Protection 1’s earns a 3.0-star rating from 41 reviews, showing that the majority of security system users are somewhat satisfied with their service.
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Business was broken into
My business was just broken into on Dec 16th 2010. The system that Protection one installed did not work. I have 3 motion sensors in a small 900 sf office. The burglar went in and out of our office 9 times as seen on the surveillance tape and made off with over 50k in equipment. We contacted Protection one and demanded someone stop by immediately. They sent a technician plus the general manager(Steve). After they tested the system they tell us that the "motion sensors" they installed are not actual motion sensors but "heat sensing" sensors. I have looked over our contract and the literature on their website and they mention motion sensors and nothing else. He also told us that because it was chilly that morning it may have causes them not to work. Do they have Florida motion sensors and New York ones as well ? He then proceeded to tell us that they are not responsible for the system not working and did not give us a reason why it malfunctioned. He also tells us that since the front glass door was broken that we should of had a glass break sensor. I told him that his salesperson told us we did not need it, since the motion sensors would pick up the intruder. We also tried to contact the FL manager(Dave) and of course cannot get a response. I am appalled in this day and age that consumers and business owners rely on a company to protect life and property and I have not even gotten a reason let alone an apology for the lack of service.
Not protecting
II'm a small business owner and my store was broken into on September 6th. Fortunately, nobody was in the store but the burglar managed to break open the safe and steal our cash. I immediately called Protection One to ask why the police werent sent out and they told me that they never received the alarm signal. After digging deeper, it turns out that my alarm system has not been functioning since September of last yeara full year ago! Protection One claims that they run monthly tests to determine if the alarm is operational but in my case, theres a problem with my alarm panel so they were unable to run the monthly tests. To make matters worse, even if they could run the tests, theyre instructed to only leave a message at the store even though the store is not the primary contact number Im instructed them to use since Im typically not at the store. Protection Ones response is that my contract states that Im responsible for testing my alarm every month. Theyve done nothing to confirm why their equipment is defective or accept any responsibility for the fact that they couldnt run the monthly tests and most importantly respond to the burglary.
Security is the type of service that you never fully appreciate until you need it and Protection One has fallen well short of standing by me during this time.
Protection One Won't Protect
I’m a small business and our store was broken into on September 6th. Fortunately, nobody was in the store but the burglar managed to break open the safe and steal our cash. I immediately called Protection One to ask why the police weren’t sent out and they told me that they never received the alarm signal. After digging deeper, it turns out that my alarm...
Read full review of Protection 1 and 1 commentEarly Termination Fees
I activated an existing alarm system in a house I purchased one year ago. I paid your company over $500 for two new fire alarms and I've paid nearly $400 in the past year for the monthly monitoring.
Currently, my wife is not working and I need to temporarily cancel the monitoring service. I called customer service to ask for a hiatus and was told I had to pay $750 to cancel my contract. Even though I activated an existing Protection One system which cost the company no equipment or installation costs, I have to pay all that money to put my monitoring service on hold?
I understand that I signed a 3 year contract but I cannot afford the monthly service and I cannot afford the $750 to cancel it.
Resolved itself
hi my name is ricardo and couple of months ago i call protection one because i want to cancel my service after 15 years they told me they can help me lower the rate and two months free from $ 32 to $23 and then recived last week a email iwith my new agreement for $ 23 and valid for 5 years i didnt want for 5 years call to protection one and the lady very rude force me to accept its not fear im tring to cancel and them they told me i have to pay the new fee for 5 years i never accept
if any one can help me please i will be happy
ricardo
Shame on me. After 17 years with Protection 1, we just realized how much we could save by bundling our home security with another provider and called to cancel. Apparently charging me for seven more months (under their "contract") is more important than ending a 17 year relationship with any grace and chance of returning to them if I am dissatisfied with the new arrangement. Salt in the wound - not only have I been clearly ripped off for years (funny how quick they are to offer to bring my price down as soon as I said I was cancelling), but now I get to pay to be ripped off for 7 more months. Apparently loyalty is only one-sided at Protection 1. Don't give them any consideration.
I have to laugh at the above comments! I bought my equipment & still have the same 3 contract! We replaced windows in our house & need additional window sensors. According to Protection One I can add my own window sensors that can be bought anywhere for $25.00 bucks I have to purchase theirs & pay 120! Guess who's cancelling their contract as soon as the date approaches!
I am an attorney who represents a homeowner who had a home security contract with Protection One. The homeowner was assessed an early termination fee when he moved out of his house before a three year window.
I am looking for anyone who had a contract with Protection One and was assessed an early termination fee. If so, I would appreciate you contacting me at my e-mail address, mnguyen@poplawyer.com.
I am looking for information only. I am not looking for clients, just other victims who were subject to the same situation.
Thank you.
