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refused to cancel my account
I was renting my house when I had a system installed. When they signed me up I told them that I was not sure how long I'd be at this house that I was thinking about buying my own house. I was told that even though I was signing a contract for three years I could cancel it because I was moving WRONG!!! When I tried I was told I had to pay until July 2010. I...
Read full review of CastleRock Security and 5 commentshorrible service and cancelation policy
In May of 2007 we signed a security contract with Pinnacle Security which was later sold to Castle Rock Security. In January of this year there was an attempted break in on our home. Instead of an alarm notification comming from Castle Rock, it came from the police! Neither my husband or I was ever contacted by Castle Rock, even though both of our contact phone numbers are listed on the contract and havent changed since May of 2007. The police officer had to look through our personal papers to find a contact number in order to notify us a break in had occured.
That same day my husband and I decided to cancel our service with Castle Rock and were notified that we had signed a three year contract! The "nice, clean cut salesman from Utah" had lied to us, he had said our contract was month to month. There is NO way we would have signed a three year contract as this was a starter home for us and were planning on living there only for two or so years. (Also I have serious commitment issues with companies and contracts, which is why I own a prepaid cell phone.) However, we really should have paid more attention to the contract. Luckily our contract was up in May of 2009 so we decided to suck it up for a few more months.
When I looked at my contract in detail I noticed that it stated that we are required to send a written letter of cancelation thirty days prior to the end of the contract term or it would automatically be renewed for a year! What a scam; especially because we were never told that important detail over the phone when we asked about the cancelation procedure.
I faxed Castle Rock a cancelation letter asking for confirmation of cancelation in writing. Days later when I called to confirm they recieved the letter, I was informed they did but that we would still owe them money until September! I told them that our contract was signed in May, they agreed, but stated that their records showed that they didnt start charging us until September. I disagreed stating that we were charged from May on. They said that we needed to show them proof, to which I said that I didnt have the burden of proof because I have a contract signed in May. It turns out when Pinnacle sold our account to Castle Rock in September of 2007, Castle Rock didnt input the monies that had previously been paid to Pinnacle! Imagine if I had just taken their word for it that we owed them until September?
As of now everything is straightened out with Castle Rock but we'll see if at the end of May I recieve a bill stating we owe until September. I wouldnt be surprised. I see that break in as one of the best things that could of happened to us; although we had some property damage from an attempted thief, we were made aware of the thieves at Castle Rock Security.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
poor contract renewal terms
I purchased my home security system August 12, 2006 from a door-to-door APX alarm sales person. I, like many others, should have known better and should have trusted my instinct that this was a bad idea. The sales person was very pushy and required a signed agreement that day with installation the same day.
Before our contract was up (about 30 months into the 3 year contract) our phone system and the APX system quit communicating with each other and I effectively no longer had security for which I was paying. After several calls to the phone company and APX (now Castle Rock) each blamed the other for the problem. I told Castle Rock I wanted to terminate and they reminded me that I had signed a 3-year contract and that I couldn't terminate until then (if I did terminate I would still owe for the remainder of the term), so I told them I would be terminating at the end of the 3-year contract. Finally, after three long years we completed our contract obligations. I called Castle Rock a couple weeks after the 3-year contract is over to cancel my subscription. To my surprise I was told I've already been enrolled in an additional 1 year contract since I didn't send a written letter 30 days prior to my original contract termination date. I wrote the letter immediately and sent it to them. They didn't accept. I have been battling with them ever since. It has become apparent to me that all they want is the money. They really don't care that my system doesn't work. They have already turned me over to Anderson Crenshaw collection agency.
I agree with another disgruntled Castle Rock "customer" who said "How in the world was I supposed to remember three years later to send a written letter to terminate my contract 30 days prior! Who does business like this? Like many other customers, my contract has changed hands three times in the three year commitment I signed up for. My original contract was with APX alarms, who then sold my contract to SAI and SAI now goes by Castle Rock.
Luckily, I was in a paying position that I sent payments to them (Bill pay through my bank) rather than them taking money from my bank or credit card so I haven't paid them for the last four months of the automatically-renewed contract but they continue to send payment notices and collection warnings.
I have sent a report/complaint to the BBB regarding this situation.
What can I do to rid myself of these guys? Should I contact the state attorney general Tom Miller? Is this legal to have automatic renewal after 3 years with no recourse? Can they affect my credit score?
