A Dt Security Services Inc.

ADT installed a security system at my new home in Sparks. I had good experiences with them in other cities and they were on my short list for quotes on the alarm system. The system itself went in without a hitch, it worked to my satifaction and it had attractive keypads that I really liked. The system wasn't installed/ tested correctly and resulted in multiple fines from the City of Sparks due to false alarms. First Problem- I had paid extra for ADT to install motion detectors that would ignore my dog. They tested the motions for functionality but failed to adjust the units sensitivity potentiometer for the size of the animal. They were set at maximum sensitivity and my dog would set them off. Second problem- the contact information on the form I filled out was incorrectly entered by ADT so I was not notified in the event of an alarm. I requested a two week "test period" before the system would dispatch the police department to make sure any bugs were worked out and we would avoid the steep fines from the City for false alarms. The way the system was programmed, we would leave and arm the system, the dog would set off the alarm, the system would be in alarm for a period of time and reset. When we got home it looked like nothing had happened. Because monitoring didn't have contact information correct we were never notified. We simply had no way of knowing the system had gone into alarm. Shortly after the two week test period when the system had gone "live" and we were on a vacation. The housesitter set the system each day before leaving and multiple false alarms began to pile up during the trip. Upon returning a contractor working across the street told me the cops were at the house several times. A few days later the city sent me a letter about the false alarms, one was free and two were fined, totaling several hundred dollars. I contacted ADT and they confirmed dispatching the police on the days in question. They had the incorrect number to notify me in their system. The city of sparks wasn't sympathetic to my situation when I called and I had to pay the fines. After several heated calls to ADT they finally subtracted the fine amounts from my future monitoring bill. The technician that came out to the house couldn't find a problem with the motion detectors. After they left I looked at the installation paperwork for the motion detectors and ended up making the sensitivity adjustment myself. There were no more false alarms after this fix.

Even after all this I gave ADT another shot when I moved to my next home in Reno. I bacame quite upset with the salesperson that came out. This time their quote was higher than the others. When I pointed this out she said, "well you still have some time left on your contract so you kind of have to go with ADT." I felt like they were pushing me around. I paid the early termination fee for the remaining time left and moved on. No more ADT for me.

We have been using ADT for several years now and things have been running smoothly. They have called the police for us several times and it has been a lifesaver. My favorite part is that it will announce whenever a door is open. Such a big help when my 4 year old opens the door without permission!