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ADT Security Services

ADT Security Services review: employee discrimination! 18

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Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

This company is staffed with scoundrels. They are bottom line oriented only. They care nothing about clients, employee’s careers, workmanship, professionalism, customer service, integrity, or anything else that doesn't put a dollar in their pockets. I worked in this industry for over 25 years and 8 with ADT. They are ###, you don't want to do business with them or be employed by them.

They charge for equipment that is old and already paid for over and over again, and when called on this practice they make clients pay to replace it... this management is ### and true disciples of TYCO International.

18 comments
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AHatfield1965
, US
Oct 05, 2016 2:25 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just bought a house that has an ADT system in it, but I don't have the master code or the installer code. Does anyone out there know of an installer code I can try? I want to set the system up but not pay to have it monitored. The systems is the DSC Impasse Keypad but has the ADT logo on it? Does anyone know of a 4 digit code? I've spent hours on the internet searching...any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Odug Nip
, US
Feb 10, 2016 7:28 am EST

They want you to work for free on a 100% commission only job. If you are a Business Sales Representative, you won't be paid the 4 first units sales on a monthly basis. In other words, ADT won't paid you for 48 units sales in one year. Very pathetic, specially when the company at most can give you one o two leads appointments per month, the rest or the real leads are given to the manage's friends who are the ones that really make money. No wonder ADT is ranked top 10 worst companies to work for.

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Reviewer67227
,
Sep 02, 2015 10:15 am EDT

8/6/15 jimmy graupman adt could not install anything right i had some one come out they couldn't do anything right a month has gone by it's still not working they lied to me on refund am still wanting i would look at some other company 9/2/15

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ADT Sales Rep
Whittier, US
Feb 24, 2015 11:46 am EST

What a disappointment, with a popular name brand and consumer base, ADT is a perfect example of what happens when companies stop listening to everyone but themselves(whom ever is in charge)

As an ADT employee I highly recommend you seek employment else where. If your thinking about becoming a dealer looking to make a killing in profits and moving on, please call ADT they love you folks !

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Wayne the main vein
Brampton, CA
Aug 24, 2011 4:04 am EDT

Bottom line seems to be, ADT is Wal-Mart coming to your house with a guy off the street, to check out your goods...or sell you something he will never be able to afford himself. I was offfered the position tonight...and after seeing this helpful page of disgruntled employees...I tip my hat to you in a sympathetic way and become the first ADT employee to quit before I even signed on. I love the internet...oh and all of you hard working folks too:)

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KBBonney
los angeles, US
Jul 30, 2011 12:28 am EDT

I had Brinks for 13 years before they were taken over by ADT. For the past year or so ADT has provided terrible service, misinformation both on the phone and at at in home service calls and charged me for services that they originally said were at no charge. We just cancelled our service (paying a year's fee to cancel before our contract was up) but it was worth it not to work with them anymore.

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bugar 09
Providence, US
Jul 09, 2011 1:12 am EDT

I work as a field tech and its all about profit.I dont even care anymore and that makes me feal bad because i like my job

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Jack2000001
Corona, US
Mar 23, 2011 5:47 am EDT

Worst company to work for. Do not make the same mistake I made. I wish I had asked about their turnover before I started. My office alone turns over a sales representative almost every two -three weeks. The company scams their sales staff particularly those who are in small business, they bate and switch with leads and commission. They micromanage and make your life measurable. They will love you as long as you putting numbers on board and it does not matter how you get business.

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pweyersberg
Washington, US
Feb 22, 2011 3:45 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I work out of the Allentown, PA office and I agree 100%, I have commisions owed to me that I cant get paid on... I have BGL's that my manager "losts" and gives to other sales people! I hate this company!

