Update: Beware of Security Alarm Salemen Patrolling Sangaree
Update: The company that is soliciting customers in Sangaree is APXALARM Security Solutions not Apex Alarm. Apex Alarm are the good guys from California. The rest of the post has been corrected.
I recently received the following message from a concerned resident of Sangaree that was taken advantage of by a security alarm firm called APXALARM.
Not only did they scam a fellow resident into purchasing an inferior alarm system, but they are also fraudulently using the name and trademark of an actual security alarm company, Apex. When contacted by the Sangaree resident who purchased the alarm system, Apex Alarm claimed that they are not affiliated with these salesmen in any way.
I was personally solicited by these scammers, but declined their sales pitch as I couldn’t afford the monthly fee. In retrospect, I did find it suspicious that the salesman wouldn’t give me information on how to contact the company while I mused over their offer. I had to accept the alarm system now, or he wouldn’t provide me with the “free” equipment that came with the alarm system.
The following is the message I received from the Sangaree resident:
“I would like to alert the Sangaree residents of a great concern regarding people walking the streets of our very large subdivision.
We recently signed a contract with an alarm company called APXALARM who promised us 5 different items on our system, which were not offered on the system we currently used. When we sent the information to our State Farm Insurance Company we where informed APX did not meet several requirements required by State Farm. When we called APX they said they would fax these details to our agent, which was done this morning, after 2 calls. Our agent is still saying APX does not meet several standards as well as the fact they are not located in South Carolina but out of state.
Therefore, we will not be receiving the discount the sales rep said we would get, in fact we are getting less than we had with our other alarm system.
Also, we had to sign a 60 month contract to guarantee the price and free equipment, nothing is free! We have contacted APX offices 3 times by phone trying to cancel this service and asked to have APX remove their equipment. Most of the equipment used by APX was from the last alarm system, so other than a box and 2 window alarm, which we purchased separately there isn’t much to retrieve.
The bottom line is you need to alert residents of Sangaree and Summerville area, of these inconsistencies and to be wary of salesmen walking the streets selling these system. One policeman I spoke to last Friday said how would you know their monitoring system works until you have a problem, and then it is too late. He advised us to use local state alarm companies with representives that have monitoring system here in South Carolina.
I plan to contacting the company again to cancel and retrieve their equipment from my home, and to forward that e-mail to the State of SC Business License Department and Attorney Generals Office. I was told by the we had 30 days in which to cancel a contract such as this. I will keep you posted, but please advise residents of the issue.”
Please be aware of these scammers and tell your friends and neighbors to be on the alert.
Ric said,
July 23, 2007 @ 12:58 pm
These guy’s were in the Highland Village area the first part of June. The guy that came up to my door asked if “I had an alarm system?”. I told him that I was not going to anwser that question to some stranger that just come’s knocking on my door no matter what he is selling.
Anonymous said,
July 25, 2007 @ 8:15 am
You should never discuss your alarm system with strangers. Once a thief finds out what kind of system you have, they then know how to de-activate it. Just tell them that you have a system already. They will say, “Well, you don’t have a sign that indicated that you do,” to which I reply, “Why would I advertise the brand so a potential burglar would know exactly what kind of system he’s dealing with?” They will also say something about wireless systems so that your phone line can’t be cut. Just tell them that you are aware of the latest technologies. I have also begun telling these door-to-door guys that our local police have advised us not to patronize door-to-door salesmen. Think about it. They get an up close and personal look into your vehicle as they walk up the driveway, they get a look at any belongings outside of the home, they gain access to your home when you open the front door, and they get a peek inside. They also figure out pretty quickly (just by ringing the bell, usually) if you have a dog. My neighbor forgot to lock her house when she ran a quick errand, and when she returned, someone had approached her door, found it to be unlocked, entered, and helped themselves to a few things. This was a few days after we’d had a rash of door-to-door salesmen. They were familiar with her residence.
Michelle Spainhower said,
August 8, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
To whom it may concern,
I once lived in Sangaree also and moved from there in 99. I lived in Davenport IA last year and I too was visited by these salesmen offering me a free system and all I have to pay for is the $44.95 a month monitoring fee. We were told that if we were to move that the contract would be null and void. Fast forward to May of this year and my husband got a job transfer and we had to move to WI. We called to cancel our contract and were told that we we not allowed to, but that we can move our system for the remainder of our contract. We chose to do that and we moved. We filled out all the proper paperwork for the move, and now 3 months later nothing has happened. Come to find out they are still monitoring the old house against the new owners wishes and knowledge. We have filed with the BBB and I am now working with another gal from CA to file a petition against this company. If you or anyone else is interested in this please contact me by email
mspainhower@charter.net
Hope we can help each other,
Michelle