Vivint Smart Home

DO NOT go here!!! I’m in the process of contacting the Better Business Bureau of Utah because they are the worst security system ever. We’ve had them for 8 months now and have hated them for the last 6 months. We couldn’t get out of the contract because they locked us down (small business) for 5 YEARS!!! 3 months ago our front door sensor that they installed was loose and then the security system was acting up. I called and told them I needed it fixed and it was a software problem. Some girl said I had to pay $ 60 to get someone out there even though it was the SOFTWARE’S problem. I told them no way because I already pay them monthly why would I have to pay to get someone out here to look at what’s wrong with their software!!! Another time the key pad wasn’t working so we called them because we couldn’t get into our own building and we were trying to open in 10 minutes. They told us we had to make an appt and that we have to pay for a locksmith if we want to get in now. WTF!!!

For those who are trying to decide on the security system stay away from this company. Although the equipment is excellent everything else is horrific. Here’s a recent letter that I just sent where their website states that they would get in contact with in 48 hours to resolve any issues that customers have a make it right. It’s now been four days and clearly nobody gives a shit so I’m going through with my promise and posting this on the site so that other people don’t make the mistake that I did.
To whom it may concern;
Your service and the way your company is run is an absolute joke. For 4 months I have gone through phone call after phone call because you guys have no idea what the hell you’re doing. I ordered almost 5000 dollars worth of product to be installed on my appointment. I was told everything was available except for outdoor cameras, which was a LIE. It took 3 service calls to install everything because everything was back ordered. On the last appointment, Larry (installer) saw what I went through and figured out my final and monthly payment. I was charged 328 for the outdoor cameras/​thermostats and agreed on 69 bucks a month monthly payment starting Oct 9.
In the following weeks, I got calls everyday, sometimes twice a day that I had a balance due. So or the next two months I repeatedly got charged random amounts. I called and I was told I owed you guys money for products. After explaining that I already paid that, I got refunded the money back. I asked for notes be made on my account stating the above arrangement so I would not go through it again. Yet again, today, I got charged 393 dollars, 328 being the amount that I had already paid. I just got off the phone yet again and were told we see that not sure why you were charged.
This same thing happened with my monthly payment. I got charged, had to call back explain the situation and got credited back.
NO ONE reads any notes, no one knows what the hell is going on in your company.
Furthermore, I recently called and asked for someone to come out because the Vivint app was not recording video on one of the cameras and crashing the app for 2 months. A service man came and had no idea what the issue was, took a video of the issue on his phone and told me he would send this out to the office and CC me in the email. Never did any of it.
I called back and was told that the app is not working and the technical dept is working on it and it will be resolved in 4 – 5 days. It’s now been 10 days and it still doesn’t work.
So Todd Pedersen or who ever is reading this. You have not created an amazing experience rather the worst experience of my life. You have fallen beyond expectations.
If I don’t hear from you guys in 48 hours either via phone call or email I will post this experience on Unilocal and every other social media I can find to make sure people hear how sorry your company really is. After this horrific experince, I am sorry I did not go with ADT.

I had to diagnose a communication problem with my home panel and inform Vivint that there was a problem. it was not working for 5 – 6 months. the panel was installed 11÷27÷14 and failed 4 – 6 weeks later. if I’m paying a monthly fee for monitoring shouldn’t they be telling ME the communication is down??? They were unwilling to cancel the contract and offered a 2 month credit. They also told me that it was MY responsibility to test the system with them. Sooo what am I paying a monthly monitoring fee for??? DO NOT INSTALL A VININT HOME SECURITY SYSTEM IN YOUR HOUSE !!! one star is too many

I experienced the same sales pitch five years ago. Thank God it is over with. I am embarrassed that I allowed myself to be taken in like that. Now I have become once bitten twice shy. it was also hard to discontinue service. Even after my term ended five years later they charged my account and additional monthly fee which I had to fight three weeks to finally get back. These people are crooks, plain and simple. Stay away.

