Sting Alarm Reviews (%countItem)
Sting Alarm Rating
Address: 7120 Rafael Ridge Way, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89119-4002
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The main complaint is the business charged me ($599) for an alarm install that I canceled on 3-18-2020 by signing their 3 day right of recision form.
Before I closed escrow, I received multiple calls/emails from Sting Alarm's sales manager, Todd Villazante trying to sell me an alarm system indicating that they are the main installing company in the community. I agreed to an installation on 3/18/2020, but when the installer arrived, he had too many questions and changes to what I originally talked to the sales manager. I tried calling the sales manager, only to find out he had been laid off, so I left a message with John Laughlin (his boss). So, I decided to cancel the installation and signed the 3 day right of recision. The next day I got a call from the monitoring center indicating a trouble, which I told them I don't have an alarm as I canceled the installation. I asked for someone to call me back, which the monitoring manager did and I told him that I wanted someone from Sting alarm to call me back. As the monitoring center is a contract center in Pennsylvania. No one called me back. On 3-28-2020, I noticed that on 3-18-2020, Sting Alarm charged my credit card for the installation ($599), so I called, got the monitoring center, they said that they will pass the information to Sting alarm to have someone call me back. No one called me back. I have made two additional call requesting a call back with the same results. I understand that we are in unseen before times in business, but them charging me when they know that the installation did not occur is very shady.
I have disputed this charge with my credit card company, so Sting should immediately rectify this issue. The business should review their internal processes so that this does not happen to anyone else. They should resolve the communication problems between their contract monitoring center and their business office. They should also understand that I will never do business with them and I will spread the word to my community of their poor business tactics and lack of response.
Customer received chargeback on 4/9/2020. We were unable to provide a refund due to the chargeback.
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Business finally refunded the charge
Sting alarm has sold me a poorly functioning security system and has failed to meet the level of customer service promised.
My wife and I were originally customers of a company that was purchased by Sting Alarm. They continued our monitoring of the system as installed for a number of years on yearly contracts. In September of 2017, we moved to a new property. We contacted Sting and had them put in a security system which included a doorbell camera. At the time of installation, we were charged an amount that was not what the salesperson (John L) had quoted us. I spoke to John that day and he assured me that this would be applied as a credit to our account. Over the next months, the credit was not applied as John had assured me. It took multiple phone calls, each one ending with John telling me he would "look into it and call me back tomorrow". He never did. Eventually a $90 credit was applied to our account. By this time, we were experiencing issues with the online recording of the camera. At multiple points, the camera would stop recording clips. This happened sporadically throughout the next year of our service. This is a key function of the camera and John conceded in a 10/29 phone call that it should not have happened. In September of 2018, the motion sensor on the camera stopped working. I made calls to the Service line and they made attempts to fix it, which worked for a day or two (at this time they also presumably fixed the issue with clips recording, though the camera did not work to test). I came to feel that the poor quality of their equipment, the lack of ability to record and the customer service that was bellow the level that is expected of a Revdex.com accredited business was enough to change companies. Still under the impression that I had signed on under the terms of the old company, I contacted John to let him know I intended to leave (the 10/29 phone call referenced above). John informed me that I was under a 36 month contract with no buyout. When I asked what the buyout was, he told me that the buyout was "the remainder of the contract". He said that he would "get back to me tomorrow" with possible solutions. That night I laid out our service issues in an email. John did not return that email. I wrote an email on 11/2 expressing growing frustration with the consistent lack of customer service and the fact that the onus was always on me to solve any issues. John did not respond. On 11/7 I wrote an email an email stating that this was my last try to resolve this problem with him. He responded to this email the same day saying that they would take 3 months off of the length of the contract and resolve this for $949.05. He laid out some of the things they did in an effort to service my system, however at no point did he address the issue of customer service or the camera not recording clips. These were expressed clearly in my part, both on the phone and in writing. He agreed that they should not have happened on the phone. By this time our system had not functioned correctly for over a year. I responded to his email (also 11/7) with a few things that were incorrect and reiterated the issues that were not addressed. This email is the end of our contact.
