customers. I’m glad you all found refuge together, huddled by your computer’s, lying about you really couldn’t pay the monthly payment anymore so you create these scenario and provide support to the other people lying about the same thing. Hey there’s strength in numbers fellas. Best of luck!
I think the security at the white house is provided by the US Marines.
I also think that there is NO SIMILARITY to the system at the white house and the one ADT puts in your house.
So why bother to make the statement.
It does sound hilarious though. The White house the most irrelevant building in the USA.
I’m a rocket scientist, but that has nothing to do with alarms either.
ADT IS THE WORST “ALARM ” company in the WORLD! Plus its always getting Sued locally and federally! In every ADT building there is a floor or dept dedicated to Lawyers!! Yes Lawyers! Cause they fuck their customers! This is not a lie look it up!!
They Do Not Guarantee you anything in there Monitoring Contract !!
Black and White it states, WE MAY AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION “attempt”. To notify police ,
We will endeavor to respond to your alarm
WE WILL ATTEMPT TO NOTIFY POLICE …
After the first year they will raise the rates!!!
You have a 3yr contract with them BUT they do not have a contract with you!! After 12 mnths theyll taise the rates by $2-5 a month!
I read your post and I feel that basically – Your an idiot. You put Zero value on your time and less value on the years of combined knowledge and experience of a professional installation company. No I do not work for ADT but you purchased hardware and installed it yourself. It totally misses the mark – It is like saying “You want $3000 to paint my house? I can buy the paint for $200.” Obviously you feel your time is worthless – and it probably is.
SO you say “I got a better deal with the DIY set up” I expect that you do understand that the $99 deal you purchased is paid for by the monthly fee and the DIY deal was paid with upfront.
It really all comes out in the end – The reality is that the police are starting to institute No response policies to DIY systems.
An idiot? Perhaps… but to correct your spelling and grammar…it’s “You’re an idiot”
As for the value of my time… perhaps you should peruse the site and the monthly income reports
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I am having a horrible experience with ADT also. Don’t trust them or their sales guy. They have the worst customer service on planet earth. thaThat’s because they know your stuck with that horrific contract, so they don’t go out if their way to give you good service. Find another company or DIY.
You will regret getting ADT!