Minh T. Nguyen, Esq.
mnguyen@poplawyer.com
To Whom It May concern:
I have had your protection services for years now. I am no longer working and we cannot afford your services at this time. I had spoken to someone about a month or so ago and they said I could cancel our services until we could afford to start services again. So I thought everything was taken care of. Then my husband started getting call from your protection one for payment. So I called and I spoke with a gentleman and he stated I had to request online to cancel services. I was not told that when I canceled before. He insisted we owe 102.00. I told him I should not be charged because I was never told that the first time I canceled. We are really struggling right now and we would like to start up again when we can as we had no complaints about your company. We just can't afford it right now. Thank You for your time.
Sofia C. Hatfield
This company's CEO should be hung in town square. Because of the way they deal with customers I am guesssing they lose allot of business. I was told by my salesman that nothing was binding and that I could cancel anytime. My bad for not reading the fine print. I had to move quickly due to the economy, had to do a short sale. I calle P1 to cancel service. I was told that I had to send a letter in writting so I did. Then I had some rude lady call me and say that I was under contract and that either I had to continue to pay for the monitoring of an empty house or the new owners had to pay. The house is empty and I told them I was not paying for services that I didnt need or use. Im getting daily phone call from P1 - they have their own ring tone. Funny thing is that I was broken into, had paid for the gaurd service and the robbers took some time getting my big screen off th wall as it was locked on. P1 didnt event get the cops there in decent time. WHAT A WASTE. Would NEVE R do business or recommend these crooks to anyone!
In the process of canceling my month to month. I way passed the original three year contract. They have provided me with all the correct information, you need to write them and they still charge you an extra 30 days. I've talked to them three times, but they keep calling me saying I need to phone them before they can terminate. I'm going to dispute any and all additional charges to my credit card.
I had a 2 year contract with Protection one. I cancelled the week of the expiration. I had notified them several months before and several times by email. They still assessed me a fee. I think that this is illegal. They sent me a closing bill with this eroneous amount on it. The bill said that I had to pay by May 3rd. But, they started phone harrassing me and telling me that I am late. They treated me like trash and threatened me. DO NOT USE PROTECTION ONE FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION FROM THEM!
If you are an attorney, why don't you contact protection one yourself?
I've had nothing but problems with Protection One. I pay over $30.00 a month and also buy the insurance. But when I try and use the insurance, I'm told in writing that parts are not coveraged. Then I call them and told the same thing, until I get the boss online that can read. Now they are offering to honor their contract and send me the part. But it's too late. I want to cancel my contract. I signed a 3 year contract and it's been over 5 years now and they stick with you an auto renew contract. So they are saying that I'm stuck in this contract for another year, and they even threaten that they might come and rip out the system and take it back when I cancel.
My advise to anyone is not to use Protection one.
You can email xgamark20x@aol.com for more info.
They are Liars!
After my contract was over; I received a letter stating that they need to charge me more or they going to take "calling" feature from my plan because I don't have a landline phone but a payphone at the business. Every time my alarm is arm or disarm I would receive a call from my business through the pay phone and protection one one said it costs them money (i doubt it). I then called them and told them I want to cancel my service since it's over and move to ADT because it's cheaper. After our conversation, they decided to go over some of the features I don't need to lower my plan. i agreed to the new term which was to keep all the features I had except for the Patrol and the calling feature for $40. After I renewed the contract they took out the opens and closes (enable me to view who and when they arm or disarm the alarm), and wanted to charge me $10 every month plus $25 to program it. I was upset because they lied to me about the features and I don't understand why I need to pay for such feature. It's like I have to pay to view my billing statement online. After this experience, I will never recommend nor do business with protection one again because they are all liars!
Rip Off!!!!
Please dont get scamed like me and so many others. They will lock you into a contract that you can't get out of. Unless you are planing on never moving or never dying dont sing up.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Hi Susan,
I am not the person who first blogged on here, but I would love to hear from you. I have had the same experience with your company and plan on taking it to Facebook, Twitter, and every other social network I can find. I am tired of getting ripped off by companies like yours.
Tammy Spillers
spillers@cencalgroup.com
Account #[protected]
My name is Susan, and I am with Protection One’s Executive Customer Relations team, where our focus is on resolving unique issues that sometimes occur.
At Protection One, we do strive to provide an excellent level of customer service, and I regret learning of the experience you describe here. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review your account more closely with you. Could you please contact us anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday at [protected] or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? Please be sure to provide your name, contact information or account number. You also may reach us at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com seven days a week.
Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope to hear from you.
failure to repair/billing practices
I put an alarm system in my home. I was never told before the installation that the system could not be used because I have 2 big dogs that would set off the alarm. Also, without my permission, the installer punched a hole in a wall and ran the wires under the carpet in front of the doorway into the kitchen. I rarely used the alarm. In 11/08 ProtectOne knew the system was not working. I was not told. In 4/09 I learned the system was not working. No one came out to fix it even though I was still paying the bill. I subsequently stopped paying for the service. Now ProtectionOne is treatening to send me into collection and negatively affect my credit rating if I do not pay the balance of the contract - for a system that they know does not work. I would not recommend using this compnay.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
My name is Nicole, and I am with the Office of the CEO of Protection One. My focus is to resolve customer issues that occur from time to time.
