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Safe Home Security review: harassing former customers 38

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12:00 am EST
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We had a contract with Safe Home Security, Inc in 2002. During this time we had countless problems with their wireless alarm system, which they never fully resolved. In September 2005, we informed them we were moving and that we needed them to come and uninstall the equipment. They took weeks to get back to us and finally did days before we were leaving the house. They claimed they could schedule an appointment to move the equipment the week after we moved and that they wanted a fee of $750 to remove it. This was never in the contract.

We left the home with the equipment still installed but deactivated the account.

We sent them a formal letter via fax in October informing them of our move and that we were terminating the contract. In December of 2005 they contacted us claiming we never canceled the account and that we owed them $914. We again faxed them stating the account was closed and that we no longer lived at that residence.

6 months later (June 2006), they sent a letter to our new residence claiming we owed them $914 + interest and late fees. They also informed us they reported this incident to all of the credit bureaus. Until this incident, we had perfect credit all of our lives. Anytime we called them on the phone, they were insistent that we owed them this money and would incur late fees for every month we didn’t pay it.

We ignored these letters until we received one on March 1st of 2007 where they threatened to take legal action against us unless we paid them $3580.30 which they claimed was only a portion of the back balance owed ($1433.22). They also stated we were required to sign a new agreement. To close the account they claimed we would have to pay them $1562.19 and send them a cancellation letter by 06/04/2007 otherwise the account would roll over for another 36 months.

We are now going to get my attorney involved and inform the local news channels and Better Business Bureau. We have never experienced such unethical services and harassment from a company and hope that you read this report before signing a contract with this company.

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38 comments
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Nancy De Soto
, US
Aug 23, 2017 2:46 pm EDT

I live in California and have experienced all of the above tactics that people are complaining about. They never come to service the equipment. They call and leave a message saying "this is ______ and we noticed that your equipment needs servicing. Please call me at this number -------. and extension number ------. When you call the number and extension you get no answer but you get the recording that you have reached Safe Home over and over. I suppose this "fake attempt to call you to service equipment" is their way of covering their A__ ___, so that when you try to cancel they can say they tried to service your equipment. They also have told me if I terminate early then I have to pay the same monthly fee I would have even though I do not have service. Therefore, you can NEVER CANCELL! They also tell you that you have to cancel in writing something like 6 months before your contract expires or you cannot cancel. When they told me I would be charged the monthly charges even if I terminated early in September, 2017 then I will still pay the charges until March of 2018. I told them "cancel" means you do not have the service anymore so how can they charge you for something that you don't have? They said they can, based on the contract. They also renewed the contract without any notification to me and no copy of it until I insisted on a copy. When I told them that their contract says they are with ADT security, they denied it, yet their contract says they are selling you an ADT alarm. They said they have never been with ADT yet they are using their name (probably illegally). My alarm box that they installed even says ADT, not Safe Home or any other name. They are truly a fraudulent company, dishonest, a SCAM, etc., etc., etc. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY NO MATTER WHAT THEY OFFER YOU. I am contacting the California Fair Trade Bureau to go after them as well as the California State Attorney General Office. I WILL cancel my contract early and I WILL NOT PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT I DO NOT HAVE. If they touch my credit, then they will be looking at a law suit. They are messing with the wrong person. I think ALL of the people that have had trouble with this company should file a class action lawsuit against them. I am going to find out what I need to do to start a class action suit.

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Cheryl HP
, US
May 15, 2017 4:46 pm EDT

Here we are in 2017 and they are still harassing, threatening and intimidating customers. My 90 year old mother had to leave her home due to her health. I tried to cancel her contract with Safe Home Securities. They told me even if she died she was responsible for 90% of the contract left which is 3 years. I will not pay them and will fight them as long as it takes.

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junebug81
Signal Hill, US
Feb 11, 2013 6:09 pm EST

Looking to clean up shop on these fkers. Can anyone refer/suggest any lawyers in California?

