Firstline Security Cost Comparison

Posted by Karoli in Scams August 12th, 2007

[Note: This post concerns Firstline Security, Inc., incorporated in Orem, Utah, NOT Firstline Security Systems headquartered in Anaheim, CA]

Commenter Paul, who is a first-year “Advertising Director” for Firstline Security in Washington State (Vancouver area), was recruited out of Texas A&M university and has been trying to convince me that my criticism of Firstline is unfair and unwarranted. In the process he challenged my contention that the sales pitch is deceptive because Firstline claims to provide “free” equipment in exchange for the placement of a yard sign and commitment to a 36-month monitoring contract at $45.00 per month. (Details are available on the GetFirstline website).

Firstline markets the Simon 3 wireless security system with the Alarm.com GSM security module. i was able to find the Simon 3 with the GSM module on sale at Safemart.com for $459.95. Monitoring was available through LiveWatch on a prepaid basis for $24.95/month with two free months, or $249.50 for a year. Assuming that years 2-3 do not have the 2 free month provision, that would work out to $850 for monitoring, plus $500 (with tax) for the hardware, or a total of $1,350.00.

The Firstline Security, Inc. package works out to $1620 for 36 months, including the “free hardware”, assuming a direct checking debit each month for the monitoring fee (if the credit score is high enough they will paper-bill but charge extra for that).

That’s a difference of $280.00. I am not sure that I had the exact hardware that the basic Simon 3 system Firstline sells includes, so I also went to HomeSecurityStore.com and tried to match the Firstline system exactly. I was able to configure a package with 2 keyfobs, a handheld wireless touchpad, GSM, and 2 “panic pendants” for $526.88, which when combined with the monitoring package available from LiveWatch.com, is still less than the Firstline package with the ‘free hardware’.

Paul also argued that Firstline is a company listed on the Inc 500. I was unable to find it listed, or any possible predecessors. I was able to find a 2001 listing for SafeHome Security, which has an association with Brandon Savage, a VP with Firstline through 2005 and also Sterling Barnes, President/CEO of Firstline through 2005.

It’s worth noting that the Inc 500 list is a ranking based solely upon growth. Given the aggressive sales tactics of Firstline sales reps, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them listed as a fast-growing company. Other companies listed in 2006 include social networking sites, internet startups, home mortgage companies, and medical/insurance based companies, sectors that have experienced growth both in public and privately-held arenas.

There’s a moral to this story. Firstline presents itself as a trusted company, proudly displaying badges from PBS Kids (presumably for the safety level of their website) and the Better Business Bureau. Yet, their website has no information about their corporate officers or leadership and they are training their “advertising directors” to sell an overpriced product using deceptive sales techniques. The invocation of the Inc 500 as some sort of revered benchmark, when there is no identifiable listing for Firstline through 2006 is further evidence of their deception.

Finally, I was reading through one of their contracts and happened across this provision:

“You understand and agree that in conjunction with employee training, quality control and the provision of services, we may monitor and/or electronically record video and audio related to monitored activity at your location, as well as conversations with you, emergency services providers and law enforcement personnel. Further, you understand that privacy cannot be guaranteed on telephone, cable and computer systems, and we shall not be liable to you for any claims, loss, damages or costs which may result from a lack of privacy experienced…”

The first part seems to be related to 911 emergency monitoring, which we should all know happens, particularly if you’ve heard a 911 tape played on your local news after some sort of crime. The second part, though, where I’ve bolded? Think about that in the context of the expanded FISA provisions that allow warrantless wiretaps and monitoring on electronic communication.

Install one of these babies and you might end up in an FBI file. Particularly if you’re not a big supporter of our current administration. Think it’s preposterous? Study what happened during the dark days of the McCarthy era and J Edgar Hoover’s FBI. It’s not at all unthinkable.

