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Brink's Global Services

Brink's Global Services review: horrible company! 39

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12:00 am EDT
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I bought an alarm system from Brinks Home security at the beginning of 2007 and have had nothing but problems. The alarm goes off at least once a week for no apparent reason. After calling Brinks and being transferred to 8 different people, I finally was able to speak to someone who told me that I would have to wait a week to get a service appointment. I am paying an additional $5 for a service contract and the rep on the phone says it only covers limited things and this is not one of them. WHAT AM I PAYING $5 EXTRA FOR? I asked to cancel the $5 service plan and she goes on to tell me that I cannot cancel it because it is in my contract terms. Now I am furious so I say fine just send someone out to my house. I called on a Tuesday and they sent someone out on Wed (8 days later). The tech did a full check up and said it was the motion sensor, he changed the motion sensor. He leaves, I set it and go to work, I am at work for about 2 hrs and I get a call from Brinks that my alarm is going off again. WTF! I just had someone at my house that "fixed" it. They make arrangements to send a tech back to my house to meet me after 5pm (I'm not missing any more work). A different tech comes and tells me, its not the motion, it is the glass break detector in my family room so, he changes that. About a week goes by, everything seems to be back to normal, than my wife comes home from the grocery store to find a cop car in front of the house and all of the neighbors out on their front lawns. THE ALARM WAS TRIPPING FOR 30 MINUTES AND NOBODY BOTHERED TO CALL MYSELF OR MY WIFE. Now I have had it with Brinks, I told them to power down the system and take it out of the house, they do so. They have been auto billing me every month $37.03 out of my checking account for an Alarm that I don't even have anymore. I am in the process of getting legal help to get my money back. I warn all out there, stay away from Brinks, the sales rep made everything sound peachy keen when he came out. The installers ran wires all over my house (I will never go hardwired ever again). Their customer service IS THE WORST. I hope for your sake, you never have to go through this. Brinks has single handedly aged me 20 years due to this. GOOD LUCK!

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39 comments
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Bethany Mancini
, US
Apr 08, 2022 1:17 pm EDT

Worst customer service ever. We have a broken sensor in one of our doors and multiple other problems and they say they no longer send technicians out. Could have saved the hour on the phone. No help at all ever.

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robert522
Shreveport, US
Oct 02, 2009 6:22 pm EDT

ps i love broadview and am very proud to serve the customer i have and my community ive never had a job so fulfilling bottom line is this is a very large company in a very large country and it is impossible to make every one happy but our jd power awards prove that we are very good at making people happy and safe in their homes.and we can do all this for a relatively small monthly fee.

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robert522
Shreveport, US
Oct 02, 2009 6:17 pm EDT

im an tech for a dealer branch witch is the case for most of the country my advice is to pose most of these complaints the dealer assoiated to the account rather than brinks/broadview them selves alot of the time they are more reasonable except the contract problems i agree with the others READ YOURE CONTRACT it clearly states 3 yrs auto renewal in 1 yr increments code word problems can be resolved fairly easly by faxing customer service ur copy of paper work (or having dealer do so)

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justacustomer
, US
Sep 03, 2009 2:01 pm EDT

Never had any real problem, have had the system installed for years.
Monitoring has been excellent.
One minor problem a few years ago involving a (supposedly) free replacement battery was resolved in my favor with one phone call.
We'll see if they continue to treat me right now that they are "Broadview."

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Mr. John
Greentown, US
Aug 29, 2009 8:24 pm EDT

I had been in the security alarm field for 20 years...building one customer at a time.
I am out of the business now, so im not trying to sell anything...
What gets me really angry is the broardview commercial. X boyfriend kicks in door, almost instantly phone rings from monitoring station...Now im not going to tell you why it doesnt work that FAST AT ALL. but if your going to buy ...tell the salesman you want to know the true time from dial-out-to hand-shake-to kiss-off-to call back. Now those word terms are real. If he cant answer that, he should not be selling security systems. After your alarm is in have it tripped...but not in a test mode..I think you be in for a bit of surprise compared to the commercial. A false sence of security can be just as bad as no security. secureit@ptd.net

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pfs
, US
Jul 29, 2009 11:29 am EDT

