Dustin Udall knocked on my door. He was a clean cut college aged kid wearing a blue Vivint logo shirt and shorts, showing an ID clipped to his belt. He had business cards. He looked official and upstanding. That’s about as far as I can go with positive feedback.
The following dialogue may not be verbatim, but it’s close to what I remember and it will give important facts on why I don’t (and you shouldn’t) ever want service from Vivint.
Dustin: Hi, my name is Dustin from Vivint.Me: Hi. (wondering why I even opened the door)Dustin: I see you have an Alliance Protection sticker in your window.Me: Yes, I have an active monitoring service with Alliance that I am happy with.Dustin: Do you have VOIP? Because if a burglar were to cut your phone lines, your alarm will not work. (typical scare tactic)Me: (knowing the previous comment was a scare tactic) Yes, I have Time Warner Cable’s package with phone, cable, and web. I also realize that if my phone lines were cut ( I’d like to see statistics on burglaries where this actually happens), my alarm may not call the monitoring company, but it will still activate the audible alert.Dustin: Well, what I can do for you will help you out in that situation. I’m the Director of Advertising, and we’re looking for customers to help us out in this neighborhood. Do you know your neighbors, Paul and Sally, who live just around the corner?, they’ve already agreed to use the service I’m about to tell you about. We will install a new keypad and an analog cell phone system that will call Vivint in the event that your phone line is cut, and we’ll do it for free, all you have to do is display a lighted sign in your front yard as advertising for us. Then we can send out sales team around to your neighbors and they’ll see that you have our service already. Most people go with a familiar alarm company.Me: That sounds interesting, what’s the catch?Dustin: You have to display the sign and agree to our monitoring service for three years.Me: I’m under contract with Alliance until September.Dustin: That’s ok, we’ll buy out your contract.Me: Alright. Come in, let me look at your paperwork. (big mistake on my part)
He proceeds to fill me on some details, (monthly monitoring service at $44.99 per month for 36 months) writes up the contract and then gets somebody on the phone to verify information I gave him. After very carefully reading the cancellation clause of the contract, I signed the agreement. Paperwork complete. At this point I am very hesitant to do anything more, but I did.
Dustin: I have two technicians right around the corner finishing up Paul and Sally’s installation. They can be here in a few minutes.Me: It’s really not a good time for me, I need to bathe my one year old daughter and put her to bed. Can we do this on Monday?Dustin: No, we’re only in the area this week.Me: (reluctant, but) ok, fine. What about the contract buyout with Alliance?Dustin: I don’t have a company check. (he reaches into his wallet and pulls out $80) Will this cover it?Me: Not really, I have at least three months left at $32.99.Dustin: That’s all I have, are you sure?Me: ok (I reluctantly take the cash)
Dustin calls his technicians (who are at my door in what seems like 10 seconds) . They (two clean cut college aged kids wearing blue Vivint logo shirts and shorts) looked official and upstanding. They were wearing tool belts and brought 5 gallon pails with tools and equipment. I held them up at my front door to ask a few more technical questions then reluctantly let them into my house and showed them the wiring box, they began tearing apart the wiring of my existing system to begin their installation. Dustin leaves.
Then, I log on and search the web “Vivint scam” HOLY CRAP!!!! I was alarmed (no pun intended) at the amount of negative comments on various websites about this whole ordeal. Just google “Vivint” with or without “scam” and you’ll see what I mean. Did I say HOLY CRAP!!!!
After reading a posted comment, I decided enough was enough and called Dustin.
Dustin: HelloMe: Hi Dustin, I did a google search on Vivint and I see tons of negative information about your company. What’s the deal?Dustin: Are you sure you didn’t search Vivint Reviews? I’ve heard of them before.Me: No, I searched Vivint. I can type. I need your guys to stop installation and put my system back together.Dustin: Ok fine - I’ll stop by and get my $80 back.Me: Please hurry.Dustin: ok bye.
I went over to the technicians and told them to stop and put my system back together. The cancellation clause of the contract states the agreement will not be binding unless 1) it is signed by a APX supervisor or 2) they start the monitoring service.
One of their phones rings - It must have been Dustin. “Hello. yeah. ok. ok. bye.”
After about an hour of them fumbling around with the wiring, one of the technicians (I think his name was Johnny) said he couldn’t get it back together, but Vivint would cover the costs for Alliance to repair it. I really hope this happens. I’ve yet to get confirmation of this.
After they all left, I did more research.
There was no Paul or Sally in my neighborhood (I searched the surrounding blocks, no Vivint signs anywhere to be found) Paul and Sally, huh? right.$44.99 per month over a 36 month period will more than cover the costs of the “free” equipment they would have installed. Nothing is free!!Dustin was from Arizona, Johnny was from Minnesota, and the other technician was from the midwest somewhere. Company stability?No company check to buy out existing contract? Offered me cash? Cash IS king, but come on.Offer not available except for right then? Typical example of bad deal.
These are all red flags I should have caught on to earlier, but I didn’t until the various websites opened my eyes. I wanted the technology. I wanted it now. Instant gratification.
I just hope I can get my system back to working condition without cost.
Bottom Line: Don’t sign an agreement with Vivint unless you get the free equipment and the monthly monitoring is under $35 per month for 36 months. Even then, I’d be hesitant.
Posted by Chris Alberts
