If you are currently monitored and you want to reduce your costs it is important to look carefully at your present monitoring agreement. As indicated above, the monitoring agreements at their high rates are very important to these companies and they are not about to do anything voluntarily to assist you in leaving them as a monitored customer.
Look for the following information in your monitoring agreement:
1. Term of agreement: What is the expiration date of the agreement?
2. Notification for termination: How much notice is required before the end of the agreement in order for the agreement to not automatically renew? Does the contract provide for cancelling the service?
3. Penalty for termination: If you cancel your service before the end of the contract period is there a penalty? What is it?
4. Ownership of equipment: Who owns the equipment? Will the Alarm Company remove the equipment? If the monitoring agreement doesn’t stipulate who owns the equipment you own it.
If you can’t find a copy of your alarm agreement write to the Alarm Company and give them a thirty day notice of your wish to cancel their service. State in the letter that you will consider the cancellation accepted without penalty if you receive no written response before the end of the thirty days. Send your letter return receipt requested so that you have proof they received your correspondence. Document all correspondence and actions you take. Ask them to put any explanations or clarifications in writing. If your contract requires that you need to do more, have your monitoring company send a copy of your contract with an explanation of the requirements. Always write your letters in such a manner that if they fail to respond they are agreeing with your position. Also make sure that you always give them a deadline date for a response.
If your contract does not have an early termination clause then let Affordable Monitoring Service know the dates and we will contact you in advance of the date to insure that you do not forget to terminate the contract as required by the terms. Please include the manufacturer and model number of your alarm system and we will make sure that you know how to ask the Alarm Company for any lockout codes or other information that might prevent you from implementing a change in your monitoring service provider.