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Viewing 70 Comments

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    you are absolutely retarded and obsessed. give it up, absolutely ridiculous. the pbs kids link is for a literacy program that employees donated to last year thank you.
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    anonymous,

    I certainly hope you're not working for them currently, because stepping into someone's virtual front room and calling them retarded, obsessed and ridiculous is certainly not the way to influence them to your way of thinking.

    You have a great day.
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    I am a home owner who had a Firstline Security rep come to my door explaining their Advertising Program recently. I am not one to make immediate decisions on my door step, although the sales rep would have been a lot more please if I was.

    I was already interested in getting a security system so doing a little more research fit into my already busy schedule naturally. So I researched everything I could... ADT, Brinks, Protection One, Online etc. What I found was that most companies were not offering the type of security I was interested in. Namely I didn't want a noise maker but I wanted something that would allow me, the user to see and control my home environment from remote locations. Of course very few offered such services because they are relatively new to the alarm industry.

    So after my research I found there were few options close to what Firstline was offering me. In response to the post here I researched your prices from safemart and found a comparable package there for 542.95 and this was without the Smoke Detector included in my package as it wasn't an option that I could find on the website. I imagine 100+ dollars would be a fair estimation not to mention that I get an additional discount on my homeowners insurance with a monitored smoke detector. With of course the 24.95 monitoring over 36 months (Firstline's contract length) I figured roughly 900 Dollars not counting on "Free Months." 1442.95 is a little less than 200 dollars cheaper not including the additional homeowners discount and cost of the smoke detector. Even with everything looking to be about as dead even in pricing as possible I was left with one problem... I did not want to install or program the system myself, nor did I want to find anyone with no affiliation to the place I bought the equipment from to install the equipment. A lot of different potential problems I did not want to navigate. Also I was pleased to find out that I would not be receiving a Simon 3 Alarm system but a more aesthetically (not tough to do with the Simon) pleasing Simon XT. GE's new and unavailable to the public, except through two U.S. companies, version of the Simon.

    Initially leery of the Door to Door presentation I have come full circle and feel great about the work done on securing my home. If you have enough time and resources to do it all yourself then by all means go to it. I have found that the 200 savings is not worth the hassle and headache of doing it yourself. It usually ends up costing much more in time and materials after it is all said and done.

    Comparing Apples to Apples I can't agree with the part about selling over priced products door to door. The value is decent and the representatives were great and professional. I also liked the idea of buying from a college student and feeling that maybe his commission would reach the tuition office rather than too much draft at the local pub. Who knows right?

    The pitch of free was never presented to me either... although I could understand how it could become that really quickly by a young person new to sales. Really though homeowners should be smart enough to know that nothing is free... every company researched was going to get their money for the service in one way or another. Although I did not research UNICEF... maybe they will be getting into home protection one day. Until then we are all going to have to pay something for the services provided. Perhaps a bad experience with them has affected the evaluation of their offers value? For my needs Firstline was the best bang for the buck.
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    Apples to Apples,

    Firstline is charging you $24.95/month for monitoring? Are you sure about that? The package my kid was selling was free hardware with $45.95/month monitoring. You're the first person I've heard of who is getting it for $24.95. Their website lists the price as $45.95, too. What monitoring do you get for that price?

    The smoke detector was available on the second site I priced. I didn't include it because I didn't see it in the basic package that the Firstline folks sell. It's an add-on.
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    Apples to Apples was not stating that they were being charged $24.99, they were using your example to add up the total cost. Re-read and you will see what they meant. And they make a good point, I would rather have an install done by an experienced technician as opposed to doing it myself. My time is worth more than that.
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    Anon,

    What Apples to Apples wrote was ambiguous at best, but even assuming your interpretation, I think it's just fine that they're satisfied.

    I will, however, point out that the "free equipment" pitch is in the sales literature and the students are trained to use that approach to sell the product. The prices for the hardware now are less, so I still stand by my assessment that selling the product by offering 'free' hardware is deceptive.

