V3 Security

Review: Salesperson made unsolicited sales call on elderly woman saying her alarm system company had gone out of business/they would install new equipment.

My mom has a Monitronics sign in her yard. On 10/7/13, a salesperson from V3 Systems, [redacted] called on my mother to advise her that Monitronics had gone out of business and they were there to install the new equipment. My mom is nearly 80 years old, hard of hearing, and was entirely too trusting to allow he and the installer, [redacted] to come in to her home (scary) and take apart her alarm system removing and taking all of the Monitronics equipment with them.

When she discovered she'd been scammed, Monitronics came out to re-install their equipment. My mom tells me that she is being refunded, but after reading the complaint just weeks from my mothers' ... I'm very concerned that if these folks aren't background checked, that something much more tragic could occur if they are preying on our elderly population.

V3 is supposed to come to my mom's house again tomorrow to pick up their equipment and ask my mom to sign a release. I will not allow her to do this alone, so I will be there to ensure there is no funny business.

What else can be done to a business like this?Desired Settlement: After reviewing the other complaint filed 10/25/13 with my mom's system being installed 10/7/13 - I am concerned they will continue to prey on more elderly people - can Revdex.com work with other agencies to have them thoroughly investigated?

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response

We have spoken with the customer referenced above on multiple occasions about her account. We received a call from the customer about a month after the contract started (outside of the 3-day right to cancel with no penalty). After a few discussions (Friday November 8th to the following Monday) we understood there was some confusion. We take concerns such as this very seriously and agreed to release the customer from her agreement with us and to provide documentation regarding the release without penalty for the customer to keep for her records. We placed the representative on probation for misrepresentation shortly after speaking with the customer. It was agreed we would come back to pick up any of our equipment that was installed and have the technician bring the release paperwork. Upon receipt of the equipment, we would process the refund for her. This is our standard procedure for cancelation within the 3-day right of recision.

The technician picked up the equipment and her daughter was present to supervise, as we noticed in the above complaint that was preferred. We certainly did not wish to cause any further distress and no further contact with this customer has been attempted.

We would like to reassure this customer and her daughter that all representatives within the alarm industry are required to undergo background checks at the federal level before obtaining a license to be an alarm company representative. Any criminal history is thoroughly investigated (for more information, the governing body is the BSIS, a department of Consumer Affairs). We hope we have been as transparent as possible with this customer's cancelation process and in this response; it is very important we avoid confusion at all times. We sincerely apologize for any confusion or headache we may have caused and issue a specific apology to the customer's daughter for causing any worry over her mother's safety or well-being. We hope this complaint has been resolved to everyone's satisfaction, and wish this customer and her daughter well.

Final Consumer Response

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)

This misrepresentation appears to be a common issue with this form after reading of other complaints of a similar nature.

What is of particular concern is that when the very nice installed came back to pick up the equipment, he had a release he wanted my mother to sign. I absolutely would not allow her to sign this as we may take this matter to an attorney so that this company will understand just how outrageous it is to take advantage of our senior citizen community.

So while I appreciate their well-written response an well wishes, I believe the company endorses their salesperson's behavior which is why he is still employed there.

If I can see two acts of a similar nature for the same company just on the Revdex.com website alone, how many go unreported/undetected?

Review: V3 used shady practices to sell me a system that was no different than service I already had, withdrew money from my bank and threatened addl. billing

On Sep 26, a V3 rep ([redacted] knocked on my door, offering to check out my home security system (I had a Monitronics sign in the front yard) to make sure I was adequately protected. He checked out my doors and windows and said that I should upgrade my system. He installed the upgraded system, had me sign paperwork, provide him with a voided check and took away my old equipment on the same day. That evening, I learned that the company has only been in business for two months and none of the links on their website work.

On Sep 27, the next day, I called to cancel V3 service and was hung up on by the rep. I asked Monitronics (my previous security service) to restore service and agreed to pay the service visit fee.

On Sep 28, when a Monitronics technician came out to restore security, he programmed the V3 equipment because V3 took the Monitronics equipment on Sep 26. I mailed V3 written notice of cancellation via registered mail.

On Sep 30, V3 submitted an automatic withdrawal request to my bank and withdrew $195. I had my bank stop payment and terminate V3 access to my account.

On Oct 1, [redacted] from V3 requested proof of my Monitronics account before they would terminate my agreement with them. They also insisted that I return their equipment. I explained that we reprogrammed the equipment because the V3 tech failed to leave the Monitronics equipment on Sep 26, and that returning the equipment would result in additional charges to me. Hillary said that a V3 tech could reprogram the systems, but I told them that I didn't want them to touch the system because of their questionable business practices. I was told that I would be billed for the equipment that V3 installed, and they would leave a bill on the porch.Desired Settlement: I would like the business to cease and desist any further action or communication.

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response

We have spoken with this customer and her daughter at length about the termination of this account. We followed the same procedures we have in place for any alarm set up, including same-day installation and, as the contract states, automatic withdrawal (ACH) for the monthly payments- a clause that the customer must agree to in writing and during our recorded quality calls before any transaction occurs. We have attempted to refund the money withdrawn but have been given error messages because a stop payment was placed on the funds to begin with. No money has actually been received for this installation.

We have attempted remediation with this customer's daughter through multiple phone calls to no avail, even offering to return the old equipment (we still have it for them), and reinstall it at no charge. We in no way asked them to contact the previous company and pay to have everything re-instated, we understand there is a cost associated and reinstallation is a simple, quick procedure. We still could reinstall the old equipment or at least return it to them and retrieve the hundreds of dollars we installed in the home, but the customer's daughter refuses to set up a mutually agreeable time that would let her supervise the exchange of equipment. Due to this, we would need to recoup the cost of the equipment, hence the need to mail them a bill. At this time, we have not mailed any such bill.

We have not attempted to speak with the customer or the daughter since October 1. It should be noted we have been in this industry for over 8 years, and the links on our website www.v3ca.com do in fact work.

We sincerely apologize for any distress or inconvenience we have caused Ms. [redacted] and her daughter, and are happy to oblige any further inquiries into this matter. We in no way intended to confuse, mislead or misrepresent our company or intentions and have a very clear contract that all representatives must carry with them in order to complete a new alarm activation and prevent any confusion. We are open to and encourage speaking with the Revdex.com further to ensure this complaint is resolved to Ms. [redacted]'s satisfaction.

Final Consumer Response

(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

We accept V3s agreement to lay to rest any and all claims related to this transaction. We sincerely appreciate the assistance of the Revdex.com in facilitating this outcome.

Final Business Response

We again apologize for any inconvenience this matter has caused. As we stated earlier, we in no way intended to cause any distress to Ms. [redacted] and her family, and have not contacted any one via any means other than through the Revdex.com since that last phone call, as desired.

We believe in reaching a resolution that is mutually agreeable with any conflict and wish to do so in this case as well. We think a reasonable solution is to forego the cost of the few items of equipment in the home so we can lay this claim to rest and agree it is resolved.

We again apologize for the inconvenience, and stress that we never intended to upset anyone. We certainly will be cognizant of this complaint with all future business.

I had V3 for almost a year now. They have been great. A couple of our friends have them as well and have not had any problems.