ONYX

Home Alarm Scam Alert

Margaret F. had just brought her 71-year-old husband home from the hospital – his leg had been amputated following complications from diabetes. She was, in her words, “a basket case.” So when a salesman from Alarm Professional Services showed up at her door pitching a $5,000 home security system, with a 90% rebate issued after a year. She was sold! She said that she felt vulnerable and the salesman was offering something that would make her feel more secure. She later learned that she and dozens of other residents had been duped, and never did see any rebate.

The Missouri Attorney General filed consumer fraud charges against Alarm Professional Services and one of its salesmen for using bogus rebate offers and high-pressure sales tactics to sell alarm systems, which should have cost less than half of what they charged their customers.

In Maryland, Elayne T. says she “went crazy” recently when she visited her parents’ home and saw an alarm system installed earlier that day by an aggressive door-to-door salesman. According to her, her father, who is 91-years-old and hard of hearing, didn’t understand what was going on when the alarm was installed within 45 minutes of the salesman’s call. According to the Maryland Attorney General’s office, more than 125 complaints involving home security systems have been filed in the past two years.

Complaints include:

• offering a free system, free installation or free monthly monitoring services that bind you to a long-term contract,
• using fear tactics to sell alarm systems, and
• advertising one price but producing a more expensive system during an in-home visit.

A reputable company will urge you to compare the systems, monitoring fees, and contract terms of at least three companies before making a purchase. And don’t just buy from the door-to-door salesperson. Before you sign any agreement, make sure the company is licensed in Maryland and ask for and check their references.