Dial Security

As much as I love supporting local and family run businesses, sometimes it is better to pay more and have the resources, professionalism, and reliability that larger companies offer. I DO NOT RECOMMEND DIAL SECURITY TO ANYONE -- ESPECIALLY IF YOU RELY ON THEM TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND HOME. (sorry for the all-caps) After having alarm monitoring services for over 5 years I had no choice but to cancel my service with Dial Security (DS). DS is a family run business, with many of the children having only mixed experience in security. I decided to finally cancel services and provided over a month of notice to Fallon Dundas (family member). At that time there was no mention of a premature termination fee. 21 days later, Blake Dundas (a family member, who graduated from high school just over 5 yard ago), mailed me an unsigned invoice for an early termination fee. I explained that no signatures/initials were signed on the contract agreeing to any fees, etc., but with his lack of business experience, all he could repeat is "...my hands are tied [ted] as the contractual obligations need to be fulfilled as the contract itself as a whole is binding..." I am guessing he recited language he learned in school. Blake then threatened to forward this to their legal department (probably mommy or daddy) to pursue legal action for final payment of the disputed $357.62. Not to worry, I have a real attorney. It is my understanding that their "central station". or monitoring center is not UL (underwriters laboratories). According to UL, being UL certified is an alarm company's "declaration that the alarm system equipment, installation, maintenance and service meet, and often exceed, minimum standard requirements. Being UL listed is an industry standard for monitoring centers around the country. I can recall the alarm going off in the middle of the night awaking my entire family, believing we had a home invasion. I walked through the house knowing the safety of my family was in immediate danger and our lives were at risk. Luckily, it was just a fallen sensor from a door, which activated the alarm (more about installation further down). What is perhaps even worse, is that the company we relied on for our safety and security wasn't there when we needed them; we never received a call from DS. Had there been an actual intruder, no help would have ever come and my family could have been hurt or worse. On other occasions, DS did call, but only after 10+ minutes. I recall speaking to a representative who called after an activated alarm; she explained, "... business alarms take priority over residential..." Hence why going with a larger company makes sense. Other times when DS called after an alarm, oftentimes they didn't ask for our code word (used to indicate we are safe). Completely unacceptable and a complete disregard to my safetly. Regarding the original installation - it was a sloppy, disorganized, unprofessional mess that left the new system in an inoperable state. There were literally extra drill holes in walls/ceilings, sensors installed incorrectly, chipped paint, a sensor literally hanging off a wall by wires, and debris left at two entrances. During the installation, one technician advertised that "... this has been a, "chaotic, disorganized job from the start..." It was disconcerting to hear this directly from an employee even though this had been our impression. As you know, Scott actually walked off the job and left during the installation. John indicated Scott has a history of doing this on previous jobs. All of my complaints and issues were documented and immediately communicated to either Colby Dundas [former assistant sales manager, Melissa Dundas [sales manager], Fallon Dundas [central station supervisor, Blake Dundas [business manager], Bill Dundas [general manager] (all family members), and Bryan Buck [former operations manager]. Just in case you are still reading this, let me repeat, I DO NOT RECOMMEND DIAL SECURITY TO ANYONE.

It wasn't installed correctly. They came out to fix the problem. A year later the sent an invoice stating I owed them for the work that was done a year ago. They told me I am going to collections and they are adding $5 each month the bill is not paid. When I spoke to the lady that signed off on the work, she remembered clearly that there was not charge for it. I wrote letters and called the supervisor a few times and left messages. I never received a call back. I'm happy with the quality of the phone and their work but I'm concerned about how unscrupulous they are with their billing practices.