Guardian Protection

We replaced an eight year old wired secuity system with Guardian 3 years ago. After a 1 or 2 second interruption in service from a nearby lightning strike, the Guardian home office called to insist that we have the system's battery replaced. A fairly simple battery replacement cost us $25 for the battery replacement and another $25 for the required service call to replace the battery. (We were not allowed to do replace the battery ourselves.) We immediately changed to another company. The technician for the new company found that Guardian had cut all the wires and set up just two cellular zones (instead of the previous eight zones. We also found that the cellular equipment and keypad were antiquated. Also, Guardian first tried to extend the bill by claiming that we had not paid the battery/technician service call until we proved that we had. Furthermore, Guardian continues to clog our answering machine with not connected notice after repeated calls that we no longer had their service.

We used them just because they were recommended to us by a friend and I went on Angies list and saw that they were well recommended. We were really very happy with them and we liked them very much. They were really very friendly and efficient. The pricing was right along with everyone else.

Like I said, when I started with Guardian Protection everything was fine. After two years of contracted service with them, however, I wanted to change my home protection solution. I wanted to get rid of my land phone line and wanted to look into wireless services. I was getting rid of my phone line immediately, however, and since I was out of contract I called Guardian customer service to cancel my service until I found the new solution I was looking for. When I called the number I had for them, I was informed some change of management had happened and their number was different. This change happened without notice to me, a paying customer. After finally reaching their customer service, I stated I wanted to cancel my service, but I was interested in their sales department coming out to show me a wireless alarm solution. I was even offered a free upgrade to a wireless system with an added cost of 10 dollars a month and a new contract, but wanted to shop around first to see what was out there and how technology had changed. After declining, I asked the customer service rep to cancel my service but send out a sales team to my house. I was informed that my service would end at the end of the month after they billed me one more time. As I was still under contract and that included free service for my system, I asked the rep to send a repair tech out to look at one of my window sensors that was running out of battery life every two weeks. This was costing me a small fortune in batteries, and causing me headaches as low batteries cause the system to beep loudly three times every five minutes without the ability to turn off the beeps permanently. I was told a tech would be on their way out and sales would call me shortly. I did receive a call from sales after this, and scheduled a time for them to come out. The day they were supposed to come out, I got a call to confirm an hour before, but they never showed up. The technician I asked for never came at all. This was around Christmas and I let the entire issue slide. In January, I received a notice that I was overdue for payments to Guardian. Before I called them, my payments were being deducted automatically. After the call they stopped so I assumed the service was canceled. Apparently their customer service rep didn't cancel my service and was waiting for their sales to conclude business with me. I called to confirm that I wanted to cancel my service and asked the charges be reversed as the mistake wasn't mine. I got a different service agent instead try to sell me the wireless solution again. I was told they would give me the wireless solution this time for 3 dollars more a month and a 2 year contract. I was also told that if I resigned up, the window unit that was broken could be fixed for free otherwise the tech would charge me 80 dollars an hour to come out and fix it. I didn't want to resign up, I was disappointed that I never got the tech while I was supposed to be covered and the issue was being used to resell me on a contract instead. I decided I didn't want to continue business with a company that employed these tactics and my other option was supposed to be that they cancel my service, they cancel the two months they claimed I owed them for service and we all walk away. Today I'm writing this after receiving a second notice of delinquent account and a possibility of the bill going to collections. Stay away from this company, at the end of the day its always best to do business with people that have the customers best interests at heart, not their own. I realize there are good reviews here and for the most part their customers are happy, but you can really tell the real quality of a company by how they handle a simple request to cancel services.

Didn't return original call about service but when I called again they got right to it. Came out quickly and on time to access property, best price compared to a second service (both highly rated on Angie's list). Salesman was fine, nice personality and very accommodating but the installer was who really impressed me, top notch, knew what he was doing made some changes vs. what salesman had arranged for.