I feel very strongly that Mr. L has not held up his obligation as a Revdex.com accredited business. When they became our service provider, I researched them and saw that they were Revdex.com Accredited and knew that this meant that they had an exemplary service standard. The Standards of Trust state that they are to be responsive. I have emails (which I would be happy to provide) that show the consistent patern which I have experienced that is well below this standard. I have felt from the beginning of our new contract that if an issue occurred, the onus was on me to fix it. I still feel that way.
I would like a reasonable buyout of this contract. While I acknowledge that I entered into this contract (though it was never discussed) , the buyout offered by Sting is not reasonable of a company that has not upheld the Standards of Trust. I feel that 3 months of service cost ($49.95, $149.85 total) is reasonable. I am willing to return all elements of the Sting system in their current condition.
While we understand Mr. B concern with his doorbell camera, this is simply not grounds to cancel his contractual agreement. A concession was made in the form of a $149.85 discount from his early termination charge for cancelling his agreement to attempt to compensate for what Mr. B feels was a lack of appropriate communication.
Mr. B informed us only once of any issues that were had with the doorbell camera, and steps were taken to clear the issue. One of our IT support representatives worked diligently to fix his issue, and even verified several days later that the issue was resolved. Mr. B never informed us of any further issues with his doorbell camera after 9/17.
Mr. B was sent an email on 9/17 by our technical support representative that states the following:
"Hello Joe, we have rebooted your doorbell camera and the issue has resolved. Please call back in if you start noticing that there are issues again. Have a great day!"
Having not heard from Mr. B since then, coupled with the above request for contact if there were any further issues, we had no way of knowing that there were any ongoing "sporadic" issues.
Mr. B billing issue from the beginning of his new agreement was addressed, and a credit was applied to his account to compensate for it.
While we absolutely wish to provide an exemplary customer service experience in every way possible, it would be extremely difficult for us to be aware of an issue with a doorbell camera without being informed of such by the customer. As this is a peripheral to the alarm system and not an active part of the alarm, (It can not trigger an alarm event under any circumstances, for example) it is impossible for us to be aware of a technical issue unless we are informed by the user of the device. For privacy reasons, we do not have access to remotely view a customer's doorbell camera.
A check of the alarm system's function over the course of the last year shows that it was in regular use until recently when Mr. B replaced the system, and all alarmed zones of the house check out perfectly. Mr. B singular issue seems to be with the doorbell camera's function, which was addressed in depth by our technical support representative. Our monitoring center contacted Mr. B on numerous occasions to inform him that his system had ceased communicating before he contacted us to inform us of his intent to cancel.
In September of 2017, Mr. B signed a binding 36 month agreement with Sting to provide alarm monitoring services.
Sting made a substantial investment of equipment and labor into Mr. B home. We are sorry that he had technical issues with his peripheral doorbell, but the one and only time he mentioned any issue, we worked immediately to fix his issue, and did so based on all of the information provided to us by the customer.
Our offer stands to discount Mr. B early termination fee by three months of service, which is a 14% decrease from his contractually obligated amount. We feel that this is more than fair.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Sting is incorrect that I only contacted them once regarding this doorbell. This doorbell has not worked as guaranteed from very early on. We have spoken about data issues since late 2017. To characterize the issue that we had with the camera as sporadic is not only incorrect, it is willfully dishonest. In Mr. L 11/7 email he makes reference to "issues with the original doorbell install". While there are several things about this that are incorrect, it shows that Sting was aware more than simply sporadic issues. Additionally, in our 10/29 phone conversation, Mr. L stated that the tech in September changed our data settings in an effort to fix the ongoing problem. He said "that should not have happened." Characterizing these issues as anything other than consistent and unresolved is dishonest. This is another violation of the 8 Standards of Trust.
