Livewatch Security

I requested a quote from the company web site.  I received an e-mail stating that someone would contact me.  They didn't, so I called them.  I received a quote over the phone followed by an e-mail confirmation.  I discovered the street address shown on the e-mail quote was for another customer.  When I questioned this in a reply e-mail the company apologized but gave me the same quoted price and options.  When I followed up with additional questions I did not receive a reply to my questions.  I am now on a regular e-mail distribution from the company and each e-mail has the same canned message: "SafeMart just launched a buy one get one sale and I want to make sure you get what you need before Thursday because the end of the week will be busy.  It's an awesome deal, here's a link: http://www.safemart.com/specials/safemart-sale.aspx/?email=personal"
I decided to stick with my current alarm system provider.

This has to be one of the most competent companies I have ever worked with.  I was a little uneasy with installing the sensors myself, but with their help it was actually incredibly easy.  The system has worked flawlessly so far.

The company was very responsive and I enjoyed working with them.  The installation was done over the phone and was fairly simple.  I did have some trouble with the actual installation of the door sensors, but it's nothing that can't be fixed and their customer service folks, again, are very responsive.

This is the second system we have purchased from Safemart, and we installed both systems ourselves. We installed the first GE Simon II system in our home several years ago and it has worked flawlessly ever since. The entire system is wireless except for the master unit, which is connected to a telephone line. I am technically pretty knowledgeable but, even so, the first system required me to do some programming that was slightly challenging. However, the newer Simon II system, which we just installed in our office, comes completely programmed and requires only physical installation of the sensors and master unit. The new master unit can be ordered with a cell phone built right in so it doesn't require a land line, and the monthly fee for this connection is very reasonable.... MUCH less than the cell phone in your pocket!! Also, Safemart now has a tech support person who calls after the system is installed, to activate the account and to make sure everything is working properly. We have found the GE Simon wireless technology to be absolutely trouble free and we have never had a false alarm. A couple of the wireless sensors are a pretty good distance from the master unit but they work perfectly. Overall, we think that Safemart is a first class operation, with customer service that is second to none. Their monitoring rates are also among the most reasonable we have found, and that service is also excellent.

While expanding an existing wireless GE home alarm system and upgrading the monitoring connection to cellular seemed like a daunting task, SafeMart sales and support make it s breeze.  The recommended parts programmed and worked exactly as they said they would, and setting up the monitoring was a simple as a pair of phone calls.  Smooth as can be. 

This was my first experience with selecting a home security system, so I do quite a bit of research starting in September of this year (2012).  We talked with friends who were going to install a system through one of the other nationally recognized security system providers.  When I looked into their pricing, I didn't like the fact that their contract called for a three year commitment and on top of that, their monthly monitoring was way more than what I wanted to spend.  I contacted several local installers and looked at various online businesses/providers and all seemed to have high equipment and or monitoring services.
When I came across Safemart, I looked at their reviews on Angie's List to get a feel if this was a reputable company (since no one that I knew in our neighborhood/community uses their monitoring services).  I also compared their equipment costs and their monthly fees to the other quotes that I had received.
What finally sold me was a combination of factors including:
1. Black Friday special discounts with a fairly low cost to upgrade to the GE Simon XTi control panel. Total cost of equipment including two glass break sensors, one keychain remote, three window/door sensors, GE XTi touchscreen panel, cellular module including configuration was $512.11.  Overall, this might be higher than some of the other services/providers, but well in line compared to if I went online and purchased each item separately on Amazon, Ebay or even through a home security specialty store.
2. I selected to prepay for one year of their basic monitoring service ($239.40).  To this, Safemart added 3 months of free service, so I look at it as getting 15 months of service for $15.96/month.
3. I am just committed to the 15 months of service - no long term commitment.
I can say that sales and technical staff who I have talked to have been professional, courteous and knowledgeable.  I did have a question as to whether I should use a motion sensor as we have a dog that weighs just over 45 pounds.  The sales person and I talked through our home situation and I finally decided to go with the glass breakage sensors.  It may be possible that a professional installer could have aimed the motion sensor so as to not detect our dog, but I am still satisfied that I went with the glass breakage sensors.
The equipment was shipped in a very timely manner (actually arrived earlier than expected) so I plenty of time to install the sensors and play around with the GE Simon XTi panel to get a feel on how it worked.  Online videos and printed materials that came with the equipment were very helpful.  I did purchase a glass breakage tester through Ebay and had time to test each of the glass breakage sensors, so I feel confident that they are working.
The technician that called to activate my system was very helpful and only took about 15 minutes (more or less) as I really didn't have any many questions to ask.  One question I had was what the metal rod was to be used for - duh -  it's the stake for the LiveWatch sign.
Only odd thing that happened was about 4 hours after I had talked to the technician and the panel was activated, it started to emit a faint, constant, but high pitch buzzing sound.  I called the SafeMart support phone number and was told to monitor the panel overnight and then call the next morning if the sound was still occurring.  Funny - it stopped sometime during the night.  Maybe a test signal from the cellular module???  Don't know - never called back to talk to any technician, but everything is working fine since.
Overall, I am very, very pleased and can honestly say surprised with the high quality service and support that SafeMart has provided.