Randy Hartman
Cedar Rapids, IA
Cut and paste ALL of the above frustration here. We experieced the SAME thing. We bought from Pinnacle in 2007, (who provided CRAP equipment) for three (3) year term who sold to SAI (who is now CastleRock). After just 30 days it stopped working and I was told I had to pay $25 for a technician to come fix it - and regardless of whether it worked or not I would still get charged the monthly fee. Over the intial three (3) years I had to call tech support constantly about the stupid system because it NEVER worked properly. They replaced parts, motion sensors, batteries etc and NOTHING ever "fixed" the system for more than a couple of days. Thus, when I went to cancel in 2010 I was told it had automatically renewed for another year because I didn't provide the 30 days advance writte notice. I will NOT miss it this year -- I'm sending notice to CastleRock, SAI and Pinnacle. They are HISTORY! :)
Absolutely the same situation here. I initially signed up for a three year a contract with SAI in May 2007 after having door-to-door installers set my house up. What I wasn't told at the time was that the system was not compatible with my fiber optic Voice-Over-IP telephone service provider. The net result was that communication between the system and the monitoring company (SAI) frequently didn't work. The much touted two-way intercom system didn't work at all. After three years, I had another system installed with another monitoring service and attempted to cancel with SAI at that time. I fell victim to the prior 30 day notice requirement and am now stuck paying these unscrupulous [censor] for another year. Seething at being taken, I finally started doing my research on the internet. What I have found is not only intriguing, but perhaps even more sinister. I have seen several references to the chain of acquisitions of one security company by another. It seems that a company by the name of Pinnacle was bought out by SAI in 2007. Later, SAI became Castlerock. Still later, Castlerock became affiliated with a company called Pinnacle. A perfect cycle of deceit. The bit that really makes this interesting and me very gullible is that I replaced my SAI installed system with a system installed by door-to-door installers. The new monitoring service? You guess it. Pinnacle. So I have a contract that was automatically renewed for a year for a system I no longer have. At the same time I have a new system. I am paying on two service contracts for the same residence at the same time, apparently serviced by the same provider. If this isn't fraud, I don't know what is. This is the security monitoring service equivalent of a Ponzi scheme. Bernie Madhoff would be proud.
I sent them a letter with return receipt requested from the USPS. I have called, and took note of when, that they said the letter was on file there. I will have some legal recourse, and small claims court is an option. As well as the terrible terms of service, product they install is inferior. I have another failure and not sure if I want them to fix it, or not. My goal now is just to let as many people as possible know what a horrible company this is. With Blog power, they word can get out.
In June 2007 I signed a contract with Pinnacle (Castle Rock now). I called in January to ask for cancellation of service. My system went off twice no one called from castle rock and no authorities came. I stopped using it within 6 months. I was reminded that I signed a 3 year contract that would end in June 2010. Customer service said to send a letter in stating that I want a cancellation 30 days prior to that day. I did. Called back in July after seeing my bill they said they never received it so I faxed them the cancellation letter. Now I am responsible for payments until the rest of the year because the annual renewal is already in effect. There is no grace period for the annual contract. I have called numerous times trying to cancel this contract. Spoke to several employees. Going up the chain of command but getting nowhere. I wish I had looked them up with the BBB before signing the contract. They truly deserve an F rating for their customer service.
Castlerock is one of the worst companies, EVER! Poor service, poor equipment, and hard handed tactics to keep you locked into a contract. DO NOT engage in any kind of business arrangment with this company, you will regret it ALL.
I'm having the same problem- My old contract was sold to Castle Rock in 2009 and I was told I didn't need to do anything. I tries to switch alarm companies earlier this year and no longer even have the Castle Rock original equipment in my house. Called to cancel and they acknowledged receipt but said they need to wait until May to cancel because that's when I "renewed" which I never did. This is ridiculous.
DQ
I am furious that I too fell for the BS. My contract expired 6/2/10, I miss the call by 1 day and was told the same thing. I had called them previously to report that the system was causing problems with my home phone. The person I talk to said that since I had missed the cutoff that if I paid $25 I could get a better box. So, like an idiot I said okay and they took the money in August and I have not heard or seen anyone yet. First they said it was my phone company that had to correct the problem but I had them check out my lines and there was no problem. Now I am stuck with this sorry and worthless company and a messed up phone line until 6/2/11. I have set computer and everything else to remind me to start working on this crap in May.
I'm going through the EXACT same thing. I sent my cancellation letter 10 days late, and they auto-renued me. Fortunately, I canceled the credit card used and they haven't been able to charge me. I've been ignoring their calls for 3 months now and it seems they have sent me to a collection service, but I won't talk to those people either. I'll see these [censor]s in hell before I pay a dime.
I agree with all complaints. I had the same exact experience. Also the equipment provided is not high quality. The phone service people are rude, and the technicians are too.
CASTLEROCK, never again!
