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Guardian Protection is a regional home security company based in Pennsylvania. They service those in the Eastern and Southern US. They have some good reviews from customers when it comes to their equipment quality and also they have a best price guarantee, which is pretty interesting. The biggest negatives were that there were some reports of issues with customer service.
LiveWatch Home Security (now Brinks Home Security) is a subsidiary of Moni, home security systems and offers competitively priced home security and monitoring systems. They have a shorter 12-month contract than most others in the industry and support the newest smart home technologies like Z-Wave and Alarm.com. They have a few negatives from customers -- such as issues getting helpful customer service and issues around scalability, but that said, customers like what they are doing overall.
Guardian Protection: 8.2/10
LiveWatch: 8.4/10
Guardian Protection: 8/10
LiveWatch: 8.1/10
Guardian Protection: 8.2/10
LiveWatch: 8.5/10
Guardian Protection: 8.5/10
LiveWatch: 8.6/10
Guardian Protection:
LiveWatch:
My technician Chuck was very polite and informative. He made sure I understood the system and helped me with my phone app
View More ReviewsSean Hennigan was an absolute brainiac. He was pleasant, investigative and solution oriented.. Smart Man..thanks Sean
Since I signed the contract I've had numerous problems with the security system. We've had techs come out to fix the same issues on more than one occasion and here we are again, needing a third tech to come out due to the system not connecting to guardian. So basically, we've been paying for a service that is not functioning. The tech was scheduled to come out yesterday, I received a call that he needed to cancel... then when I provided my availability, it was not an option. (Mind you we waited a few weeks for an appt). I was told the ONLY tech that is available to service my area (78725) lives 1.5 hours away- probably the reason it takes so long to get someone out here. I asked to cancel my contract, I was placed on hold for a few minutes. I was then told that all reps were busy and was offered to have rep call me back... I agreed, and as of today- I have not yet received the call. I do NOT recommend this company. I should have stayed with the local alarm service I had the past 3 years... never had an issue. *****since this post I became aware that the issue is not with Guardian, the monitoring company. The issue is with SkyLine- the equipment and Service company that contracts with Guardian for monitoring. I apologize for the review. I will post the above to the skyline business page. Guardian actually assisted me with understanding the issues and what they handle and what Skyline handles.*****
Josh from the corporate offices reached out to me today to help with my issue. He was very understanding and actually listened to my frustrations. I'm happy to say we resolved my issue and Guardian made sure to take care of me as a customer. Thank you Josh, you were able to take a frustrating situation and make it a positive.
Sleazy sales reps. I was busy moving and the sales rep did not explain that the contract was for five years. He made sure to set up an installation appointment that made me waive my rights to cancel the contract. Dishonest company, now I am stuck with an alarm system installed that I am uncomfortable with. I would advise everyone to stay away. Update 12/31/15: After reading my yelp review, customer service contacted me and worked with me to modify my contract to terms acceptable to me. They obtained the names of the sales rep and said that they would contact his manager. They also offered to send another technician out to orient me to the system, as the original tech did not do a good job of that. The technician also had taken my original panel with him, which was my property and Guardian offered me a credit on my account to make up for this, as they could not get my property back to me.
Please do not use this service. My mother is in her late 80s. Last year she contacted Guardian to cancel her service and instead they renewed it for five years. That seemed very suspicious since she didn't have similar problems or miscommunication with any of her other services. She and I called this week, June 14, to cancel the service because she is moving out of the house due to illness, and we plan to sell the house. I was told that we could not cancel without a huge buyout fee. Under the circumstances, this seems fraudulent and is certainly unethical. This company seems to prey on the elderly. Update: In response to this review, a customer service rep explained that the company makes a large upfront investment in equipment. However, my mother had been a customer for about 5 years BEFORE she tried to cancel the first time, so the company has covered the costs of its investment. I'll contact customer service to fix this deception and provide another update. Update 2: After being in contact with 2 customer service reps via phone and email, I heard from a manager who agreed to cancel my Mom's service without a penalty fee, due to the situation with her health. This was a great relief to our family. My advice: be very careful about signing a contract with any security service.
I have had Guardian protection for 3 years. Good monitoring and good equipment. I had this system installed with my house when it was built 3 years ago. After some conversations with Guardian several months ago I was under assumption I had a 3 year contract set to expire in May. After calling them today to cancel because monitoring fee is to high they tell me it's five year contract. So I went back to installation paperwork and found it is 5 years. However, instead of having a date specifically on contract the 5 years is explained in the writing at bottom of the page. Lesson learned by me is to read contract completely however do feel like there should be specific place on the sheet that shows the date. Just be careful of the contract language.
I really hate Guardian and am angry to be trapped in a contract that was deceptively obtained. Sales process was unbelievably scummy and they straight up lied. Here's what happened. I was perfectly happy with my previous alarm company. After 3 years the people who installed it said my contract was up and did I want new equipment. I asked if it was the same company, and would the user interface for the alarm be as easy: specifically, you could set the alarm using a single button press (as the previous alarm company did it). Understand: I asked precisely that question. They said yes to both. Both were lies. It turns out that the sales people had moved on to a different alarm provider--Guardian--and I suppose that's why they could say they were the same company. The alarm requires 2 button presses--sounds simple, but I have noticed that many people are afraid they'll screw up and send the police or something when it's any thing but one press. Sure enough, my bookkeeper is afraid to set the alarm now. Another problem: When the alarm goes off they call from a variety of numbers WHICH DO NOT HAVE CALLER ID SAYING GUARDIAN. It's just random numbers with no party named. Since my phone number has been inaccurately released as a business support number, I screen calls. This means I have missed alarm calls from them. I wish Guardian only the worst. If you are thinking of getting a job there, please understand the kind of tactics they use.
