laninia's Profile
- Brooklyn
- Bedford Stuyvesant
- House
Author's Posts
November 10, 2009
Brinks - Beware!
I would like to warn anyone who is thinking of sighing a contract with Brinks security– don’t. I would like to share my experience with you so you don’t have to go through he same scenario. Read my story and judge for yourself: I had an alarm system installed in my Brownstone while I was gut renovating it (I was not living there at the time, the building was empty). The reason: burglars came in twice already and took tools and materials. I wanted to avoid more losses. The system worked fine for a couple of months, then, I began to have trouble. The system was sending alarm signals to the headquarter and the police kept coming over saying that the alarm is sending a distress signal, even though the alarm was not physically ringing in my house.
I was constantly on the phone with the Brinks’ technical department, and followed all their instructions to reset the alarm, download system updates etc. Still, the problem kept occurring and finally Brinks instructed me on the phone how to disconnect the main component so that it stops sending the signal, and they scheduled an appointment for a technician to come over the next day. The next day came and went and when I called to find out what happened with the technician I was told they ‘make a mistake’ with the scheduling, and they don’t have anyone to send for another 2 days.
That night I had a break in. The alarm was of course not working at that point (because Brinks instructed me to disconnect it remember?) and the burglars made off with tools worth of around $4000. Further more, the burglars smashed the keypad of the alarm, perhaps thinking that it might go off. The morning after, the workers discovered the break in and called the police. I then called Brinks, and they finally sent their technicians, who reported their findings back to Brinks. I will not go into the details of the many conversations I had with their ‘customer service’ department, and the rudeness, ignorance and sheer stupidity with which I was encountered when talking to these people. When I finally reached the supervisor, he began a give me the third degree. He went as far as to accuse me of disconnecting the alarm on my own without consulting with Brinks (a lie), and tried to hint that somehow the renovations in the building are what caused the alarm the malfunction in the first place (ridiculous).
Long story short this is was the bottom line:
A. Brinks do not take any responsibility whatsoever to the loss from the break in.
B. If I want their technicians to come and repair the system, I will have to pay close to $500 (he gave me a ‘discount’ from $700), to cover the damage made by the burglars. (The fine print in the contract says that any damage done to the alarm system parts ‘by a third party’ would have to be paid for by owner)
C. If I want to discontinue my service I have to pay in advance the balance of the monthly fees for the remaining 2 and a half years left on my contract.
I decided not to pay for the alarm to be fixed. I have moved into the building a few months ago, and since then there were no more break in attempts (touch wood). I now pay $30 dollars a month to Brinks for a none existing service.
If you are still even thinking about getting a contract with these people conceder this:
They will lock you in for three years contract and charge you for installation. They will not maintain the system properly. They will try to avoid sending a technician and tell you to call them and try to fix the problem yourself with them on the phone. If something goes wrong then they will say you must have done something wrong. If you get broken into and the alarm gets damaged you will have to pay for the damage yourself and we are talking hundreds of dollars. Burglars regularly smash key ads when they see them. Brinks know this and that’s why they put the clause in the contract disguised as ‘Third party damage’.
Save your money, invest in good locks, window bars and outside lights and have the place occupied.
August 8, 2009
bed stuy house cleaner
Hello all,
looking for recommendation from fellow Stuy brownstoners for a house cleaner. one that is trustworthy, thorough, and that will travel to bed stuy and not tell me its too far for them...I need someone to clean after the renovation and then regular cleaning periodically. Any good leads?
many thanks,
D*
Author's Comments
also if i stop paying they will go to a collection agency and mess up my credit.
Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
also if i stop paying they will go to a collection agency and mess up my credit.
Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
Answers:
I can pay upfront $30 x 24 or I can choose to pay $30 a month for the remainder of the contract. Either way I have to pay all of it. They will not let me out of the contract. The contract says I have to pay them for their service monthly, The $30 is the service fee for their call center.... The fact that the system itself is smashed and not working has, according to their logic, nothing to do with it. If I want my system fixed, they want $500 more.
I thought about filing a complaint. Actually I thought about suing them in court, but I don't even know if I have a case, since I signed the contract?
Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 3:33 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
I did exactly this. Just finished renovating a 4 floor, one duplex for me and two rentals. Took about 13 months, and there's still little things here and there to finish. Mind you I had to switch contractors because the first one was a con man who was ripping me off. All ended well, I am now the broke but proud owner of a bed stuy brownstone and it is gorgeous. If you are seriously concidering this please talk to as many people who have done this before as possible. If you need advice you can email me: elninio@hotmail.com.
Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 11:41 AM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?
thank you very much, I will try her.
Posted by: laninia at August 8, 2009 5:16 PM in response to bed stuy house cleaner
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
A big wild card is the DOB and LPC (if applicable to your property). Sometimes approvals just sail through, and other times you will be held up far longer than is usual or than you expected. How long the actual construction takes depends quite a bit on how extensive and ambitious your renovation is. If you can, it is always better for your own mental health to try not to be quick about these things.
ThinkC
www.think-construction.com
Posted by: ThinkC at November 10, 2009 2:47 PM in response to 2 Floor Gut Reno - How Long?
also if i stop paying they will go to a collection agency and mess up my credit.
Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
also if i stop paying they will go to a collection agency and mess up my credit.
Posted by: laninia at November 10, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
talk to a lawyer, and post a video on youtube. They don't like that stuff. tell them you want a copy of the tech support phone records which they should have kept. The police should have records of the responses they made to false alarms. Talk to them.In fact, have your lawyer tell them. If they are still hassling you, call one of the news stations that do consumer reports. Brinks is big- they'll most likely find that a newsworthy story.
Posted by: bxgrl at November 10, 2009 5:23 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
nsr, those stories were HYSTERICAL! Only outdone by the one with the lightning rod!
OP, this sounds pretty much par for the course, I had the same experience w ADT, minus the burglaries. What hood are you in, btw?
In all fairness you can't expect the alarm company to be liable for contingent liability. You should be claiming the losses under your homeowner's policy.
I think these big companies totally suck, given my own experience.
Posted by: denton at November 10, 2009 6:16 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
God, what a nightmare. Thanks for posting. So, Denton, do you still have an alarm system and do you recommend having one?
Posted by: mopar at November 10, 2009 7:43 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
denton,
Mark Twain is a national treasure.
nsr
Posted by: northsloperenter at November 10, 2009 7:50 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
this is the standard scheme for all alarm companies, gym memberships, etc...read the contract before signing
Posted by: eman1234 at November 10, 2009 8:26 PM in response to Brinks - Beware!
Mopar, I went with a local guy, Alarms-R-Us.
They have competent installers and intelligent owners who listen if you have a problem, and I did have a problem with motion detectors and pets. I'll give you their number if you like.
I had a similar issue w/ ADT. While I was doing my reno, at some point we had to take the system down for a few months. Naturally, we paid for the service during those months since it wasn't ADT's fault. When we were done, we contacted ADT to get the alarm re-installed. We also advised them we understood we would have to pay for the re-install.
After several broken appointments and non-returned phone calls, it became clear ADT was not going to take care of us. So we called Alarms-R-US and got a system up and running in a few days.
We stopped paying ADT and of course eventually they turned us over to a collection agency, since no one was interested in our side of events.
Meanwhile, knowing that ADT is a division of Tyco, I went to Tyco's website and found they have a 'public ombudsman' to complain to. I sent them a long letter and evidence of what had happened (all turned into PDFs).
Within 48hrs Tyco put a hold on everything and within a week I was let out of the contract with ADT and done.
Maybe poke around Brinks' website and see what you can find.
BTW I don't depend on an alarm for everything by any means. An alarm should only be one component of a security strategy, with physical barriers to entry more important than an alarm (imo)
Posted by: denton at November 11, 2009 7:47 AM in response to Brinks - Beware!
For the people recommending Alarms-R-Us, what type of system did you have installed? Are they the central-station type ones like ADT (the call in etc) or are these just home alarms that make big sounds? thanks.
Posted by: helppls at November 11, 2009 9:21 AM in response to Brinks - Beware!
I did the mistake of going with someone who was cheaper and paid the price. The renovation ended up costing about 100,000 more then he said and that's because I had to fire him and bring someone else instead. I am still dealing with the aftermath: the plumber he used was useless and I had 6 different leaks around the house, I had to reopen all the finished and painted walls numerous times and this is just one problem that I'm dealing with, there are plenty more. DO NOT DO IT! I am lucky that I didn't lose the house entirely and have managed to survive and hold on to my beautiful house but I am still dealing with the fallout and will be for the foreseeable future.
Posted by: laninia at February 3, 2010 2:51 PM in response to GC for Brownstone Renovation