I agree with all of your comments but listen to my story. sometime in early 2009 my contract was sold to castlerock. i thought it was nothing my parents and sisters contact was sold at the same time but to adt and what was brinks at that time. let me add they had no problem canceling their cantracts after three years. my monthly fee was being charged to my credit card which expired 5-2010. my contract expired 6-2010. they finally call me today 8/26/2010 to tell me they need to get my updated card info which i wish now i would asked about the contract expiration date because the [censor]ers would not have got my card info. they told me the same they told you guys about it being automatically renewed but could not explain why they didnt call back when the card expired. the first fn i spoke to probaby just got off the boat so i said i need to speak to a supervisor. he put the request in and the call was ended. i call back 5 hours later only to find out that a supervisor will call back 24 to 48 hours after the request. in this conversation i find out that only 5 state require that they get a hold of you before auto renewals and ohio isnt one of them. i also find out that my service hasn't worked since it was switched. i dont live in that house but it is where i keep my toys at. apx who i have at the new house calls every month to do a system check. well after talking to this [censored] i called apx to inquire about what my contract said and they told me that yes it does state that and salesmen allways for get to point that out so they do a courtesy call a month before to see let people know about the cancelation date coming up. with apx its there company policy. in this same phone call i found out that accounts are chose at random to be sold by the excutive JOSH HOUSER which you can send letters to 4931 north 300 west provo, utah 84604 in case any one wants to write him. so i asked does random mean last name because as i said my parents and sisters were done then to. oddly enough he tried to get an answer for every question i asked and in the end he gave me JOSH HOUSERS address and said he does take letters through the mail. no phone calls or emails just letters. i will update once i speak to the supervisor
customer service/contractual
signed contract for Alarm on 6/21/2006 with Apex. There was a condition in the contract that if I move, a new alarm would be installed at new location for no charge. I moved residence 7/21/2008. I then contacted SAI (prev Apex) to have alarm installed at new home in 8/2008. While speaking with Customer Service, I also updated my account/profile with new home address and phone number and was advised that I would be contacted when a Technician would be in my area to install. Contacted SAI again approx mid Sept 2009 was advised SAI finding tech to install. I was advised my account was frozen until new alarm put in place. Months passed, I never heard anything, no calls were returned, and eventually gave up. Then in 6/2009 I received notice the account went to Anderson & Crenshaw Collections. Called SAI to find out SAI bought out by CastleRock. When I was speaking with a Customer Service Rep, She read notes from my account to me that revealed the Company was calling the wrong phone number (MY OLD DISCONNECTED ONE) and sending correspondence to the wrong address(WHERE I NO LONGER LIVED). After working with the Move Group Supervisor Sylvia, I finally had the alarm installed into my new home, 1 year late in 8/2009. It took more than 1 attempt to have the alarm installed (there was equipment missing, not entered into the work ticket created by CastleRock) Eventually my account was put back in a good status. I updated banking info (for auto payment) with customer service via phone. I also had to re-update my banking information via my online account/profile because I found my previous attempt, via phone, was not completed. Now months later, my account has been closed out by CastleRock for non-payment, they refuse to speak with me and the account was sent back to the collection company, Anderson & Crenshaw. 3 days before Christmas this associate was expecting me to settle payment for over 500.00 or threaten me with civil action.
After setting up payment option with this collection company, I then filed complaint with BBB of Chicago against CastleRock. And found their complaints went up to 198 and their grade is an F. Now I have a useless system in my house.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site on search engine query's of "CastleRock Security"
unauthorized renewal of contracts.
I was registered with SAI alarm Funding for the home security for a three year contract. My contract got over in June 2009. In the meanwhile the SAI has transfered its business to CastleRock Security Inc. Without my knowledge or any explicit permission/ Authorization from me the Castle Rock Renewed my contract for another year with out informing me or asking for a consent This is violation of my rights. Now they are not ready to cancel this contract and trying to charge me for remainder ogf the year. I wish the company law board and cosumer agencies should address such forced renewal of contracts on one sided terms. this is nothing but exploitation of the consumers.
Parimal Sheth
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I was registered with SAI alarm Funding for the home security for a three year contract. In the meanwhile the SAI has transfered its business to CastleRock Security Inc. Without my knowledge or any explicit permission/ Authorization from me the Castle Rock Renewed my contract for another year with out informing me or asking for a consent This is violation of my rights. Now they are not ready to cancel this contract and are charging me for remainder of the year. I wish the company law board and cosumer agencies should address such forced renewal of contracts on one sided terms. this is nothing but exploitation of the consumers.