Someone from Brink's entered our code word incorrectly into their system during installation. A few hours after installation I remembered to ask a question and when I called them up for a question they wouldn't let me in because according to them I gave a WRONG CODE WORD when it was THEY who put in the wrong code word! NOT my name, contact numbers, addresses, Brink's account number nor other personal information would suffice - IT HAD TO BE THE CODE WORD WHICH THEY HAVE IN THEIR SYSTEM (which was the wrong code word) - so how on earth can I figure that out? All I have is our code word that was written on their emergency information schedule...I had to argue for several hours and several phone calls before I was able to get it corrected, and all they gave was a simple verbal apology over the phone...Meanwhile the system was totally useless because I couldn't access anything unless I sent them all the documents they were requesting to prove that I had the right code word. WHY SHOULD I SEND THOSE DOCUMENTS WHEN IT WAS THEIR FAULT?Had someone broken into our home as I was talking to the customer rep I wouldn't have been entertained at all because I didn't have the "correct" code word that was in their system! AND WORSE, the customer rep had even the guts to tell me to call the police instead should that happen...so what is Brink's there for? So what is the use of the money we're paying to Brink's?SO the very first night it was installed we had A SLEEPLESS NIGHT bec it was totally useless because when I had a question about a setting they wouldn't let me in bec my code word was "incorrect"---hey, it was they who put it in incorrectly! So instead of making a mistake with the setting and letting the alarm go off at night to trouble all of us (and our neighbors) we had to turn it off...so they system was totally useless the whole night through - a time when burglary could happen...

We are seriously considering canceling our contract before the 3-day period expires..meanwhile I am loking for someone to get in touch with (legal or whatever) regarding this complaint so proper action can be done about this...Any links to this?

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DAJ
Houston, US
Jul 17, 2009 12:08 pm EDT

I worked for Brinks in Irving, Tx for over 10 yrs before moving back to Houston. Since just recently hearing about this Broadview security thing I was curious and did a search online and happened to come across this page. It's only natural to want to get upset with a company when you feel your not receiving the service your paying for. But to sit here and whine about something YOU should have verified in the first place. There are so many complaints about NOT owning the equipment...people you take the word of a salesman? Then you deserve to be screwed over. You sign a contract, it's typed into your contract...BRINKS OWNS THE EQUIPMENT. And people you cant use that equipment with any other alarm service so if your going to cancel Brinks then why on earth would you want the equipment in the first place. The system can not be converted to work with any other alarm company...not ADT, not Honeywell...none of them.

I read on here about the customer who's alarm went off and no one called them...and the contacts brinks did call brinks dialed the wrong number. I really find that hard to believe that one of their reps dialed a wrong #. The phone systems auto-dial the numbers that are on the contact list the customer completes when they enroll for the service. Unless the number was entered wrong or the customer wrote the wrong # on the list there is no way the system dialed the incorrect number unless it was wrong from the beginning. Thats another thing, customers very seldom update their contact lists. I dont know how many times I've gone through a contact list and every number on the list is either wrong or disconnected.

The bottom line really is that as customers of this type of service no matter who the alarm company is we have a greater responsibility then you think. Customers have to take the time to test their systems at least once a month, verify and update your contact lists immediately upon any changes. Change your password in the case of divorce or separation. Add special instructions on your acct for certain alarm signals. Have a temporary change in your call string made when your going on vacation or will be out of town for an extended period. One last thing to remember is if your going to have a house sitter or someone checking up on pets while your away that will need to have access to the inside of your home, pleaseeeeee add a temporary alarm code and an alt password and inform the alarm company.

I believe that by not neglecting your service and being prudent consumers will have alot less headaches and be happier with their service. I'm not taking the side of the alarm company because Im well aware of how they operate, but at the same token I know how the customers do NOT operate as well. I've also been a customer of Brinks for over 13 years and the last 6 I've had ADT. I didnt switch to ADT because of a dislike for Brinks but because my wife now works for ADT and the service doesn't cost me anything :-)

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ceejay2005
Vestal, US
Jun 03, 2009 7:10 am EDT

Ever watch "Brinks" home security commercial ?
The guy calls up the mother & daughter and tells them "help is on the way !" Yea...right ! by the time help gets there the intruder could have killed everyone and set the house on fire ! That's precisely why my wife would be armed and skilled on gun use ! but wait..Obama's agenda includes the abolishment of your 2nd amendment rights ! Then only outlaws will have guns ! http://pinnaclesecurity.com