I think the fact that Sting considers this to be a peripheral item to the system is very telling to this complaint. I informed John L at the time of purchase that we were going to go with a system that had a camera. Now that I have had a different system that functions as intended, I can say with certainty that I feel my family is safer. This is not peripheral to the alarm system. Again, this disregard of my families peace of mind is very telling.
Another thing that I find unsatisfactory in Stings response is the disregard for the Standards of Trust. They simply state that the billing issue was "addresses" with out any discussion of the manner in which it was addressed. The onus has consistently been on me to remedy issues. At no point in my dealings with them have they addressed my issues quickly. As a Revdex.com accredited business they have promised to be. The fact remains that during this dispute, 10 days and 3 attempts to contact passed without contact when Mr. L promised he would contact me in one day. If this level of customer service is acceptable to Sting Alarm, they should have their Revdex.com acredidation stripped.
Here is my response to Sting's response to this case.
It simply is not correct that sting was unaware of issues with our camera. On the 9/11 phone call the technician made adjustments to our data settings in an effort to fix the issue. On 10/29 John L acknowledged that this step was taken and that this issue shouldn't have happened. It was made clear to Mr. L on 10/29 that this was an ongoing issue that we had dealt with for some time. Any statement otherwise is untrue.
I did state on 10/29 that I was willing to let them continue to service our system, however Mr. L then did not contact me for 10 days while I emailed asking for resolution 3 times. This level of customer service, coupled with the fact that I have a working system installed currently left me with no choice but to leave Sting.
The 11/7 offer was rejected clearly in an email to Mr. L that day. It has not been responded to.
The initial billing issue has been addressed to my satisfaction. It does, however, dominate a pattern of sub par customer service and poor response to issues that come up with our system. As stated in my second email to Mr. L, this is the main reason we are leaving Sting.
Thank you again, Adelina.
Our 10/29 conversation with Mr. B is recorded. We are happy to enter the content of that conversation into this discussion. There was never any discussion about ongoing issues with the doorbell camera in that 10/29 conversation. There were likewise no references to ongoing issues with the doorbell camera in his conversation with our service technician on 9/11/2018. Only that his doorbell had stopped recording motion.
The bottom line is that Mr. B entered into a contractual agreement, breached the terms of that contract, and has filed a complaint because of a delay in response, the reason for which is that John L was not here for several of those days. Mr. B did not call at any point during this ten day span. He emailed an employee who had a personal issue that left him out of the office for several days. Due to this delay, a $150 concession was made. We feel that this is more than reasonable.
Our employee offered multiple solutions in the 10/29 conversation that were rejected. Again, the content of the actual conversation can be provided.
Mr. B did indeed reject our offer to reduce his early termination fee on the same day. It is unreasonable to expect us to continue to negotiate what was clearly spelled out in his agreement.
Timeline of events:
On 9/7/2017, we installed an alarm system, complete with a doorbell camera. There were issues with the installation of the camera because Mr. B existing doorbell was not functioning properly, which required our technician to fix his wiring. The customer also did not have an active internet connection at the time. These two struggles conspired to produce the "issue with the original doorbell install."
On 9/22/2017, we made a return trip to Mr. B home to complete the setup of his doorbell camera. We did so.
On 10/6/2017, during a follow up call to Mr. B, he referenced an issue with his installation invoice. Despite signing an agreement for a $99 installation cost, Mr. B indicated that he was promised he would not pay an installation charge. A credit was issued on 11/15/2017. (It sometimes takes a billing cycle for manual credits to appear on an account.)
On 9/11/2018, Mr. B called and spoke to our technical support, which was his first interaction with anyone in our office since 11/16/2017, stating that his doorbell camera had stopped recording motion. Our technical support representative did some troubleshooting with him. When we were unable to immediately rectify the issue over the phone, a ticket was opened with the manufacturer requesting additional support.