Easy ordering process and product was delivered complete and configured properly. Arrived one day later than expected despite promise for expedited shipping which required me to reschedule the setup appointment. Online materials were very good and installation was quick and straight-forward. Monitoring with video is more expensive than desired.

We researched several companies online, checked the BBB and Angie's List for recommendations and chose Safe Mart. One of the factors considered is that they have multiple (3) monitoring locations in case power goes out in one town, another takes over, so the monitoring should work anytime.  We ordered the sensors and service online on a Saturday, then a representative called us on Monday to confirm the order before anything was done. Sensors and the control pad were programmed and shipped the same day - arrived in plenty of time to install and be comfortable with.  The company sets up an appointment at the initial confirmation conversation, to call and check the installation and do some testing of the connection via the unit's internal wireless connection. I had to have all the sensors in place prior to that.  At the appointed time, the technician called - everything went smoothly and he answered any further questions. It took only about 20 minutes - for some folks, it might take a bit longer - I had familiarized myself with the system beforehand.  Overall a simple experience.

The ordering process was very easy and the equipment arrived within several days.  The company made a self install call appointment and  guided me through the very simple activation process.  I had the system functioning properly in less than one hour.

Salesperson was friendly and thorough. System was shipped promptly, and installation was easy. Testing and activation was timely. Customer service responded to concerns immediately, and corrected issues.

The overall experence went very smooth.

Terrific customer service and support. Sales team is a little too scripted but do their job. Very easy to install and use. Contract is only 12 months, where most are 36 months.

At the end of the day my alarm system is up and running but couple things to note: ·         New system went out 3 days in- took about 10 emails to support and me getting frustrated before they sent out a new unit- seemed h*** bent on trouble shooting and getting me to take apart the three day old unit as opposed to getting me out one that worked.  They always need to ask ?their manager?.  Seems like a lack of empowerment to make things right. ·         Did not swap the old and new units correctly so nightly for about 5 days got a call from the alarm company at 11pm at night saying our signal was out.  Not fun. ·         At the end of the day, it?s working now but not sure I would do it again.  For me there was an overpromise on their website and videos and an under delivery on the service backing up the product.

The products offered are good and the over-the-telephone service is excellent. But there were many small details that did not go smoothly that made the installation frustrating and excessively time consuming. Some examples:

- The Simon XTI panel has an internal battery that takes over 24 hours to charge. Until the battery is fully charged, one gets warning beeps every few hours, which meant that the first night of powering up the panel, my wife and I were woken at about 3am in the morning by the beeps. Why couldn't Safemart include a page of explanation, forewarning the beeps and explaining how to turn them off until the battery was fully charged? You can hunt down this information on the Internet, but doing so at 3am was not pleasant.