I negotiated a new lower monthly fee and was given $200.00 towards a service appointment. I had upgraded the system a few years earlier and knew it was functioning except for the fire alarm. The serviceman replugged in the system and replaced the battery (26.20?) saying this is one thing he could do for me, after charging $140.00 for the visit.They then charged me for the months my system was disconnected after my contract ended, and for the service visit which was included in writing. I'm too mad to call them yet, but their business practices are despicable and unethical.

My 95 year old Mother-in-Law, who still lives alone, suffered a break-in while she was at church one Sunday. A group of teenagers came in through a window and trashed her home, stealing her jewelry and other valuables. It seemed as though they were watching the house and knew her schedule as she only occasionally leaves the home. Needless to say, she wanted to maintain her independent style of living while we wanted to insure her safety in her home. We interviewed several contractors from Angies List for this job, but the professionalism and detailed description of services offered by this company what why we chose them over the others. They came in and installed a wonderful system in the home that will keep our Mom safe and allow us to control the alarm system remotely. We couldn't be happier. Guardian Protection Services gave us back our peace of mind, and even gave us an Angie's List discount as well! Highly recommended to everyone I know in St. Petersburg or anywhere they operate.

Our system wasn't working right and I thought it was shorting out at the keyboard. Found out it was something in their system. They were very nice, professional and quick in fixing the problem. I would highly recommend them. If anything goes wrong the police are here right a way.

The service call went well and the problem was resolved.

Contact with the company first by phone and then with salesman followup was professional and timely. They understood that I was reviewing and speaking with others and did not dun me for a decision. The salesman followed up several weeks later (had not yet finalized choices) and was understanding when I informed them later of their non selected status.

We have been using Guardian Protection Services since approximately 1997, when we had it installed in our previous home. When we moved in 2003, we took the system with us. Everything went smoothly. Until last year, when we started getting frequent false alarms; always in the middle of the night - for whatever reason. We have the wireless system; we had a service person come out & look at all our sensors and make sure all was well. He checked & reset all the sensors, checked all the batteries, and assured us we were good to go. Two weeks later, another false alarm. At 3:30 in the morning. No fun getting a wake-up call from the local police. Fortunately, the officer was understanding. Due to this, we are no longer using the security system and now maintain the system for fire only. If you are considering a system, I do NOT recommend the wireless system, which apparently is known to have issues. However, Guardian is a good company and has done their best to work with us through this; even crediting our account for the last (unsuccessful) service visit. This is why they still get a B rating from me. UPDATE 3/18/2013: Guardian agreed to come out and replace all our wireless windows sensors; however, we did have to pay for the hardware (approx. $400). It's been about a month, and so far, so good; no more false alarms.

We met with a Guardian representative (Edward Duli) at our house to go over the proper configuration of a system for our house. Ed was very professional. He made certain to show his credentials as soon as we opened the door and made sure we were able to clearly read them. He asked about our concerns and reasons for wanting a home security system and made sure he understood exactly what we were looking for. He did a thorough examination of the premises and determined the types and placement of security sensors that would accomplish our desires. He worked out a thorough quote and also provided several options we could consider to add on to the system if we so desired. At no time were we pressured or felt rushed or mislead. We decided to proceed with the Guardian system. It took a little while to get set up with an appointment and we played phone tag and calendar tag a few times with Ed in getting a contract signed and finalized. However, all went well overall with the process. The installation itself went very well. The installer was very professional and courteous. The installation work was clean and done in accordance with the specifications and quote. The installer made certain we were familiar and comfortable with the operation of the system before he left. We have been very pleased with the system and it has functioned flawlessly. We would definitely recommend Guardian to anyone considering a home security system.

Got several quotes from various companies. Chose Guardian. They did a great job.

Working with Guardian Protection services has been a very pleasant experience. They were one of several companies we talked to and their sales staff was the most professional and knowledgeable. They did a great job explaining how the system would work and did not try to pressure us into buying their system. The installer arrived on time and did a thorough job of installing the alarm system, making sure it worked and that we understood how to use it. We've had it for a week now and everything has worked perfectly.

