One-and-a-half-star Yelp average
- High priority on marketing (false claims are made on potential customers)
- Ambiguous contract terms (will use any opportunity to hide and extend it)
- Deceitful cancelation process (must call, long wait times, upsells)
- Vague system transfer policy (contract is often canceled, resulting in customer paying termination fee)
- Lack of communication between technicians and customer service (each often make false claims contradicting one another)
Reviews source: “ADT Security Services” Yelp, www.yelp.com/biz/adt-security-services-boca-raton-6. Accessed 7 Mar. 2022.
Names have been changed to protect user privacy.
We sold our NJ house where we had ADT. In March 2020, we called ADT to cancel service. At first, we did not realize we signed a 3 year contract with ADT and would be facing large penalties for cancelling the contract early. This was not good news to receive but we calmed down after ADT mentioned we could put a hold on our account until we close on our new house and we’d also receive a credit of almost $700 to upgrade or add components to the new house. We were very pleased with this and decided to pursue.
Fortunately, we had already found our dream home and were under contract to buy it but our closing was scheduled for the end of May. When I set up the install at the new house, I paid my $100 install fee and was assured that our account would remain open because we’re transferring service, not cancelling. The furthest they could schedule was May 5th, long before our closing. ADT advised it was best to get it scheduled but we could push it back later.
After, I called our local installers and the corporate office 5-6 times to confirm everything was in good standing and push the install date back, which was unsuccessful. Each time I called, I explained the situation, provided the addresses & ADT reference number for the install. All reps were able to see this in the corporate system. It was only a week before the first install date when I received an automated message from the local installer that I was able to move the date back to June 1st.
However, in late April, we received a bill from ADT for our cancelled service and the balance of the contract (approx. $1,300) was owed. I immediately called ADT and the representative I spoke with apologized and told me to disregard the invoice. She advised it was an automated invoice that will reset itself after the install at the new house. She again assured me everything was fine because service was transferring.
The first week of May, ADT automatically withdrew the $1,300 balance from my bank account. Mind you, this is now during the COVID pandemic and 1 week before my new closing date of 05/15/2020. I called the same day to get this fixed. The agent advised it was a valid transaction because our service was cancelled. I went through the entire process again (despite the many prior calls) and she submitted a request to refund the money. She advised it could take 10-25 business days for this to be deposited back into my account so I had her expedite the request. I called after a few days and another rep advised the refund would hit our account no later than Tuesday 05/12. This did not happen.
I called ADT again and the spoke to accounting. This time, the agent advised of the 10-25 processing days for a refund. I asked for her manager and was connected with Ethan. I explained the entire scenario again & the first thing he states was that we signed a three year contract and the cancellation was valid. He advised there was no such thing as putting your account on hold until the new installation date and that every transfer was a contract cancellation and new contract is established. He advised they process cancellation fees on every contract unless service its transferred within 1 day (which doesn’t happen). He even had the audacity to claim ADT was investing in us because they were processing a refund that wasn’t warranted and still giving us the credit for new components at our new house.
This company lied and must lie to many more customers. What if the money they withdrew was needed to feed my family during the pandemic? What if my mortgage company declined to move forward?
ADT should be ashamed and either refund me today or waive my cancel fees so we could all move on. If it was a smaller amount, I would have let them keep it and moved service to another provider. They are not caring, are not helpful when manual intervention is needed, and should not be trusted.
Response from ADT
Dear Ms. Lily,
Thank you for your review. While responding to reviews with generic responses (listed on my job description), I came across your review. I am writing this response to you because it didn’t feel right to state, “I am sorry to hear about your experience.” Before I continue, I would like to add a generic statement and apologize for the service you received from ADT. We make every effort to ensure customers are satisfied, which is reflected by our BBB rating of A+. You may feel differently about us, however, many of the complaints you addressed are part of our standard protocol, and your ignorance is at fault.
Starting in chronological order, I would like to address the fact that you were unaware that you signed a contract with us. Contracts are a standard practice in the security industry as a whole, and it is common knowledge that ADT issues three-year contracts on every system we sell. Believe it or not, even my five-year-old granddaughter knows that ADT issues contracts! (I swear it has nothing to do with the fact that her grandfather works for the aforementioned company, it’s just common knowledge.) Even if you were unaware, the technician should have clearly informed you of the contract, and if they didn’t, it is listed in the fine print next to all of our plans online and in our marketing material (which you should have read). I just don’t see how you could have missed this; I only know of two other customers in my 20-year career with ADT that have missed this as well. (Yes, I have been working with ADT for 20 years and still have “junior” in my title. Please don’t ask why.)
But I digress. Let’s cover the account “hold” you mentioned. You probably made this up, no one at ADT would tell you that over the phone. First off, even though account holds are not unheard of, national alarm companies like ADT have never issued them. If you haven’t already guessed, I am a veteran of the home security industry. (My first job out of high school was wiring security systems back in 1976; maybe the lack of a college degree has to do with the “junior” title.) I remember back in 1984, a year or two after becoming an ADT technician, (those were the golden days of ADT, when we were a monopoly and the term “DIY security system” was not in the dictionary) a customer was in a similar situation as you, where they were moving and in a contract with us. He also requested an account “hold”, which we could not deliver. I remember how frustrated he was when I installed his new system because he had to pay us $400 in fees ($1,082.38, adjusted for inflation). Oh, I almost forgot! That reminds me that I need to talk about the most important complaint in your review, the termination fee.