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246810
Durham, US
Jan 04, 2012 12:49 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

SAME AWFUL EXPERIENCES AS EVERYONE ELSE. TERRIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICE, TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE, ARROGANT STAFF, NO WAY OUT...EVEN AFTER YOUR THREE MISERABLE YEARS ARE UP. HANDS DOWN THE WORST COMPANY I'VE DEALT WITH IN MY 10 YEARS IN NORTH CAROLINA. I WILL BE CONSULTING WITH AN ATTORNEY TO SEE WHAT I CAN DO TO KEEP THEM FROM HARMING ANYONE ELSE

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Unknownn
Warwick, US
Sep 28, 2011 9:15 pm EDT

Bottom Line in regards to the agreements...--> READ WHAT YOU SING FOR! If its a 3 yr agreement...its a 3YR AGREEMENT! Didn't you guys learn how to read? I NEVER sign anything without reading first..DUHH! You cant believe no one these days...

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CarolinaCarly
Fayetteville, US
May 10, 2011 1:45 am EDT

We are currently having problems with this company. I have never dealt with such rude miserable people before in my life. My husband's mother had a contract with this sham company, apparently, for home security services. When she became ill and had to be placed in a medical facility, we had her bills forwarded to our home and contacted all her utilities and other services to let them know that she was no longer living at her address and no longer needed them. We had no problems with anyone, including her cell phone, her digital cable, her internet and her home warranty company...except Safe Home Security. We at first had no idea that she even had an alarm, as it was not visible at the house when we had to go clean out her belongings, and the first bill that we received for her from them was a nasty letter claiming that she was behind on her payments. I made the payments, as I have done for all her other bills, and we contacted the company and told them the story and were told that we would be sent a final bill. The next bill was 85 dollars (insane for a monitored security system; ours is 15 bucks a month) and we paid it...and a month later began getting calls from the "collections" department. They were rude and abrasive from the first call, claiming that we/she owed back payments and that we were irresponsible people who were trying to get out of paying bills. They have called our home at 7am and 9pm, and have since denied that they did so. They have been rude and abrasive and several of their "collectors" barely speak English. I just got off the phone with them again, this time demanding a 350 termination fee for a contract that we didn't even sign. Honestly, I'm to the point now where I feel that we are not liable for a contract that we've never even seen for a person who no longer even knows that she is in the world...the whole situation has been very stressful for me and my husband with her illness and all the bills involved, and these people have made it worse by their behavior and their dishonesty. As far as I'm concerned, these ###s can sue the estate when my mother in law passes. I have asked them for copies of the contract, which they have refused to send. They have refused to send paper statements as I have asked, and instead have demanded my email address so they can send them electronically, which I am not willing to do. We have nothing at all in writing to substantiate the money they are demanding. Honestly, I think I'd pay a lawyer 500 bucks to get out of paying them the 350 they claim we owe, that's how nasty they have been to us from the very beginning. DON"T do business with these people or allow them to prey on your elderly loved ones, please.

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THE THREE CATS
Miami Beach, US
Apr 05, 2011 7:03 am EDT

Safehome is the exact opposite of what an alarm company should stand for!There ultimate goal which should be Security and the welfare of life and preservation of property!They have no right to currently be selling Security Systems!They have no clue what security systems are, they are the ultimate in LICK UM AND STICKUM EXPERTS.!They are the most horrific company I have ever had to deal with in customer support!There licenses should be revoked in all states.Time is against them, poor service eventually will choke this BEAST!They are going down, sell your multiples now or be worth nothing.Your only chance of being a real Security Company has past you!YOUR DOOM IS ON THE WAY!

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pat327
Hinsdale, US
Mar 15, 2011 3:46 am EDT

angrycustomer57, you need to contact the AGO in Ct and complain. I don't understand why it's taking so long either. I finally got mine settled but it cost me 800.00 in attorney fees to do it...I would have paid 3 times that to get those monkeys off my back. They truly are pond [censor]. I went through hell and back and I have all the paper work proving it...still wasn't enough. I hope future customers do their homework and check these sites 1st. Hopefully you kept all your documents...but I hate to tell you, you're probably still going to have to get a lawyer. There will be no getting away from them if you don't. Well you can try small claims court good luck with what you're going through.

