'You did this to yourself...': Client locks alarm company installer outside of building without notice to ensure they stop showing up unexpectedly

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Jan 17, 2024 7:00 PM EST

Depending on how long you have been impatiently awaiting support, customer service can truly seem like a never-ending nightmare. The person we are chatting with half the time has no idea who we are, why we are calling, or even if they have the authority to tackle the issue we are experiencing.

The story that follows is an account of a clever customer who is tired of being inconvenienced by customer service representatives. To put things in perspective, OP is a business owner who decided to relocate his company to another location. As part of the relocation process, OP made sure to install an alarm system to guarantee the safety of the business and its employees. OP made a special request to activate the alarm a few days before the official opening of the new location. Though the security firm claims to have fully comprehended the request, the company keeps calling OP once a week to say that they are en route to the location. Eventually, after a nonstop barrage of calls for about two months, OP said 'ok'! But the security company was unprepared for what they found when they got to the scene. 

So, check out the story below to learn what happened, what took place when the security company showed up, and why OP finally gave in! Once you've finished reading, check out the story about the petty bookkeeper who ends up costing the company a fortune!

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  • 01
    "You're en route to the location? Good luck getting in!" VILXNX
    via Canva
  • 02
    No, I said 'OK'
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 03
    A few years ago, I was moving my business to a new location that needed 6 months to be built out. I informed out current alarm company a few months before the move that we'd be moving services which for whatever reason they couldn't
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 04
    do. I had to open a new site on the account and then I could close the old when after the move. Sure, that's fine. They got all the details and sold me the newer system that would be connected to the internet so I could monitor it from my phone.
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 05
    Sounds great. So they told me they could install it next week but I had to have the internet setup and running before they could do it. I informed them the phones lines and internet would not be installed until later as I didn't want to pay for services
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 06
    we were not using and I would let them know when that was installed so they could come out for their install. Everything satisfied the call was complete. A few days later, I started getting weekly phone calls from
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 07
    their installers telling me they were on their way to the new site to do the install. To which I had to go through the explanation of the internet won't be installed until later and that I would call THEM and let them know when that was done. Each
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 08
    time they so "Oh, ok. Sounds good, we'll wait to hear from you". But then the following week, it would repeat again. On the 6th week, I got the same weekly call from the alarm company installer. "Hi, this is Jim, just letting you know well be at
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 09
    your site in about 30 minutes to do the install." So this time I said "ok". We hung up and I went back to work, which was happening at our current location. No workers or work was happening at the new site on this day.
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 10
    About 30 minutes later I got a call from Jim saying the doors are locked and nobody is answering. I said I know, nobody is there today and the internet won't be installed until next month anyway. At this point he starts getting agitated with me and asked why I scheduled an
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 11
    install for today and why I told him I'd be there when he called. I explained: "I didn't. YOU said you'd be there in 30 minutes. I said OK". Amazingly, the calls stopped and I called them a couple weeks before the move and they came out and installed just fine.
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 12
    EDIT First I want to saw WOW! Didn't expect such a huge response to this post. Almost 2 Million views and 10K likes in under 24 hours. I've never posted anything on social media before so took me by surprise. Thank you for all the kind words.
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 13
    Wanted to answer a few questions asked in the comments as I tried to keep the story concise so it didn't drag on. Yes, the company was ADT. The contract didn't start until they did the install and install was free, so I wasn't paying for the install.
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 14
    Yes I did call ADT customer service after the first installer called saying they were on their way. That did not help. Besides letting the installer come out, I was never to or angry with them since I knew is wasn't their fault, and I
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 15
    explained the situation just like I'd done the first 5 times. They just got caught up in the game. And I need to give credit to my uncle for this solution as this was applied learning. He did something very similar to his sister a long time ago and this story became legend in my family. I've used it many times.
    via u/PhantomFather88
  • 16
    USAF6F171 1 yr. ago When it became their problem, they suddenly cared.
    via u/USAF6F171
  • 17
    Marine__0311 · 1 yr. ago I would have found a different company. That level of incompetence is, pardon the pun. alarming, especially in a security company.
    via u/Marine__0311
  • 18
    I could not trust any company that was that inept, not only once, but several times in a row.
    via u/Marine__0311
  • 19
    JipC1963 · 1 yr. ago Brilliant! We have had a recurring problem with our internet and cable going out completely or "brownouts" in connectivity, so we opted for the $6 monthly "insurance" premium so
    via u/JipC1963
  • 20
    we avoid the service call fees and continue to call them whenever it goes out. In addition, we opted for an additional internet service provider because of my husband's WFH needs.
    via u/JipC1963
  • 21
    Anyway, every single time we call to get a technician out, the day before the visit I get a call from "Mike" from India who wants to walk through "troubleshooting" that I ALREADY went through with the first customer care rep during the
    via u/JipC1963
  • 22
    original call. I've told him over and over again that I'm NOT an idiot, I have been through this so many times that I KNOW their protocols and have even gone through the steps before I even initiate a call with them and TO STOP CALLING ME as I pay for the
    via u/JipC1963
  • 23
    insurance that allows me service calls, period! I'm now anticipating the next time I call and for "Mike" from India to follow-up and treat me like a dimwit. I WILL be calling Corporate this
    via u/JipC1963
  • 24
    time and if it's not addressed to my satisfaction, then I will cancel my services and find another provider!
    via u/JipC1963

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customer support customer service oddly specific security alarm the office goals reddit story petty revenge petty Office call me maybe Reddit business funny oddly satisfying
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