Checkmate Security Systems, Inc.

Review: I have been a customer of Checkmate for over 11 years. In 2014 I have had problems with the wireless sensors in my home. I kept getting false alarms and Nassau County Police department fined me $100.00 in 2013 and a total of $225.00 in 2014. Checkmate came and replaced the sensor in 2013 that kept giving me false alarms and told me the others were fine. I paid my fine and the Checkmate bill and had no complaints. Then in 2014 other zones started to do the same thing. It took several weeks for Checkmate to come and replace the sensors. Checkmate does not work Saturdays and they don't make their schedule to the day of as per [redacted]. So I was on standby for I needed an afternoon appointment (1:45pm or later). I then asked if Checkmate could call my cell phone as the call number for central stations so if the alarm goes off no more false alarms and fines. [redacted] said she could do that. I finally had them come and replace the balance of the sensors. The very next day I receive a false alarm and they call my house not my cell as promised and another fine comes from Nassau County making it now a total of $225.00. When I called them back and informed them that the system is going off and you just completed work here 24 hours ago I was very annoyed. Their workmanship and office procedures are costing me more money. They promised me they would come and fix it free of charge and would also perform per Checkmate a mandatory fire inspection for the year. They come back and there was a broken wire in the bathroom which was just replaced!!!! No work ticket needed to be signed cause I was not being charge and I didn't remember seeing the fire inspection being done. I was busy doing homework with my three kids when the service man was doing the repair. So I call and find out the fire inspection was not done. Again, very unhappy Checkmate says they will come back so now I schedule another day for them to come. Then they mail me a bill for $92.33 I was beside myself! This work should of been done on the previous visit. I call and speak [redacted] and she is very rude and tells me no that it was never on the previous work ticket! I was done!! Checkmate is costing me money and not providing me service as promised. I informed [redacted] that I would not use them and she said you have a contract. I said I signed it over 11 years ago are you kidding me with what what service you provided. Checkmate is now sending me bills for a balance of a contract they say I signed on 1/*/13. Which I can tell you I did not sign this on the date they are providing I signed it over 11 years ago and it was not 1/* of any year. They are not even open for business on New Years Day. They provided me with a copy and it looks like it has been altered! I have signed with a new company and found out this mandatory fire inspection that I have been paying for for 11 years in not even state or county required. This is absurd after being a loyal customer for 11 plus years. I called again to cancel service for they were billing my credit card. I had to inform my credit card not to pay them and I sent them written notice as per [redacted] request. I did pay the bill of $92.33 I don't want my credit being ruined the bill they are sending me of $632.16 is beyond absurd!Desired Settlement: I want their finally bill (currently $632.16) to be voided and removed as a customer.

Business

Response:

First I would like to clarify the following: we do provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is the customer's choice to pay for emergency service or not. Our policy for service is that we do the schedule in the morning after all the calls come in and call the customer with a four hour window. [redacted] always requested an after 2 appointment and was told we would do our best to accommodate her. The annual fire inspections are mandated by the Nassau County Fire Prevention Ordinance, Article 17, see attached.[redacted] had 3 service calls. The first one, on Oct. **, 2014, was to replace wireless transmitters that she supplied. The second call, on Oct. **, 2014, we found a broken wire and replaced the contacts on a window. This problem had nothing to do with the first service call and would have normally been billed out but as a courtesy to a longtime customer we only charged her for the parts and not the service call. The third call, on Nov. *, 2014, [redacted] called it in as a fire alarm ring off and informed the office that she had just had an inspection on her last service call so the [redacted] wrote that on the service ticket. Again, this had nothing to do with the previous service calls. Upon reviewing our records we found that her inspection had been 9 months prior and therefore the guarantee period of 30 days was in fact over which is why she was charged.[redacted] signed a 5 year monitoring contract, see attached. This contract became effective Jan. *, 2013 and does not pertain to service. We are billing her for 80% of the balance of the contract due to a breach on her end by cancelling her monitoring and going to another provider. She was informed of this prior to her cancelling.While we can certainly sympathize with [redacted] regarding the fines she was receiving we performed the service requested each time we were there and always left the system in satisfactory working order. The contract is strictly for monitoring and does not pertain to service.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

As I said Checkmate responded to my request for service and they came on 10/**/14 to replace several transmitters that I supplied for Checkmate's price for they are over double what I can buy them online for. I am aware of this because they replaced transmitters in 2013. On 10/**/14 one of the transmitters that they replaced went off causing me another false alarm and another fine. Checkmate service call cost me money due to not installing the transmitter correctly. Checkmate came back on 10/**/14 The tech showed me the problem it was a wire. No new contacts were replaced no new parts were needed the wire needed to be connected as per what the tech told me. How can Checkmate say that is not related to the work they just did? I would think that its not my negligence that a wire was not installed correctly by their tech on 10/**/14. Checkmate says they billed me for labor and not parts is false they never billed me for the 10/**/14 visit they need to get their story straight. Checkmate was suppose to do the fire inspection as I said on 10/**/14 when they came back to the correction as per my request for the year was almost up and it was due. As stated I didn't think it was done so I called back again about it and found out that it wasn't so they came again on 11/*/14 and then billed be for the service call. Which I think is unjust since the work was requested to be done on 10/**/14 and Checkmates inspection took maybe five minutes. How can a Checkmate's [redacted] write that I had an inspection on by ticket 10/**/14 when it never did I never told her I had requested it be done on 10/**/14 when I called 10/**/14. Own up to that someone on Checkmates end made another error at my expense. Why would I still want a company to supply me with service/monitoring when they are costing me money and cant keep their records straight. Checkmate actions show me that they don't care about the Customer they just want your money. After being a dedicated customer for 11 years and being frustrated with these past events they did nothing to justify the situation and my expenses incurred by there work/customer service. I do not want to do business with them ever again and should not be tied into a contract that I DID NOT SIGN AS THEY STATE ON 1/*/13! I signed it over 11 years ago. Also, Checkmate never ever told me about emergency hours or rates for them. I was told they don't work Saturdays again customer service issue . As for the mandated fire inspection Slomins Home Security says differently. I feel they are treating me unfairly and should accept their mistakes and be done with it and end this on going nightmare. Checkmate should do the right thing for once in this situation.

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Sincerely,