Home Alarm Contracts: Secrets & Savings

Home Alarm Contract Richmond Petersburg Fredericksburg

August, 2012
by John Allen
I've never met a customer who's said the word "contract" enthusiastically, usually its, "Is there a contract?", "How long is the contract", "I don't like contracts".  

The reason there are contracts is because the Home Alarm company is installing equipment which costs the company money, the installer cost money as well as the salesperson and overhead. Companies would go out of business if they installed systems for free, gave away the equipment for free, with little or no activation fee, and have no guarantee the customer will stay a customer long enough for the company to recoup its costs; equipment, installer, sales person, and overhead.  

Back in the old days before contracts. Home alarm systems cost a lot of money. Without the contracts they still do. You can get a system from most companies without a contact. But in most cases you will have to pay a lot more then $35 to $40 + activation fee. Most likely to have an alarm system installed without a contract it will cost you around $1200. 

If you currently have a Home Alarm system find your contract and read it. I have met many customers who have had all kinds of problems because they never read their contracts. And sometimes what they were told did not match the contract they had signed. You signed it you should read it.

Red Flags

• If on the front page of the contract, in plan sight, it does not state the basic "Terms" (monthly rate, activation/installation fee, length of contact), you might want to look for another provider. 
• You should be told clearly how long the contact is and it should also be clearly written on the FRONT PAGE of the contact. If not you might want to look for another provider. 
• You should be told if there is an automatic renewal. If a company has one they seldom advertise it. If you find a automatic renewal clause and were not told about it, contact the company and ask a lot of questions. If you are not satisfied you might want to find another provider.
• On the front page of the contract there should be a place where they write out the total cost of the contract. If there is no place for it or it was left blank contact the provider and ask why its not there or its blank. If you do not get satisfactory response you might want to look for another provider. 

If you have said yes to any of the above statements and you are in the "3 day right of rescission" window or you are now out of contract with your Alarm Company. You might want to look for another provider. If so call us we can help.

Do It Yourself companies in most cases still have contracts. But if you install it and damage the equipment you might be responsible. Also their warrantees might not be as encompassing because they are not installing the equipment you are. 

If you are in the market for a Home Security System and you would like to DIY check out the images below.