OT - ADT Alarm Systems

[Marisa6826]

Anybody use this company? If so, are you constantly getting false alarms?

Tonight I had to go to the dentist, and Jonathan came with to watch Sophie (his bus broke down and we didn't have time to go back to the house - another story). We decided to go out to dinner since we were all together and it was reasonably early.

ADT called me twice with false alarms within a half an hour of each other. I was worried since I still have all my silver, china and crystal out from Easter. I was an hour away and couldn't do anything from there. I tried calling two different neighbours to check on the house, but couldn't reach anyone.

We rushed home and they called me on my cell AGAIN as I'm walking in the door, holding Sophie in the pouring rain.

They were informing me of a THIRD burglar alarm AND a fire alarm. NOTHING was wrong in the house. Everything was in place with the exception of the warning notice from the police department stuck in the front door for a false alarm.

The fire department was dispatched (they are obligated to come even if I call and tell them to cancel it). Fortunately the fire department is cool about it (not the first time for them, either).

ADT is willing to send a tech out tomorrow for a fee of $25. I guess I don't have a choice.

Good to know that we paid a small fortune for a system only four months ago that seemingly doesn't work.

Any other similar experiences out there?

-m

[sweetbasil]

This is our third house and our third time to use ADT, and we've never had a bad experience with them, Marisa. It seems a bit unfair that you'd have to pay to have a tech come out for false alarms, though, IMO. I'm guessing you don't have the lifetime service agreement or whatever it's called? What a hassle. Marisa. Sorry you've got to deal with that!

[C99]

We don't have an alarm system, but I have an interesting anecdote about alarm systems in general. In the town where my in-laws live and where my best friend used to live, the police said that 99.9% of the calls that they get that are related to alarm systems are because the owners of the house somehow tripped their alarm.

[Melanie]

We've never had a false alarm, unless you count them selling us the wrong motion sensor for having 2 cats. Do you think it's your motion sensor or your window/door sensors?

[Marisa6826]

Caroline-

We have had our share of screw ups, but this time, it went off a couple hours after I had left. Nobody was here to set it off that we were aware of.

Once before one of the dorkus painters didn't close a door all the way and it blew open. A couple other times, Jonathan forgot it was on, opened the door to let the pigdogs out and couldn't turn it off fast enough.

This time, however, everything was secured. The alarm just kept tripping. Silently. The third time, we were standing in the house, the alarm was OFF and it was sending burglar and fire signals.


Julie-

I don't know about that warranty. The system is only four months old. I don't think it's fair either. Maybe I can talk my way out of it. I tried to get them to talk me through powering it down, but they wouldn't do it on the phone. They said that if it happened so many times in such a short time frame, somebody had to come out. I originally wanted them to come tonight so I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping with it off, but it would have been over $100 for an "emergency call".

UGH.

-m

[Marisa6826]

Melanie-

It's both AND the fire sensors. The first alarm was from the motion detector in the living room (we have the special pet ones), the second one was my basement door (and I was convinced at that point somebody was in here and trying to get out the back of the house) and the third one, I don't know which burglar sensor, but it was one of the smokes also.

It sounds like there's something wrong all around.

-m

[daisymommy]

I hate to say it, but theres got to something wrong with your system. We've had ours for two years now, and never had a false alarm...unless you count Joshua getting ahold of my key remote and pushing the panic button! ;)