Do not ever use Protection One!!!!

Now normally I would not write about something like this but felt I should. DO NOT USE PROTECTION ONE for an alarm company.

As the majority of you know we are no longer in a retail location. We closed the doors back in October and left the building at the end of November. We had a security system there at the shop that was handled by Protection One that was once linked with Bellsouth. When the sales rep was out to take the order for an alarm system we were not told there was a "Contract period". We never signed a contract nor have a contract of any type in our possesion. We have installment papers and a certificate of completion. None of which state a term of a contract!!! So in my mass of things to do I just got around to calling Protection One to cancel the service that we no longer use.

To my astonishment they said they could not cancel the service that we had a 5 year term with 21 months remaining!! Now when I looked at mom after this first call we both were perplexed about any notion of a 5 year term. In subsequent calls to Protection One and repeated requests to get a copy of this so-called "contract" we have yet to receive one. I even asked for it to be sent by email yet to no avail. When I called back I was told it could take 24-48 hours to process an email!!! I've since looked up Protection One complaints online and found numerous ones. Most stating the same problem we are now having where we can't cancel service. Most state never being told they had a contract or that if you didn't cancel 30 days before your ending that it automatically renewed without so much as an okay from you. Many said they had sent in writing their cancellation letters only to be told it had not been received.

This company is nothing but a giant scam!!!! We've had many problems with them other than this in the past 3 years. Like a time where we were unmonitered for 4 months. When we questioned why we were not notified of a problem with the system they tried to say that they had called and were given the okay not to have to call back about the "Failure to Communicate"!! Now who in their right mind would do that? If you are paying for service of a security system you expect it to work......you would not say "oh, okay don't worry about it leave it not functioning for as long as you like!".

Now it is simply a waiting period to see if they can send me a copy of this supposed contract that they say we signed but we don't remember nor were ever given! In the meantime I'll make sure that if I can help it no one uses their service.

Sorry for the very off topic rant. Will try and post some pics soon of what's been going on lately.