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angrycustomer57
, US
Mar 14, 2011 8:50 pm EDT

I agree with all the negative posts here. I used to be a happy customer until I tried to cancel my contract after the initial 3 year term. Sent in my cancel request letter with 60 day notice etc according to my contract and yet they continue to withdraw funds from my checking account. When I filed fraud report to my bank to stop the unauthorized withdraw they started sending me bills with late fees attached. What a bunch of crooks. I don't understand why the state of CT can't shut them down. If there are any attorneys out there, please start a class action suit.

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pat327
Hinsdale, US
Feb 06, 2011 7:40 pm EST

Dear Happy Customer, What I failed to mention in the previous paragraph was my contracted was up for renewal, I cancelled well withing the 60 days required within my contract. I even got confirmation from them prior to the 60 days that they did indeed receive my letter and my service will end at the end of the contract, they stopped the EFT from my bank account, I never got a bill from them or any notification from them and still all this happened. This is what they do!

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pat327
Hinsdale, US
Feb 06, 2011 7:32 pm EST

Dear Very Happy Customer, Just wait till you try to get out of the contract. It is impossible, even if you do jump through all the hoops and do cancel the service, they immediately start reporting you late to the Credit agencies. You don't have any knowledge of this until you go to make a major purchase. By that point your credit is trashed and you owe them thousands. You do have several choices at this point. You can buckle under and pay a lesser amount and sign a new 5 year contract, you can hire an attorney and go through the leagal hoops at great cost and live with no credit until it gets settled, or you can go through life with a credit score that won't allow you to purchase a happy meal on credit. I'm in the now of starting the legal process. I have all the paper work from day one, I have the original cancellation letter, I have the verification letter from them telling me the service was cancelled and still I'm dealing with this. Let me know how it works out for you and how happy you are when the day comes to cancel...hahaha

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BeeBobbyBlair
17601, US
Jan 12, 2011 9:15 pm EST

I'm can't believe how many people will sign contracts without reading them. You do realize that your very own cell phone company indeed has a "buyout" amount if you cancel your contract. AT&T I believe is 200 dollars a phone. Also, at the end of the 2 year contract if you don't cancel it's automatically renewed. This is how business is done nowadays. It may not be the best thing in the world but if companies would let people just sign up and then cancel without any type of penalty they would be out of business. I work for a security company and I have complaints all the time about customers who are mad that we automatically bill their accounts. First off, read the contract. Second, you give us the account information to automatically debit. You can see the cancellation policy in our contract, and you are responsible for the remainder of the amount owed from when you cancel. You wouldn't take Verizon to court, you wouldn't take your local electric company to court. But for some reason people will sign a home security contract and then think it's not like a normal business. And as far as issues with equipment, the companies that install it aren't responsible for the quality of the equipment. I work primarily with GE and I think it's great equipment. Sometimes things will fail, but to blame that on the security company itself is just wrong.

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very happy customers
, US
Dec 17, 2010 10:05 pm EST

Pretty much everything I see here is contract related. I have Safehome and do not have any problems. I read the contract befor I signed it. I know what I have to do to get out of it because it says it in the contract. Almost all of the problems here are because people do not read the contract.

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Getshsnow
, US
Sep 02, 2019 12:20 pm EDT

it will happen to you too VERY HAPPY CUSTOMER

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Former Tech
, US
Dec 14, 2010 2:57 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

You must send a certified letter to the company 90 days in advance of the date your contract ends. Even 1 day too late can give them a chance to renew your contract.

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Vicitmized by security thugs
Orlando, US
Sep 20, 2010 5:56 am EDT

I guess nothing came of that Conn. lawsiut because their business practices have not changed one bit. I have never come across a company as unethical as they are... logic means nothing to them.