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HONEYWELLMONITORING.COM
Warminster, US
Dec 09, 2008 12:10 pm EST

I have been in the business for 20 years. i used to work for all of the top 3 companies as an installer. i know all the contracts inside and out. i started my business 10 years ago, i only charge $15 a month, no long contracts, and i have never lost a customer. honest business is good business and when you offer a good honeywell product with good service and charge a fair price, your customers stick with you. the best advice i can give you is to always read your contract. the fact is, the contract specifically says that verbal and even written agreements by the salesguy or any employee means nothing. and yes... even written agreements. you sign the original contract and only the original print of it. anything written on it or crossed out is irrelevant. so basically, yes, the salesguy can tell you whatever you want to hear just to get you to sign the contract because the contract you just signed says whatever he told you means nothing. also, you never own the alarm system and they have the right to take it back and leave holes all over your home. they also have the right to breach the contract after a year and raise the prices. so if you signed for $30 pefr month for 5 years, they can chane it to $35 per month for 5 years. they can also sell your contract to anybody. your complaints are wrong from a legal standpoint, but from a moral standpoint, you couldn 't be more right. lawyers really screwed up this world. if you want an affordable honeywell alarm system without signing a rediculous contract, check out my website at honeywellmonitoring.com. we offer do-it-yourself solutions, video installation guides, you can hear the sirens, see how the keypads work, no contracts, no small print. we run an honest business and our customer service is unique. our 1-866-max-today number gets forwarded to a technician's cell phone who can actually answer any question about security. not someone who acts annoyed that you called.

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Joseph
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Nov 19, 2008 8:21 pm EST

Wished I had never let Brinks in my house nothing but LIERS and ROBBERS DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE

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TonyPHX
El Mirage, US
Nov 17, 2008 11:15 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Unfortunately I am also experiencing CL errors at all hours, usually when sleeping of course. So far, Brinks has been rude, challenging and difficult to deal with in getting this fixed. Despite many opinions to the contrary on this posting, I can personally verify that the Brinks system, and the Brinks organization are problematic. If I do not get some form of resolution soon, quite likely they will be working this out with my attorney.

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Me
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Oct 22, 2008 8:59 pm EDT

Brinks Customer,

How about you contact the Customer Moves Department. You will get lots of more incentives by speaking with a moves representative (trust me on that one...including credit to basically pay for the cellular assuming the towers are in your new area to support it). What you see online is the standard move package but when you actually call in, there are great promotions that you will get by going that route.

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Bob
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Oct 20, 2008 2:23 pm EDT

I have read the contract, and I agree with the fact that IF they installed the equipment, and you cancel that the equipment is actually theirs. But what if the equipment was installed by a competiter? Brinks only changed the key pad and battery console. By the way when they left they took the old key pad and console. I don't think they own squat. This is called STEALING, in my book.

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Brinks Customer in Vancouver
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Oct 18, 2008 3:04 am EDT

I've been a customer for over 7 years. We are moving and the location we are going to needs cellular. The web page from Brinks has a promo but it doesn't apply to cellular. I'm not impressed with Brinks and will likely move to ADT. It's amazing I can't keep the equipment (highly proprietary) after 7 years. My experience with Brinks is "average". They installation has wires running all of over the place (sloppy) - do they patch the holes after taking the equipment out?

I called them once about the battery and they said I had to pay for a replacement, hold on, it's it their equipment? They want it both ways.

It's clear that Brinks isn't the right company for me and I'll do a bit more research before selecting my next company.

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Me
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Sep 28, 2008 7:32 pm EDT

Wondering,

Yes, the equipment will be taken away with the 3 day cancellation (it really isn't a threat due to the investment initially put in). The wiring is a technicians call but that can be taken out as well. Why are you questioning the quality?

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Wondering
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Sep 27, 2008 10:51 am EDT

We just had a fairly expensive system ($2, 000+) installed by Brinks. We are questioning the quality though. I am just wondering if anyone knows...if we cancel within the 3-day cooling off period, will they actually take our equipment out or not? Will they leave the wiring and just take the boxes? Or is it just a threat, and we will actually get to keep the equipment and switch to a different monitoring company?