On 9/13/2018, the manufacturer provided instructions to clear Mr. B issue. Our technician asked for permission from Mr. B to remotely access his doorbell. That permission was given, and our technician logged in and addressed the issue. Our technician then advised Mr. B that she had rebooted his doorbell. He was not home at the time, and our technician requested a call from him if there were any further issues.
9/17/2018, our technician followed up by remotely logging in to make sure that all issues were still cleared, and they were. An email was sent to the customer requesting contact if there were any further issues.
On 10/29/2018, Mr. B called to inform us of his intent to cancel, stating that our system had already been removed and replaced.
On 11/2/2018, Mr. B sent a follow up email that stated he would likely be unavailable for the remainder of the day.
On 11/7/2018, Mr. B sent another follow up email, demanding that it was his last attempt to settle things. No phone calls were made to our office by Mr. B during this span of time. Only emails. A proposal was offered and immediately refused. There was no counter offer to be made on our behalf.
11/16/2018 - Mr. B files a complaint stating that we violated the Standards of Trust.
We have been nothing short of diligent in our interactions with Mr. B up until the point he informed us that he had our equipment removed and had already gone with a new company, and his recorded interactions with our staff will prove precisely that.
While he did send three emails requesting a resolution to his account, he never made a phone call after 10/29 to our office. Despite those three emails, the last of which was responded to with a reasonable resolution, this does not change Mr. B obligation to fulfill the terms of his agreement.
Trying to make me pay over $1200 to cancel my service when the agreement I signed makes no mention of a fee and not a single employee told me of a fee
I needed the alarm system upgraded last year due to canceling my landline which the old receiver requires to work. I was told upon inquiry that due to being customers for many years I believe 8 or 9 at the time they will install the equipment for a reduced fee. The women I spoke to said nothing about a cancellation fee and the man who installed it said nothing of a cancellation fee. On the agreement it states that I am agreeing to 36 months and after 36 months the agreement will renew but at that time they reserve the right to increase the monthly rate. No mention of a cancellation fee is on the agreement that I signed. I knew I would be moving out of state in a year or two so if I had known I would have just canceled the service and forgone the upgrade. They are trying to charge me $1248.75 for a cancellation fee they never informed me about. My father was standing right next to me the entire time and recalls absolutely nothing of being told of a fee and read the agreement with me
No cancellation fee
The company and I were able to negotiate the cost of the cancellation fee and I am satisfied with the negotiation
This company took over American Video and Security. Unfortunately there service is just as bad as American Video was. First the alarm monitoring is horrible. If you need to contact the alarm office you will always be put on hold for a long time. I have accidentally set off my alarm and you never hear from the alarm office. What the heck happens when you need them!
Now let's talk service. I called regarding problems with my cameras. An appointment was made with the tech guy. Of course No call. When I called the company Simon said she would see what she could do and call right back. Of course she never did. This company has the WORST SERVICE IN TOWN. Go to TSI it is so much better.
Continued billing for canceled service
Notified Tricia at Sting the service provided for 3 years should be terminated at end of contract the end of December. Advised had to give 30 days notice, so again made contact with Tricia on telephone number she provided(***). She stated she was on her way to a meeting but would take care of it..
In the middle of February, at 3am, my phone ,and that of my contact was called to advise that the STING system was not working..Of course not, it had been removed weeks before...
When manager at Sting was advised, he said he needed a paper document to be signed for their records.I annotated the document with the above comments.Sting has tried to bill through my *** account and direct billing for the month of February when they did NOT provide service and had been properly notified.
Stop billing for services NOT rendered
Contact Name and Title: Pete *** Serv. Mgr
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***
We apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding. The terms of the customer contract require a written notice of cancellation for the customer's safety and security. Once the cancel letter was received the account was placed in pending cancellation which became effective 30 days from receipt (2/26/18) and was cancelled 3/31/18.Payment was inadvertently processed and returned to the customer with no further charges being processed. The account continued to be monitored until 4/2/18 as a gesture for being a loyal customer.