Protection One's main focus is excellent customer service and I apologize if the level you received was not perfect. I would appreciate an opportunity to discuss this situation with you at your earliest convenience. Would you please contact me at [protected] Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm CST or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? You may also reach Protection One seven days a week at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com.
Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
My experience with Protection One has been terrible too. I got a system installed that did not work for over a year. The alrm system woke up our neighbors and informed the police two days in a row while were traveling because of a system malfunction. Had to turn it off while we were away. Since then we have been trying to get it fixed. Each time I complained somebody would come and try to fix but they could not and the problems persisted and system was non-operative. I continued to pay for the service over this period hoping that it would resolved when the next service rep would fix it. Finally, out of frustration, I called and cancelled. But, they continued to bill me. So I called again and I was told that I had not mailed back a form that was required, hence the billing. I was also told that once I sent the from back, the contract would cancelled once and for all. I filled the form and sent it in thinking that would be end of it. Not so lucky! Got several collection calls saying that we still had some outstanding amount due. Paid that too to get them off my back. But that wasn't it either. Got another bill today. Called again. Now we are told that we have to pay for a month following the receipt date of the cancellation form. Have to believe that this is a scam. Not even sure that paying this bill would stop the harrassment. Have started telling everyone I know to avoid them. I have tried to be to be reasonable but now I am convinced that they are big-time scamsters. Never dealt with any company this bad.
My name is Susan, and I am with Protection One’s Executive Customer Relations team, where our focus is on resolving unique issues that sometimes occur.
At Protection One, we do strive to provide an excellent level of customer service, and I regret learning of the experience you describe here. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review your account more closely with you. Could you please contact us anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday at [protected] or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? Please be sure to provide your name, contact information or account number. You also may reach us at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com seven days a week.
Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope to hear from you.
Contract fees
I had Protection One activate a system already in the home I bought. They told me the equipment was old but since it was supposed to be FREE activation, I told them I wouldn't be paying extra to update the system if there was nothing wrong with the old system. After activation, I continually would get phone calls when I left my home telling me that my alarm was sounding. We got 2 notices from the police department for false alarms when I couldn't get home on time. It became a nightmare and finally after repeated calls, a service person came out and told me I needed a new battery. After the new battery, same scenerio, false alarms and phone calls. I pulled the battery out and refused to use the system, just waiting for that time period when I could cancel. Unfortunately, I called to ccancel too late, according to Protection NO-ONE, because they told me my contract began again automatically since I didn't call to cancel on time. Now I am locked in for 3 yrs. I have been paying faithfully when I am not even using the lousy system. I just moved and called to terminate the alarm and will not be using it where I am moving. I am strapped for money and need to end all extra bills. They told me I have to pay up for the remainder of the contract regardless of whether I use the system or not.
This is a big rip off. Do not get involved with P. One.!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
My name is Susan, and I am with Protection One’s Executive Customer Relations team, where our focus is on resolving unique issues that sometimes occur.
At Protection One, we do strive to provide an excellent level of customer service, and I regret learning of the experience you describe here. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review your account more closely with you. Could you please contact us anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday at [protected] or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? Please be sure to provide your name, contact information or account number. You also may reach us at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com seven days a week.
Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope to hear from you.
Susan
MISC CHARGES ON BILL
I have had Protection One since Nov. 2008 and have had nothing but problems since going with them.
Every bill I get is wrong and I keep getting charged misc. charges that I have already paid!
I was out of town for over a month and my alarm was 'shut off', un beknownst to me.
I called in about the unusually large bill and they told me I had to pay six months in advance, are you kidding me? Because I missed ONE month?
Then, I wasn't even setting the damn thing and for two weeks it would go off in the middle of the night, I kept calling in and they said it was my cell phone tower? Are we on the same planet? I didn't set the alarm people!
They instructed me how to disconnect it, which, for a girl is difficult and sucked. Then, to reconnect was more than enough trouble.
So, they sent out a tech who said the wiring from the beginning was messed up and spent most of the day out here.
I talked to one lady in particular who finally got everything straightened out, promised my bill was set and I wouldn't have additional charges, if I did, call her only.
1 month later I get a bill for over $200, are you serious? I can't wait to get rid of this company!
I did for TWO WEEKS with no return call.
Finally someone else calls, rude as can be, says I just renewed my contract, are you out of your mind?
Now they say I have to pay the last 4 months when I have a bill saying it has been paid!
I wish I had a lawyer to help me because this is highway robbery.
Does anyone know who 'governs' the alarm companies, like the FTC, etc?