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Me
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Sep 24, 2008 10:04 pm EDT

Pr,

I never said you were a bad employee, I just said you must not have been a good salesman (please don't add words that aren't there). Hmm, "ignorant and uninformed", now that is an extremely immature response to someone who is quite informed about my workplace.

Come on, where did you get the bogus 80% turnover rate? Get your facts right. My department alone has about a 9 year average tenure and one person has been there for over 20 years.

I'm not here to polish anything. There is not a perfect company out there and you are simply niave if you ever will believe that. Brinks has always treated me well as an employee and I have a very comfortable living financially. With the economy as it is right now, I am blessed and priviledged to be in my position. Just because you had a bad experience, you don't have a right (well I guess you do in cyberworld) to talk negative about the company because, you OBVIOUSLY, have a personal vendetta against someone with the company.

Pension? Man, that has been gone for over 5 years. You must have either been with the company for years and "fixed your numbers" to be that top sales rep (and obviously your employment was terminated) and is extremely bitter over that OR you just simply just started to make up a bunch of false information.

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PR
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Sep 23, 2008 4:20 pm EDT

Oh one other thing for Mr. technician... Why is it you have soooo much time to defend Brinks? is it Because you are not out in the field working. Could it be that there isn't enough sales people to keep you busy installing systems... or are you just sitting in the office stroking yourself with you tid bits of wisdom that no really cares about. Did you know you become the average of the 10 most people you hang out with. By my observation you you are averaging the averages in your office. Clearly if the math is correct you and all of your obnoxious employees in the office hold true to the actual attitude I have observed in my own branch. Too bad you can't see the reality of what and who you work for. This will be my last comment on this as it is hard to have a battle of the wits with someone who is unarmed.

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PR
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Sep 23, 2008 4:09 pm EDT

Ok so yo think I am bad employee and thats why I got fired. Fact is I have worked for better companies which qualifies me to know better. As far as my skills i feel comfortable with them considering I was top sales in the branch. Perhaps since you are soooooo smart and informed you can explain why Brinks has a revolving door with Employees to the tune of 80 % every three to four months. You can defend Brinks Home Security all day long as that is what would be expected from an ignorant uninformed individual that can't see the forest for the trees.

Just remember you can polish a terd all day long and at the end of the day its STILL A TERD. Brinks Still stinks. I am still waiting to get over $2000. in commissions, and paid out for the pension plan which is approaching over 8 weeks. They have all but ignored my requests and continue to play games. Its a bit idiotic that i have to consider taking a Fortune 500 company to court to get what is my money.

Repeat: Don't work for Brinks Home Security. They are ###

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brinks customer
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Sep 22, 2008 6:20 am EDT

I was looking for some information about the battery back up for the Brinks system & came across this page.
I have been a Brinks customer for years & even moved from one home to another with it, have not had any problems with customer service. At my prior home, the battery did go out & the system alerted me to this, I called Brinks & they sent someone out very quickly to replace the battery & test everything. I laugh at the person who complained - how is it Brinks responsibility to know if your battery is out or if your phone line is no longer compatible? - think about it - how many thousands of customers do they have? How could they possibly be able to monitor this part of everyone's home? That is why they suggest you test the system weekly - for those with digital phone lines, well, if you did the weekly test, when it wasn't successful, you would have found out then that there is a problem with the digital phone lines. Why is that Brink's fault? By the way, a LOT of people still have land lines, I much prefer my land line than Vonage - ever read how their 911 service works? or doesn't?
I would have to say the only thing that annoys me with Brinks is when your alarm goes off, they waste precious time calling every contact number they have for you to see if you want them to send the police - I say just call one number & send the police!
I work in an environment where I am on the phone with customers everyday & I agree with the Brinks employee who noted that its funny how when someone gets upset, their child, brother, sister, etc is always an attorney, or they have an attorney on retainer - please, my husband & I have an upper middle class income & we don't have an attorney on retainer, you work at an hourly wage job & you think I believe you have an attorney at your beck & call. well, then call them! ha ha.
oh & yes, people you should read the contracts before you sign - then you would have know the equipment wasn't going to be yours unless you paid for it. duh.

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Me
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Sep 17, 2008 7:57 pm EDT

Pr,

Looks like you aren't a good salesperson and that is why you got fired. Work on your skills and stop complaining.