If you want a decent alarm company DO NOT go with this one, HORRIBLE. They previously bought ***, which was also a horrible company too. Their customer service is bad and if anything goes wrong, you must fight with them to get anything resolved. When they took over my account I had issues with my system and it took them many times to get the things fixed. I had to take a lot of time off from work since they will not send anyone after hours, because they didn't want to pay overtime to have work done. I had also asked for wired pad to be put in and was never given a quote, until I received a bill in the mail. They wanted to bill be an astronomical amount and after telling them to come remove it, they just wanted to keep arguing with me until about 30 minutes later they decided to not charge me. I was under the impression that I was not going to be charged since I was never quoted and amount. Months after I canceled my service they expected me to pay a monthly service charge and
We are sorry that you feel that you had a bad experience. Our records indicate that we had made several attempts to service your system at no charge, after which you refused to pay for system service or your monthly monitoring costs going forward. We never received the proper documentation to cancel your account, however the payment method on the account was unable to be processed. With that being said we made several attempts to contact you to resolve the payment issues, and those attempts were met without a response. Unfortunately the account was placed in collection for non payment. We value our customers feedback, and regret we could not find a mutual agreement to conclude our business.
That is incorrect. No one contacted me, I had to contact you guys. After waiting for someone to contact me back you automatically sent me to collections. Horrible customer service especially from the leadership. You know who who I am but still not have contacted me back about this. I had even updated my info last year, seems that you guys cant even get that right.
The security camera system has not worked properly since January 2017 and I want out of my agreement.
In January 2017, Sting Alarm took over my home alarm system contract from *** and I have had problems with the camera portion ever since. The cameras either aren't on, or they aren't recording. I have reported problems with this system 24 times since June 2016. Technicians have been to my home 5 times since March 2017 and the problem still exists. I have spoken with several people at the company regarding this unacceptable service and requested release from my contract. I pay $65.00/monthly and am not getting what I pay for.
My last phone call with the Account Manager, John ***, was on November 7, 2017 in which I was told that Sting believes they FINALLY know what the fix would be and that they would do this repair free of charge and compensate me 3 months service because of it. He was ready to schedule the repair but I informed him that I would accept this offer only if I could get a written statement that if the repair does not fix my problem, Sting Alarm would let me out of my contract and I wanted that before they dispatched a service technician, and he agreed. Since I did not hear anything back from John, I called him again on November 22, 2017. I left a message reminding him of our agreement and asked that he return my call. Today is December 16, 2017 and I still have not heard from Sting Alarm. I have not had cameras working since October 1, 2017. The cameras don't record any activity around my property. I am listing the dates of all the times I've called in because the cameras were not working:
June 26, 2016
August 12, 2016
August 20, 206
October 7, 2016
January 11, 2017
February 12, 2017
March 7, 2017 - Technician dispatched
March 13, 2017
March 15, 2017 - Technician dispatched
April 10, 2017
May 2, 2017
July 28, 2017
July 31, 2017 - Technician dispatched
August 30, 2017
September 1, 2017
September 4, 2017
October 25, 2017
October 27, 2017 - Technician dispatched
October 28, 2017
November 3, 2017
November 4, 2017
November 6, 2017 - Technician dispatched
November 7, 2017
November 22, 2017
I have paid way too much and given too many opportunities for Sting to fix the problem. I want to be released from the remaining year on the contract.
I am seeking release from the one year remaining on my contract.
Contact Name and Title: Pete *** Servivce Mg
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***
We have spoken with the customer and have released them from the remaining 1 year on the contract and the customer has agreed this is satisfactory
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
In speaking with Pete ***, I am satisfied that once Sting cancels my account balance that they were continuing to bill me for, my complaint will be resolved. This should be reflected in my next billing statement.
I have received a zero balance statement from Sting Alarm and I am now satisfied with the resolution. This complaint can now be closed.