We recently purchased a home that had Guardian's basic system preinstalled. In order for the door chime and a couple other basic features to work it required us to have a rep come out and activate the console. We knew this would mean a sales speech, but we were unprepared for how unprofessional of a visit we would have. When scheduling the visit we were up front that we wanted the console activated, but were not planning to sign up for their services. Once the sales rep started to see we were serious about not wanting a contract, he resorted to telling us how anyone breaking into our house would kill our dog before doing anything else. He then went on to say how the smoke detectors installed by the builder were useless and we'd be dead in our sleep before they went off, all to try and sell us on their detectors. He constantly dodged questions about costs and when we finally thought he saw how serious we were about not signing up, he starts asking my wife for her DOB and SSN. We then put our foot down that we we were not signing up for their service and he responded by telling us how we wasted his time. Unbelievable!!! After that experience we wouldn't use their services no matter how competitive their prices, which are horribly high.
Literally the worst customer service, possible. I will be cancelling as soon as this contract is up. They should be embarrassed. I cannot imagine how they retain customers.
This company is horrible don't ever sign up with them I havehad an installation scheduled for the past three weeks the technician has been out four times and the alarm system still doesn't work ,false alarms go off while I'm at work the sheriffs always showing up giving us tickets because of guardians errors they never give you any documentation to send to the sheriffs department nobody ever calls back we had an alarm go off and the alarm company told me to go inside my house since garage doir was open because the sheriff had already been there and they had not !!This company is bogus!
The rep came to the door friendly with a lot of promise he could not field plz do not go with this sercurity company if they come by ur house don't answer the door the sales person lies from the beginnings he promise that I would not have to pay the police monitoring but that was a lie then he said he pay for it out his on packet that was a lie they have workers that come right after that look like they need a background check very creepy really scary looking men they leave a mess when they go in ur attic they ask to use our ladder when they should have there own equipment they didn't cover all the windows that they say they would again back to this sale person plz beware
NEVER. I cannot get over the gall of this company. We signed a contract on a house with an existing system. We paid faithfully for 2 years then moved. We continued to pay the monthly service fee after disabling the system for another year via ACH Debit after moving out of the home with the service. I finally had enough and ceased the ACH debit. I called and they offered me a $250 contract cash out of the contract. We did not pay. A year passed. They sent me to collections for $250 even after paying them far too much already. I begrudgingly paid the amount to avoid the credit hit and to get these people out of my life. Then they started billing me a monthly service fee with late fees!! I feel like I am paying just to end the harassment. DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THIS COMPANY.
What a joke. We had no problems with them at my last house on the initial installation, but we moved a couple months ago and getting the service transferred over to our new house since we had a 5 year contract. We have 2 years left of the contract but since we moved we have to sign a new 3 year contract. We had them scheduled to come out a few weeks ago and no one showed up during the 4 hour window. I called 10 minutes prior to the end of appointment and the man said he was running late. He didn't apologize and I never got a phone call at least for a heads up! Now, I'm at home for appointment attempt #2 and I get a call saying the rep. Went home sick and I have to reschedule. It's ridiculous that I'm stuck in this contract and I get poor service. I guess that's their way of not caring since they know they get their money either way. Wake up Guardian, it's almost 2018 and this is not the direction of a successful business! You won't last with bad service.
I got a call saying I was past due? how can this happen when my account is set up as automated billing. So it turns out when I transferred my services from my old home to my new home my address was not changed in their system? HOW can that happen when I moved from one city to another city. SO they sent all past due invoices to my old house? FOR WHAT? I don't live there then you say I owe for installation and partial monthly over 120 days past due? LOOK I do this kind of work and NOOOO FUCKEN way I'm past due when I'm not able to have bad credit... plus when I started my first contract with them I was being over billed for cameras that weren't installed they gave me a credit then I did the math and BOOM they owed me MORE of a credit? SO guardian cant do basic math OR change my billing address to my new home where the system is installed? WOW!!!!
I escalated the issue to the 3rd party installer, AMP, and discovered my system had not worked for about 6 weeks!!! They could not explain why they hadn't both detected AND corrected the problem. So, they refunded me for 6 weeks worth of service but I still have to pay the $25 service call fee. I hate being trapped in this contract, not knowing whether it's working or not - maybe I'll break into my own house every now and then to "test" the system since I can't actually rely on my security company to do it! But at least I got some money back...more than I was expecting.
Would give one star if I could! Do NOT use them! Terrible product. Have not been able to open my windows for two years. Falls off doors. Goes off at random in the middle of night. Will not let me cancel my contract even though I have been a client for 2 years and hate the product. They charge to come out fix their terrible product. DO NOT USE THEM!