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AREALKILLA
ornage, US
Dec 14, 2010 2:20 am EST

They installed an alarm system into my home. I decided I could not afford it anymore so decide to cancel the service. I called the office in Orange, CA and spoke to a few people who made threat after threat saying I could not cancel or I would Be sued for thousands of dollars. End result was the told my if I payed up front for the entire first year I would not be held responsible for the remaining 2 years of my 3 year agreement with ADT and would be let out of the contract. Will I paid them their money because after other problems could not afford a lawsuit and going to court because I am elderly. I found out later from their corporate office of ADT that I was lied to and that the only reason they wanted me to pay for a whole year is because thats how long they are on the hook for with ADT corporate. As per corporate ADT I could have canceled without any legal action from them but Security Solutions Group, Inc. 1 City Blvd. West #1120, Orange, CA [protected] ‎would have been charged back for the loss of my account because Security Solutions Group, Inc has to keep my business for 12 months

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AREALKILLA
ornage, US
Dec 14, 2010 1:58 am EST

yes the company you are all referring t is called Security solutions Group in Orange Ca. They keep changing their name because the operators keep on bankrupting every business that they touch. The operators name is Shaun Carpenter and the owner is Gabe Kuri. Shaun Carpenter owned his own business for a while and spent the company payroll on drugs and prostitutes . He had to barrow money from a friend of his who is and ADT dealer out of SAN DIEGO. Will guess what... He burned him too. what a great friend HUH? since this Shaun Carpenter with Security solutions Group in Orange Ca cant own his own business he jumps from dealer to dealer ripping off customers and especially his employees. He does not care because it isn't his business. He will just leave the business owner high and dry taking his flunky office staff and tech his sales people to the next needy business promising them the whole world. Ruing lives of anyone in the process, thats Just my opinion.

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jackzack001
Phoenix, US
Jul 28, 2010 6:34 pm EDT

Exactly - ADT Security is a joke! And a ripoff too!
I know because I worked for them for almost 2 years as a commercial and residential service engineer in Arizona.
I designed, installed and tested technical security systems at US embassies and consulates before I retired from the USG and went to work for ADT. I am an electronic engineer and had specialized USG training in all aspects of technical security. I did military communications systems engineering for 23 years prior to working in security.
When ADT hired me, they promised 30 days of training and I got nothing! They also said I would earn $75k but it was less than half that amount. And ADT managers, who knew nothing about security, expected and demanded that service personnel do at least 7 service calls per day, regardless of the complexity of the problem. Service crews were sent out with no parts and often had to call other service personnel to see if they were nearby and had the part needed.

ADT installs alarm systems that do not work and when a burglary does happen, they tell the customer ADT is not liable since the customer did not test his alarm system monthly as they are supposed to do.
Most homeowners would not even know if their system was communicating or not with ADTs monitors (they either have a communication link over a telephone circuit or a wireless connection via a cell radio transmitter). I personally saw situations where the system was installed and not working properly and the customer had been paying for months or up to a year without knowing it.
Yet despite all the shortcomings, ADT sees fit to charge $30-40 a month for a false sense of security - it's all about profit and little to do with customer service and satisfaction.
And ADT has no installation standards, installer training, or spare parts on service trucks. I was sent to one customer’s home which was about a 1 hour ride away; when I arrived he needed a few standard 1.5 volt batteries and I had none on my truck. I had to drive to the nearest Ace hardware and buy them using my own money. At other residences, I found the heavy alarm panel mounted with only drywall screws (it was falling off the wall), exposed conductors on wires, panels installed upside down, and sensors that had been installed days ago falling off.
ADT sales reps know little about security principles and how to design a proper alarm system. They advertize the $99 special, which is OK for a studio apartment at best, and then use the bait and switch scam to get the customer to shell out $1000 or more for an “expanded” home alarm system. Sales reps are out to maximize the total sale dollar amount since they get paid on commission.
And ADT will take over any system ever installed by anyone else, as long as the customer pays the $30-40 monthly fee. Then ADT will not have trained personnel or parts to support these odd ball systems when they do fail.
Buyer beware! It is a known fact that a big guard dog is a better deterrent for burglary! And keep in mind that a critical factor for any alarm system is the time it takes for police to respond to the alarm– if you are in a remote location and it takes 30 minutes for police to get there, burglars have this much time to crash and grab.