I currently work for them and have had a system years before I started working there. They treat employees well and it is a good atmosphere and the pay is good. Like I said before, read people before you sign.

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PR
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Sep 17, 2008 3:42 pm EDT

If you are considering employment with Brinks Home Security, Get a Gun and shoot yourself in the foot. This way the pain will make your forget about such a stupid idea. Secondly you will understand that shooting yourself in the foot is less painfull than putting up with the ### and lies Brinks dishes out to its employees. For the the dumb ones that haven't figured it out yet, may god bless you because you need all the intervention and help you can get. I have never worked for such a ridiculous company as Brinks Home Security from the cult training in Texas to the Micro management and reporting they require is outragous. Managers calling you at 7:00 in the morning to wondering what you are doing all day right down to the National Sales trainer pretending to be a weekly radio announcer informing you of the top performers every F*%&cking 2 weeks. meanwhile you have a tickle in you ### realizing its the nose of you manager constantly stalking you. Oh don't let me get started about the reasonable expenses and car allowance they don't pay.

I don't want to ruin this for someone who is considering employment with BHS however to caution them to get EVERYTHING IN WRITING.. The fact that you have to doo all of this should red flag them as a company you don't want to work for

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PR
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Sep 17, 2008 3:12 pm EDT

As a former employee and sales rep for Brinks Home Security, I can say some of the complaints I understand. Let first say that i questioned some of the policies of the company which I knew were incorrect. I was fired for some of these questions.

Your contract with Brinks is generally 36 months, and you will never own the equipment. There is a clause in most contract (varied from state to state or province). Pay 500 extra including the 36 month contract and you own the equipment. The rule of thumb is read the contract before you sign it.

P.S. I think Brinks Stinks because of the way they treat the employees. As far as the customer service and over all service I will let the complaints speak for themselves.

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Me
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Sep 16, 2008 8:45 pm EDT

You guys kill me.

READ THE DARN CONTRACT! YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT SALESPEOPLE BUT YOU HAVE '3' BUSINESS DAYS TO READ THE CONTRACT (YOU KNOW IN THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HOME WITHOUT A SALESMAN IN YOUR FACE). SIMPLE, IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE TERMS, SEND THE REQUEST TO CANCEL. NO QUESTIONS ASKED AND YOU GET A FULL REFUND.

It's funny how companies suck (and not just Brinks) when the consumer doesn't get his/her way. As long as you want to pay for the service and things go as "you" want them to go, then it is all great but as soon as you don't feel the need for a system (even though you are in a LEGAL binding contract that YOU agreed to), you call the companies horrible. Most companies have a retention department because they understand that competition is out there and they want to keep their customers. It sucks how people complain that "you didn't offer me this until I said I want to cancel my service". Of course companies doesn't go calling saying, hey lets lower your rate, give you free cable, free cellphones or any other free equipment just for the hek of it without getting something back in return..i.e a contract (DOES YOUR COMPANY GO AROUND DOING THAT? CASE CLOSED) .

I gues the funniest thing about working on phones in all lines of business is that everyone has a daughter, son or relative who is always "all of a sudden" an attorney.. lol

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CJB3
Benbrook, US
Jan 14, 2023 5:56 pm EST
Replying to comment of Me

I don’t have a contract with Brinks. Signed a contract 8 years ago with a different company. Only knew Brinks bought them out in 2021, when they appeared on my Alarm.com app. I guess they don’t care about introducing themselves to us and say Hello, welcome to Brinks, or you need to update your control panel, and on this date your rates are going up. Nearly month (thus far) of not being monitored- Brinks text me saying my tech appointment needs to be changed. Then you have to call a get another 10 days of waiting How do you overcome these issues? Never said a bad word about anyone. But, I believe these issues merits some sour notes from customers.

We may be killed before Brinks security completes our job order. So, just asking who is more in danger Brinks or it consumers?

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doug
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Sep 03, 2008 10:08 am EDT

Brinks is an uncaring company that only denies any responsibility for anything.
At least once a week I get an alarm on my system showing CL trouble (radio backup not working). This always seems to happen between 2AM and 4:30AM just to wake me up and annoy me.