Thanks for the response Katelyn. It still stands, I have half a "mystery" security system that barely functioned past 18-months while the other was installed under "flowery" language of it's terms. I should have completely ignored the salesman claims and just spent a full day looking over said contract. Seems the guy selling you a home security product isn't the most scrupulous person. So please everyone think twice before signing anything. Everyone, this reply shows the company's indifference for any "feelings of being mislead". So in closing Guardian Protection Services says "sorry!... but not sorry" :shoulder shrug:.
Nothing special, borderline rip off scam. This company will try to get you to sign a five-year contract during which time if you move or sell your home you cannot discontinue services and in fact you'll be made to pay out the remainder of the contract or buy out the contract even though you're receiving no services. This is a very unscrupulous company and it's a very "gotcha" contractual situation! Buyer beware!! Avoid these guys--you can set up a good system on your own for a lot less money than you'll wind up paying this company for nothing.
The most awful and dis-honest company I've ever dealt with in my life. DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT with them. They hide the 36 months commitment in the agreement, until you sign it and then you're stuck!!!. They don't even have any customer remorse option and cancelation is more expensive than keep paying even when the monitoring is canceled by them. I stopped using the monitoring half way through as it was so annoying to use. I paid the 36 month fully, made sure that they indeed cancel the contract, and yet, a month later I realized they renewed the contract for another 60 (SIXTY) months. It was a horrible nightmare to get rid of them - they kept promising to stop sending bills, but kept sending them for months after that.
I was a customer with Guardian Security Systems for over 6 yrs. I began getting calls from their "techs" Oct 2015 that they needed to do a service call and that would cost $100. I asked them to cancel my account no one told me cancellation had to be in writing until August of 2016. They continued charging me for monitoring my security system and they were not actually monitoring. How does a company get away with charging you for protection and not providing the service?!?!!?
Piss poor communication and hidden "contract terms" When I moved into my new home, a walking saleswoman sold me for an alarm monitoring system. This was back in 2009. After the initial "contract" was up, I know I stated I wanted to cancel my alarm service. Well, somehow????, my contract was renewed in 2013 and since I didn't cancel, it auto renewed for another 36 months. Bullshit! So, the auto renew contract is supposedly renewed and "I" electronically signed the contract. Timing, auto renewal notice, contract expiration, these are all hidden and NOT ADVISED to the customer. This is HIDDEN and hushed so, the customer forget and YOU GET SLAMMED WITH some crazy ass 36 months. THIS IS A FRAUD, HIDDEN LIES and BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE.
I'm about to close on my new house. Was contacted by salesman because they prewired my home thru the builder. I tentatively scheduled a meeting but could not attend. Even after I said no thank you, he continued to contact me via texts and calls. I said NO, and he called me again. I told him do not call again and I got several more long texts. It was harrassing. I let the builder know about the incident and complained to the company. I shouldn't need protection from a security company sales rep.
Worst company ever. They locked me into a contract I don't want. They charge fees that I didn't authorize and I cannot take off (a $2 paper statement fee). Their tech support reps are rude and unhelpful. I don't have a password because I didn't sign up for the account. They refused to allow me to speak to a manager. Avoid this company at all costs. Terrible... terrible... terrible...
Called to cancel my service, since contract is up. Was told that only the loyalty dept. can do that, which will delay the cancel by 2 days. this is ridiculous and archaic. I should be able to do everything online. this service is highly overpriced as well.
Zero stars. I recently purchased a home with a Guardian Protection Services home security system installed. The previous owner did not give us the alarm activation code and they will not return any of our requested attempts to get it from them. I called Guardian Protection Services to ask them to uninstall their system or deactivate their alarm (of which I would willingly pay a fee to do so) because it repeatedly goes off for no reason and I have no way to turn off the alarm when it does. They are abhorrently unyielding in their efforts to ignore my request. I loathe this company and their customer service department. STEER CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY AND ANY HOME WITH THEIR SECURITY SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY INSTALLED.
Beware of Guardian's bait and switch tactics! Called Guardian to see what incentives it would offer us to switch our home burglar alarm monitoring system from ADT. Chris told my wife that the only cost would be a $99 installation fee; any equipment upgrades would be free. Andrea subsequently confirmed, when specifically asked by me and my wife in separate conversations, that our only cost would be the $99 installation fee. We were subsequently presented a contract that obligated us to pay over $900 for equipment, which fee would be waived only if we stayed with Guardian for 60 months. Now, maybe the Guardian upgrades (whatever they might be?) are worth $900; I don't really know. That's not the point. The point is that Guardian was dishonest with us from the outset--we're supposed to trust these people to safeguard our home? I don't think so. PS. Chris called me back, trying to convince me that he and Andrea had not been dishonest. I think it was an attempt to close the sale, but bullying tactics aren't especially effective. If they treat potential customers this way, I doubt existing customers get any better treatment. PPS. Yelp removed the above review, supposedly for violating its privacy policies, so I revised it to remove last names.
