[gusmahler]

Phoenix Alarm in particular and home alarms in general.

I think I posted about my Phoenix Alarm experience before. But in case I didn't, here it is in a nutshell: I bought a house in Phoenix. We bought an alarm system that is monitored by Phoenix Alarm. We moved to California, to an apartment. Not only is it out of the Phoenix Alarm service area, it's not even a house.

Nevertheless, Phoenix Alarm decided that, because I gave 3 weeks termination notice instead of 4 weeks, I would be charged for an entire year of service that I never used (and the new home owner couldn't use). They absolutely refused to give me a refund of any kind. So I paid for the entire year of 2004, despite the fact that I lived in that house for only 2 weeks in 2004.

Then, despite the fact that I submitted my cancellation paperwork 11 months in advance, they gave me months of runaround before they finally confirmed in writing that I wouldn't be charged for the year of 2005.

Even companies as notorious for bad service as health clubs and cable companies didn't attempt to charge me after I left the state. Not Phoenix Alarm, which seemed intent on making me permanently pay for alarm monitoring services. I'll never buy any alarm monitoring service again.