Firstline Security
Beware if you cancel and they remove the system

First of all, I'm very grateful to the people on usacomplaints.com who took the time to sit down and detail their experiences with Firstline Security. I was finishing a project outside on June 30, around 7 pm or so, when one of the Firstline guys knocked on my door. When I opened it, he was looking the other way, up the hill. He informed me he'd just seen an accident with a guy who crashed a stolen car, then got out and ran away.

I thought that was weird, since I'd been in the backyard and would presumably hear something like that. And how would he know it was stolen? Anyway, he gave me the standard spiel about Firstline. On the outside, it seemed interesting, but rather steep, price-wise, per month. I was also given the city "monitoring" charge. I asked the sales rep how it is that all their sales guys make so much money during the summer when all Firstline is doing is getting "advertising homes", and he said enough people call in to pay for the system after seeing the signs in the yards of the advertising homes.

This seemed fishy too. I walk around this neighborhood a lot. Every third house has a security system.in a three-mile radius, I've seen only 2 Firstline signs that aren't brand new. A week later, there are now six total signs (2 old, 4 new). But I also knew about my right to cancel the contract if I didn't like what I read in it, within the first three business days.

The sales rep told me that there'd be an activation fee of $99 and asked me how I'd like to pay for that. I told him to get out of my house, as he'd already told me that I wouldn't be paying for more than the "city monitoring". He then said he'd "see what he could do" about that fee. When he called into the company, he gave them my address, paused and then said, "oh, so we can waive the activation fee?" but he hadn't yet asked her if they could waive it.

The system didn't get fully installed that night; I had to leave, so I made an appointment with the tech to come back on monday morning. As he was leaving, he said, "just don't call and cancel before monday, cause then I won't get paid."

On Sunday, I found complaint. Monday, I called and canceled the service at corporate before my appointment, after giving the guy on the phone an earful about how I was left with no paperwork to peruse so I had just the internet at my disposal and wasn't liking what I found. My service appointment to remove the system was set for Tuesday at 10am. Monday afternoon, I got a voicemail from my sales rep, asking me why I canceled and if there was anything he didn't explain well enough. I didn't call him back.

Tuesday morning, no show. I called in, was put on hold, and then my sales rep picked up the phone, asking why I didn't call him back. I gave this kid an earful about his company's bad business practices, and told him he should've left me with some paperwork other than propaganda. He told me he'd get the tech to call me to reschedule. Who didn't. I called in again and was transferred to the local office. The girl who answered the phone seemed horrified. She offered me an appointment on Wednesday (4th of July) and I declined. So we set it up for Thursday, at 10 am again, this time with the lead tech. This is apparently the first appointment of the day, so why it is that no one would show up, I have no idea. Thursday comes, again no one shows up for system removal. I call into the corporate office again, again am transferred to the local office, who apologizes again and tells me she'll have the tech call me.

This time, he does (the original tech, not the lead tech). He sets up an appointment for that evening, when I get home from work at 9:30pm. He then calls me back 45 minutes before our appointment and says that they're there now, am I close to home?

I am not, so they refuse to stay. I arrived home at 9:15, still 15 minutes early for our appointment. On Friday I call in to corporate and complain again. My house has now been un-monitored for six days. I have canceled the service and sent a certified letter to corporate confirming the cancellation, but can't get anyone out to my house to remove the system. We make another service appointment for me, again with the lead tech, for Saturday at 11:30. The very nice girl on the phone, Ashley, tells me that he shouldn't have any problems showing up for this one, and to call them if he's not there 20 minutes after the scheduled time.

Saturday comes, there's no tech. I spend 30 minutes on hold to corporate, only to be told that they're not allowed to transfer me to the local office. Considering the number of times I've called in, and done exactly that, I'm a little confused. When I tell him this, he tells me he'll get in trouble if he transfers me. He says he'll have the tech call me.

I've heard this story before.

Ten minutes later, I call Firstline back, and spend another 30 minutes on hold. This time I get to talk to a very nice guy named Wesley, who is appropriately horrified that I've now been "no-showed" 5 times. I inform him that I'm ready to take the box off the wall myself and just wait them out. And I thank him and the company for showing me that I made the right decision. He calls the lead tech in my area, who claims he'll send out the original tech in 30 minutes. When Wesley relays that information, I ask him for the Holy Grail too. So Wesley sets up a call back from Firstline for 30 minutes from that time to confirm the tech's arrival.

In 30 minutes, I call my original tech's cell phone and it goes straight to voicemail. When Firstline calls back (Mark), I tell him that no one has shown up and his phone is off, so good luck getting ahold of him. I suggest he try the lead tech since they're so chummy. Mark gets back on the phone with me, sounding sheepish, and says that both of their phones are off. He sets up an appointment for Monday evening. He also apologizes profusely.

20 minutes later, my original tech, Tim, shows up. He brings another tech with him, and they remove the box in about ten minutes.

When the box comes off the wall, I notice that the wires from my ADT system no longer have the endpiece on them to fit the ADT box back on the wall. I tell Tim, and he gets one from the truck, which we later discover does not fit. I also cannot find the wire for my motion detector and assume it is now residing in the wall.

Just before he leaves, Tim asks me for the contract I signed. I look blankly at him, and said, "what, there's actual paperwork?" At this point, he realizes that he has my contract in his truck, as install was never completed.

So at the end of all this, I'm going to have to pay ADT to fix what Firstline destroyed, at the bargain price of $102 per half hour. And I've wasted upwards of ten hours waiting for them and on the phone with them.

So thank you Firstline, way to salt the land after you leave. But thanks for showing me I made the right decision by cancelling my service.

Company: Firstline Security
Country: USA
State: Utah
City: Orem
Address: 370 W. Center St
Phone: 8664347785

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