I know I can complain to the BBB but I need to go beyond. I have of course faxed a letter to the supervisor but it is like talking to a brick wall.
Any advice of who helps protect consumers in this field would be appreciated, thank you!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
My name is Susan, and I am with Protection One’s Executive Customer Relations team, where our focus is on resolving unique issues that sometimes occur.
At Protection One, we do strive to provide an excellent level of customer service, and I regret learning of the experience you describe here. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review your account more closely with you. Could you please contact us anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday at [protected] or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? Please be sure to provide your name, contact information or account number. You also may reach us at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com seven days a week.
Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope to hear from you.
Susan
wrong number - harassing phone calls
I have never had a contract or services with this company. About six months ago I started receiving phone calls and messages from Protection one about "my" alarm system with them. Sometimes they call up to 3 times per day and if I am not home they will leave 3 messages on my answering machine.
I have called them three times and have told them that they have the wrong number and I beg them to stop calling me. I even had a supervisor promise to remove my number from their call list. Each time they take my number and promise to leave me alone. I still get calls daily.
Today I had two more messages on my answering machine from Protection One and they were asking to speak to David. Once again (fourth time) I called them and told them that they have the wrong number! I was promised that they would stop calling me. How in the world do you get this company to stop being so bothersome? I'm so glad I don't use their services because it is clear that they don't know when to stop harassing their customers to death.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I can also be reached via email at - Scott.Miller@SMillerLawOffices.com
My name is Scott A. Miller and I am an attorney in California that practices consumer law. If you are a customer of Protection One, please feel free to call my office for a free and confidential review of your matter. I can be reached at [protected].
Harrassment, threats, fraud
I had a 2 year contract. I noticed them that I wanted to cancel it 6 months ago. I told them 2 weeks before it expired and sent them 20 emails. I then called multiple times. I sent a letter. They sent me a post card. I sent it back. Then, they told me that they received the post card 2 days late and had to assess me a fee of 100 dollars. This is fraud. Someone should stop them. After this, they started calling me and harrassing me telling me that I was late paying them one day after I was sent the bill by email.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
my contract with protection one ran out. .protection one began to call and call and call trying to get me to continue with them and I said no I did not want to continue with them and the same time my bank account was paying them through automatic for. At least. Six months until I had it it stop. Not paying attention to my acct. I have call protection one, several times to stop calling me
. You see the alarm had not work in at least two years. They knew it. I would like every one to be aware of this company .because it I not right for them to do that to people .again Shamburger
My contract ran out with protection one, and they call and call trying to get me to continue and I said no, and I told that I did not want to be with them anymore .you I had my account with paying automatic of bank and it continue f poo r at least 6 months or more. And they still call me about a bill. But you see I want my. Money back from them, and they call me about twice a week. Shamburger
My name is Susan, and I am with Protection One’s Executive Customer Relations team, where our focus is on resolving unique issues that sometimes occur.
At Protection One, we do strive to provide an excellent level of customer service, and I regret learning of the experience you describe here. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review your account more closely with you. Could you please contact us anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday at [protected] or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? Please be sure to provide your name, contact information or account number. You also may reach us at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com seven days a week.
Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope to hear from you.
Susan
Protection One is a fraud!
Read the contract before you sign it. And beware that their monitoring services are poor. I discontinued my service because Protection One was not monitoring my home for two months, yet I was making monthly payments faithfully. Now, they are harassing me for $300.00 (remaining contract fee). Its a rip off and something needs to be done.
I do not recommend this monitoring company.
My name is Chris, and I am with Protection One’s Executive Customer Relations team, where our focus is on resolving unique issues that sometimes occur.
At Protection One, we do strive to provide an excellent level of customer service, and I regret learning of the experience you describe here. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to review your account more closely with you. Could you please contact us anytime between 8:00am and 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday at [protected] or at CustomerRelations@ProtectionOne.com? Please be sure to provide your name, contact information or account number. You also may reach us at CustomerService@ProtectionOne.com seven days a week.
Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope to hear from you.
Chris.
I was grandfatered in with Protection One via Multimedia, I've had the alarm system for about fifteen years, and last year I noticed that they were billing me twice a month every month. I called and spoke with some lady and she told me that I had missed a payment and that is why they had sent a bill for two months, I knew that was'nt true. I had to call again the following month and they told me that they always bill a month in advance and I told them that this was not acceptible so they took it off when I told them that they need to take it off or cancel my service. Well they did it again, and I have cancel my monitoring service with them.
They are truly a RIP OFF
Next they will come and remove the entire system and your contract says they don't have to clean up, or care about messing up anything.
Rip-Off ! ! !
I paid for nearly two years of service only to find out that Protection One wasn't receiving any signal from our house. And, THEY WON'T GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK !
