A Lyme couple looking to have a home security system until they sold their home was alarmed when they faced trouble canceling their contract with the company.
Ronald and Elaine Wojcik liked the comfort that came with the 24-hour monitoring service provided by Safe Home Security. When their alarm monitoring contract came up for renewal in 2016, they reluctantly signed a new 3-year agreement even though they were in the process of selling their home in Lyme.
“I told them at that time my house has been for sale for a full year. You can see the sign out front,” Wojcik recalled telling the company’s representative. “If I sign, I’ll need to terminate it.”
The Safe Home Security salesperson told the Lyme man he could stop the service when his home sold, according to Wojcik.
When the house sold four months later, Wojcik faxed over the bill of sale and deed to the property by the 60-day deadline like the company representative instructed him to do.
“They immediately said over the phone, ‘Oh no, you can’t do that. You can’t terminate this.’ I said, ‘Well, then you better talk to your salesman’,” Wojcik said.
Sometime after that conversation, Wojcik said a “securities” charge appeared on his bank statement.
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At first, he assumed it was for his new security company, but he later discovered Safe Home Security was continuing to bill him $42.55 every month for alarm monitoring services for a house he no longer lived in or owned.
Nearly a year and a half after the charge, Wojcik spotted another $42.55 electronic withdrawal from his account for security systems. He said the old security company was still deducting money for the old alarm system.
“They said, ‘No. We’re just going to keep with withdrawing it. You owe us another a year and half of $42.55 each month,’ and I’m not receiving any services,” Wojcik said.
The company said Wojcik owed $750 worth of charges for a security system he no longer had.
Despite requesting a stop payment on the charges by his bank, Wojcik said Safe Home Security tried to withdraw money again as recent as two weeks ago. The bank put a hold on those funds before the company quickly refunded the $42.55 monthly charge back into the couple’s account, according to Wojcik.
NBC Connecticut Responds went over the couple’s contract and under the early cancellation section, it states, “Clients may cancel prior to completion of primary or renewal term upon receipt of ninety percent of stated terms. Applicable for sale of home, death and transfers. All cancellation requests must be in writing.”
When NBC Connecticut Responds reached Safe Home Security to resolve the issue, a spokesperson said the company “would not resolve anything if NBC Connecticut Responds was involved.”
Safe Home Security declined to speak or provide a statement to NBC Connecticut.
The Wojciks says it’s not about the money at this point, but the principle.
“Personally, I’d be very happy right now if they’d just terminate their attempts to try and withdraw money,” Wojcik said.
Here’s a few suggestions, if you are in a similar situation:
- Unless it’s in the written contract, don’t assume a verbal promise is valid.
- Companies don’t have to make good on anything a salesperson says unless it’s in writing.
- Don’t sign any legal documents without reviewing them first.
- It’s not a bad idea to show the contract or documents to a legal professional.