My mother who is a senior citizen has been taken by these people first SAI and now Castle Rock Security. She would like to cancel her service with them and has been told that she was auto renewed until May 2012. She doesn't have any record of receiving anything from them notifying her and please believe she does keep good records. The system doesn't work like it should, the sensors haven't been lite in more than 6months and I believe that her phone line has been high jacked. I have just started to oversee her business and would like to know how I can get her out of this madness and secure her a system that works? Please help!
PS
Start complaining on CASTLEROCKSECURITY.INFO and use the words castlerock security complaint(s) several times in your posts, the site is due to be crawled by the end of this month and will soon rank right next to the official castlerocksecurity.com
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site on search engine query's of "CastleRock Security"
I am in the same boat, however I called and was giving instructions to simply fax my cancellation notice BEFORE I make my next payment. (which I did) That phone call was on 4-26. The rep at castle rock at no time stated my contract would auto renew in a four days. I faxed the request of cancellation and they received it on the third. Two days too late apparently. Funny how they can not provide me with a copy of a signed auto renew contract. Any lawyers out there, please help us...
We need to class action these guys, any lawyers interested?:
I have had the same experience. I moved out of my home, and they told me to fax them a cancellation request by May 1 - which was a Saturday. I assumed they were close. That was my fault, but I called first thing Monday, and they would not cancel the contract which is not due to renew until June 1.
unfair billing, shoddy equipement, unfair billing
In approximately July of 2009 the alarm system monitored by Castle Rock Security, in broke. It went off in the middle of the night waking up my tenant and her small children. The tenant called me panic-stricken to notify me of the emergency and I tried to walk her through how to deactivate the alarm. The alarm would not deactivate. The security company called me later to notify my of the alarm. They offered no solutions on how to deactivate the system. I asked them to have a technician immediately call the tenants to walk them through deactivating the system. The technician hadn't called after 45 minutes of the alarm continuing to scream throughout the house so I drove across town and tried to fix the system myself. It would not stop after entering the master code several times. I then simply unplugged the speakers to silence the alarm. The technician final called the tenants over an hour after the system broke and I had returned home.
I was very angry at the lack of customer service from Castle Rock Security, inc and their faulty equipment. They did not do what they said they would do and call the tenants to help them through this traumatic experience in a timely manner. I had to drive across town in a panic to silence the broken alarm system.
When I talked to the customer service representative she came up with two solutions. Either pay $100 for them to come out and fix their system or sign a 3 year contact and they would replace the entire system with a better one. I felt that in light of their poor service, shoddy equipment and my complete lack of trust in their abilities to protect my family that neither option was equitable or reasonable. They did not provide the service agreed to in the contract and did not follow through when I needed them the most. I requested that they canceled my account. The customer service representative agreed that my situation was a terrible mistake on their part and said in lieu of cancelling the account she would instead put the account on hold indefinitely or until the contract was up.
In October, Castle Rock Security, inc removed my account from hold status. They had not provided monitoring services for the previous 4 months but they're trying to charge me anyways for the time of no service. They did not contact me to let me know of the changes. I never received a phone call stating their position and no solutions were offered. I was notified by their collection department about the issue.
They are an incompetent and unethical corporation and should not be allowed to conduct business in the state of Washington. They provide poor service for an unreasonable price and offer unfair and predatory solutions when problems arise. Who in their right mind would consider signing a 36 month contract with a company that just proved their inept customer service and their lack of compassion for a client in need. Their alarm broke in the middle of the night waking up a mother, 9 months pregnant, her children and her sick father. They neglected to have a technician contact them after saying they would for over an hour while the alarm was continuing to scream. I had to drive to the other side of the city to deactivate the system by simply removing the speaker (an intruder could easily do the same).
I am so underwhelmed by their services and have zero confidence in their ability to provide competent monitoring services over my property that I refuse to ever do business with Castle Rock Security, inc and I refuse to pay them for past, present and future services. I would like them to cancel my contract once and for all and never contact me again.
I've contacted the BBB and Washington State Attorney General's office. They have recieved a reply from Castlerock stating that they will not change their position and I must pay them. Next step, Lawyers. I would rather spend a Thousands for an attorney, or even file bankruptcy than pay this despicable corporation another dime!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site on search engine query's of "CastleRock Security"
refuse to cancel
I submitted in writing my wish to cancel my account with Castlerock security on 8/15/2009. My contract was with APEX whom then sold it to Castlerock. I have completed my contract commitment with APEX, and Castlerock insists that they still have my contract and are continuing to charge me. They refuse to allow me to cancel my account unless I pay for the...
