Bates Security

After a LOT of research on all of the home security companies out there (e.g., ADT, Vivint, etc.) my wife and I decided to go with Bates, and while the experience was a bit rocky, we're still satisfied with our decision.
To give you some background, there are four people in our household -- myself, my wife and our two kids, and we have three cats. Our home is a 1960s style ranch home with one level and a finished basement.
From the beginning the sales representative went above and beyond our expectations which included consistent communication and a thorough walk-through of our home. He didn't hesitate to answer all of the questions we had during the walk-through, and in the end we decided that our security system would consist of 1 monitored smoke/carbon monoxide alarm, 1 glass break sensor, 1 motion sensor, 7 window sensors, 3 door sensor and a touchscreen control panel. The package we selected was the "Ideal" package with a few additions based on the layout of our home. Our contract is for 36 months, which is much easier to digest than the 60-month contracts that other security companies try to push.
Here's where things got a little bumpy.
After signing the contract (the sales representative met me at work which was awesome), I waited for several days to be contacted by an installation coordinator. It turns out that my phone number was incorrectly entered in their system, and after I personally reached out to Bates Security to inquire about the installation I was finally contacted by their installation coordinator to set up a date and time for installation.
A day or so prior to the installation I received another call where the installation coordinator asked if it would be okay to move the installation from the morning (~8:30AM) to later in the afternoon (~1:00PM) because there parts that UPS hadn't delivered yet. This wasn't a big deal because I was working from home the entire day.
The installers were a little late (~30 minutes), but I was fine with it because they called beforehand to let me know. The entire installation process took approximately 2 hours, and at the end of it I was given a brief, but adequate demonstration of how to use the system.
One last note, I found an offer on my employer's internal website that mentioned an offer (with 2 months of free service) that was no longer valid. I found this offer after I had signed my contract and brought this to my sales representative's attention. He apologized and explained that it was no longer valid.
Overall, I would recommend Bates Security, but would suggest some business process changes on the back end to improve their service in general. If Bates Security has any control over it, I would also suggest improving the user interface of their app, as it's a bit clunky and not as intuitive as I had hoped. That being said, I highly appreciate the frequent communication throughout the entire process -- from sales to installation, and look forward to recommending Bates Security to friends and family in the Lexington area.

This is a copy of the letter I sent to them.  I think this is the best review so I'm posting the letter.
Hi,
 
I wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate your company and
employees.  I?ve only had my security system for a short time.  During that
time, I must say, the service has been incredible and very personal.  It?s great
to deal with a LOCAL company and have the peace of mind that the office and the
call center is only 2 miles from my home.
 
It started from the very first day when Jerry came to our home and
discussed our needs so we could make a decision.   He was very professional and
took the time to explain everything to me as far as options.  He sold me what
worked best for us and did not try to sell us things that we really didn?t
need.  It also impressed me very much that I was originally told I wouldn?t be
able to see anyone for a week or so.  Then I get a call that it could be done on
Friday, which was 3 days after I initially called to schedule an
appointment.
 
The tech that did the installation was great.  I believe his name was
Aaron, but I?m not positive.  He was very efficient and knew exactly what he was
doing and he made sure that we were comfortable with everything before he left. 
He even went so far as doing ?drills? with my dog so that we knew for sure that
she wouldn?t set the motion detector off.
 
I was also contacted by Dwight by phone after an inquiry I had about some
of our services.  He was polite, professional and quickly took care of what I
needed.
 
On Sunday, my mom (who is 73) was at my house and we were going over, and
over, and over, and over, and over (well, you get the idea) how to use the
keypad and all the entrance and exit processes so she would be comfortable when
she needed to gain access to my house when we were away.  We even set the motion
detector off accidentally and the lady from the call center (I apologize for not
remembering her name) contacted me within 20 SECONDS, literally!  She was great
and even set us up with a window of time to teach my mom so that even if we set
the alarm off again, they would know why and that they didn?t need to call us
back.
 
Yesterday I had to contacted Jerry via email about some paperwork that I
wanted to get, and also that I wanted another keyfob.  He offered to send
someone to bring it all by and give it to me personally since I wanted another
person to explain it to my mom since she sometimes listens better to ?strangers?
than me.  The arrangement was made for someone to meet me after work!
 
Eric arrived early yesterday and was wonderful!!  He was very patient with
my mom and made sure that she was comfortable with using the keyfob, which makes
things so much easier for her so she doesn?t have to worry about anything once
she gets inside.
 
I cannot express enough how much I feel like I?m not just a customer, but a
neighbor and a friend who Bates cares about.  You have a great company with a
solid reputation.  You have the best employees, and if any of your other
customers are as happy as I am, then you have a lot to be proud of!
 
One more thing.......  my dog is 3 years old and is still a very wild
?puppy? who demands attention constantly.  EVERYONE that has been at my house
took the time to play with her and give her attention and even a treat here and
there.  My dog is my family and it meant a lot to me that they treated her so
well.  Maya even shoved her plastic hot dog into Eric?s hands, more than once I
might add, and managed to use her big brown eyes to convince him that throwing
it was the best thing in the world and he would love it as much as she did.  She
sat in the doorway and watched him drive away, and even whined for a few
minutes, as if to say, ?come back, my hot dog needs to be thrown again?!
 
I know without a doubt that not only does the security system makes us feel
safe, the service we have received and know we will continue to receive will
keep us as a customer for a long time!!
 
I would be more than happy to be a reference should you ever need one.  You
guys are fantastic!!
 
Lisa Palmer

I had the alarm system put in last April.  The owner got in touch with me immediately when I had some concerns, and I appreciated his professional courtesy, and went ahead with the service.  The installation was done professionally and carefully -- and the monitoring has been top notch.  When I had a few glitches figuring out the system, there was always someone there to help me figure things out.  
They are professional and courteous and I highly recommend them.

Their monitoring system is very good. They are extremely responsive. I've been happy with their service.

The alarms are working okay. The last time they came out was for a service call. There was no charge for that.

We have had a good experience with them. We live outside of town. When we have lightning storms the electricity fluctuates. When the alarm senses it they call just to make sure we ar ok. They ask for the security word and shut off the alarm. They are very responsive to the alarm going off. If I call them up I don't have to wait long for them to come out and service the unit. We have had them for four years and have not had any problems with them.