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ADT hang-over
Lenexa, US
Apr 20, 2010 8:18 am EDT

I was an Outbound Dispatcher and I fully agree that the equipment it crap, but I also believe that customers are also just naive of how the system is used and functions.

First we had high priority signals and low priority signals. High priority signals were your basic alarms, Burglar alarm, Fire alarm, ect. Low priority signals were signals we received if there was something wrong with the system/ a sensor or there was a bad connection with the server, schedule violation for businesses, etc.

Half the time the 2ways NEVER worked or people just didn't understand how to use them may it had been on our end or theirs. I think it's a wast of money. The sensors were always having problems may it be that customers were slamming doors, leaving windows open, or never changing their batteries. I used to get more low priorities a day then high priorities and half of the time they were all false alarms of sensors that had gone off on accident. Half the customers we talked didn't understand this and we were not ALLOWED to tell them it may be their fault. OR, if something WAS wrong on our end, us lowly dispatchers didn't know what the hell it was because we were never trained to understand the system ourselves.
Half the stuff you learn is by yourself or on the floor or from employees who have been there a while and have learned on there own. All this after a month full of mostly unorganized and unnecessary training. Customers would yell at us all the time believing that we had some access to their main account when really we only see the alarms/signals that came in and names and numbers on our screen.

If a customer doesn't remember their password, two names and numbers on a contact list, or a cs#, we continue with the ECV (key holders list), no authorization leads to us calling the police. THEN we call the rest of the call list. Be sure you know where your name is on the call list because you may be called after the police when you really wanted to be called before.
Police are always cranky with us when we call them, customers are cranky if we call the police (I don't blame them, it costs to have the police dispatched), and they get mad at us like we did it deliberately when we are just doing our job (doing it by the book).

NOTE: If we're calling you, that's outbound (a dispatcher). If you're calling us that's Inbound (customer service/Tech/maybe Billing). Inbound has more training and knows the system better then us (just slightly for customer service). Please don't yell at either, blame the penny pinchers who rushed us in and out of training.

They keep tabs on EVERYTHING you do as a dispatcher.

1: Come in 15 minutes early so you can load your computer, Can't be 1 minute late in payroll or that will be marked against you. If real series marks against you possible termination.

2: Must clock in your phone on time, a few minutes off can hurt your compliance and you may loose some pay and if real series marks against you possible termination.

3: Go by the script : "Good morning/afternoon/evening Mr/Mrs so-and-so" "Please and thank you Mr/Mrs So-and-so" "Name AND Address AND signal/alarm AND zone of activation" if you get interrupted by a customer be sure to put it in there somewhere or major point deduction and if real series marks against you possible termination.

4: Do over 15 alarms an hour minimum or loose some pay and if real series marks against you possible termination.

5: Be sure to do everything in the system absolutely correct and by the book, mistakes may cause marks against you, If you get 3 FTD (fail to dispatch) deliberately OR accidentally, Termination.

6: Lets say you take a 15 min break at 2:00pm (by the way ADT goes by military time so it would really be 1400). You get an alarm at 1:55, just enough time to do one more alarm. There are 10 numbers on the call list! (People, you don't NEED 10 people on a call list Business or Residential, it's ridiculous) You call 9 out of the 10 numbers and no one answers. You leave a message for everyone. You call the last number and sure enough someone answers the phone. This is a customer that wants to tell you her long story about how her daughter is getting married and she will be out of town...etc. I love to hear stories like this, really, but we are required to rush them through and hang up.
I finish the alarm, I look at the clock and it's 2:17. I have missed my break, I have to stay at my desk until my next break or until I leave. If I decide to take a break anyway, or even as simple as get up to go pee! My compliance would go down, alarms would go down, and if real series marks against you possible termination.