Read full review of CastleRock Security and 1 commentautomatic renewal - will not cancel
While my husband was in the Navy stationed in Norfolk VA, we were approached at home by a sales representative for SAI security. During his sales pitch I had asked him about a contract and indicated that we were planning on getting out of the Navy and moving back to California in a year. He stated that the we would still be able to cancel because we were military. My husband and I agree to have the system installed as he was set to deploy the next month to the Gulf on the Eisenhower for an 8 month deployment (Fall 06-Spring 07).
In the Fall of 07 we sold our home and moved back to California. I called several times to cancel the service to no avail. I was bounced around to rude customer service reps who did not want to help. When I finally was able to speak to a "supervisor" I was told there was nothing they could do. Feeling like this was a lesson I would have to learn I continued to pay the $44 service charge each month for an alarm service I was unable to use as we were living with family members in a home that was not ours. Every month we paid our service fee on time with our Credit Card even after I received a notice from SAI in mid December of 2008 (the notice was generated on December 12, 2008) that "the service provider for your alarm system's cellular communications service AMPS is no longer supporting this service in your area" and if we contacted them before 12/31/08 they would install a new digital GSM communicator at no charge. However living 3000 miles away and not owning the property, we were not able to do this.
I only received 2 mailings from SAI in these two years. The fore-mentioned and a post card that was warning customers to beware of people calling posing as SAI reps. Today I tried to call SAI on the number that was on the 12/12/08 notice to find that they were no longer SAI but Castle Rock Security. After I gave my account information to the Castle Rock rep it wasn't long before I felt like I had felt two years ago. I was told that because they had not received my written request to cancel 30 days before the automatic renewal of the service I would have to pay them for another year of service. I asked several times to speak with a supervisor but was denied until finally I was extremely rude. David, operator id 1191, finally said he would see if his supervisor was available. I was on hold for several minutes when he came back on the phone and stated that his supervisor was on the phone but would call me back. I asked for his supervisor's name. He indicated that it was Ricky. I asked for a last name but was told he could not give that information to me. Finally after heavy argument he gave me the first initial of Ricky's last name which he stated was "B". We then ended the call.
Knowing all too well from my last experience with "this company" I immediately called back and spoke with a rep named Lee. I asked for Ricky B and he put me on hold. I was on hold for 15 minutes before he got back on the phone and requested that I wait for a call back. As feeling like I had no other choice I begrudgingly accepted. It has been over four hours and I have not received a return call. After getting off the phone the second time, I "googled" "security won't cancel my service". I have to say I was not surprised that the first article in the web search was about this very company and their unscrupulous business practices. This poor excuse for a business is extorting consumers all over the country threatening collections. I NEVER received any documentation indicating that Castle Rock was my provider. This company SAI/Castle Rock has never offered anything other than lies, horrible customer service, and general unwillingness and indifference to provide their customers the service they are paying for.
After finding this web site I have filed a compliant with the BBB referencing this website. For information on filing a class action law suit please visit eHow.com "how to file a class action lawsuit"
I strongly advise if you are reading this to please post your complaint here and then file a complaint with the BBB. The more voices the louder the complaint. This " business" has taken advantage of all types of situations and that is UNACCEPTABLE.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I am in the exact same position. I called today to cancel service and found out that Castlerock Security has taken over as the monitoring company. They said my contract had to automatically renewed, and was obligated to pay for another year even though I told them that I was in the Military and moving to an apartment upon reporting to my new duty station. I advised them about the SCRA with no avail.
We need to class action these guys, any lawyers interested?:
unfair contract renewal process
Flat out deplorable!
1. Deceptive agreement! I fell behind on payments and couldn't afford the service anymore. I called to cancel my service and was told I couldn't cancel until I paid my contract in full which was in 3 months. So, I egotiated a payment to catch me up then 3 final payments to complete my contract. The rep told me specifically that my contract will end in july. However, in july it automatically renewed! The arrangements I made on the phone were deceiptive. They collected my money and told me that my contract will end in july. But of course, she did not tell me that I was still required to write a letter 30 days in advance to cancel my service. Therefore, I am now committed to another year of service/payments.
2. Inflexible tech support! In addition, my alarm system has been inoperable for over a year due to battery problems. They said I needed to upgrade and it would fix the problem. They sent me the upgrade unit and told me to call tech support for help installing it. After talking to them on the phone, we realized that due to the battery problem, my unit was not even on... No power, no error codes, etc. Turns out I needed a tech. Well, they don't have techs that can service my unit on the weekend. It can only be done during the week! That's funny, because as I recall, after I signed my contract, they had a tech in my house within 20 minutes to installing my system on a saturday! So, in other words, techs are installing systems for the sales team on saturdays when people are home. The are unavailable to service the needs of existing customers!