- The battery pack on the XTI panel was actually faulty and never reached full charge. While Safemart replaced the battery pack for free, it took over a week for them to acknowledge there was a problem and fix it.

- The documentation that came with the items was incomplete and the videos on the Safemart website were mainly for the earlier XT panel, not for the XTI panel. This cost me extra time to hunt down the necessary information of how to install and configure. Safemart, given its many customers, should have had clear complete instructions of what to do from the start. For example, I did not trust the sticky tape for mounting motion detectors but there was no documentation with the motion detectors or video on the website about how to mount them using drywall anchors and screws; given the thousands of customers, this should have been a no-brainer to create a video that shows the simple details. The plunger-based door sensors I purchased required a 12"-long 1/4" wide drill to make a hole long enough in the door or wall to receive a 8" antenna but this was not mentioned in any of the documentation, nor does Safemart provide the $8 12" 1/4" drill needed to get the job done. Drywall anchors and screws for mounting the XTI panel or smoke alarm on the wall or ceiling were NOT included nor was I given an option to ask for these. While Safemart sent me these for free once I realized these items were not included with the original order, I again should not have had to spend time on this.

- I requested a partial refund for some items I bought through Safemart's low-price guarantee (other websites were selling the motion detector and smoke alarm at a lower price than Safemart). It is now three weeks since I requested the refund and, after sending two emails to follow up on my original request, I have heard nothing about my request or when it will be acted on. 
Independently of these weaknesses, I was disappointed with the design of the GE XTI panel and related touch panel that I purchased. The alarm, cellphone, and panel are all bundled together in one unit, which means that it is easy for a burglar to find the panel via the alarm and then destroy it. While this won't prevent an alarm from going out (if you are paying for the Crash and Smash), it would make more sense to have the alarm mounted separately from the cellphone and panel so that it is hard to find the location of the panel. This would also save money for many customers who would no longer need to pay the extra $10/month for the Crash and Smash feature, and who could avoid replacing the costly panel and cellphone. I don't need to arm or disarm or monitor my home system remotely, so I would have chosen to pay $20/month without Crash&Smash if the alarm were not part of the XTI panel.

The touch-screen interface is not as tactile and satisfying as a real keypad, if one is tired and it is late at night, I can see making mistakes trying to tap on the pad compared to using a keypad. There is no LED on the XTI or touch panel that indicates at a glance and at a distance that the panel is armed or unarmed, you have to walk up to the panel to see if this is the case.  While the XTI is easier to install, it is a step down in quality and convenience from using the keypads that came with my original alarm system.  The secondary touch panel can not act as a door chime which is annoying if the main panel is on a second floor and the touch panel is the main way of arming and disarming the system.
These weaknesses are not Safemart's fault, but it is disappointing that the GTE equipment is not better designed, or that Safemart can't exert some influence in improving the design.
On the plus side, it is easy to add new sensors and change the programming with the XTI, this is a big improvement over the Ademco Vista-10 SE system that was originally installed in my house, which was impossible for anyone except an expert to debug or modify.
The bottom line is that it is a good and convenient alarm system to work with, the pricing is reasonable, it is fairly straightforward to install, and Safemart offers excellent phone support. But the installation did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, and the first few days of installing the sensors and detectors took too much time.

An update as of November 4, 2012: Shortly after posting my comments about Safemart on angieslist, I got a call from Sam McBride of Safemart who wanted to discuss my comments. We discussed them at length and i was satisfied with how he cared about and paid attention to each of the issues and acted on them directly. In particular, he expedited the refund that I had requested based on price matching, gave me some extra months of monitoring to compensate for the difficulties I had run into, and collected and forwarded my comments to appropriate people in Safemart about the need for better documentation, for more online videos that show how to install various items, about problems I had run into with beeping of the charging battery pack and a having a bad battery pack, and my comments about how the XTI unit hardware and software interface could be improved. So I think this is excellent customer service, that Safemart is paying close attention to customer comments and is acting on comments to improve the quality  of the experience for current and future customers.

