AlarmForce

Formerly Bell Smart Home
Home Automation
Toronto ON M9L 1R2
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Reviews for AlarmForce

Average customer rating:
7.2 10 (733 reviews)

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Hayley O from Bowmanville
Hayley O from Bowmanville
1 review Clarington, ON
0/10

Home Alarm

This is without a doubt, the worst company I have ever dealt with. I regret getting this system put in my home 100%. A false alarm charge is made by the Police Service if they are dispatched to your home. The rate varies by region and in my town, the rate is $150 per false alarm.

When my alarm was installed in my home (by a technician who was in a very obvious rush) he explained to me that Alarm Force required a $150 deposit in the case of a false alarm which they would then use to pay the Police Service. I paid my deposit and they cashed the cheque. I had a motion sensor installed but was assured that even though I have a cat, the sensor could be set so that nothing over 50 lbs could set it off, so she could roam the house free when the alarm was on without us having to worry about her setting it off.

Two weeks later I took my son to daycare and got a call from a neighbour (NOT Alarm Force) that the Police were at my house. I went straight home and the officer and I went through my home to see what the issue could be. After we determined that it must have been a false alarm, he left and I called Alarm Force to talk to them about next steps.

I was transferred to at least 4 different people within the Customer "Care" centre and Technical Department. No one seemed to know what they were talking about so I was sent back and forth for over 30 minutes. I was told that once a technician came out to see if the motion sensor unit was working properly, he would determine who would take responsibility for the false alarm and ultimately who was responsible for the $150 to the Police.

The technician came out the next day and replaced the unit (If it wasn't malfunctioning, why replace it????) and determined that the cat couldn't have set it off since it was apparently set up properly the first time. He told me that Alarm Force would be financially responsible for the false alarm. Unfortunately, he wrote a bunch of vague details on the sheet he had me sign and told me straight out that he was writing 'Alarm set up properly' just so "The tech who installed it wouldn't get in any trouble".

I have been on the phone twice for over 30 minutes now with different Customer "Care" and technical department representatives who have told me over and over and over (they love to repeat themselves) that Alarm Force doesn't take responsibility for False Alarms. Not ONE person has been able to logically explain to me why I should pay $150 for an alarm that was triggered by faulty equipment.

Their representatives talk in circles, they're rude and they obviously have no regard for any of their customers. Not ONE has been willing to take any responsibility on behalf of this company which I feel is taking insane advantage.

And to top it all off, I have received and INVOICE for an ADDITIONAL $150 from Alarm Force which they said I have to pay as another deposit or they won't dispatch the Police to my home in the case of an alarm.

For a company who is supposed to make you feel safe, I have never felt less so. I would never EVER recommend them to anyone under any circumstance.

Approximate cost of services:
$300.00
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi Hayley,

I would like to look into this for you as no customer should get charged for a false alarm as a result of an equipment malfunction. If this is the case we can come to a quick resolution of this issue and get you back to feeling safe and comfortable with AlarmForce. I will also pass on your experience to the managers of the tech support and customer care departments so they can investigate and ensure they deliver better service to every customer. Please e-mail Matt at MDept@alarmforce.com with the subject 'Homestars' and your full name and phone number so we can look into this. Thanks and have a great day,
Matt

J from Bolton
J from Bolton
1 review Bolton, ON
0/10

Alarmforce

I dont feel like a valued customer, I have been told that i will be charged for 2 doors if I cancel because I didnt grab the whole thing when I moved but Alarmforce originally told me to grab the magnets only. I have been a customer since 2009 and need another security system but they will not offer me the 6 doors I need

Approximate cost of services:
$50.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi J,
We're sorry to hear of this frustration. We would certainly love the opportunity to continue to protect your home and loved ones. If you could please e-mail your customer information (Phone number, Full name) to customercare@alarmforce.com with the subject: 'HomeStars- Attention: Matt' I will look into this. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to resolving this matter. Thanks, Matt