This has been a great experience. The alarm was installed in about an hour. In addition to hard wired alarms, Guardian has wireless alarms that do not require a land line, which is very convenient. I feel protected at night or when I leave my home. If I accidently set off the alarm, it is very loud and Guardian immediately calls me to check why the alarm went off. I especially like that I receive an email notification when the alarm is set or disarmed. This lets me know when anyone enters my home. Also, if the alarm is not set but a door or window is opened that the alarm is connected to, the alarm will speak and say which door or window has been opened. I think that $42-43 a month is fairly reasonable price for the security that Guardian provides. I would definitely recommend Guardian to anyone.

There had been several break in attempts and an actual break in our immediate area, so we wanted a little piece of mind. After several estimates, we chose Guardian. Even with some negative reviews, all I can say is that we are 100% satisfied with their equipment and their service from start to monitoring & use. On 10/29, Steven Haberman came out for our estimate, wrote up the quote after consulting what I wanted, and gave me several pointers to avoid having to spend money that was unnecessary. This was great, he was honest and not into hard selling. He was a representative of the only company, out of four we had estimates from, that had (#1) had clue as to what I was looking for after consulting with me, (#2) made suggestions and (#3) not try to upsell or sell me something I didn't need. That got high marks for us. He was in contact with us, and in mid November, we called and signed the contracts and got the installation done on 11/29. They had to wait a week until the camera equipment came in. The young man showed up on time to install it, and boy, did he work his butt off from about 9 - 5pm. It took ALL DAY because of all the extra stuff I ordered. That gentleman earned his pay that day, even my mom, who was visiting from out of state, said "Boy, he sure worked hard all day" I don't think he even took a lunch! The installer (I wish I could remember his name), asked where we wanted the smoke detectors, and when I told him, he offered a better suggestion, and he was so right. He even offered suggestions based on what I wanted, and what he knew, to place the cameras etc. He was right on track with everything and we valued his input, as he turned out to be right in every situation. After everything was set up and he took a lot of time to go over every piece of equipment, maintenance and procedures. He went over with me to set up the camera situation and views, and spent a lot of time on this to get me comfortable with it enough to teach my children, my visiting mom, and my husband. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new system! My kids feel safer when they are alone, and I can visually "check in" to see that all is going well in my home when I am gone. We have signs and stickers all over the place, and the extra LCD keypad upstairs is such a nice added extra. The salesman said we didn't need that, as we could operate it from any tablet, PC or cellular device if we chose, but we wanted what we wanted, which led to a lot of the startup costs. Did we need all that extra stuff, NO, did the salesman try to sell us all that extra stuff, NO! Did we want it for our preference, YES, and we don't regret it. We own all the equipment, and can take it with us if we move, or leave it here etc. We've had the service up and running for 2 months, and we've accidentally tripped the alarm VERY BRIEFLY, twice (me once, my hubby once), and we disarmed it within 15 seconds. BUT.. the cameras began filming and taking pictures and storing them online when it was tripped! How about that! I have Live look in at anytime I want to see what is happening in my home, as well as visual backup of anything going on in my home if the alarm is tripped. The quality of the camera picture is great, but in dark situations, can be difficult to visualize everything well. But we always have some form of light on, so we don't have a problem with it. What is great is we can add up to two more cameras, and additional equipment like smoke detectors, sensors (if we needed them) keyfobs etc. We own the system. We do have a 3 year contract, that is automatically deducted from a credit card, which is what we wanted. So that is ok. My visitors are impressed by the system, as well as my family has a little more piece of mind. And with 2 teenagers, "Live Look In" is a nice little insurance policy that mom can check in whenever I want to see what is going on. My husband tells his coworkers that "My wife is just trying to catch me eating her ice cream". But when I'm gone, I use it to check on the kids and the pets, as we have a lot of dogs too. So I can confirm what is going on at home. Great system, great service.