    This goes to what I've been saying from the start. If you have a product you can stand behind, why sell it with misleading statements? Why not just step up and say "here's what you can get it for online; here's what we charge for it altogether -- hardware and monitoring; and you get a professional installation"? Why the big deal about turning customers into advertisers with the frontline sign and the 'free hardware'.

    The fact is that there has to be a margin to pay these kids for what they're doing, assuming they meet the threshold. Just like any other commissioned employee selling products cold, they have a right to earn a living for what they're doing.

    If the product were unique, or the sales pitch straight-on, then I'd have no complaint. But this conversation began with Paul telling me that he did not feel he was being deceptive by approaching homeowners with a 'free offer' of a fully-installed security system with a required monitoring fee each month. That's deceptive. If he said that he was selling the system by approaching homeowners and telling them the hardware was amortized over 36 months along with the standard monitoring fee, I'd have far more respect for the pitch, frankly.

    Why? Because that squares with what I can find on my own online. A comparable system with a comparable monitoring service for less money, but I self-install as opposed to paying for an installation. So then I make the decision based on whether I want to do my own installation instead of some bogus premise that I'm getting something for free.
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    Karoli, I just got ripped off by these sleezeballs last weekend. They hit me up with this great deal for free equipment. I looked up the equipment on the the internet and you more than pay for the equipment over a 3 year period for this cheap alarm system. These scumbags take advantage of folks and sleep like babies at night. I didn't know about the clause that you put in your article about recording at your location. What scumbags. A friend who used to be in the business told me that it may cost them as little as $5.00 dollars a month to set up the monitoring.

    Check very closely into what you are buying. Slomins, ADT and all the others are rip off artists as well. Good luck.
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    The rep. that signed me up as an "advertising home" assured me that although he was signing me in for the 44.95/mo. monitoring fee I would not actually ever have to pay it. He told me on 3 seperate occasions that the money that they recive for me being an advertising home, along with the homeowners discount would cover the monthly charge. Mind you I made him repeat this to me with witnesses present in three differant conversations.
    This was not the only outright lie, he also assured me that he had obtained the property owners permission before I allowed the install to be done. However, when I handed my landlord the homeowner's discount certificate he asked me , "what is this?" The landlord was NEVER contacted about his property being used as an advertising home or contacted by Firstline IN ANY WAY. I am in the process of obtaining a date for removal of the system and getting the run around from the cancellation department.
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    Alexx,

    So what the rep really was saying when he/she said you wouldn't have to pay the monitoring fee was this:

    Of course you have to pay the monitoring fee, but the insurance savings will more than cover it. And of course, it doesn't.

    That rep was really dishonest with you. Most of them aren't. At least, not the ones who endeavor to be ethical...but they didn't sell all that many systems either, I'm afraid.

    Good luck getting it taken out and refunded.
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    I too was taken on this a year ago. Reason I said "yes" to the deal was that he the salesman told me we could backout at anytime and that he was just happy to have our home advertise for them as long as possible. Year later alarm is going off for about 7 minutes with no call from security company. I call them and tell them i want out as my alarm is going off. They ask why, I tell them about the noise in the background.

    They tell me the alarm monitoring is covered by another company(ADT?) and I should complain to them. I said fine I will but I want out of the contract as they didnt fulfill their service and was never notified of a second party.

    I was told too bad they are not liable and I am locked into 36 months. I tell them what the salesman told me and somehow they had him call me and he denied it and said I am locked into it. He also said he was a supervisor or such and his word was golden.