Similar story to the reviews below. A young guy showed up stating our house had been picked as an advertising home based on appearance. They wanted to install a free security system (with absolutely no upfront or ongoing costs when I asked) just for placing a sign in our yard. After a very polished presentation (this company does great sales training for their guys) we were told costs for monitoring would be $ 80/​month. After saying «no», the price dropped twice to about $ 50/​month. We were told this was a 1-​time only offer, and we had to decide on the spot. When I declined, the salesman got very upset. Afterward, I looked them up on line, and found that same offer on the Internet for any time you sign up. I’ve also gotten daily calls from the company since that point… offering the same deal.
If you want an expensive security system (about $ 50/​month more than some others) go for it. Don’t fall for the high-​pressure dishonest sales tactics though.

While I was away, a Vivint salesperson pressured my wife into purchasing an alarm system. When I returned it was after the date it could be legally returned/​uninstalled. We still have never used it. They told my wife that she had to purchase it right then, and that they would not wait for me to return. Had I been home I would not have purchased this system and I am very angry that they used this high pressure sales and scare tactics to sell this system to my wife. I am just fed up with them after all of the runaround they have given me and I want them to cancel my contract. I am mailing their unit back to them tomorrow. That was the worst customer service I have ever had. I contacted them today and told them that I was giving them verbal notice that I was canceling the service and mailing them back their unit.
What a horrible company. I would NEVER recommend them! That was the worst experience I have ever had with any customer service. i actually found myself despising them.

Do your home work!
A quick search of the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry (
) shows 2 licenses (TS001618 & MB648213) issued just this year so I would imagine people to start seeing more of these guys… Also know that Vivint is apparently the re-​branding of the former home security company APX.
James A (Badge #58 369) was the young salesmen who showed up to our door at 9:30pm (far too late if you ask me). Right away he started his script about how we had been specially selected to receive a free alarm system just for placing the Vivint sign in our front yard. I knew right away this was BS as confirmed by my later google searches and a BBB complaint here;
which states one of the complaints «4) falsely represented that consumers have been specially selected to receive the Defendant’s services for free in exchange for displaying the Defendant’s sign»
He eventually worked his away inside our home after 15 minutes of selling, I didn’t really protest because honestly we had been interested in an alarm system for some time now and I was mildly curious. I really appreciate the work some salesmen do but honestly it doesn’t do much for me, either I’m interested or I’m not and if I am interested I’d rather save you and myself the time and just get down to brass tax. I actually told him flat out, it’s late but I’m interested so just tell me how much. Again he went into another 15 minute sale of everything like $ 2,000 worth of equipment! Before he ever offered up any of the details that mattered. He never once offered up the points that mattered himself until I asked, like what was the contract length? 42 months! ouch. Where they UL certified? Where they licensed? Where was their central station located? At one point he wanted to confirm that we had good credit, where actually the home owners, and qualified for this «amazing deal» and I told him I’d rather not until we were sure we wanted to buy into this, etc. against me telling him that I did not want to do that until I was sure he called them up anyways and gave them my name, address, birthday and phone number which I wasn’t too concerned about. However still he did something I had just told him I did not want to do. I informed him that we have a rule in our house that we don’t buy into anything until we’ve slept on it for 24 – 48 hours, after over an hour I finally get him out the door and thank him for his time.
If you google « Unilocal Vivint», «Vivint review» or «Vivint scam» you’ll find many horror stories of very pushy Vivint salesmen. Overall my experience really wasn’t too bad, the kid was overall nice, mostly polite and good at what he does. I find most salesmen to be a little pushy so I’ll chalk that up to just being normal.
The next day I go to do a little home work on Vivint because again I never buy into anything without knowing fully what I’m getting into… Suffice to say I will be avoiding this company and recommending others do the same. Upon my research it would appear they’ve been in violation of expired licenses and unlicensed installers in a couple states to which they’ve actually gotten fined. Also there are a couple stories of the system not working properly (my guess is under equipped, seriously only 2 smoke alarms included?) and peoples homes burning down without ever triggering the alarm to begin with.
I really should mention I really wanted this to come out with a different result, their hardware and some of their 2-​way voice technology through the panel I really like and can’t find from other vendors but with all the horror stories of their poor or non-​functioning service, their bait-​switch tactics and just straight up lying (you’ve been selected to receive a free system!) whats the point of the shiny high-​tech hardware when it fails to work when it matters most?
tl;dr
I take everything with a grain of salt, but in this case there is just too much salt. I wanted to love their shiny high-​tech hardware but couldn’t get past the fact that it’ll be worthless when backed by poor or non-​working service. Do the research yourself and I’m confident you will come up with the same answer I did, BUYER BEWARE.