If there is one thing that everyone should know about ADT, (okay fine, you have to know that we do contracts, which I mentioned is common knowledge to everyone except you) it’s that we charge early contract termination fees. Back when I worked in the phone division, this was a major complaint. (One customer, who was supposedly a magician, even threatened to curse me for life if I didn’t waive the fee.) Even today, this is one of our most common complaints, but I don’t understand why it’s a huge deal. You even compared it to not being able to feed your family! I’m sorry, Ms. Lily, but this is a huge misunderstanding. Have you ever donated to a good cause before? (E.g. cancer treatments, animal adoption.) This is no different. By paying the early termination fee, you are providing extra support to America’s oldest operating security company. In case you are unaware (I guarantee you are), we were founded over 150 years ago as the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company. You would hate to see such an American icon like us shut down, right? I know I would. This is precisely why we charge these fees, Ms. Lily. Otherwise, we would lose money. And if we continue to lose money, we would shut down. By signing that contract, you agree to paying the early termination fee if you decide to cancel. Just like with the rest of your review, (which I cannot cover as my shift is nearing the end) your ignorance is the one at fault, Ms. Lily, not us.
At this point, you are probably thinking that there will be a silver lining. You probably think that I will offer you a free upgrade or something similar. But, you’d be wrong, Ms. Lily. You are extremely lucky that you received that $700 credit for the installation at your new house. This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer from ADT. Do you really think a company like us with over 6 million customers could afford to give a $700 credit every time a customer moved? Because of this, do you really think you are entitled to receive any additional credits from me? (I have the power to give a customer every possible ADT offer.) I must wrap up this response, Ms. Lily, but I want you to remember that your ignorance is the one at fault, and you are very lucky that it entitled you to receive any compensation from an American icon like ADT. In any case, I hope you have a wonderful day, and most importantly, thank you for choosing ADT to protect your home.
Sincerely,
Chuck Clifford
Junior Customer Satisfaction Manager
ADT Headquarters, Boca Raton, FL
Terrible customer service to a customer that has signed two contracts with them.
Don’t understand how to open and close accounts properly.
Representatives give you the wrong information and then blame you for trusting their word.
Give you the run around about issues that’s they created and cannot solve within 60 days.
Expect you to abide by a contract, but cannot give you good customer service.
Trusted my life and my family’s life with these people, and I rather go with no alarm system at all.
Who wants my home security service, because clearly ADT doesn’t.
… years later. I’m updating my review (from 1 star to 3) to say that the last two years having them, customer service has improved. They’ve updated their systems, apps, and payment systems. I haven’t had any issues with them in the last two years (June 2016-Jan 2018).
I have been a customer of ADT for twenty plus years. We decided to move our system to our new location, so they advised me that I can get the new system that just came out. 1. They scheduled me for one day and with no notification changed the installation date to a day that was convenient for them. 2. I check my account and three charges pending from them that they didn’t explain. Told me that I would get a refund after explaining the charges, but haven’t received yet. 3. Looked at my account and there again drafted 2600.00. The operator told me it will be 24hrs, and it will be back in my account. Waited 48hrs, no refund. And two days later drafted 487. This is terrible. I hate I decided to use them in my new house.
These people are beyond horrible. I’ve had ADT a little over a year and never had to call in for an issue. Two of my outdoor cameras weren’t working, and I encountered two extremely rude, unhelpful representatives. The first representative was asking me to pretty much climb on my roof to get a model number. Shouldn’t they already have that on file? They installed it. I asked for a supervisor named Bryan who is in Jacksonville, FL. This guy started to yell at me, telling me it was not possible to get someone to look at my cameras the next business day. People use security services for 24/7 security, not every other day, when we feel like securing you. This is a culture that is not concerned about your security. Please, please, if you care about your family, do not use ADT. I will be canceling with these bumbling idiots ASAP. I wish I could give them a 0.
Horrible service…I was given the run around every time I called! I was in my window to cancel my service, and they said they were going to fix all the problems. So for the third time I waited for a tech to come fix things and waited for two hours for a tech to come install the camera and secondary keypad. He came and said he didn’t have any of the equipment?! Now they are saying they can’t honor the camera. I’m out of my window to cancel now, and they won’t let me out of the contract. The $300 door lock doesn’t even work with the app! I would stay clear of this company!!! I also spoke with corporate ADT, and she said she can’t even help me!!! Nightmare
We moved recently. We do not need security service now, so I called to cancel. (As I recall, you cannot cancel without talking to someone, which they make into an ordeal to get an agent on the phone.) ADT insisted on us paying an extra month, saying this was in their agreement with its customers. I asked that they send us a copy of the agreement and show how we had agreed with it. I still have not received a copy of this agreement.
However, they have billed us for the extra month. I do not plan to pay until they indicate that we agreed to this. We will see how this ends. I am sure that they have many more lawyers than we have (we have none), and that they have much more money to put into harassing us than we have to attempt to give them trouble for this kind of practice.
In my opinion, ADT easily fits the description of being a “customer no service” company.