Here are the facts: We had a Protection One, whole-house, system installed nearly 20 years ago when we purchased our home. My husband died about nine years ago and I continued to faithfully pay the monthly service fee and 24-hour monitoring fee. Over the past few years, I have accidently set off the alarm a few times (hasn't everyone?) and would immediately call Protection One and tell them that there was no problem and to ignore the alert. Then, several months ago, I had to have an upstairs bathroom window replaced due to a water leak. I called Protection One and told them I didn't want the window alarmed any longer and inquired how my contractor should cap-off the existing alarm wires. Protection One gave directions to the contractor and advised that I would still have to have a service representative come out and remove the window from my system or it would always show on the alarm pad and would require entering a by-pass code. The service representative came out and re-programmed the system and went on to "test" the system by sending a test signal to Protection One. He then advised me that my system was "not talking" to Protection One. He went on to investigate and determined that the problem was that the phone wires had been cut. Apparently, this had occurred a couple of years earlier, when I had hardwood floors installed -- during the installation, the phone wires were somehow accidently cut.
Here are my issues . . .
1. If the wires were inadvertantly cut by the floor installers, why didn't Protection One get a signal that something was wrong? What if it had been the "bad guys" who cut the wires while breaking into my house? I guess I'd be dead.
2. When I accidently set off the alarm over the past few years and called Protection One to tell them to ignore the alarm, why didn't they tell me they hadn't received a signal? If I set off the alarm and notified them and they didn't receive it, why wasn't that reason enough, in an of itself, to investigate further.
3. I repeatedly asked, over the phone and in writing, for a full refund of the money I paid for services I didn't receive. They have REFUSED.
4. Protection One says that I failed to do a "monthly test" of the system -- something, I might add, my husband nor I have ever done! In any event, setting off the alarm accidently over the past few years and calling them is a test in my book!
4. Their solution is for them to keep my money and have another service representative come out and upgrade my system, at "no charge, " and that I should continue to make monthly payments. Oh, and by the way, the monthly payment for the upgraded system would be more than I was currently paying.
Crooks!
This issue has been resolved to my satisfaction. Protection One contacted us promptly after this complaint and has provided us with a complete refund.
Thank you,
Jenaque
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
WOW - thats hard tp believe.
Stay Away From Protection One Alarms
I signed a 3 year contract so I thought. I've had them for over 5 years now.I'm paying over $30.00 a month which included the insurance plan. So I have a problem with 2 parts in my system and go online to speak with them, and was told that parts are not included with the insurance. They could bill me for the part and send it to me. I've wasted hundreds of dollars on the insurance. I call the call center and was lied to again, until I get the supervisor who told me that the other two ladies were incorrect. Now she says they can send me the part and they have changed their policy again a couple of months ago to include the main system battery. Of course us customers never get anything in writing when they change their policies. Must be nice, that they don't have to inform us of changes. She tried to give me the run around thinking I was stupid. Now I want to cancel my service and it's like pulling teeth. They asked me did I read the SMALL PRINT that says I'm still under a contract. That I only have a small window to cancel my contract when it renews each year. I hope the rest of you read this. She also told me that she would review my contract and maybe even come out after I cancel and rip the system out. WOW!
Stay far, far away from Protection one and read the small print.
Email me at [protected]@aol.com if you have any questions.
Thank God for Lawyers!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Update
I went ahead and canceled my service and paid the $100 early fee, even though I only had a few more months left on my contract.
I spoke with Karen at the home office and she told me that she would just charge me 100 and I could be done with them. I paid 2 more months andthen $100, because I had to mail something to them 2 times, before they said they got it.
Now they want to come to my home and rip out the system and it says in the contract that they are not responsable for any damage they may cause.
When you goto their website and do the live chat now and ask them if you will own the system after the contract is up, Melissa Dietz will tell you yes, even if it is not true. My rep told me that I would own it also.
SO after a total of 8+ years and 2 different homes, this is the thanks that I get.
Read everything before you sign with them, if you do decided to go with them.
The emails that I got from them, told me that after the 100 they would be done with me and you can't go by what they tell you.
Protection One Punishes Loyal Customers
Regarding Protection One (aka Protection Service Industries or PSI, Integrated Alarm Services or IASG) and its auto-renewing contract policies:
In December 1995, my wife and I bought a home in California equipped with a burglar alarm system. We opened an account with Alert Alarm Company (no longer in business) for a 3 year contract. We continued the service long after the 3 year term expired with this company, which became Protection Service Industries (PS), and then Integrated Alarm Systems Group (IASG), both of which are now part of Protection One. In 2004, we moved to Washington State, and rented out our CA home. We continued to pay for the alarm monitoring service for our tenants. We paid all of our bi-monthly bills via online bill payment regularly through August 2007.