ADT will find any reason to fire an employee in the contact center. Don't get distracted, agree with the customer even if she/he's wrong or doesn't understand and you already tried to explain a few times, rush rush rush, come in early leave a minute late. BE EXTRA CAREFUL! It's a joke! The whole damn thing...I'm sooo glad I left.

The only think I liked about the job was great benefits, great pay (as long as you were watchful on the paychecks), and we could dress in jeans. I was lucky to get good hours because of my background in customer service. A lot of people weren't so luck.

Teach the customers properly, train the employees better, maybe help them feel less stress, and hire some good employees not some guy who applies with a crappy resume who comes in hung-over and high most of the time and does his job half-assed.

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mceltix2000
Cleveland, US
Feb 21, 2010 6:53 am EST

Full Disclosure: I'm a salesman for a subcontractor of ADT alarm systems.

We DO NOT SELL USED EQUIPMENT. Never. We may, at your request, upgrade your existing service with new keypads.

I repeat, ADT does NOT give away used equipment. We don't need to. You have to be credit-qualified in order to become our customer. Once you qualify, we give you $850 or so worth of equipment. We give away NEW equipment. Anyone who says otherwise is outright full of it!

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anonymous156
Los Angeles, US
Jan 14, 2010 12:21 am EST

I worked for ADT in Chatsworth, CA as a patrol officer which is service that is offered in Las Vegas, NV and parts of Southern California. Management at the Chatsworth branch for patrol often did not staff areas in which customers were paying for a "dedicated vehicle" which means they paid higher rates for a vehicle that did not leave their area and an armed officer. These were the first areas that would be left open. Management would then require officers from other areas to cover that area for alarm activations and "vacation watches" check on the house while people are out of town. Management was so worried about obtaining their bonuses they would often scrimp on Vehicle repair, replacement of safety equipment, and even overtime to cover areas. In the past couple of months they have been forced to refund thousands of dollars to Hollywood business clients due to lack of "Patrols" in the face of multiple breech of contract threats. ADT has no customer service, they are about lining their pockets with customer money.

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AJJR
, US
Dec 18, 2009 8:41 pm EST

Agree ADT does not qualify its dealer type companies as well as employees who own co. or work for them. Many are not properly license . Many who run them take advantage of its installers. I too had a occasion when I did not get paid as well as others who work for a company in Rancho Cucamonga on Baseline years back .Fortunately the POS n... that ran company was put out of business. ADT needs to make sure its dealer type companies are ran by folks who are decent people. Not all ADT dealers are bad but the ones who are give ADT a worse name than it already deserves. Another huge dealer in Riverside usually pays but is run by scoundrels. I suggest any dealer whether it be a ADT dealer or other company do your home work on them b4 you accept a position. Check out to make sure they are license with consumer affairs & have zero complaints for starters. ADt itself use to be a great company b4 it was turned over to current owners & its management generally are a bunch of corporate puppets who know little about common sense.

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ADT SUCKS WORSE COMPANY
Sacramento, US
Jun 24, 2009 12:12 pm EDT

My husband applied and got the job, then they stated we can't pay until job is funded, he never got paid and they owe him 1725.00. So he applies some where else he gets that job and they don't call to set up any jobs for him to go out on, then he gets another job and they send him all over for jobs they won't take over and guess who pays for the gas he does. He does not get that money back nor does he see money for the jobs he did.

ADT Corporation won't help. Not only do they suck for home security they suck for employee's too. DO DO PIECE WORK YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR MONEY.

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Quiet Storm
, US
Apr 17, 2009 7:45 pm EDT

You are soooo correct! If you aren't watching, they will cheat you out of
your paycheck in the Lanham, MD office and tell you that you cannot recover the loss...Basically, too bad. Instead of discussing the mixup, they would rather fire you. Scandalous operation!