I am a paraplegic. I live alone and have had several medical issues in the past few years that required long hospital stays. I decided to buy a security system, consisting of one outdoor camera and 3 indoor cameras. I purchased this system, with a VCR motion unit so I could see what was going on while I was not home.
System was purchased from "Spook Tech" on March 16, for $2,112.00. It turned out that the VCR unit required the tape to be changed too often, even though it was motion activated. On Dec. 13, they replaced the VCR with a DVR motion recorder that holds 80GB of memory. I was charged $700 for the new DVR along with the trade-in of the VCR unit, which also cost $700. I was told that the DVR unit cost $1,000. They deducted $400 depreciation for the original VCR unit.
After installing the DVR I spent 5 months in and out of medical facilities, followed my months of bedrest. When I got home the unit had not recorded anything to my knowledge. I notified Spook Tech that the unit wasn't working and asked if they'd come out and check out the system. I first notified them of the problem on Feb. 20. I spoke with several people, including Tim Brown, Dick Dwyer & etc. I was given assurance after assurance that they'd be out in a few days. They often gave me specific dates that they'd come out, but they never showed. I telephoned, wrote letters repeatedly.
On March 19, they finally sent someone out to my home to check the unit. Their employee told me that it was a "generic" unit and he couldn't figure out how to fix it. He gave me a receipt and took the DVR unit & owner's manual back with him. I gave them 3 weeks without hearing from them, then phoned & spoke w / Tim Brown who told me he had sent the unit to the manufacturer and it wasn't back yet. I called 2 weeks latter and was told that the unit was still in their office because they couldn't figure out who the manufacturer was (!) I have phoned and written them several times since. They never returned phone calls or responded to my letters.
Finally, A Mr. Kelly Fromm answered my phone call of June 23. He said he was the owner and he had fired all of his employees and replaced them with "former policemen". Said he personally knew nothing about my problem. Then he said that he knew my unit was sitting in his office! He told me to leave my name & address with his secretary, (which I did), and he'd make sure I'd get the unit back within one day. He said it had been hit by lightning, so my homeowner's insurer would cover the cost of a new unit (?) I haven't seen or heard from him since. The cameras are useless without a recorder. They're making this as hard on me as possible.
Suing via Small Claims Court is an option, but would compromise my health. Hiring a lawyer will be expensive but I might have to resort to suing for material and punitive damages.
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