3. Additional expense! For whatever reason, we were required to upgrade our system at our expense ($99). What the? You require this upgrade at my expense?
4. Deplorable customer service! Not only did there customer service reps only speak ebonix, they told me to install my upgrade and call their tech support if I needed help. On top of my 1 year of inoperability, the false commitment made by their billing rep, and inconvenience of having to upgrade my system at my own expense, they showed no empathy for the problems I had and for my desire to cancel my contract. They not only did not care about these legitimate issues, they found every way they could to blame all of these problems on me! How is that for customer service? The best solution they offered me was to sign a new contract for only 6 months? The nerve of these people!
I told them to delete my payment information and stop billing me automatically and to send me a bill which I will pay in disney princess coins for your rediculous service! Simply deplorable!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
its a criminal enterprise. If anybody knows a lawyer willing to take them on with a class action lawsuit, please contact me via e-mail arischwartz37@gmail.com
contract renewal
I purchased my home security system August 11, 2006 from APX alarm. I should have know right of the bat this was a bad idea. The sales people were very pushy and required a signed agreement that day with installation that day.
Finally, after three long years we completed our contract obligations. I call on August 22, 2009 to cancel my subscription. To my surprise I was told I've already been enrolled in an additional 1 year contract since I didn't send a written letter 30 days prior to my original contract termination date. My contracts roll over into a month by month with a 30-90 day termination notice, not 1 year!
How in the world was I supposed to remember three years later to send a written letter to terminate my contract 30 days prior! Who does business like this? I know who, CRIMINALS! My contract has changed hands or names with companies three times in the three year commitment I signed up for. My original contract was with APX alarms, who then sold my contract to SAI. I just found out that SAI now goes by Castle Rock. This is all signs of a company trying to avoid bad PR for terrible customer service practices. It appears the only way they can get customers is by strong arming them into renewal contracts.
Why would anyone want to entrust the security of their family and home to a company with such poor business practices?
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I had a door to door salesperson come to my house and got the security equipment free. During that visit there was a 36 month contract. He advised me after that contract is done I could cancel. Which I did giving 30 day notice. They now say I have to pay 1 yr of charges because I didn't cancel due to their auto renewal policy which my contract doesn't state. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told there was not one . The rep then called me back. I called back asking for a supervisor and was eventually transferred. She didn't help at all. I am now getting bills/harrassing calls. I refuse to pay for something that is unethical. I am writing complaints to the BBB, attorney general. This company is shady.
Contacted Castlerock early March regarding end of contract. Was advised must complete contract term exp June 7th 2010. Contacted again on May 10 and was advised to send written request to close account. This was done same day (email) whereby I requested them to confirm cancellation. Never received a reply. Noticed I was charged again in June. Again contacted them to be told contract has been automatically extended for a further year to June 2011. Cancellation notice had to be received 30 days prior to end of original contract. This I was never advised of. They are now claiming that I am legally in a contract bind.
Unbelievable!
Everyone, please contact the Attorney General of Illinois, the BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois, and the Attorney General of your state. Cancel your contracts. You can dispute the validity of claims made against your credit.
Don't forget about taking these people to small claims court, since they've done business in your state, you can take them to small claims court in your own county.
Also, see if your employer has an Employee Benefit Plan (EAP) that offers discounted legal services.
It may take time and a lot of effort, but let's not be victims of unethical business practice or consumer fraud!
Castlerock security does not tell you that you cannot get out of their contracts, that they renew automatically, it is a rip off they steel from the
Public..It is in very fine print somewhere on their contracts, and i did not even get my alarm system from them it camr from apx...So apx is to blame also .
Do not use castlerock security, or apx, or sai security
I can not believe the businesses in the us are allowed to do this to the public...What a scam!
And writing to the bbb does not help..The company does not care ...
THIS COMPANY CAN AND WILL BE STOPPED, VOICE YOUR COMPLAINTS AT CASTLEROCKSECURITY.INFO
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site on search engine query's of "CastleRock Security"
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site on search engine query's of "CastleRock Security"
I have the exact same situation with Castle Rock. I absolutely hate this company. In every aspect, they have been trouble since day 1! Initially, it was through First Alert (GE) then sold and the billing is through an entirely different company called SAI! I faxed in my cancellation well in advance. They claim they never received it (bull). I overnight-ed my cancellation letter and it arrived 1/2 day late. So now they are saying I'm obligated through contract. Automatic contract renewals should be illegal. These guys are really bad news. Their service is terrible, technical staff is useless, and they never called me when my alarm accidentally tripped! STAY AWAY FROM CASTLE ROCK!
