Protect America, Inc. Complaint

JL21 says: (10 months ago)

 0

This company has a nice little scam going--they offer you equipment at no charge, and you agree to a 2 year contract. The salesperson tells you that you can cancel after 2 years, and the equipment is yours. Please note, Protect America puts a code in the GE system deeming the system worthless should you go to another provider. They don't tell you this.

In addition, there is no mention of a renewal clause, which is automatic and clandestine, for 2 year periods at a time. To cancel this service you must send in writing a cancellation 60 days before the contract expires. If you cancel 59 days before the expiration, they tell you that you are responsible for another 1 or 2 years. Keep in mind, that you must be able to prove to them that they received a written cancellation note, which means a certified letter or the like.

To make matters worst, they coerce you into automatic withdrawal from a credit card or checking account, and they refuse to stop debiting this account, even after you revoke authorization. The only way to stop the withdrawals is to close the bank account or credit card account. Keep in mind that this type of auto-renewal policy has been deemed illegal in many states like New York (see ADT's settlement with its NY contract holder), and it is only a matter of time until other states adopt simillar policies.

THIS IS A TRUE SCAM. I really think the company is not in the alarm monitoring business as much as it is in the extortion business. I encourage consumers to do their research online. There are countless others that have fallen victim to PA.