They sent me a contract to renew in May after being with them for 7 years. It took me 2 weeks but I called and let them know I was cutting back on bills and would not be renewing... she said that was fine, just send it in writing, which I did. I didn't hear not a word from them for 3 months, I had to call twice more in order to get a call back from some guy in the 'save dept' who told me that the contract had automatically renewed itself in October of the previous year! If that was the case then why is she sending me a contract in March of this year? And why would you not inform your customers that their contract is approaching its renewal term... why sneak it in?

There is so much more but it'll take all day to tell... I'll leave that for the atty. In the meantime I'll be harassing the Florida Atty Gen to look into these guys since Conn can't seem to bring about any change.

Stay away from em

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Former Tech
, US
Jul 31, 2010 9:34 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

As a former Install Tech for Safe Home and Security Force. GE Equipment SUCKS! I can't count the service calls i have done.

Security Force, Inc uses Safe Home Security as a funding agent. So when you deal with Security Force, Inc. The 3 owners pick accounts to keep and send everything else to Safe Home for funding. Security Force can keep there Perfect A Rating with The BBB and they dont care what happens after they get paid. The can deflect all the complaints because they do not hold the contract. Anybody got any questions? I tell you the truth.

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danielle415
Ticonderoga, US
Jul 06, 2010 9:07 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

wow, reading all you comments im coming to understand about this company. I bought my house about 5 years ago and the system was already installed in the house., with 2 door monitors, a motion dector, and one panel. I pay 35.00 a month for this service.

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Andrew Brabble
Coleran, US
May 14, 2010 4:46 pm EDT

Same problem here...They kept billing my credit card so I disputed all the charges. Now they have sent me a bill through the mail. I think I will take it to my lawyer next week.

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Pamela2216
Middle River, US
Feb 04, 2010 2:22 pm EST

They are aweful to work with. They have taken advantage of my 78 year old grandmother. They gave her the option to cancel within 72 hours, and when she did, they told her that she can not cancel the contract verbally and needed to submit in writing. She has done that and now is being faced with legal action and the the "Pre-Legal Department" actually told her they were going to ruin her credit. This company is harassing her to make a payment of almost $500, and for someone that is on a fixed income, this is impossible. The system has not functioned properly since it was installed, and when I purposely set the system off, nobody even calls to check on her. What if she really had fallen and been injured. The system appears to not even be monitored. That fact there makes them in violation of their own "contract"...

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angrymeg
Charlotte, US
Dec 10, 2009 12:55 pm EST

This company is TERRIBLE! I sold my home that had their security system installed in it.. I called to let them know I was moving and I was no long in need of their services. I had to jump through many hoops including sending them closing papers along with tons of other stuff, for them to tell me I had to pay an ungodly amount to get out of the contract. They have now been drafting my account for over a year now for a system that I have not been using! I am FED up with this!

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safehomesucks
New Haven, US
Nov 27, 2009 10:20 am EST

This is the worst company I have ever dealt with (for any service). They are rude, employ unethical billing practices, and their service and equipment is faulty. Nobody should do business with this company unless they want years of headaches and an alarm system that doesn't work!

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Roberta Campbell
Raynham, US
Nov 16, 2009 8:37 am EST

They Will not let me out of the contract, I have called many times & sent notice in wrighting. this is wrong we can't aford this bill we dont' use the alarm it dosen't work. Help?

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Roberta Campbell
Raynham, US
Nov 16, 2009 8:35 am EST

I 'M having the same problem

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LMB
Assonet, US
Mar 17, 2009 3:30 pm EDT

They are horrible. I had closed my business in 2006 in massachusetts this is when my 5 year contract would have been completed. I sent them a letter stating that I was going out of business and needed to cancel the service. I just received a small claims order for court for an automatic renewal of year service. Any suggestions who I should call this company is completely out of control. I have been reading several comments and CT attorney general has sued them. Please let me know if anyone else has dealt with them in small claims.

