I was called by Anderson Crenshaw and Associates on behalf of Protect America Alarm Co. When I signed on I was told by the Protect America salesman that I was committed to a three year subscription to their service in order for the alarm equipment to become my property. He also told me that after the three years was up, I could have anyone moniter my house. I fulfilled my three year contract. I had noticed online that Protect America's rates were $29.95/month and they were debiting my account for $35.00/month. So several months after I had fufilled my three year committment, I stopped the debit at my bank. Protect America was furious. They told me that I need to notify them in writing before I could end their service. They said that I had signed a contract that auto renews every year and I had to send them written notice that I didn't want the service any more. This was in the spring of 2003.
Now this is the spring of 2005 and I started getting calls from Anderson Crenshaw (Protect America never tried to contact me by phone). The person on the other end of the line said that I had violated the contract that I signed with Protect America and that I owed Protect America $788.00 because I breached the contract. I refused to pay anything. I was told that they were going to get a judgement against me, file a lein against my home and garnish my wages. I reminded the charater on the other end of the line that you can't garnish wages in Texas. Only the IRS can do that in Texas. He got insensed and started hollaring and screaming at me.
I am now wondering who was Protect America protecting me from with their service. Surely it wasn't protecting me from predatory business like themselves that can do as much or more damage than any burgler alive.
I told the people at Anderson that they could do as they wish, but if they tried to make life miserable for me, I was going to the Houston Media with my story and see if Protect America could us $788.00 or hopefully more whorth of exposure with the comsumer advocates of the major TV stations. I know that the people of Houston have a certain sense of fairness and they wouldn't do business with a company like Protect America if they knew the way they are going to be thanked for their past business.
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