I echo the comments from other customers about the very poor customer service and faulty business practices. I moved and the new owners were unable to get a response from Guardian customer service to have the system transferred into their names. Alarm monitoring was cancelled 14 months ago and I have been paying for a turned off system. Customer service says they provide "options" but they are not viable. My new home already has a paid alarm system, the buyout amount is absurd (really, $750?), and then it was suggested I find someone to take over the contract (again, really?). The service rep, Monica, says she is working on my behalf but her words did not suggest so. I suggested that Guardian is actually saving money since they no longer have to devote resources to monitor the house and, as such, terminating this contract was not a total "loss" to Guardian. I am wondering if Guardian is breaching the contract since it is not providing any service for the fees charged? Monica is going to call me back next week to let me know what the account managers are "willing" to offer as a buyout amount. Guardian has already recouped the cost of the equipment installed but I am guessing Monica will tell me otherwise. It makes me wonder how people can work for a company with unscrupulous business practices. From a quick review of the other Yelp comments, my experience is not unique.
I wish I could give NO STARS. I was trying to deal with a rental home that belonged to my late wife -- she had a contract with them prior to our marriage. She died unexpectedly so I didnt know the password for the Security System account. I provided them with the death certificate as well as the marriage license. They still would not help me with the account because I didn't have the password and every question I asked was met with the same response. They are a horrible company and I'd rather be robbed than employ them to install a security system in any home I own.
Told me install was free, fob free for mother-in-law, special for 7 window contacts $99, got my first bill $1700! They said it was because I put an indoor camera outside, but my sales rep told me I could put them both inside, outside or one on and one outside. At no point did ANYONE SAY THIS WILL COST YOU X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS! Just sleazy sales in my opinion! Seems that NO-ONE CAN MAKE A DECISION WHO CAN WAIVE THESE FEES! Worst experience with buying our new home! Frustrated
WOW! All the reviews with one star seem to be right on with my experience. Sleazy sales reps and their customer service is an absolute JOKE. Yes, we did sign a contract to which we thought was a 2 year contract. We also expected that the sales rep was an ethical person but come to find out, NOPE. We didn't read the fine print signing us up for 5 years. Now, we have to convince the renters moving in to our house to take over the contract or we have to pay out nearly $900...we have just over a year left on the contract. Why would I try to convince someone to pay for worthless service? In regards to the monitoring, we had several instances where we accidentally tripped the alarm and Guardian decided that it was an accident and deemed it not worthy to call and check. They automatically assumed that all was fine. Washed their hands. Let that one sink in...an alarm monitoring company decided that nothing was wrong, without contacting me. Also, the battery you will need to replace mid way through your contract...$100. One can only hope that others will read the reviews and think twice about their safety and NOT go with Guardian. You will not get what you think you're paying for.
So in August 2015 me and my wife went to do our Deco option for our house before I had notice that my unit was deploying. The sales rep was polite, so polite tha he ended being a sleaze. They offered a state of the art security system with all the features. The house was finally built. In the first presentation they said the house was going to be pre-wired. The day they came to install, he started breaking the wall to wire the keypad and installed the sensors for 3 doors and that is it. The installer told my wife that she had 7 days to cancel the service. She calls the day after to ask some questions and one of them was the cancelation policy. They said we can't cancel because of a 5 year contract when the sales rep said the it was a 3 year service and the documents signed only say 44.95 by ______ for _____ . So because of their 5 year policy they want 20% of 44.95 x 5 years, thats about $1700.00. At this moment my wife is dealing with them, but if I get home from my deployment and the system is still there I'm ripping the damn thing and cancelling the freaking service. To all that are thinking or about to be a customer of Guardian Protection services, I urge you TO STOP YOU ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE. They dont help their customers at all they go back on their word and they alter the initial contract on their favor. I'm probably going to lose my hard earned money but my peace of mind is priceless. Quick Update Feb. 09 2016: This companies customer service is worthless. They reach out to customer that leave feedback on yelp and post comments like. "We would like to help you" "our customers are a top priority". This is just their way to try and convince you. If you are purchasing a new property and they offer this companies services run like if it was the plague. The way they trap the sales rep can say anything but paper is what counts, at first the sales rep would say your contract is only 36 months in length "fine print says 60 months", second you have a 7 day trial period "not true" and lastly its a state of the art system "Included 1 key pad and 3 door sensors, additional sensors are $40 each". The contract term doesnt start when they install, it actually begins when you signed up for the service. In my case back in August 2015, when the house was not even a lot. But that is why they have been in business for so long, by ripping regular folks and veterans out of their hard earned money. So after a week of dealing with them they opted to cancel my service for a whopping $1495.99 and it has to be done by mail and check or money order. Making the journey more difficult than what it has to be. Sincerely avoid them like the plague.
Crappy customer phone service. Did I say crappy. This is an understatement. The girls on the other end of the phone line have major attitude. #NoBueno
Salesmen lie to get you to sign a 3 year contract. We were told that we'd get the first year free, then would have to call to continue services otherwise monitoring would be discontinued. After the year, I got charged, called them and they said either I pay $700 or keep paying monthly for the next 3 years. She (Lauren) said it doesn't matter if the sales guy lied, we signed the contract. Granted I should of literally read the tiny contract print, but trusted Guardian as a company that their employees wouldn't lie to make a sale. Trying to get a hold of a supervisor now to resolve, but 'no one is available' to talk. Been waiting on a phone call back for the past 3 hours now. I know 4 of our neighbors that were told the same.... sounds like Guardian is going to have a neighboorhood full of people pissed.
Verbally told I could cancel at anytime, but now they claim I signed a 5 year contract. Good companies do not have to do this. I will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau and my state and local consumer protection agency. I will also be contacting the leadership of Ryan Homes and NVR Ryan Homes to inform them of their business partners shady business practices. I feel it is my duty to warn as many people as possible.