One tech said they are performing maintenance on the Barrons radio tower in my area.
Another tech actually called me back to tell me the tower was decommissioned and I'd have this error through the term of my contract. Of course the tower seemed to work later in the day.
Another tech told me that the reason why they use radio instead of cellular service is there are a lot more radio towers than cell (yeah OK).
all of them had one common thread, they would remove the system with no problem. Of course that's where the bull in the contract kicks in.

I just need the phone number for the company president so i can call him everytime I get awakened

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Joe
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Aug 02, 2008 4:46 pm EDT

I normally do not spend time complaining about being screwed but in this case I need to comment about the worst company I have ever dealt with in my life. I return from vacation to find my security system not working. I call Brinks and they tell me that my battery pack needs to be replaced. I all of a sudden realize that monitoring in my contract means squat. I would have thought that they could call and be concerned that my system is off. I want to cancel but my wife says keep it. Now, one year later, I change to digital phone (Vonage) and I find that my security system does not work with a digital signal as I have connected. 2 months later I call and ask these yahoos about it. They say it is not their job to know if I have an active phone line. So I reply, if someone cuts my phone line and robs me, the so called monitoring part of my contract means nothing...they actually say yes, I compain, I say cancel my service, they say that even after my 3 year contract it automatically renews for 1 year intervals, I say send me my contract or I don't pay, they agree, I never get it, I call back, they say they mailed it, I never get it, I cancel and they send the monthy bill and not a bill for the remainer. The bill says please continue to pay the monthly amount until contract is over but it doesn't state the end date. I am going to get a copy of my contract one way or the other...oh, and when I was on the phone they did say if I cancelled they would send someone to my house to take out the system..I said sure, send him (like I let the fat ### in anyway)...bluff, no one calls for an appointment...THE MAIN POINT - YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE PAYING FOR MONITORING BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA IF YOUr BATTERY RUNS OUT OR IF YOUR PHONE LINE IS DEAD. MONITORING MEANS THAT IF THE ALARM GOES OFF THEY RESPOND BUT ANYONE CAN JUST CUT THE PHONE LINE...WHAT A JOKE...I should have known and I make sure I am vocal to everyone I know. So far 6 of my friends have cancelled and my goal is 20. At least I will feel better about paying out my contract to a company that does not clearly an openly explain the product and does every sneaky tactic you can think of to stop you from cancelling...for instance. I wanted to cancel and had my call dropped 3 different times on transfer to the special sales department. Also, when they said they were coming to remove the unit I asked if they would remove all the wiring throughout the house and they said no...intersting as well...Finally, I have a security system now that beeps every day at noon until I hit cancel one time...I will replace it one day but for now I am not paying for so called monitoring, I have the system in my house and we set it every evening before bed...I just can't figure out how to get rid of the daily beep at noon...

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Natalie
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Jul 12, 2008 5:13 pm EDT

I am in the same boat as everyone else you read about that cant get out of a contract. I have been a customer for over 3 years and now when I decide to cancel, I cant get out of the contract. Shaterra, a supervisor runs the entire place and gives people bad news all day. The bad news is: The contract self renews after 3 years and even if you cancel, you still have to pay the remainder of the contract. Who has ever heard of such a thing? I was shocked to find this out and shortly realized that they want nothing to do with complaints and unhappy customers. They dont care, they just want to make you pay for a service that you are unhappy with. I dont understand how a company can be so unfair. Next time anyone thinks of having a Brinks alarm system installed in their home, I inform you to have your lawyer present before you sign any paperwork. This is what its come down to: A lawyer needs to be present to sign an alarm company agreement.

Crazy, but true!

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XzX
Philadelphia, US
Jul 11, 2008 6:03 pm EDT

The rantings of "Employee"/"Joe" above tell you all you need to know about Brinks. Customers are "###s", "paranoid", "ignorant".

Have you ever wondered, Joe, who it is that pays your wages? That would be the same ###s, paranoids and ignoramuses to which you so reverentially refer.

Here's a realityy check for you: You work for ripoff merchants. Your salespeople are worse than used-car salesmen, and your customer service is a-b-o-m-i-n-a-b-l-e.