In September 2007, our tenants told us they didn't need the alarm service. My wife called Protection One and spoke with a female account representative, settled the remaining balance and cancelled service over the phone. At no point during this conversation did the account rep tell my wife that they could not cancel our service over the phone, or without written notification from us, or that we should consult our original 1995 contract, or that anything more was required on our part to cancel service. This should have been an amicable conclusion of a mutually beneficial 12 year business/customer relationship. But no…
In December 2008, I received an alert from a credit report monitoring service that a collection agency called Asset Resources, Inc. had reported an unpaid balance of $402 to Equifax. Having never received any letters or phone calls prior to this alert, I immediately called Asset Resources to inquire about the matter. I was told it was regarding my account with Protection One.
I called Protection One and another female rep told me they sent several notices to our Washington address in 2008 and had made several phone calls to our former California phone number (which had been discontinued since 2004). I explained to her that we never received any such notice by mail or any phone calls, and would not expect anything in the mail from them as we had paid all bills online. Anything they may have sent would likely not have been recognized or perhaps been mistaken as junk mail as the company name, logo, etc. has changed so many times. They also said there was no record of us ever cancelling the account in 2007, and the contract requires written notice of cancellation, and would continually automatically renew for a full year term - forever, presumably.
I attempted to explain the situation to the collection agency, Asset Resources, and was treated with belligerence by a manager who insisted he will continue to report this account as unpaid to the credit bureaus unless we pay him the full amount immediately. He called that “meeting him halfway.” He also claimed to have called (the same discontinued phone number) and sent us notices via mail, which we have never received. I explained to him I have every intention of disputing the claim, as well as the credit reporting. He said he would begin the dispute process. A month has passed and we still have received nothing.
I have since discovered there are scores of customers who have had similar complaints against Protection One and its various companies, some of which resulted in class action arbitration cases. I am appalled that Protection One would treat its customers in such a manner: accepting our cancellation of service verbally by phone, then waiting a year to send a collection agency after us to demand compensation for a service they did not provide, and using a 13 year-old contract with a company that no longer exists to use as justification for this.
My advice: stay away from Protection One, Protection Services Industries, Integrated Alarm Systems Group, and whatever else they call themselves.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I agree with you as well. This company is horid AND they harrass you daily. I have cancelled over the phone and by mail yet they still continue to harass me and send bills. Lets put them out of business!
oops, meant to see mad not bad.
I agree with you 100%. I'm so bad right now I'm shaking but am very much looking forward to continuing to make active negative PR towards Protection One until November 6 2011.
fraud
I was leaving town on a 3 week vacation when my security system went down. There was a four to five day wait to get an appointment with a technician. When I explained my circumstances, I was told that they would send someone out for an emergency situation at $85.00 an hour. This incident led me to cancel my service, which had 2 months left on the contract. I paid the additional 2 months, but I continued to receive bills. The customer service rep said that company representatives had called me twice to convince me to keep the service, but since I didn't return their calls my contract was extended for another year. I asked that a copy of this policy be sent to my attorney. It was never sent. When I called back to report that their policy provisions for extending my service had not been received, I found out that they had altered the notes in their computer: removing the fact that I had canceled my service in accordance with the terms of the contract. A supervisor refused to talk with me. My account was sent to a collection agency.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Protection One does everything that is legally within their power to retain you as a payee and as little as possible that is ethical to keep you as a satisfied customer, just like many other businesses. They don't know how to cut costs effectively without curtailing service, and I don't think they care. They sold too many systems too fast and don't have the backing to support those systems. That's why they use private contractors to help out. It isn't just Protection One either, several other security companies operate using the same methods. The best defense against this business practice is word of mouth. Tell everyone you know to read the contracts completely before signing and test that system every day if you have to. Keep in mind though, there are just as many customers making ridiculous demands as there are companies using poor practices.
You can get a full service warranty for just $6 a month. How many companies do you know that don't charge a visit fee for service? Pro 1 will not charge anything if you have a warranty. I'm sure you were offered this but, you did not want to pay the extra 20 cents a day for it.
Service Contracts and poor customer service
I have the exact same complaint that John Smith wrote about earlier. How this company can continue to treat customers like this in today's economy and survive is beyond me.
This is the quote from Smith earlier and it right on. Buyer beware.
Protection One is the greatest band of thieves to walk the earth. One of their greatest scams is to say you have to cancel via letter. They "accept" a verbal cancellation (calling an 800 number from your own home phone, they get your number even if it is blocked, you give your password, you state your intent, so they damn well know it's you and what you want to do), but then they don't tell you that you need to do it in writing, according to them. So they try to rip you off for another month or two's billing, which you don't find out about until they bill you
PROTECTION ONE IS THE BIGEST RIP OFF EVERY, DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO MONITOR YOU HOME. I WAS WITH THEM FOR 10 YEARS AND THEY SCREWED ME FOR 2 MORE MONTHS AFTER I REQUESTED MY SERVICE BE TURNED OFF. PLEASE PLEASE BUYER BE WARE
We bought the alarm system in 1989. A friend went into the business and for the same price we decided to switch. We were told that our contract renewed automatically in January (we never heard from them) and we would owe an early cancellation fee of $100. 20 years and I owe a cancellaiton fee?