Yes indeed... Castlerock is the one to be afraid of... I honestly feel like they have raped my checking account each and every month!
The same thing happened to me. This company is very shady. This practice has got to be illegal. What can we do or complain to? Class Action Lawsuit?
contract renewal
I purchased a home security sytem from this company in June 2006. I called them in April to inquire about the expiration of this 3 yr. contract. I was told it would expire in June. Nothing was said about a 30 day written notice required to cancel the contract. Since I failed to do so the contract automatically was renewed for another year. I was told failure to pay another year of service would send my account to collections. I have contacted the BBB and the local media and the State's Attorney. I am now researching legal options. Any reputable, honest company would contact their customers in advance of the renewal date. This company needs to be exposed for total scam artists they are. These are deceptive business practices and should be illegal.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Please keep us informed... I'm in the same situation. I'm paying for service in a house I no longer live in. Ive called Castle Rock/SAI/APEX and they will not let me out of the contract which just renewed because I didn't send in a cancellation letter. I called them 6 months before the renewal date to cancel because I was moving out of the house and they told me I had six months on my contract. So I paid those six months thinking I was done with them just to find out my contract was renewed for another year. I'm so pissed! We need to put our resouces together to presure on this company.
horrible customer service
18 months ago a door-to-door salesman misrepresented a free security system, as advertisement for neighborhood. We sold home due to illness, and when we tried to cancel contract told no. Chicago Attorney Gen. said to negotiate. Castlerock would not negotiate. We paid 3 year contract in full and requested letter of payment and cancellation of contract. We have been waiting over two months for letter. I have emailed and called over 5 times to obtain letter. Ms. Fivelson continues to accuse me of lying and has not sent me letter as she promised she would when I informed her I was making payment. (about $800) balance of contract.
I waited on hold for over an hour two weeks ago - what if I had a security emergency?
Stay away from this company - many complaints on internet.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
My Castle Rock contract, which was supposed to end on August 7, 1010, was extended one year without a written statement from Castle Rock that this would happen.
These people make Enron Corporation look like a Saint!
Tom Farrell
Cedar Hill, TX
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site on search engine query's of "CastleRock Security"
We signed a contract with SAI (now CastleRock) and United security in 2007. We had a horrible expenreince with them getting our billing correct. After 6 months of telling SAI that they were not billing us United Security from PA stepped in and repurchased our contract back from SAI. United secuirty stated that they paid SAI for our contract then but now I am being sued by Castle rock for breach of contract. They are sueing us for the total amount of the contract. The funny thing is united security is taken there payments from my account monthly and not one payment has been missed. I have been to the office of united Secuirty many times and they keep telling me not to worry about it and they will write a letter to the lawyer and have it settled but as of today it is still on my credit. Is there anyone esle out there that knows anything albout these companies that can help me? Thank you
CastleRock Security is the worst company ever!Horrible customer service.
refusal to cancel
Attempted to cancel services on June 11, 2009. Castlerock refused unless I paid a year in advance. Said that contract automatically rolled over for a year on June 2, 2009. No grace period.
Read full review of CastleRock Security and 159 commentsunable to cancel contract after term
Unable to cancel service after term. Called customer service number [protected] and after about a 10 minute hold, spoke to a representative and told him I wished to cancel my alarm monitoring. He took all my info, then said he needed to connect me to the cancellation department. After another longer hold (15-20 minutes) I spoke with someone that said my contract had automatically renewed for another full year because I failed to send in written notice of cancellation 30 days prior to the end of my 3 year agreement. This is even though I called a month prior and notified the rep that I wished to cancel over the phone and was not made aware that the cancellation needed to be written. This company is clearly running a scam by extending the contract another full year and by making their customers jump though all these hoops to cancel. Definitely avoid them at all costs! For those in the same boat here is the cancellation address:
2101 South Arlington Heights Rd Ste 150
Arlington Heights, IL. 60005
They say they need name, address and account number to cancel.
Good Luck!
-Ryan
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
CastleRockSecurity.info this is the address of the CastleRock Security Complaint Forum, if enough people use it, it will beat castlerock's own site for searches of "CastleRock Security"
So have had the say situation but worse! last year SAI transitioned over to the CDMA wirless communicator and mine need to be switched out well it was shipped to my house and defective out of the box. i called in with the technician there and they stated they would send out another...mean while i had no Security in my home. unit never gets shipped out made serval attempts to get one sent finally it gets sent DOA AGAIN!
but this time the "technicians" where some half ### home theathre installers!
at around this time i spoke to gulliver witch was very helpful and he stated to me that i had been given credit and that i would not have to pay. i asked gulliver if he see this alot and he said im not alone. then i asked to speak to his supervisor and he put me on hold for 25 mins! she refused to get on the phone her name was vickie. i thien told gulliver i felt bad for him and that he did a great job. i then told guliver that i needed a call back from vickie before i reinstated my payment which was due in may... i received no phone call.
in june i get a call from a collections company [protected] and they are trying to collect i was so pissed off that they would send me to collections when all i wanted to do is speak to the supervisor.
do we have a case for a class action lawsuit?