Dishonesty from beginning to end. Please don't do business with this company. If you read all the fine print on the contract, it sounds like there is no way out, even after your 60 months are over. Here's how we terminated our "agreement" or contract with them. First, ask your local Guardian office for help. They were kind, helpful and very reasonable. They told me to write a letter and send it to corporate spelling out that I want to terminate the contract, include your password in the letter. Before you send it, take a picture. Call corporate and pay out the remaining months on your contract. Listen to them pretend to not understand that you want to CANCEL the agreement. Then listen to them try to LIE and tell you have a year more on your contract than you really do. Then listen to them try to give you an inflated "buyout" amount for the contract. They will then try to LIE and say they are giving you a discount on the buyout, when they are actually simply honoring the terms in the contract you have in front of you that you had to repeatedly remind them of. Get your confirmation number for the buyout payment. Then, get the customer service person's name, email address and send them that photo of the letter you mailed. Copy the person you talked to at your local guardian office for extra proof of intent to cancel. Then, don't do business with any company in the future till you research their honesty and past customer complaints. As a final note, I read that thieves today know these alarm systems only give them 30 seconds to grab the one most valuable thing they can find and get out. So that's what they do. So Guardian's services are rendered worthless anyway.
Guardian has the worst customer service and an extremely bad product. False alarm trips, zone connectivity issues, technicians not following up on service calls... And they thought they were doing us a favor by buying out our ADT contract... complete crap.... Heed my warning and review.
The installation process is horrible. I signed the contract on June 14 they sales rep supposed to call me net day to schedule the appointment and he never called back! I had to call them and the first one they had available was after 2+ weeks. on the first day of installation they sent a guy who was from their contracting company (tech force) and he didnt have half of the parts with him self and told me Guardian only sent these parts. he installed some of them took almost 5 hrs! then he said he will call back tomorrow and come back install rest. he never called back! I had to call guardian to follow up and they said they need to send the parts to the contractor and they need to put me for another installation which is again another 2 weeks for first one they have available. They guy showed up again on 2nd installation spend 4 hours and couldnt get the doorbell camera to work he said this camera they sent is not compatible with guardian system and they need to order a new one and schedule for another installation. I spend more than an hour on the phone with guardian to explain them how bad is their installation and service and they didnt care at allll!! he said he will send the right part to contractor and again scheduled me for another week for installation. I asked them put it at least on Saturday so I dont need to get off from work and they never did it. I asked them at least send me the yard sign and window label they never did! so the 3rd time finally a guardian tech showed up and after 3 hrs I was successful to convince him to at least try another camera see if it has same problem and finally he did and start working!!!!! all this time I couldnt every week I was getting a called from guardian that want to know how satisfied you are with system and when I told them after a month still system is not installed they just said sorry and hang up the phone they never bother themselves or care to escalate it and at least get a supervisor or manager call. Please please make sure dont sign contract with this company or at least make sure they first install the service and then you sign contract if you want it. now I have to pay them from june 14 for something that was not installed
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We love our Brinks security system. We have not had any problems with them or the alarm. I feel comfortable knowing they are watching our home. We will continue to use Brinks Security. Would recommend them.
View More ReviewsAfter doing research on the net and reading reviews I decided to contact LiveWatch to get a security system for our second home. I found them to be really knowledgeable and very friendly. They shipped me a system that arrived two days later and set up a time for an activation call. The activation call is not only to activate your system but for them to help you with any issues you had installing the system.
The system was simple to set up and only took about 30 minutes to install everything ( putting sensors on windows,doors, motion,etc). Their equipment is very modern with touch screen and can be accessed via smartphone if you desire. After installing the system in our second home I was so impressed with LiveWatch customer support that I decided to replace our aging system in our primary house.
Their contract is month to month so not expensive lock in .
The customer service is first rate and I highly recommend these folks.
It hurts when you have to cancel service with a business you have zero complaints about. After researching a number of home security systems last year, I chose LiveWatch Security b/c of their pricing and service options. I haven't been disappointed at all. Their customer service is great (knowledgeable, prompt, professional and friendly) and I had zero problems with the security system - and cancellation happened without any hassle. The only reason I'm canceling my service is because I'm moving to a new home that won't require another layer of home security. But, as I told the customer service guy today - if I require the service in the future, LiveWatch will be the first company I contact.
I've been so pleased with our security system! It started with our sales security expert named Tim H. He was wonderful and answered my million questions. He was very patient and helpful. Then when we activated the guy who helped us was fabulous. We had a few issues and he took all the time we needed to feel comfortable with the system. We have had the system over a month and love it. Easy to use and makes us feel secure and comfortable. Thank you Livewatch!
We've had this security unit for 12 years, but Brinks just took over last month. I first got the unit because it was cheaper at the time. And it still is. I had to get them lowered a couple of years ago. The security equipment has been excellent. There was a time I accidentally opened the door and was not able to get the alarm turned off in time. The response time was good. I would recommend Brinks because I've had good service out of it.
This is the worst customer service I have ever seen. They made me signed the contract by showing some free junk and one of it is SkyBell doorbell. It stopped working in 3 months and their support team went over and over again several times before they send technician. Finally the technician discovered it as defective unit and send report to Brinks for replacement.