I am having the same problesm with Protection One. They are not an honroable company.
Fraud and cheating
When I had problems with their previously installed security system that left half my house unprotected, I was informed that it was an 'old system' and the hardware was no longer supported. They then tried to push me into installing a new system. I shopped around and found another service that could install a new system and provide monthly monitoring for far less money than Protection One. I sent Protection One a cancellation for the monthly monitoring, but they continued to bill me BECAUSE: 1) I had sent the cancellation to the 'payment office' instead of the 'billing office, ' and 2) It is THEIR policy to only allow cancellations every three months. So, despite not even using their service, I have to pay a total of four extra months and mail another cancellation to the 'correct' address. (Silly.)
Read your agreements carefully and just line out things that don't make sense. I don't have time to mess with these guys other than to write this report on their gross lack of: 1) good customer service, and 2) just plain common sense.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Totally agree - thier presence on this post is a PR sham t0 cover for their totally crappy customer service and hidden fees and sales guys who ensure you that you can easily get out if you want.
Having the same issues. Protection One is not a good company. Executive customer service has not helped so their presence on this board really doesn't mean much. Get a self installed security system that uses cell phone. They are cheaper and work just as good.
I used to work for this company a few years ago. What a scam! They were getting people at Home Depot to sign up for a "FREE" alarm system, when I fact they were giving all this info to their telemarketers. I worked for them in their call center for only a few weeks when I started noticing them scaming people. They would hand out peoples names, and phone numbers to the telemarketers and try to set up appointments for their "FREE" alarm systems/consultation at your home. When the sales people would get to their house, they would reveal that the system would not even be adequate enough to secure a place with more than one window, or door, and they included the keypad. Don't know where these people get the idea that people in homes only have one window and one door! That is their whole scam is to get their foot in your front door and try to SELL, SELL, SELL, their crappy alarm system. Watch out for this company and anyone who works for them.
I would like the opportunity to assist you with your concerns. Please contact me at your convenience to ensure that your concerns are addressed and resolved. We at Protection One strive to provide an excellent standard of customer service. I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
Stephanie Winkler
Executive Customer Relations
Toll: [protected]
Email: stephaniewinkler@protectionone.com
I've always had excellent service from Protection One. I've had a few other providers over the years, and Protection One is by far the best.
Rip off
Protection One Security has a 2 year contract that is written to make you think it's for 2 years, but if you don't cancel on your 2 year anniversary, or in my case they lost my cancellation request, Protection One Security will automatically renew contract continually in 1 year intervals. After 6 months of paying extra monthly payments (2 1/2 years total...
Read full review of Protection 1 and 2 commentsPoor service!
We signed up for Protection One in January. When we signed up, we asked the sales person if we could cancel anytime. He said "Yes, no problem." We paid an installation fee. In July of this year, we asked to cancel the service. We were told that we have a 3 year contract. Sure enough, if you look on the back of the contract in writing so small you need a magnifying glass, it says the contract is for 3 years. We called and said there is no way we would have signed up for 3 years. We don't even anticipate living in this same house in 3 years. They said we cannot break the contract unless we pay a $300 cancellation fee plus pay for the months we have already asked them to cancel. This company is a rip-off and extremely difficult to work with. NEVER SIGN UP FOR PROTECTION ONE. We've learned our lesson.
Dear Customers and former employees,
Due to the seriousness of the above allegations, I would like the opportunity to investigate your situations. Please contact me at your convenience to discuss your concerns. Protection One strives to provide an excellent standard of customer service as well as provide a safe, friendly, and efficient work environment. I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
Stephanie Winkler
Executive Customer Relations
Toll: [protected]
Email: stephaniewinkler@protectionone.com
These guys are scammers and protection 1 is a rip off. These guys conned my mom and grandmother into signing their contract. The alarm system never worked right and they had only put censors on a few of the doors and windows. It has been years now and they will not cancel the contract by phone and my grandmother has had a stroke and is not able to write anymore.
a year or 2 ago I unplugged the thing from both the phone and electricity. A few months ago the cops and fire dept showed up at my door saying the alarm had gone off? this is impossible since its been unhooked for years now, and now on top of the money protection one steals from my poor old grandmother every month, now she has to pay the police $100
I have a similar situation as Tom. We live in Washington. We were in a rental house which had a pre-existing Protection One system, installed according to the landlord at least 5 years prior to our moving in. We activated the system. When the guy came out to turn it on, I told him we would only be living in the house a year or so while we looked to buy a home. "No problem". Moved out 4/07 & canceled the service. At that time, they said we owed them for service until 2009, the original amount being $660. I called last April & said we did not sign up for 3 years, and would not be paying them ~$700 for NOTHING. They promised a call from a supervisor. No call & no contact until this week (nearly a year later) when we received a letter from a collection agency, claiming we owe $785! I would rather SET FIRE to 8 $100 bills then send the money to these people. If anyone has had a similar situation & resolved it in their favor, I would like to hear about it.
