APX Alarm Review
24. Jul, 2010 
7 Comments
Installing an alarm in your home can be a great thing for peace of mind and security, but you need to do your due diligence before you go ahead with a service. There are many options for alarm monitoring services around the country, some good and some bad. The service that I am going to review is APX Alarm.
I am reviewing this system with personal knowledge as I am a current APX Alarm customer. I have had their system and monitoring for about 3 years now and I can honestly say that I would rather leave my front door open than use this service again. Their company is an absolute nightmare to deal with and they still haven’t figured out what the phrase customer service means. So, APX Alarm, let me help you out with that….
Customer Service: Noun – assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services
Hopefully this definition will allow your “customer service” reps to actually understand what they are there to do. If you cannot service the customer, then stop calling it customer service. Ok, back to the review.
APX alarm hires young people to sell their services door-to-door, usually during the summer time, all over the country. They setup in a neighborhood 
and canvas the area to see if they can sell their systems. They usually go to homes that don’t have an alarm sign, but have neighbors that have alarms. This enables them to use a simple scare tactic in order to push for the sale. The real issue that you need to be aware of is that most of the sales reps do not follow the requirements setup by the company. They are in a cut-throat environment trying to survive, so they resort to lying.
Once the sales reps scare you into a sale, they start the contract signing part of the deal. The main issue is that they rush you into signing without giving you ample time to read the contract. They negate to discuss contract cancellation fees or monthly fees. When asked directly, they tend to tell you that there is no fee for cancellation. This is a flat out lie as it costs you the rest of the contract to get out. They also don’t let you know that you have 3 days after the contract is signed to cancel. This is a law in most states, but without knowing it, people are unable to use it. It is similar to buyers remorse laws in some states with car dealers. The sales people at APX Alarm resort to bait and switch in order to get contracts. This tactic is illegal, but APX has paid states a lot of money in order to change the color of their paper and ink so you are unable to read the writing in most situations.
After you sign the contract, they call their office and they have you verbally agree to the contract. They usually do not tell you that you have to sign up for auto debit in order to get the deal, but if you push, you can still get the deal while still paying with a check. I never allow companies to auto debit my account because they often tend to double dip into your account and then call it a software glitch. After the phone call, they call the installer and in about 2 minutes they come flying up and jumping out of a van to install the system. It is like a bunch of clowns in a circus car. They say that it doesn’t take long to install the system, but it will take a couple of hours. I cannot say that all the technicians are slow, but the ones doing the installs around my area were untrained and unprofessional. When they pull out the system, make sure you check it out. I almost laughed when they installed our system because the it was so archaic and bulky. Below is the wireless system that is installed in most homes, but not all.
If you look at the picture, I decided to put up the same computer that I wrote this post with. It is my Asus netbook on top. The alarm system is the exact same size in width, but bigger in depth. It makes me laugh to think that I have a portable computer that is the same size as my alarm system. To think about, it makes me a little sad that the alarm system is that big.
This review is to make sure that you do not fall for the scare and push tactics that APX Alarm sales people use. They have duped many people in different states into outrageous contracts that are so iron-clad that most lawyers don’t even know how to get around them. I have personal experience with three other large, national alarm monitoring companies and APX Alarm is by far the worst that I have ever encountered. I have spoken with over 100 other people that have APX alarm and about 3 out of 4 dislike their service or the company itself. All of them were brought into a contract with the same scare tactics, which is a staggering number.
Stay away from APX Alarm and take your time researching a company that you are interested in. Don’t bother taking your issues to the Better Business Bureau because if you haven’t noticed, they don’t really do anything. I had a business that was part of the BBB, and they don’t do much if a customer complains. Remember, the businesses are the ones paying BBB, so why would they want to destroy a companies reputation that pays them money every year. Take you grievances to the Attorney General in your state. They have a lot more power to handle devious sales practices. APX Alarm has told me that they are now installing new systems in homes with touch screens, but their contracts are still as crazy as before. Another good piece of information is that if you want to cancel your service when your contract is up, you have to make sure that you send them a written cancellation notice with your account number on the form. This has to be done 30 days before the end of your term. You actually can send this cancellation notice in at any time so they have it on file. If you do not send them one, then they will auto-renew your contract for another year.
If you are a current APX alarm customer, let me know what you think of the company and their service. I want to hear what you have to say.
RSS
Newsletter
Twitter
Facebook
Digg
Delicious