We had an alarm installed (incorrectly) from Moni in September of 2017. We had to have sensors moved and replaced several times. We purchased new windows, and 2 weeks prior to the installation tried to schedule a Moni tech to remove sensors, and reset when windows were done. They refused. Told me to just take them off, and put them back on with double-sided tape. Sensors were damaged in removal, and I have been trying to get someone from Moni (now Brinks), since February. No luck. Impossible to get anyone on the phone that has any understanding or authority to help me. Why pay the monthly bill?
I renewed my contract with Moni and then they transferred over to Brinks. During the process, I had gotten an email on the 26th saying they were going to Brinks. I asked what that meant and they said that Brinks is taking ‘em over and that they’re selling out to Brinks. I asked if it was still gonna be the same service and I was told yes. However, it wasn’t. Some of the costs have gone up from what they originally stated to me. Before, when I called and the guard the came out, it cost 20 bucks. They sent out a guard about a month ago and I sent a check to them, but they said they haven’t received it. It was for $40 and now they’re trying to charge me $45. I thought it was quite expensive to send a guard out.
I purchased a contract through Moni Security, which was just bought over by Brinks Security. I was stupid enough to get sucked into a 5 year contract for a lower payment. From the first couple of weeks and thereafter, I have had no end of grief. I was quoted a price of 53.00 with a video bell, the bell worked for a short time, then stopped working. After months of calling, they wanted me to pay to fix the doorbell which was an issue from the beginning. After many phone calls, they sent a technician who said the doorbell was defective and replaced it without another video doorbell which also worked for a short time and went out.
I originally signed up with Point Security which was taken over by Monitronics, then taken over by Brinks. I did not want to go with Brinks security because I had them before and was not pleased with them then. That is why I got a smaller company, so I wouldn't have to worry about dealing with a big company that could care less about their customers. Now, I have been told that Brinks has taken over the company and the only way out of the contract is to pay it off completely! I waited on the phone one day for 30 minutes to get transferred around and then hung up on.
We signed up with Monitronics Security about 6 years ago. We have had the system turned off during that time more than it has been on. Problems with batteries going low and continuous "beeping noises". I continued with the system until March 1 of this year. March 1, I contacted Monitronics to cancel the system. I was offered several options to continue the service. I said "no" to every one, letting the person know I don't want the system. If I changed my mind, I would contact them.
I called Brinks when I noticed my bill had doubled. They said they would lower my bill back to where it was before Brinks bought out Moni who was my old security company. Today I get a letter from Brinks stating I had agreed to extend my contract another 38 months. I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT!!! I never was told anything about having agreed to another contract. I told them I had sold my house and would be closing on September 17th, 2018. We would be moving. I called them to cancel my service and they said they would lower my bill. This letter I received is the first I'm hearing about a new contract. Now you best believe I'm going to cancel my service. I hope that call was recorded. Because the word contract was never discussed. How can they do this without my consent?
Just wanted to set up an online account, so can pay our bills on time, but as we tried to set up, it says you already have one, which we don't, it is brand new account. Started in June. Called the person who signed the contract with us, and set this account up, said she can not help, and we can not find anybody to help, so the bills were late last month, and will be late this month, because they are not mailing it by post, sending it by email, but there is no way we can pay. Lazy people! So frustrated!
DISHONEST - BEWARE! I agreed to a 1 year contract, cheated into 3 year contract without my knowledge! Brinks won't budge! 2 years ago, Monitronics came to my door sold me an amazing deal on an alarm system, the rep walked away leaving a flyer and he wrote no contract, monthly 19.99. I get mail a few days later saying I need to sign a 3 year contract and it's $75/mo. I said no. So we negotiated, I shopped around, we settled on 1 year contract, at $50/mo, no upfront costs, alarm system was complimentary. I felt that was fair.
I have been with Moni now Brinks for the last 3 years, and haven’t had to much trouble with them but renewed my contract this year due to the increase. I wish I hadn’t because ever since, I’ve had more false alarms in the middle of the night and now this fire alarm went off at least 5 times this morning and my screaming granddaughter was terrified. When a customer service person called my phone, he didn’t help. He just put me on hold and another person would answer and I’d have to repeat the same thing while the piercing noise continued.
I've had Moni (now Brinks) for almost 2 years. I signed a 3 year contract with them that guaranteed a specific rate for those 3 years. I assumed they would stick to the rate, so I wasn't really paying attention to how much they were auto debiting each month. Today while checking my bills I noticed that the rate seemed off, so I compared it to what my contract had and sure enough they are overcharging me. Within the first 6 months of the contract they began to charge me beyond the rate I agreed to. I was never notified of any price increase. It even says in the fine print that if the price changes then I am allowed to exit the contract.
I have had the absolute worst experience with this company. I initially joined up with Monitronics back in 2016, because there was a system set up at my house. I had a couple door locks added and paid on time every month like a good customer. I had so many issues with the service from the alarm not turning on, to failing door locks, to rude customer service, to the equipment shorting out my electricity by tripping my breaker box. When my contract expired in 2018, I called in to cancel my service after my two year term and they said it would be shut down. Then I got a bill. I called them to see what it was about and they said they sent me a cancellation email but it went to the wrong address and they said they apologized and would send another.
