I was using API Alarm for monitoring services for over 10 years. My last contract of 36 months expired in 2017 and we thought we can cancel at any time since we didn't renew the contract.
Recently I learned that this big company has only one monitoring station to handle all the alarm calls. I decided to switch to a different monitoring company that has 6 stations. We all understand the importance of time when alarm is triggered and the respond time.
We sent email with cancellation request, they called to confirm contract is cancelled and two months later we received bill in mail to pay two months fee for cancellation fee. After I reviewed my contract from 2014 I realized that I should've read it more carefully. Terms and Agreement state that upon completion of the 36 months, the Agreement will renew automatically from year to year, unless cancelled in writing 60 days prior to the renewal date. So technically you are always on the hook for another year and for 60 days cancellation fee because your contract will always automatically renew for 1 year. So, if you want to move to another monitoring stations, even after you've been a client for over 10 years or if you are selling your house make sure to time your moving date to correspond with end of your contract otherwise you'll have to pay 60 days cancellation fee. I complained to the billing department and they told me that when API called to confirm our cancellation they should've also informed us about 60 days cancellation fee, which they didn't. My advice is to read your contract carefully and even better find another company that treats long terms clients with more respect.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $70.00