Complaint Review: Brinks Home Security - San Antonio Texas

After 2 years of on time  payments this company we started getting collection calls.  First, calling us stating we owed 2 payments, then a call saying we owe $65, then a late fee and finally when presented with our bill pay records and contract they stated that they had been adding a $2.50 fee to our statement every month without disclosure and we had better pay that. 

Each time insisting it could be cleared up with an extra payment or fee with our debit card.  Problem is we didn't owe them anything.  The call center is in Jamacia where a lot of the scams originate.   This company is running a financial scam.  Care to guess how much $2.50 times all their customers will put in their bank account?

Their first explanation was that we were being charged for hard copy statements which we never received.  We made mulitple requests but were paying by using our contract and the one statement we received after it was installed two years ago. 

They said they would remove the fee if we would agree to receive digital statements which would be emailed.  Now they tell me that representative must not have communicated well becuase they don't email anything.  Of course we received nothing. 

I checked the website and could not get access to our information. I filed on line help request and noticed the complaint is so common having "trouble accessing account" it is on the drop down menu.

Then another new monthly fee reappeared in April.  This time they waited until it accumalated $25.  Then started making collection calls to my husband at work stating we had not paid our bill and would need to make two payments.  Since the amount has nothing to do with our payment amount they were ask to provide written verification of any payment owed.  They refused.

They continued the collections calls even though they were told not to do it and that their continued activity and refusal to provide proof of debt owed was a violation of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act.   Our last conversation ended with their proposal that we sign up for auto pay and they would wave part of the fee IF we gave them our debit card for a $10 fee to do that.   

As a retired banker I highly recommend you NEVER GIVE THIS COMPANY ACCESS TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT THROUGH AUTO PAY.  I pay through my banks bill pay so companies that are not honest can not submit false charges to my account. 

My bill pay account does not give them my bank account number but can automatically send the funds.  And that would be why they are running these other activities:  to get access to your bank account.  This company wants your bank account in order to continue to pile on fees over and above your contract for services without your knowledge. 

The add on fee is $2.50 so you wouldn't notice the debit.  They have done all this in an attempt to collect an unknown, undisclosed monthly add on fee to acquire $25.  They state that regardless of the financial disclosures at the top of the contract they have fine print stating they can add fees anytime they want to without changing the contract amount.  Another scam.

We have now sent a complaint with our contract and payment history to the Federal Trade Commission.  I told them I would.  Every consumer they contact to make collection calls should file a complaint after telling them not to contact you again.  Their refusal to give you proof of what you owe in writing is another violation. 

In our case they were refusing to provide access to bills or billing statements while adding fees, then claiming late payments and harassing us with continuous collection calls with no explanation of how those fees got on our bill.   Complaints are the only way dishonest companies will learn.

After telling them I would file a complaint with FTC we have been harassed using the equipment they installed and monitor in our home.   Now our upstairs smoke alarm is going off with loud beeping and voice saying we must change the batteries every two days. 

They can't seem to find what's wrong with a system that ran perfectly until we filed a complaint.   Don't do business with this company.   You can not trust them not to start harassing you in order to obtain access to your bank account.