One year ago my family had a home alarm system by Monitronics installed. The services were good for a while and later off and on the system started having signal failure issues. We contacted the customer support number listed on our mobile app, and this has been the worst nightmare EVER! For starters the customer support is unprofessional, when you ask to speak to a manager you are denied the request. My family is so unhappy with this service now Brinks Home Security and want out of this contract. We are told you have to pay the full amount upfront before you can cancel. This was not told to us 2 days ago after spending 2 hours on the phone, cold transferred to the wrong dept, and back again to square 1. I hate the day Moni (Brinks) came into our LIVES!!!
The customer service was absolutely terrible. I ordered Brinks Home Security monitoring service with a nest secure system. When the system was delivered 2 days late I plugged it in as instructed but was unable to activate the account. After being on the phone with customer service and technical support for nearly 5 hours I finally discovered that the nest secure system wouldn't work because we do not have T-Mobile cell service coverage in our area. No one during the ordering process confirmed that the service would work.
I would give this company zero Stars if I could. When I first joined in the salesman came to my home. He informed me that I would be signing a 12-month contract for my home security. It is very unfortunate for me that I failed to read the fine print because I unknowingly signed a five-year contract rather than a 12-month contract. When I called a year ago to get my rate reduced since I was paying almost $50 a month for a service that I really wasn't even using because I never actually armed my stupid security system in the first place they never informed me that I was still under contract and offered to meet the price of the company I had threatened to switch to if I continued with a 12 month contract.
We signed up with Monitronics home security 3 years ago. We recently had a baby and are having to cut down on our expenses. We decided to get rid of our home security system especially due to the rate increase. My husband called to cancel since we were told when we signed up we could cancel without penalty. It turns out we signed a 5 year contract and the only way to get out of it is to pay it off. So now we are stuck with an alarm system we can't afford for 2 more years! I never would have signed a 5 year contract under these conditions. I feel like the salesman who sold us the system was dishonest so now we are stuck with a new company for 2 more years. I would pay an early termination fee but paying off our contract to cancel service is ridiculous. I will not be recommending this company to anyone. I am very dissatisfied and feel like we were lied to.
I told the representative that I would not sign a 36 month contract and to cancel everything we had spoken about. After three or so phone calls the first day I was assured that if he couldn’t give me a month-to-month that everything would be canceled. I returned from vacation to find that I had been charged for something I did not want and spent the next three days trying to find someone to actually pick up a phone and help me. I will never be back as a customer. I loved LiveWatch but it’s not even close to the same now.
I had been with MONI for more than 10 years and was considering canceling when I moved. I called MONI to tell them I was moving and they offered to install equipment at my new home for $199 and continue the rate I had been paying with a new five-year contract. I agreed and it has been nothing but grief since! They have tried to bill me $600 for install repeatedly and on top of that my monthly monitoring rate increased. I didn't know at the time I had called that they had recently increased my rate. I had assumed the rate they quoted me was including tax. After numerous phone calls, I think I have the install price straightened out but am stuck with the increased rate for a 5 year contract. Plan on telling them where to go once my contract is up.
Originally contracted with Monitronics years ago. Was never notified that Brinks took over the company. Have been trying to cancel my services for several weeks. Every time I call the representative says they're sending an email that I should receive within a "week." Really? An email should arrive in seconds, not days. Needless to say, Brinks has not sent any email with instructions for terminating my account, despite repeat calls and verification of my email address.
When I think of home security, smoke and fire protection is essential. Seems the dirty little secret these days is that the new systems that are digitally based as opposed to the older analog systems cannot handle the signals from smoke and fire alarms, and thus are not included in the popular promotional packages.
We signed up when the company was Monitronics, the sensors are literally stuck on to the windows with cheap adhesive. I’ve had police officers tell me, "In the event of an actual emergency please just call us 'cause this takes too long," but still kept it until recently when it came to light that even after calling them to update with new bank account information they continued attempting to debit the old account while still pulling the payment from the new account. This resulted in bank fees to the tune of 700 dollars on an account that should have never been debited... When I spoke with their customer service rep all she would say was "well we refunded a 25 dollar fee." But then you guys continued to try to use the same account I told you was no longer valid 30 more times. Awful customer service, awful billing practices. Never again will I use Brinks and I'll make sure every military family I know, knows not to use them as well.
Total imbeciles. They installed another Security Camera. No issue, except Bozo put the WiFi signal connection near the garage door opener. Oh what fun... The garage door opens at all times day and night...and the camera can’t connect because the WiFi is communicating with the garage door. I paid the Garage Door Company thinking maybe there was an issue, yet nope it’s Stinky Brinks and they want to charge me to repair their issue. I never had an issue with Moni...nor ADT before. Brinks stinks! The cust Service Person, "You’re bothering me because you aren’t happy". Well Kim, I’m not but you shouldn’t have a job. Value... It doesn’t work. It malfunctions. It sucks, Installation... Lousy... Monitronics knew what they were doing. These bozos were lousy. Nice but didn’t know a thing.