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Joe
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Jul 07, 2008 5:17 pm EDT

I think "you people" ### way too much. Most of you do not read your contracts before your jaw flop open and stupidity pours out. If your contract is read before signed in most cases there would be no need for half of the complaints. A contract is written for a reason. It is not written so you can just skip it and play ignorant down the road when you do something that breaks/voids it. I do understand, however, that most people no matter how good or bad the service is will ### and groan just to do so. Its great that the internet awards these idiots with a forum to do so. Also, as for any of you that feel you are deserving or somehow entitled to something free. Every single brinks customer pays a monthly monitoring charge regardless of how special and important they think they are, and just because they call in and demand something free doesn't mean it should be so. I know that not every Brinks customer is a total dick and or ### and has an IQ that of a ### that had just undergone a lobotomy, but for those who are actually normal human beings I would like to thank you and for the rest of you I would like to say ### off. What did you whining people do before alarm systems ever came about? Surely, if your alarm does not work for 1-2 days and needs to be serviced all those bad people who are putting lasers in your walls and cameras on your ceilings and coming in and putting lingerie back in your room after stealing it the previous week (all real problems we deal with..AMAZINGLY) surely those people will let you rest easy for a couple days and chances are you probably won't die. Haha I know that sounds stupid of me to say but working at brinks you can't even begin to imagine the dumb ### we listen to from these paranoid and dellusional freaks. So, its no wonder at all if someone here and there might get an attitude with you. Try listening to some of the ### whining, crying, ###, begging, and down right ###ic ### everyday. Good thing its a temporary job and I do not have to endure it for the rest of my life. I have never met anyone like these people in my real life. I know and these people know if they ever ran their mouth and flapped those jaws face to face they would so get knocked the ### out. What? You want to speak to my supervisor now? LOL ###s..

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Burned Brinks Customer
,
Jul 05, 2008 11:39 am EDT

Dear "Employee", or should I say troll.

How dare you come on here and start calling people ###s. Three years is an unfair term for a consumer contract and that's all there is to it.

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Concerned Citizen
, US
Jun 07, 2008 8:16 pm EDT

If you are more intelligent then a rat you could have asked for the cell phone of the initial individual that showed up at your house. Called him, and Had HIM come and fix it. If you pay for a service and have an agreement with set service you will have to pay for the alloted time. This is precisely like if you have a cell phone service that doesn't provide signal in lets say dover kansas. You paid and signed a contract which you knew was clearly stated. If we have to come out for your dog setting off a motion detector and inteligently you know your dog roams free DON'T LET US SET UP ONE ###. It takes me 3 hours to do a prewire due to programing the control panel, and testing your system. If I would have ran the box I always leave my information in the folder left with yall for any false mishaps. Plus we get in trouble if you the customer calls us. It's called a rework and it counts against us alot. Get a brain, read the freaking contract.

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Tamara
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May 13, 2008 5:15 pm EDT

They did an anverage job w/ install, but it took almost 6 hours, which seems extensive for a one story house that was pre-wired. They also didn't bother to replace a lot of the furniture that wasn't within my visual range when they left. As far as service goes, I'll have to wait and see.

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futur80
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Apr 28, 2008 1:37 pm EDT

Signed a three year contract, was promised an extra key fob then told that it wasn't in the contract. Essentially lied to. Then when I asked what the cancellation fee was, was told I had to pay the whole term of contract (over 500$) and that the payments would be accelerated if I tried to quit.

Nice.

Brinks does stink badly.

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Maximo Saravi
,
Apr 01, 2008 11:28 am EDT

Well, after reading this and other forums for people frustrated with Brinks, at least I now know that I'm not alone. I'm from Argentina and have lived in 3 other countries since I was born, and seeing that such a mean and misleading organization is still in business in the US really tells a lot about how unprotected consumers are.

I "activated" the system (we didn't have to install it because it was in a new house we bought) and it worked relatively well for 3 months, but suddenly, since December 16, 2007, the monitoring function of it stopped working for no apparent reason. I called Brinks customer service (if they can be called that way) and they indicated that sometimes the monitoring service doesn't operate properly with digital phone lines (how many people still have regular land lines these days?). So they sent a technician, and he couldn't fix the "communication problem" and indicated that he was not getting tone from the alarm box. I was leaving on vacation so I called Brinks and rearranged for a technician to come again in January, we finally made it happen in February, and I was told that the problem would be fixed by having the telephone company wire from the nearest telephone jack to the alarm box, which we organized right away for a fee of $46. Subsequently, we called Brinks again to arrange the last visit, the one in which everything would be solved, but to our surprise this time the phone wire wasn't enough, the connection had to be directly to the Internet modem, which would demand wiring another cable throughout the house or via the outside, which we really didn't favor from an aesthetic perspective.

