ADT Punished by US Government

Author: John Honovich, Published on Mar 14, 2014

The US government is cracking down on deceptive marketers. And the industry's least favorite company, ADT, has been punished.

Inside this note, we break down the issues, sharing the specific deceptive practices, impact and contrast with real customer opinions.

Deceptive Marketing

*** ** ********** ** ******** **** ** ********* *********. *** *** industry's ***** ******** *******, ***, *** **** ********.

****** **** ****, ** ***** **** *** ******, ******* *** specific ********* *********, ****** *** ******** **** **** ******** ********.

Deceptive *********

[***************]

*** ** ******* ***** ********** ******* *** **** ********* ********* and *** *** ******* (************).

****** **************** ******** ** $***,***+ ** ******* *********.

*** ***** ******* ** *** '****** ***' *** **** ** ** ******** ** **** **** ** obvious, ****** ***********, ******** ** ***. ****'* *** *****:

** ******, ***** ****** ***** **** **** ** ***** ********** ********* **** *** ** ******* *** **** *** ******* is ****** **** *** ****.

******* *** ***** **** **** ********** '****************', ***** ***** **************, *** *** ***** *********** ******* *** *****.

ADT ******* / *****

*** *** ******* (********** *****). ** **** ** ***** **********, **** ** *** **** to ***** ***** *******, *** **** ** **** *********** ************, including:

  • ******* *** ********* ******** *** ************.
  • **** **** *** ***** ******** *********** ************ (*** ********* ****** / ****** ****).
  • *** * *****, **** ******* ** *** **********, *** ********* demonstrating **** ********** ** ********* **********.
  • *** ***** **** **** *** ** ***** *** **** ** years.
  • **** ********* ** **** ***** "*** ****** ** * ***** penalty ** ** ** $**,***" ***** ************* *** *** ** pennies. 

Poor *** 

*** ***** ******** **** ** ***'* *******,*********** ****:

"***** *** ******** ****** ******, *** *** ** ****** **** slings *** ****** **** ****."

**** ** ** ****** ** * ******* **** *** '*********' spend ******** ** ********* ** ******* ** **** ******* ************ as **** *********** *******.

*** ******* ** **** *** *** *** *** ********* ****** and **** ** **** ******* ****** *********. ** ** ******** for *** ********** ** ********* ** **** *****.

The ******

*** **** ***** ** *** ********* *** *** ****** **** ADT ***** *** **** ** ** ** ****** ****** ** them. *** ******* *** *** **** ******* *********, *** *** is ****** ** ***** **** **** *******.

Regular ****** **** ***

*** **** *** ** ** **** **** ****** **** ** not ***.

*** ** ***** ****** ** ****** *****. *** ** ********* ***** ***. **** ***** ******** ******** ****. ****'* *** **** *** **** **** ** ** *** time ** **** ***********:

Comments (8)

Undisclosed Integrator #1

03/16/14 05:25pm

That same TV program once boasted my country (and province) only to find out later they were paid by tourism office to do so.

Deegan Pope

03/17/14 08:41pm

Who's not under attack on social media? Who raves about a company on social media. It's mostly people ranting. If your big, you're going to have some unhappy clients and those people are likely to have a facebook account. ADT still has brutal customer service, but I think the above post is rediculous. If i could call in and state the same about any home what monitoring service would be of any value. I just call in, say i'm on vacation, please turn off the system at this address and voila easy B&E.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Deegan Pope | 03/17/14 08:48pm

Deegan,

For ADT, the complaints are non stop. Here's a few from right now:

It goes on and on.

As for who raves about companies on social media? There are lots of companies who get consistent rave reviews of Yelp, for example. Here's an example for security systems Los Angeles (of course, ADT gets crushed here again but many competitors do great).

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to John Honovich | 03/20/14 08:56am

Makes me think of GoDaddy. I'm creating a website with them right now. I've seen lots of reviews against them. In the end, I decided to try it anyway (on a monthly basis to be safe). Result? Much better (awesome) than my previous hosting provider, though GoDaddy is definitely more expensive when you start adding things ...

People will always attack the most successful. In politics, it's the same thing. When a political party thrives in polls, they become the target of nasty comments from weaker rivals.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/20/14 04:21pm

"People will always attack the most successful .... they become the target of nasty comments from weaker rivals."

So you are saying that ADT rivals are creating thousands of phony Facebook accounts creating diverse detailed accounts of problem they have with ADT systems?

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to John Honovich | 03/20/14 04:49pm

That and the fact that people like to have a common enemy to talk about. Here, everyone talks against Bell Canada yet, Bell Canada continues to thrive! Maybe the negative publicity actually helps them more than anything else.

And as for detailed ADT accounts, well ... sometimes people see problems that only exist in their mind. Other times, yes ADT installers screwed up. A couple complaining about the lack of security due to GSM signal being too weak to reach ADT's monitoring station. Well, now that I know such problem could arise, I'll try to remember to check their GSM signal via my cellphone before signing them up. Nonetheless, ADT has a 6-month money back guarantee. So, why staying with them and complaint? Because some people love to complain and that's a great opportunity for them to do so.

New comers are always put on a pedestal ... until they become well known. Same with celebrities, we all love them at first, then we trash them. <g>

Thumbnail pp 5

Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/20/14 05:10pm

We covered ADT's 6 month guarantee in this note. Here's an excerpt:

Money Back Service Guarantee

This policy offers to extend the 'satisfaction guarantee' period to 6 months, including subsequent monitoring fees. Given the value of this promise can exceed $1000 if taken full term, only large installation companies are able to offer it 'no questions asked'.