Lori McKague from Calgary
Lori McKague from Calgary
1 review Calgary, AB
0/10

Alarmforce

We sold our house in Calgary at the end of November and made the mistake of including the Alarmforce equipment as part of the sale, not realizing after 7 years of service with them, that we did not own the equipment outright. This was NEVER made clear to us and I can find no paperwork that we signed saying we didn't own the equipment. I talked to customer service about this issue in November 2014. They told me the new owners of the house would just need to call them to arrange to have monitoring setup on the equipment in the house. Our understanding was that the new owners would follow through with arranging the monitoring. Turns out they did not, and now Alarmforce expects us to pay over $500 because we have not returned the equipment (which we can't do now). We send notice back in September 2013 that we needed to cancel the monitoring effective November 30th... but they still expect us to pay the monthly fee even though we no longer own the house. I am completely frustrated with this whole affair. The equipment left in the house on sale was 7 years old and had NEVER been upgraded. It's depreciated value should be nothing after 7 years of having our monitoring contract. To expect us to pay an inflated cost for OLD equipment is robbery. We are seniors now living on a fixed income, which is why we moved away from expensive Calgary and moved to a smaller home in the first place. I am at my wit's end trying to deal with this matter. I would never be able to recommend the company to anyone given this situation.

Approximate cost of services:
$500.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
Not expect people to pay for old equipment when they need to cancel.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi Lori,

We're sorry to hear of this situation. We hope you understand that our equipment return policies help us reduce our costs to provide the best value to our customers. We do make this clear to our customers before they sign with us.

We have sent an occupancy letter to the new home owners asking for the return of equipment. If they return the equipment you will not be charged. If the equipment is not returned let's have a chat in a few weeks to try and resolve the situation. You can reach me by e-mailing customercare@alarmforce.com with the subject 'HomeStars- Attention: Matt'.

We apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstandings. Thanks and have a great day,
Matt

Karim in Toronto
Karim in Toronto
1 review Toronto, ON
0/10

Alarm System

My experience was that heir equipment doesn't work and they won't come and fix even though I asked them. I had problems with false alarms the day after they installed my system in April of this year and they wouldn't send a technician over. Only after several false alarms they agreed to send a technician over. One of the false alarms was costly as I had to come back from a vacation to disarm the system.

Just remember that once you sign up you are on a three year contract and from that moment on, they really don't have to give you anything or be nice to you.

I would rather get robbed, honestly. The time it takes to deal with them and the feeling of having paid for a bad service is something I have to live with for the next three years. All I ask is for a system that functions and from day 1, their attitude has been as though they are doing me a favour.

Approximate cost of services:
$40.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi Karim,

I am very sorry to hear of this experience. I would like to look into this personally for you to try and resolve the issues you're having with our service. If you could e-mail customercare@alarmforce.com with the subject: 'Homestars- Attention: Matt' with account details I will be in touch.

Thanks and have a great day,

Matt

Ray Loney from Barrie
Ray Loney from Barrie
1 review Barrie, ON
8/10

Alarm

I used this service for about seven years. We started with the basic model and when the Video Relay system became available we added that. The monitoring and video system are great. We could answer the front door even when we weren't home. We had very few problems over the years. They were always dealt with quickly and professionally. You can have confidence in using AlarmForce!

Approximate cost of services:
$40.00
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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sandy in Calgary
sandy in Calgary
12 reviews Calgary, AB
10/10

Home Alarm Security System

I started using Alarm Force security system from Last Year for 3 years contract and what a peace of mind! I have been getting flawless service from these guys with time to time alarm testing. Their equipments and sensors are so good that they never failed yet for battery or any malfunction! It includes a guard service for merely $4 / month. With this service, you don't get charged for false alarms. Initial cost is $28 including taxes. I am certainly going to renew contract and may use their video surveillance facility too. Thanks Alarm Force!

Approximate cost of services:
$1,500.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
3 years contract system should be brought to month to month, without contract basis.
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
I strongly recommend this service to all homeowners who are looking to get security system for affordable price yet reliable!
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi Sandy,
Thank you very much for the feedback.
We hope you had a great weekend and have a great day.
Stay safe and take care! Thanks,
Matt

Bill from Georgetown
Bill from Georgetown
2 reviews North York, ON
0/10

Alarmforce

Terrible customer service. Equipment is outdated.
Wanted to upgrade my service from landline to cellular, first appointment was cancelled as their technician was sick. Second appointment nobody showed up, not even a phone call. Wasted 2 days off work. Called to cancel service, nobody answers, left 2 messages. Nobody calls back. All they want is your money. Do not use this terrible service!

Approximate cost of services:
$99.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

Hi Bill,
We're certainly surprised to hear this experience and would like to sincerely apologize. We would like to look into this immediately! To do so we will need customer information so please e-mail customercare@alarmforce.com with the subject: 'HOMESTARS - Matt'. We hope we can repair this relationship and provide you with the superior experience that every AlarmForce customer deserves. We hope you had a great weekend and have a great day. Thanks, Matt

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