Brinks customer service people are rude and incapable of solving small problems. Brinks didn't invest a penny in the system of my house, I was the perfect customer, "just activate the service with the equipment that is already in the house". Does anyone think they were "touched" by this? Not really. They keep insisting that this last suggestion is the only one valid (I wonder why they didn't tell me of this at the time of the original installation or why it took 3 technicians to find this solution) and that's the only way of solving the problem.

My wife signed a contract on the date of the installation (Sep 9, 2007), which binds us for 3 years. After so much frustration and the lack of proper solutions, one would tend to think that Brinks would be flexible to avoid having people write bad (true) things about the company. I'd be really interested to talk to the senior management of this organization and find out if this is in line with their business model. If it is, then they shouldn't be in business, they should have lost all their customers already...it's just a matter of time.

In the meanwhile, I have no other solution than continue to pay for a service I don't receive (and haven't been receiving for the last 5 months) or cancel prematurely and pay a $900 fee for the remaining of the months of the contract. There is a portion of the contract that refers to a "notice of cancellation form", but surprisingly enough (once again) Brinks didn't leave a copy of it with the contract and I had to request it on the phone to read about "my rights".

I tend to think that if a company doesn't fulfill its obligations a consumer would have the right of terminating the contract, but couldn't find a way yet. If anyone knows the trick to do it, I'd be the first to try it.

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Patricia Lemley
,
Mar 12, 2008 6:27 am EDT

I have had simlar problems with this company. We had a system placed in our home. When the sales person was at home we explained we had 2 cocker spaniels that run free before we ever had their system. We were assured that our pets would not set the alarms off. Everytime we went away we would get a call from the monitoring company telling us the alarm was sounding. So they came out and changed the eyes several times. My contract will be up in two months and I will never be more happier to have it removed from my home. I have paided for a service for three years with no compensation. Their customer service stinks.

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William Torres
,
Jan 26, 2008 7:27 am EST

I cancelled my account after over 10 years of service due to monthly cost increases. I wasn't notified of such increases and decided to cancel after paying the same fixed amount from the beginning.
Brinks sent an employee to remove their equipment and I thought our contractual agreement has been met.
Since then I continually receive a bill for $616.10 for equipment and monthly fees.
I called brinks several times to clear this bill and they were unwilling to cooperate with my concerns.
It appears the brinks employee didn't credit the returned equipment and the remaining balance is for services not rendered.
Please assist me with this matter. Since my last contact with brinks they escalated to a collection agency

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Alex Siu
,
Oct 31, 2007 12:55 pm EDT

I had similar problems with Brinks. After canceling my contract with them (after 4 years), they informed me that they would need to remove all equipment from the house or I would be charged $500. I told them that their sales person told me that the equipment would be mine after the contract was over, but I guess he lied because the customer service pointed out the paragraph in the contract that says that Brinks reserve the rights to the equipment. There is no mention of the equipment being yours after the contract is over.

So, stay away from Brinks and their sales people. I will let everybody I know how terrible this company is.

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David B.Rubin
,
Oct 20, 2007 11:18 am EDT

Brinks "Stinks".

When it comes to real estate it is location, location, and location.

When it comes to Brinks, it is lies, lies, and more lies.

The Sales reps lie their way to signing a contact, Vic, and then you never see them again. Some companies the sales reps. have to service the account. Not at Brinks. They get the sale through lies, and then they wash their hands in it after they get their $$$$$dough. The customer service dept is not helpful, and the Moves dept are a bunch of uneducated, lying, uncouth, insulting, ignorant bunch of jerks. I will never use Brinks again. I have contacted the BBB, The N.J. dept of Consumer Affairs, Troubleshotter, ect. I have had it talking to these horrible, stupid, waste of human brain cell dumb dumbs.

If you need a home alarm, stare away from Brinks, If you are avoiding having your home robbed, " at least do not have Brinks rob it with a contract".

"DO NOT BELIEVE THEM".

David B. Rubin