I used to work for Protection One for two years as the person who monitored the alarms and made the necessary calls as the alarms went off. I can tell you that back then at the age of 23 I was considered an "old fart" because most of the people working there are kids around 18 and 19 years old and they DO NOT care about you, your home, business, property etc. Occasionally you will find an operator who is older, but they usually work the day shift and leave the night shift to the kids who like to stay up all night and goof off at your expense. You would think, "where are the supervisors?" They were there, but they were schmucks, who spent their time surfing' the net on their computers, or making out with subordinates in the server room. It was crazy disgusting. The customer service department was no better. They will lie to you with the greatest of ease with their main goal being to get you off the phone. You asked if you can cancel at anytime? They will always say YES, when in reality the answer is always unequivocally NO, NO, NO. I always felt so sorry for the poor customers who would call up to cancel their account and then find out they were in it for five years no matter what the reason. I had no power over that being in the monitoring department, but I sure did get a lot of misdirected calls and always got an earful from irate customers in regards to their contracts and other various things.
5 year contract
I signed with Bellsouth/Protection One in August of 2006 and paid an install of $149 and agreed to $29.95/month. Our business lease is up in December of 2007. When we called to cancel, we were told this is a 5 year agreement! Who signs a 5 year agreement? Who pays for an install on a 5 year lease? Bottom line, the salesman had me signing papers and NEVER explained it was a 5 year agreement. I would NEVER have used them. BE CAREFUL WITH THIS COMPANY!
If they were forthcoming, the 5 year term would appear as a line item that requires an initial by the customer. And, if it takes 3 years to recoup at their current pricing, than why not offer different plans with graduated terms and pricing? If they are proud of their request for a 5 year commitment, why hide the 5 year clause deep within the contract under a section that has nothing to do with the duration of the contract? I see no reason to hide this and not tell your customers up front. No one told me, the sales guy was in a hurry and now I am in a bad situation with my business closing. pretty sleazy protection one! Watch yourself with them, might be better to get robbed outright than install one of their systems!
My problem with Protection One is that they did not install what they were hired to install. We had a home under constuction with impact sliders (open walls). We requested a hardwired system. They insisted it was not necessary. We insisted that they hardwire the system since we knew the sliders are designed in such a way the sensors would fall off with the wireless system. We were give some load of garbage about the wireless were better, they were much less noticeable. We said NO. They agreed to hardwire the house, then hardwired the panels (we needed 4, they only would give us 3) and then said OOPs we cannot Hardwire the rest of the house. We insisted and they refused to come out until we agreed to wireless. The costruction was held up over a month because of this company. Finally we said OK put in the wireless. Guess what they constantly fall off and now they want to charge us $99 for a new one since it broke falling off the door. DO NOT DO BUSINESS with this company. We also paid over $1500 in installation for this product, so since I could have bought the system and done it myself for $300 I do not think they need 3 years to recoup!
Who signs a 5 year agreement? You do!
Who pays for an install on a 5 year lease? You do!
I work for Pro 1 and I have never had a customer complain about a contract. If it is properly explained there is no issues. A contract is there so that companies can stay in business. With all the penny pincher's in the world today, companies need some kind of guarantee. All alarm companies don't see a profit until after the 3rd year of the contract that is why you don't see a new alarm contract for less than 3 yrs. Unless of course you pay twice as much per month. On Average you should be paying $25-$30 for residential security and $30- $35 for Commercial Security. You think Pro 1 is bad try getting out of a contract with ADT or Brinks, they count the days until your contract ends so they can automatically renew it for another. Good Luck!
These Protection One people are the WORST people in the world. First they had me pay over $800.00 in installation fees, using my OLD sensors! Then $34.95 a month and took their time when I needed them once in 1 year, service was TERRIBLE. When I moved out of my home, 140 miles away...they're now billing me for 2 more years, even tho' I'm an ill senior citizen and screaming at me in the phone I "still had to pay for another 2 years"...I've never in all my life seen such worse crooks, and making a person pay for 3 years, 2 of which I'll never use in the house I left and am selling (if possible in today's market!)...plus the salesman told me it was a "YEAR-long contract" not the 3 years you can't even find except in fine print if you spend over an hour looking through the Harvard-attny made up long contract.
These people are greedy, full of misrepresentation, and are not even quick to respond to ANY emergency...they're ONLY AFTER THE MONEY, while promising the world. Stay away from them. I'm going to report them to the BBB and any governing, licensing government body I can. They'll intimidate you and scream at you on the phone to pay for something YOU'LL NOT GETTING! With ARROGANCE! Of course, it's with arrogance - crooks NEVER respect people they're scamming from like this company scams their customers!
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Protection 1 address1501 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431-0835, United States
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