I work for a security company who used to contract with SAI. The company has actually gone out of business and their accounts transferred to various monitoring companies to help cover their debts.
The renewal clause that has been mentioned is unenforceable in many states. It is referred to as an "evergreen" clause. I have helped many clients terminate these illegal contracts.
I would not waste time on the phone with any company that tries to play hardball with this clause. Once a company threatens to take a litigious stance I take that following two steps.
1. Have the customer send a formal cancellation letter containing language similar to "I John Doe hereby cancel my service with company XYZ as of current date. Any future attempt to collect payments will be considered harassment."
If they continue to attempt to collect money (90% won't) I have them contact their state Attorney Generals office to file a complaint. Once this step has been taken, I have never had a customer who was forced to pay additional fees or receive negative reporting on their credit
Hope this helps anyone stuck dealing with the remnants of SAI
I have experienced similar frustration. I thought I cancelled the contract before we moved overseas, and just found out, 1 year later, they are trying to collect the full contract amount, plus losses they feel they have incurred due to my "non-payment!" They are using a very aggressive lawfirm that has been extremely frustrating. I was hoping to "settle, " and pay a portion of the amount they are trying to collect and I was told they are not going to budge on the amount and that they are going to file a civil suit against me, begin reporting to the credit bureau, and start charging me interest on the amount (more than $1, 000)!
I have experienced the exact same thing today. I contacted the company on the phone a couple months ago to cancel (3 yr contract.) They told me I needed to send a letter giving 30 days notice. They failed to mention that if it was not 30 days prior to the end on the contract that they would automatically renew for an entire year! Today is June 9th, my contract is up on June 17th.
I have just written a letter after go arounds on the phone. Hopefully the company will do the right thing and cancel the contract. I have not even used the service for at least a year and I have been paying for it all along.
This is a very frustrating experience. I would expect a reputable company to send a letter telling you what your options are at the end of the contract. They did offer me a reduced rate of $5 a month ...if I agreed to a 18 month contract! What a joke.
Overview of CastleRock Security complaint handling
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CastleRock Security contacts
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CastleRock Security phone numbers+1 (800) 705-7681+1 (800) 705-7681Click up if you have successfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 705-7681 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 705-7681 phone number Click up if you have UNsuccessfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 705-7681 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 705-7681 phone number+1 (800) 669-7779+1 (800) 669-7779Click up if you have successfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 669-7779 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 669-7779 phone number Click up if you have UNsuccessfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 669-7779 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached CastleRock Security by calling +1 (800) 669-7779 phone number
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CastleRock Security emailscustomercare@safesecurity.com100%Confidence score: 100%Support
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CastleRock Security addressP.O. Box 5164, San Ramon, California, 94583, United States
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CastleRock Security social media
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Castle Rock's manipulative ways to want to keep consumers as hostages to their contracts are outrageous. My contract with them was originally finished on June 2009. I called 6/22/09 to confirm the fact that my contract was done. They indicated that because I did not submit my desire to cancel in writing in May 2009, my contract had been extended for one more year. I told them that I did not want CastleRock’s services any longer. They proceeded to put me on hold to discussed my issue with a supervisor. They came back to the line with a bargaining option of 6 more months. For the sake of being civil, I accepted. I clearly felt that CastleRock was holding me hostage. During our conversation, they never mentioned the need for further paperwork.
Since my contract was extend 6 more months; my contract ended on 12/09. I followed the indicated guidelines by submitting my request to cancel in writing. In fact, my first letter was submitted in October 2009, the second letter was submitted in November 2009.
I made a courtesy call on January 26, 2010 to let them know that I was still getting monthly bills. They told me that the contract is still active because I did not mail in an amendment, which they claimed to have mailed me. I never got the amendment nor did I received any specifications on mailing one back during my 6/22/09 phone conversation with CastleRock. I followed the guidelines that were given to me. I am not interested in continuing CastleRock alarm services. However, they are determine to get more money from me.
THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE WE (CONSUMERS) GOING TO DO ABOUT THEIR DECEPTIVE PRACTICES?