STATE ALARM SYSTEMS INC

Facts supporting rating. 1. I never hired nor contracted with State Alarm. 2. They charged me over $400 for goods and/or services. 3. Following the charges, State Alarm did not return my phone calls.

When I discussed services with the State Alarm representative, I made it clear that I had never used an alarm system before (the system was in a house I bought). I stated that I would try them out, but wanted to make sure that I had the ability to terminate when I wanted. The representative assured me that I could. When I received State Alarm's standard contract for signature, it contained a 5 year term in its fine print. I modified the contract to allow for termination at will prior to signing it. When I terminated the contract, Debbie Fitch in State Alarm's accounting department informed us that if we "terminated early" we would be responsible for the remainder of the 5-year term. Even after we pointed out that our written contract provided that we could terminate at will, State Alarm still submitted us to collection for a few hundred dollars. Their business practices are awful - either due to sloppiness or intent, I do not know. Bottom line: I had the same experience that the other reviewer had 5 years before me. Terrible customer service. I would never recommend them.

We inherited State Alarm when we bought our home in Shaker 21 years ago. They have provided dependable monitoring service as well as quick service the few times we have needed it. They are always there by telephone to walk me through programming problems.

See above.

unknown

The installers were prompt, professional, tidy and effective. They listened to our needs and changed the specifications on site to better meet our needs and save us money. The changed specs called for another viisit, which they scheduled before they left. At the second installation visit they were prompt, professional tidy and effective. My wife and were pleasantly surprised at the perfect installation and the courteous, neat and efficient service. No one tried to push anything which we did not need. Everyone involved listened attentively to our needs and asked questions so that they understood exactly what we wanted. This was a great job done by great people. I would certainly recommend them to a friend.

Salesman came, gave up an estimate and paperwork. We got the name from a neighbor. The price was reasonable, and the company was very responsive. They came one morning and set up the system. Very polite and professional. I was very pleased with the price and especially their responsiveness on the phone and emails.

Horrible! Long story short, the monitoring was fine. One year into the contract, I switched companies to take advantage of a great promotion from a competitor. For some reason, I thought I was on an annual contract (instead of 3 years). After the fact, I realized I had 2 years left on my state contract, which I knew I was obligated to pay. This turned out to be a dumb mistake on my part, but it was too late to go back. I called State Alarm to explain what I did, and I offered to pay them the 2 year balance. Instead of working with me, they immediately submitted my debt to a collection agency. The agency then harassed me and tried to collect the full $600, plus penalties, for "breaching my contact". I couldn't believe it. I ended up settling with the agency for $400, which is what I offered to pay State Alarm in the first place. I cannot believe State acted in such a ridiculous manner. I'm convinced they did this out of spite.