My unit went out and I called on a Friday, they scheduled a contract company to come on the following Thursday. The contractor stated my unit is on backorder until sometime in September hopefully. I am by myself all night and husband works midnights, I informed brinks that I needed a system within a week preferably. They stated my sensors only go with my existing unit so they can’t do that. Stated I will have to wait. I am disturbed that the company’s sole purpose is to provide security, yet they are with letting me go a minimum of 3 weeks without a security system. I am very disappointed on how this was handled. I started with NorthStar then Moni bought them, then Brinks now own them. Sad to see these small companies that go above and beyond being bought out by huge companies that see its customers as a number and not a priority.
Warning to all considering LiveWatch
A year ago I thought LiveWatch would be a good system for a home I was having construction work done on. The no contract seemed appealing- or so I thought. Things happened with my job to keep me away from being there to set it up. I repeatedly got called with appointments being scheduled for me, and I repeatedly told them no... I'm not there, I don't know when I will be. I'm away from my home state sometimes months at a time. The calls and emails kept coming until I blew up and demanded they cease calling. I was told I "had" to have an appointment and they'd just push it out a couple of months. No that's not ok. Don't call me , I'll call you. Finally they did listen to me... that is- for a while.
Fast forward one year and boom back to the barrage of numerous calls and emails with appointments being set for me- guess what - NO I'm still not in the same state so there will be no set up. Because of the harassment of numerous emails and calls I want NOTHING to do with this company. I blocked their number and they still manage to get through.
I am at the point of having a lawyer send them a letter to cease and desist.
Nobody likes being badgered like that.
This company's tactics are horrible.
I was originally excited to get this system. From all fronts everything looked and sounded great! No contract so that made it even better. However, the equipment stop functioning properly after 1 week. Two calls to customer service, having to wait for a response via email, and still no fix. I ended up going with Blink, a much easier system to install with zero issues. Advice for the company: improve your customer service response time and please try to get it right thr first time for your future customers.
this is a disguisting company. they call me 100 times per day in spite of asking them not to call. stay away from this desperate for business, unprofessional company
I was sent incorrect equipment and they missed 2 activation calls to me. I am returning system. They promise you everything but outside of the sales line it is impossible to get hold of anyone.
I am in customer service and sales there for I am not one to leave a negative review as I know the true impact; yet here I am. There is a problem when you clearly tell a company what you would like from them and they repeatedly tell you that they can provide those services. In the case of livewatch they have a lot of problems. It is very simple and easy in business to just come out and admit when you do not have the services that your customer is asking for instead of trying to sell them on services they do not want. I personally spoke with multiple managers that work for this company and not one of them is able to provide the services they all spoke of. Apparently the largest growing county in the United States last year is not a metropolitan area in which they have any services within 75 miles. Do yourself, your friends, and your family a service and avoid doing business with them at all costs. There are too many other more reputable companies that can actually provide proper service. To think I left my house unprotected for an extended time to let them try and work out a solution. Yet I call a reputable company in I have a system installed within a couple days. I could go on and on why this company does not deserve an A+ rating but will leave it at this. When it comes down to it would you trust your families life or your own with a company that can not deliver on its promises??
I, ALONG WITH 99% OF THOSE LEAVING A REVIEW, HAVE HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE WITH MONI/BRINKS. I was a VERY SATISFIED ADT customer, who was sold a MONI contract, by a very charismatic, deceiving 3rd party contractor. Unfortunately I fell for it, only because he was "local", and it was less expensive. I have been experiencing false alarms, the inability to connect with customer service and when I do get thru, have been put on hold for over an HOUR, (ESPECIALLY during the weekend and off hours) when those alarms went off, an INCREASED monthly payment which is higher than I contracted for, the inability to contact the third party contractor, which MONI stated I was "married to for a year", etc.
This is the first time I have had home security. I purchased this after a package was stolen from my front porch. The most important thing to me was the video camera. Well, they sold me an inside camera that they said would work through my front window to look at my porch. WRONG!!!! The reflection from the glass and the sunlight cause the camera to record everything BUT people coming up to the porch. After calling support and having them look at how the camera was seeing things, they said I needed an outside camera. So, I had to pay someone $150 to install the camera outside above the porch. The camera worked fine for a few days, then my internet service provider said I needed a new modem because the one I had was a known problem. When I switched it out, my camera no longer worked. I called support again, and they said I had to reset the camera. But I had to wait until someone could bring a ladder and reach the button to reset it. So, after it was reset (according to the directions on the site), the camera was not seen. I tried to call support while there was still someone here who could do whatever needed to be done to get this working. After being on hold forever, a recording said I had to leave a message. I got an email response TWO DAYS LATER!!! Of course, there was no one here to help at that time. I tried to log in to give it another try today, hoping that somehow the camera would be seen. I can't even log into the site! I opened the chat, but have been waiting for over 20 minutes for someone to chat with. I am going to cancel my account. Customer service is horrible!!! I've not had to rely on them for any emergencies, but I can't imagine they would be any better at that than they are with their customer service. Not worth the money or the trouble.
So all companies may fall short from time to time and I really did try to give Brinks a chance to make things right and in the end they lied soooo many time and get Money even though I canceled 3 days after activating. They sent me the wrong equipment and had to send an additional shipment and required me to send back the wrong equipment they sent. They said 15 minutes to self installed-I was on the phone for 3 hours-I am a very computer savvy. When the system was armed for the 1st time at 10pm-the motion detectors went off at 12am-scared the hell out of us. We look around the house saw nothing, laid in bed scared then they went off again at 2am. I turned off the panel-nothing there!
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