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glenn boileau
,
Oct 01, 2008 7:18 am EDT

If you are trying to get out of your contract, 1st take your contract and check the installers name and make sure they were licensed in your state.Even a wireless systems in Conn. and Ma. need to be INSTALLED by a licensed system tech(the person not the company). If you go online and check out the electrician licensing board they have a list. In Ma. the tech must also carry a cert of clearance.(which is a background check).The biggest place you can check out, is your town or city to make sure a permit was taken out. In Ma. the company has 5 days to pull a permit and can be fined and loose thier license.Again even a wireless system has a power wire and requires a permit. These companies have more lawyers then service tech's.These $99 systems that safe home, adt, brinks are normally GE Simon panels, that were desgned for condo's and apartments they are nice little alarm systems for that application but are garbage for a full-size home.The reason the magnets fall off is because they didn't clean the surface.All alarm systems wired or wireless have magnetic door switches. These companies put these in because they are quick and it gets them thier monitoring fees quicker.I have been in 4000 sq. foot homes with 2 doors and a motion protecting it.Your personal protection is not thier goal but the monitoring fees are what get them excited .Being protected against breakins when your home is the most important thing to me, and these units do very little to protect against that.

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Cathy
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Jul 18, 2008 7:47 am EDT

I worked for a corp that had safe home security. The business rented space in a retail complex. Contruction forced the company out of the space for several months. We tried calling SFS to come and remove the box, or cancel the contract. They refused. After the construction ran long, the business went bankrupt - closing the corporation. SFS continues to call and harrass ME for the bill. To my knowledge they never bothered to remove the system. It is still sitting in the middle of construction. I have contacted NYS AG office and joined in the suit again SFS. These people are relentless with the phone calls.

Also - the contract that was signed was for a company or home owner that owns their space. We were RENTERS! They screw you over. BEWARE!

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Tamara Taber
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Jun 05, 2008 9:54 am EDT

I thought I canceled my account last month, but I just got off the phone with Safe explaining that because I didn't cancel in writing 30 days before my last contract was expired I was automatically signed up for a new contract...Is that legal? Has anyone had this issued resolved? I haven't wanted service for the last 2 years! What do I do? Any advice would help!

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Stephanie
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Jun 03, 2008 4:28 pm EDT

We are having the same issues with Safe home. We moved out of our New England home in 6/07 and are STILL getting bills from them. We have been unable to sell our property and are still being charged monitoring for a house that is vacant. We have had to pay late fees, monthly charges, etc. They are ruthless. Can anyone please help? Please post any suggestions! We have paid hundreds of dollars to these people and feel we should get reimbursed!

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Michelle
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Apr 16, 2008 10:36 am EDT

I have reached a resolution at least over the phone. It is most satisfactory to me. I am waiting to receive something in writing. I should be getting it soon and if I don't then I'll be calling again rest assured.
Don't give up. Be strong. Stand for what is right.

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Michelle
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Apr 16, 2008 7:30 am EDT

We are having very similar problems. They automatically renewed our contract and they sent us a new contract with some kind of form that poses as a letter but no mention of a 60 days to cancel. Hmm?
I have contacted the lawyer in the attorney general's office who is handling the case to see if they can be of any assistance or vice versa. I have contacted Massachusetts consumer affairs. I have also contacted my state rep. BBB has dropped them as of December, 17, 2007. My husband is very concerned about his credit. We've been with them for 5 years. 15 days is the minimum required by law. Cable and phone companies can't get away with this nonsense. Why are they? I will keep complaining. This is outright theft. They are bullies too.

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Anonymous
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Apr 01, 2008 6:50 am EDT

Has anyone heard anything about SFI (Security Force Inc.)? I hear they are possibly an affiliate to Safe Home Securities, who by which handles the billing for them. Does anyone have any knowledge of this? Any recommendations for or against them?