The first thing that impressed us was that the sales rep took the time to discuss our options during late evening hours. We had new contacts installed throughout the home and a new system was updated and installed for no charge, other than the monthly fee with a two-year contract. They were a bit more expensive (monthly) but my husband felt very comfortable with them. We are pleased so far with the system but do wish that they had more home monitoring options (i.e., video). They told us that additional options would be available in the future. The installation rep was also very courteous and completed the job quickly but thoroughly.

Our alarm was going off when we were not at home (twice in 2 days). Guardian called us to schedule a tech visit before I was able to place a call into them. Customer service rep (sharon) was very helpful and knowledgeable. She had us run through a series of tests over the phone and detemined a tech visit was needed. Tech (aaron) was very friendly and fixed our equipment problem quickly. He also noticed we were about to have an issue with our door contact and fixed. Great experience!

We are very happy with our GuardianAlarm system. Our salesman, Larry Weaver, was top notch. We had a slight glitch in customer service from a secretary at the West Chester office, and our concerns were fully addressed. I wanted to wait to review them until after we had had the alarm system for a while, and I can say that I am satisfied. The alarm system is easy to use, the 1-800 number people are friendly, and most of all - we feel safe and secure in our home. We find that to be priceless.

The gentleman was kind answered any questions. I asked.

Very well the salesman, installer, and training tech were excellent and very responsive

The technician was on time and so friendly! He was here until almost 9pm, well after I am sure his shift ended, but he remained positive and completed the job with a smile! We had Guardian at our home in Indianapolis and we were so happy with their services, we signed up again when we recently moved here in Ohio!

When the power goes out, they call me immediately. Overall, I like them. They are very professional and show up on time. The price is reasonable. I like dealing with them.

Guardian Protection Services is the worst company I have ever encountered. I do not feel safe in my home and I feel that, as a company, they are unreliable and unprofessional. Every time I speak to someone I get a different answer. When I got divorced, I wanted to cancel my contract to save money and was told I would have to pay $1,700+. I couldn't get my ex-husband's name off the account unless I signed a new 5-year contract. We wrote a letter giving me full responsibility of the contract since he moved out and I told Guardian not to give him ANY information about my account. They started sending him all my mail (they didn't confirm any address changes with me) and when he called to ask why, they gave him ALL my information - including my new password! We didn't end on the best terms, so you can imagine that I don't want him having access to my house. There was a 45 second delay on my alarm (giving potential intruders 45 seconds before the alarm went off) and I was told nothing could be done about it - it was the type of system I had. It wasn't until I threatened to get a lawyer that a supervisor said he would send out a technician to fix the delay. Currently, I am waiting for a new contract (supposedly only for the remainder of my contract) so my ex-husband can't have access to my account. Until then, he has full access. They told him all we needed to do was send another letter. Why is it that everytime we talk to someone we get different information?? Did I mention that there is absolutely no information on the contract we signed about early termination of the contract? You can default on the contract and stop paying - that's it. That's where the $1,700+ comes in. No possibility of early termination for extenuating circumstances. Once, a technician even got us locked in the house because he was trying to figure out the distress code (if someone forces you to put in the code, you can put in a distress code which will alert the security company without alerting the intruderi). He kept telling me "try this, try that"... and eventually the system just armed itself for over an hour (with us in the house) while the technicians tried to get it to unarm. I want NOTHING more than to get out of this contract and get a security company that makes me feel safe in my own home!!

My home was burglarized while I was away. I did not have an alarm system. A representative from Guardian came by to leave me information on their alarm system. Through Angie's List, I requested a quote from 5 alarm companies, including Guardian, but only one other responded, so my price comparison between companies is limited. I chose Guardian because they ranked high on Angie's List of alarm companies. After about a week, the system was installed. The installer was on time and professional, and explained the basic operation. During the first week I did have problems with erroneous random reports of loss of security at various entry points. The company worked well with me to have the installer come back out and correct the problem which required changing something in the control box. The system works fine now, and is user friendly. In addition to the initial cost there is about a $45 per month fee for monitoring. This is for a term of 3 years. That and the $200 I paid initially was not the lowest priced option.

Terrible, big waste of time