When I moved to Florida in Sept. I thought an alarm system for my home would be necessary, and was convinced by the seller's of the property to sign on with Guardian International Security.
The alarm technician came to my home, and convinced me to upgrade my system, telling me that he was giving me a "deal" to provide extra motion and window sensors for just $779. Part of the deal was for me to sign a 3 year agreement, which I sadly did.
In April of I moved from the property, and informed Guardian that since I was moving out of state, I would no longer need their services, and to cancel my service. I had been a loyal customer for over 3 years, and didn't think there would be a problem.
In May of I received a letter from Mary E. Freeman, from the collections department, saying that I owed 28 additional months for a total of $720.44. I called Mary, and immediately she took an antagonistic tone with me, as if I were some kind of deadbeat.
I explained to her that I thought it ridiculous to pay such a large amount just to cancel a service I would never use.instead of listening, she just said "read the contract".
To anyone even considering Guardian, please look at that contract carefully. It is set to automatically renew for the same period of time you originally signed for (for most people, this is 5 years), I am lucky mine is "only" 3 years, and I "only" am stuck paying for 2 1/2 years that I will never use.
I told her I refused to pay this exhorbitant amount, and we verbally agreed to settle the account for half the amount due. I asked her to send me something in writing so that I would have documentation of this, and I would agree to it. I gave her my fax number so she could send it right over. She never agreed to put anything in writing, she just said "we'll see what we can do." This was on 5/9/06.
On 5/22/06, I received in the mail something dated 5/9/06, with the stipulation that 50% of the balance due be paid within 5 business days. It was a failed fax report, and it showed that the fax number that had been typed in was incorrect. (Whether on accident or on purpose is anyone's guess). It was then mailed to my previous address, even though I had given Guardian my new address twice, and verified that they had it. So it took 2 weeks to forward over to me.
When I called Mary again on 5/22/06, she told me the offer was no longer valid, and when I tried to explain that it was her own error that had caused the delay, she refused to even look at the paperwork. She said now, they would take $500 to settle this.
I asked to speak to her manager, and was put through to a voice mail. Somehow, I don't think this is going to get resolved amicably, judging by previous rip off reports that have been filed. I think I may just take a $500 loss and learn my lesson about how alarm companies really operate.
To anyone even considering using Guardian International Security, think twice. Also, be wary of any seller trying to pawn off their existing contract to you when you buy a property. Really read the contract you're signing, and the "Term" paragraph.
I normally don't file these sorts of reports, but this is such an extreme case of bad business practices, dishonest and deceptive dealing, that I had to let others know.
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