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Tom Constantine
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Mar 28, 2008 5:25 am EDT

I am going to be contacting NYS Attorney Generals Office as well. We had a similiar problem with this company and are still see issues on our CR reports. We terminated our contract with them per their instructions 90 days prior to end of your 3 yr commitment(07/2006), in writing. They continued to take money from my account until I place a ACH Stop payment on them. Then the continued to send us bills and each month afterwards I would contact them and tell them to stop sending me bills and that our account was close and each month i would get another bill. Finally I contact someone whom said they were the CFO and complained to them about the errouneous bills and they told me it woud stop. Well Last May (2007) I found that they had notified the CR about the outstanding amount we owed which was after our contract had expired. We contacted all the CR and told them that this company was Fraudullenty reporting and bill us for services we did not ask for. They researched it and all removed it from our CR's. Well we thought that was the end. As yearly I go and review our CR's low and behold there they are again showing us 1200 owed and 16 time 90 days late. Hmm we don't owe them a cent and this is how they continue to harass us. No only that but they also called and asked us to come back becuase we were such good customers. That was Jan 08/Feb 08 we told them no thanks and then the report on 02/08 that we are 16 times 90 days late and owe them this amount. Stay tuned as its about to get Ugly. I will find out who they have relationships with and who is the parent company and go after them. Maybe we need a Class action lawsuit. We are in NY

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Keith D Benoit
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Nov 18, 2007 12:23 pm EST

I hope people are smart enough to research this site before making a choice as to use this company. I signed on 2 years ago and have had nothing but problems with the technical support. I have called 7 times to have the main control module looked at as it has been giving me different status problems like "No communication" and "Low Battery" since I've had the device. I've run it through its self test and it dials out ok (even had the Customer Service call me back once after testing the phone line to tell me he received the test). I was told a tech would contact me (3 times) and I was scheduled for a visit but I have not had any contact with any tech support to fix my ongoing issue. My wife called to cancel do to me losing my job and was told the only way to do that was to pay the remaining balance off for the contract. As far as I'm concerned I shouldn't have to pay for anything I'm not getting so I guess my next step is to contact the CT Attorney General's office to see what can be done as I live in CT. So my warning is to STAY AWAY FROM SAFE HOME SECURITY, INC!

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Annmarie Conti
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Nov 10, 2007 12:26 am EST

I am having some of the same problems. The customer service does not exist with this company. We signed their contract and now they treat us like dirt. When I explained I was never sent a notice and/or reminder that I would automatically renew they stated that is not how it is done. We do not have to send you anything and you are NOT GETTING OUT OF YOUR CONTRACT! They questioned my mental state for signing a contract without reading it! I signed the contract over three years ago. They can really get away without sending us any reminder? They also stated they will put me in collections. Does this poor excuse for a company follow a script? Can anything be done about this? I am a NJ customer can CT help me with this? Any help would be great! If you have not signed the contract already, RUN FRIEND - that is my best advice!

Very upset in NJ,
Annmarie Conti.

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Benny Mann
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Aug 06, 2007 2:37 am EDT

The CT Attorney General is suing Safe Home security for contract violations.
Contact them for assistance.

http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?Q=390334&A=2788.

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Juanita Jones
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Jun 13, 2007 4:44 pm EDT

We have had a contract with Safe Guard (they are also called Safehome America) for only a year now and have had 7 service calls for faulty wireless connections (which of course not their fault, we need to learn "to get over it and let them keep fixing it and we need to believe in their company" which was what I was told by one of the "Customer service" reps). Seriously, I was told to get over it and when my Valentines Day was ruined the guy had the balls to tell me that if I was his wife, he would tell her to cancel the service, but since I wasn't, I should get over it. Don't believe it when they say wireless... it really means "magnets that will fail on a dime". Their excuses were, and I quote "it is the humidity in the air, it is the moisture in the air, it is environmental, and my ultimate favorite was, maybe it is your son. My son is 2 1/2 and cant even get to his window. And the alarm goes off when we AREN'T at home so lets blame the kid. DON'T SIGN A CONTRACT... If they give you free service for all of your problems, then you still have to pay up to 30 months of UNPAID months to get out of your contract. We only paid 3 months and they consider the other 10 months as unpaid. Run, not walk, away from this company!

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Bob Lewitoski
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Apr 07, 2007 7:08 am EDT

I too had a similar experience with Safe Home Security, Inc.. Their service stinks and they attempt to ruin your credit if you try to get out of their contract. I've never done business with such an immoral company before. Steer clear of them!