ADT has been in business for a long time; serving consumers who are interested in home/business protection and also medical alerts. This slideshare is a comprehensive review of all of ADT's services, written by an expert from TheBestCompanys.com.
2. About ADT
With 140 years of experience protecting your home, ADT has some of the best and
most user friendly monitoring systems on the market. They boast over 200 regional
offices across the United States and have more than 450 authorized dealers of their
products.
They not only have a network of monitoring centers in the U.S. but also back up
systems in the event of high call volume, or disasters.
ADT handles more than health alert systems, they provide services for home and
business security as well. They also offer a free in person quote if you qualify in your
area.
3. Better Business Bureau Rating
⢠ADT has been an accredited business since 03/11/2013.
⢠A- rating
⢠4,738 complaints have been closed within the last 3 years with 1,552 closed in the
last 12 months.
⢠442 complaints were regarding advertising and sales issues.
⢠1,379 were involved with billing and collection problems.
⢠21 were regarding delivery issues.
⢠51 complaints were about guarantee and warranty issues.
⢠2,845 were for problems with product or services.
4. ADT Features
⢠Fall detection pendant
⢠Waterproof help button
⢠Can be worn as a necklace or on the wrist.
⢠300 foot range for the traditional system, 600 foot range for the fall detection.
⢠Multiple system options
⢠Flexible contracts
⢠Lifetime warranty
5. Fall Detection Features
If you need a bit more protection than the traditional system will give you, the fall
detection system may be a good option.
⢠600 foot range
⢠The pendant detects when it has been lowered 12-18 inches or more suddenly.
⢠The pendant can also tell when there has been no movement for 20-30 seconds
and it will automatically alert the response center.
6. Pricing(
⢠$29.99 per month with a landline in the home.
⢠$39.99 per month with no landline in the home.
⢠$30 activation fee
⢠Shipping $9.99
We were told that they often offer a special which includes free activation. Before
purchasing the system, make sure to check their specials.
7. Returns and Service Cancellations
If you decide you want to cancel service within your 12 month contract, there is a fee that
you will be charged. It will be 75% of the remaining balance on your term. For instance, if
you cancel and have 6 months left in your contract of $29.99 per month (29.99 x 6 months
= $179.94) you would end up owing $134.95.
However, if you need to cancel or pause service because of health reasons or death, just
call ADT and they will work with you so you are not paying for services while you donât
need them.
If something breaks or gets lost due to your own negligence, ADT informed us that they
typically wonât charge you for replacements or repairs the first time or two. The
representative told us however that if it becomes a consistent problem then she thinks the
price would be around $40 which is the cost of an extra pendant. Be advised that she was
unsure of the exact amount.
8. A Note About Lack of Landline
The price changes a bit when you donât have a landline in the home. If there is no traditional
phone service in your home, you do need access to a 3G cellular. Be advised that 3G service is
not available everywhere so this might encourage you to have access to a landline to ensure
that you can get help whenever you might need it. (
9. Customer Support Quality (
The customer service representative we spoke with was very friendly and informative. Every
question was answered thoroughly. It is especially nice that you can get ahold of customer
service even in the late hours of the day.
11. The Good(
⢠There are two simple systems to choose from.
⢠Customer service is friendly and helpful.
⢠The pricing is pretty competitive for a system with a landline in the home.
⢠They are willing to replace or repair the equipment for free the first couple times if you break it
yourself.
12. The Bad(
⢠The amount of complaints on the BBB is a bit concerning to us. However, we donât know how
many of these were regarding the medical alert systems.
⢠12 month contract
⢠High Activation Fee
⢠Their website is very limited with information which requires a phone call. Many people
prefer to get what they need just by browsing the web, so to have to call might be
considered an inconvenience.
⢠You canât get sales information on the Live Chat feature on the website. Those
representatives are strictly for scheduling appointments. This should be noted on the
website, but it isnât.
13. Summary(
Itâs a concern that they have so many BBB complaints, but they have been in business for a
long time. We think that ADT would be a good company to consider for your medical alert
system needs. Make sure to compare them side by side with a few others to make sure their
features fit up with your needs.
With the longevity of the company and the wonderful customer service, we recommend this
company.