Business ProfileforSafe Security, Inc. (Previous Ownership)

SAFE Security came to BBB’s attention in March 2017.  Complaints on file state that consumers have difficulties cancelling policies and are still being billed after they cancel their services. Customer also state that they are still charged when products aren’t working for extended periods of time and when contacting customer service, the representative are unhelpful and unresponsive.

 A letter was sent to SAFE Security requesting they address and explain the above issues. The company’s response is as follows:

 SAFE Security is an alarm company that acquires accounts from other alarm companies. These acquired accounts originate with pre-existing contracts. The initial terms of these contracts can range from 36 to 60 months, and most contracts have an automatic renewal clause written in the terms of the agreement. These systems are installed free of charges and the customer is obligated by contract to pay for the terms of the contract which they signed, whether the system is used or not.

 Each contract SAFE Security receives as an acquired account contains the “terms of the agreement”, which defines what is required in order to cancel the account. The customer is obligated to provide a signed letter of cancellation, typically 30 days in advance of the renewal term, in order to cancel a contract. If there are remaining months in the initial or renewal term the agreed upon payments must be made by the customer in order to complete the contract terms. Customers who disagree with the existing terms are sent a copy of the contract they signed. Most customers understand our position and their contractual obligation. Some customers may not agree with what the contract states and they will escalate their complaints to the BBB and/or other agencies. When we receive these complaints, we reiterate to the agency the same information which we provided to the customer.

 Most of the BBB complaints received are customers that have a balance due in order to complete their contractual obligations. If a customer is in the “initial” terms of the agreement, we will hold them to the full duration of the term. If a customer is in the renewal stage of the agreement, we usually negotiate with them and reduce or waive the amount owed. Refunds are returned to customers if there have been any payments beyond the agreed obligations.

 SAFE Security is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Our customer care team is available to answer questions and to assist customers with simple system issues and/or arrange for field service, if a problem cannot be resolved remotely.

 Currently, our customer care wait time is under 1.5 minutes. In order to decrease this time further, we have recently hired additional staff members. Our goal is to have a customer reach a live operator immediately, and we strive to ensure that our customer’s concerns are handled in one phone call.

 We also have implemented into our training program “First Call Resolution”. New and existing employees are being trained on how to resolve customers’ concerns on the initial call, with accurate information and customer service assistance. Our representatives are empowered to provide credits for service issues and/or to provide field service at a reduced rate.

 We are reconstructing our website, and are updating the terms and conditions section to include the general cancellation procedures. Because we acquire existing contracts from other security companies, there are subtle differences between each version. The most effective way to understand the cancellation requirements is to refer to the individual contract signed by the customer at the point of sale. Contracts are also available upon request from verified subscriber. SAFE Security has also implemented an outreach program whereby we will contact our customers within 6 month of their current renewal term. At that time, we will negotiate any changes the customer would like to make regarding their SAFE Security account, upon agreement with the customer.