We were looking for a self-installed alarm system that included door and window sensors, motion detection (that would also allow a pet in the house), and camera surveillance--WITH MONITORING. SafeMart offered it all. My only hesitation with SafeMart is they are not a local company; they are headquartered out of Saint Marys, KS. My fears were calmed after reading the reviews on Angie's List (97% A rating) and checking them out on the BBB website (they have an A+ rating).
All of the sensors are wireless and came pre-programmed to the control panel. Installation (less than 30 minutes) was very simple thanks to the included instructions and videos on their website. The only "wiring" required was getting AC power to the wireless camera; mounting/installing the camera added about an hour to the process since I ran the wiring into the attic.
The activation process was smooth and simple; the SafeMart consultant walked me through it with no problems. Camera setup was a breeze.
Our sales consultant, Peter, was VERY helpful. He even emailed us several times through the process to make sure everything was going well. Because we prepaid the monitoring for a year, we received three months of additional monitoring for free. They also put our name in a daily drawing to receive 10-months of free monitoring...and WE WON!!! Peter called us personally to deliver the news.
I had to contact the service department on one occasion with a camera issue. They responded immediately and we were able to resolve the problem in less than 30 minutes.
We love being able to monitor the camera from our iPhones, iPads, or the internet. The system can also be activated/deactivated remotely.

It generally went well.  The customer service seems very good from what I have experienced so far.  The only negatives--they were 30 minutes late calling for the install appt. and I had one motion sensor which was humming, and had to be replaced.  They replaced the sensor at no cost.  Generally satisfied so far.

unknown

Representatives we thorough in explanation prior to purchase and after purchase.

Had alarm system installed and tested/.  Worked great had no problems at all.  System tested and Leitchfield police were called within 60 seconds of alarm going off,  Camers were tested and record 27/7.  Great system!

They were incredibly helpful. Anytime I called with questions they were very prompt to answer. Any concerns that I had they were great. They were prompt when I had my setup appointment for the activation. They were right on time. It was super easy to install the system. The instructions were clear and easy to use. Everything so far has been great with them. I would absolutely use them again in the future.

I received all of the sensors motion detectors in the mail along with the monitoring control panel.I read the instructions and installed the sensors and motion detectors myself. They called me promptly and walked me through the monitoring set up on the control monitor. They were very helpful and stayed with me until I was comfortable with working the system. It is hooked to my app and computers. I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for a home alarm system.

We like the fact that it was simple for us to use and install ourselves. The system can even be moved when it needs to be and there is no calling to have a service man to come and do it. So far it as worked wonderfully.

Well.

Ordered an wireless self-install alarm system...  Shipped promptly and was already pre-programmed when it arrived...  Easy install and activation...  Had a small issue with the way the motion sensors were programmed, but was easily and effortlessly fixed with a single phone call...  Customer service and service personnel are extremely knowledgeable and helpful...  Spoke to American's actually living in Kansas (where the system comes from)... Got several follow-up calls to make sure everything was working properly and that we were happy...  Has worked flawlessly since the install...  We are COMPLETELY happy!!!

I was looking for an affordable yet reputable alarm and alarm company.  I was lucky enough to find SafeMart.  The equipment is self-installed but was very simple to install myself.  There was a Fourth of July sale happening and they gave me the sale price on the equipment as well as the Angie's List monitoring coupon.  We are currently paying $20 a month for monitoring service that includes cell phone monitoring for us.
After you purchase, you schedule for them to perform a test of your system and also assist you with any installation issues you may have.  The customer service truly is customer service.  They were friendly and answered any questions we had prior to purchase.  The best part was that they never mislead us or made empty promises to us that normally cost the purchaser in the end.  The contract is only for 1 year which is a competitive advantage over many other monitoring services. 
Overall, the experience was very pleasant and stress free.  I highly recommend SafeMart for those who are comfortable with installing basic electronics.