However, the fine print gives ADT the option/right to 'fix' things first:

"If during the six months following installation we are unable to resolve any installation/service-related concern, we will refund the installation charge and/or any monitoring fees paid after we have attempted to resolve your concerns."

This is clearly NOT a 'no questions asked' type policy, giving ADT the power and right to refuse refunds under the claim they have resolved the installation/service issues.

For the customer, it is hard to redeem a guarantee contingent upon prior 'make right' service if none is made or if it isn't deemed an issue to begin with.

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to Brian Rhodes | 03/20/14 06:07pm

Well Brian, as an installer, I sure wouldn't like to uninstall a system simply because the client changed his mind about having a system or later found a better deal elsewhere. I think it is perfectly normal that a no question asked refund not be granted. Have you ever done so yourself?

As for the GSM communication not working, well I think it is more the customer to be aware of such problem in his area even though I think the installer should check it out first ... There's a town nearby where the GSM signal cuts at different areas of town. Just walking a few meters sometimes help. People living in that town know the dead zones, the installers don't.

Just giving my 2 cents ... We installers have rights too. <s>

Login to read this IPVM report.
Why do I need to log in?
IPVM conducts unique testing and research funded by member's payments enabling us to offer the most independent, accurate and in-depth information.

Related Reports on Marketing

Drops Dahua, Fenner Becomes ISS CMO on Jul 09, 2018
Hired to improve Dahua's miserable marketing just last year, Janet Fenner has quit Dahua, joining VMS manufacturer ISS as Chief Marketing...
Pelco Is For Sale on Jun 27, 2018
Pelco is for sale, being shopped by an investment bank, IPVM has confirmed from multiple sources. The company, acquired by Schneider Electric in...
Snap Surveillance Profile on Jun 26, 2018
There are not a lot of video surveillance companies that survive 9 years with only one feature that makes their product stand out. In the case of...
Hikvision Covers Up Racial Profiling And AI Error on Jun 25, 2018
Faced with global scrutiny, led by the US government-funded Voice of America (VOA), Hikvision has covered up evidence showing their racial...
IFSEC 2018 Final Show Report on Jun 20, 2018
IPVM attended the IFSEC show for the first time this year. The Chinese took over the show, centered on Hikvision, flanked by Dahua, Huawei and a...
Hikvision Corrects False Cybersecurity Announcement on Jun 18, 2018
Hikvision has corrected a false cybersecurity announcement that claimed a British government-sponsored program endorsed the cybersecurity of...
IPVM For PR / Marketing People on Jun 13, 2018
This post helps PR and Marketing people understand and productively work with IPVM (as much as possible given our independent, often critical,...
ReconaSense - The AI / Access Control / Analytics / IoT / Video Company Profile on Jun 12, 2018
One company's ISC West booth stood out for displaying a light-up tower of buzzwords. The company, ReconaSense, pledged to be 'making sense of it...
Dahua's Terrible Cybersecurity, Buys Credibility From PSA And SIA on Jun 04, 2018
Dahua has a terrible cybersecurity track record. But American organizations, like the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the PSA Security...
Ambitious Mobile Access Startup: Openpath on May 24, 2018
This team sold their last startup for hundreds of millions of dollars, now they have started Openpath to become a rare access control small...

Most Recent Industry Reports

Axis ~$100 Camera Tested on Jul 17, 2018
Axis has released their lowest cost camera ever, the Companion Eye Mini L, setting their sights on a market dominated by Hikvision and Dahua. Can...
Amazon Ring Alarm System Tested on Jul 16, 2018
Amazon Ring is going to hurt traditional dealers, and especially ADT, new IPVM test results of Ring's Alarm system underscore. IPVM found that...
Hikvision Wins Chinese Government Forced Facial Recognition Project Across 967 Mosques on Jul 16, 2018
Hikvision has won a Chinese government tender which requires that facial recognition cameras be set up at the entrance of every single mosque...
Installing Dome Cameras Indoors Guide on Jul 16, 2018
IPVM is producing the definitive series on installing surveillance cameras. This entry covers one of the most common scenarios - installing dome...
Security Sales Course Summer 2018 on Jul 13, 2018
Based on member's interest, IPVM is offering a security sales course this summer. Register Now - IPVM Security Sales Course Summer 2018 This...
US Tariffs Hit China Video Surveillance on Jul 13, 2018
Chinese video surveillance products avoided tariffs for the first two rounds. Now, in the third round, many video surveillance products will be...
Last Chance - July 2018 IP Networking Course on Jul 12, 2018
Registration ends today, Thursday. Register now. This is the only networking course designed specifically for video surveillance...
4 Most Difficult Camera Installs (Statistics) on Jul 12, 2018
Heavy housings, cumbersome brackets, heavy ladders required, and tricky field of view requirements will cause difficulties no matter the camera...
Axis Perimeter Defender Video Analytics Tested on Jul 12, 2018
Axis 'high security' video analytics offering is Perimeter Defender, OEMed / developed with Digital Barriers. But how good is Perimeter Defender?...

The world's leading video surveillance information source, IPVM provides the best reporting, testing and training for 10,000+ members globally. Dedicated to independent and objective information, we uniquely refuse any and all advertisements, sponsorship and consulting from manufacturers.

About | FAQ | Contact