    Was I lied too. Heck yeah. But I should have read the contract. Not that it would matter if they didnt follow on their end. As it lists so many outs for them that they could never be held accountable.
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    My brother is currently employed by these jakaces and not only do they scam the customers, but they also threaten these guys that if they leave they don;t get paid. Stay away from this company and you'll be better off!!
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    first off, i would like to apologize for any of our reps who have been misleading, as you all know just because there is one bad seed doesn't mean that there all bad, i currently work for firstline security, and i truly believe that when i sell a system that i am doing the home owner good, now if there is a miss understanding about the home owners discount, again i apologize, but.... we only estimate what the discount could be off of what the customer claims to be paying yearly, and let them know the most they will ever receive for a discount could possibly be up to 20%, now i am not a slezzbag, or a con artiest, simply i am a salesmen, and if some people are just to ignorant to understand what i tell them, and also don't read the contract, it is not my fault or the fault of the company that they end up in some sort of bind because of it, but really who's fault is it for signing something with out reading it first? i mean really? it doesn't take that long to read.... tell me who is really the idiot here? and lastly, about the so called "free equipment" the only question I have is when do you right a separate check for that? because working in this job i've never charged anyone for there equipment, when you get a cell phone and sign a contract do you ever pay full price for the phone? no, because thats part of the deal, if you stay with us, we will help you out and give you a break on the product itself, i challenge you to find another company out there that gives a better deal on a cell module upfront, if you can then you can go with them, but where in business to make money, not to give stuff away, just do me a favor next time..... think before you open your mouth, or "trash type" a company that is helping thousands of families stay safe, and is a company that i love, have a nice day.....
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    "What Apples to Apples wrote was ambiguous at best"

    Really? Are you interested in slandering the company or evaluating your claims through sound research. It's not hard to understand what was being said in my post. The important thing is the bottom line... which you not myself is arguing. If the semantics are a big deal to you you then you should write a letter to all the companies giving out "free" cell phones while you are at it. While some sales tactics are unethical or dishonest we as consumers must shoulder a lot of the responsibility for knowing that the service will be paid for in one form or another.

    Perhaps it would be different for me if I had a child that went and didn't like or do well at the job. My post was written in regards to the fact that you mentioned overpriced equipment without a really clear explanation of the costs to actually get the service Firstline offers. The other things I know nothing about. We are very happy with our system and the services.
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    'Of course you have to pay the monitoring fee, but the insurance savings will more than cover it.'
    As I explained to the rep, I am not the homeowner so how am I going to see a drop in the homeowners insurance?
    To Michael the issue is not only the lie about monthly fees it is about them installing a system without the permission of the home owner.
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    Apples to Apples,

    Semantics are at the heart of this discussion. What you call something and how it's phrased are the key to the marketing pitch that Firstline and other companies use.

    Just this weekend I received a flurry of flyers from DirectTV and Verizon, promising me "free and faster" equipment than I already had if I bundled my long distance, cable tv and phone service together.

    Nothing is new under the sun. In fact, the prices are slightly higher than what I've got now, the equipment is different but not faster, and it's sold through a reseller rather than direct from the company.

    You mentioned 'free' cell phones. Of course they're not free, not even when you walk in the store. They're 'free' after the rebate, the 12-month commitment, etc. The 'free' hook gets you in the store. In this day and age, I'd also view cell phones as a necessity, and further, they're something I am actually going to the store to buy, as opposed to opening my front door on a sunny morning to find a bright-eyed student there waiting to tell me what I really need is a security system that until now I've done just fine without.

    This isn't about my kid -- this is about semantics. Telling people something is free when it isn't and training college students to sell it, using deceptive tactics is just the wrong approach.

    BTW, you're given a platform here on my bandwidth at my expense to state your case, completely free of charge. Whenever someone finds this post, your point of view is represented, along with the views of others pro and con. If I were interested in slandering the company I would've closed comments and left the "semantic" part out of the mix.
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    I want this system out of my home before I get evicted. Calling the cancellations dept. is just a run around I have been on hold the 4 times I have called with an average 10-25 mins. each time.
    The rep of course lied like a rug when confronted about not contacting landlord for approval. He never did answer the cancellation operator’s question of "did you actually speak to the landlord or did you leave a message?"
    After it was obvious that the rep and I did not have anything further to say to each other, the rep asks to talk to the cancellation dept. privately. I am put on hold again and was then disconnected. Now I'm really pissed! I am calling back now and they better be ready to give me the address of their company attorney if they do not cancel this contract.
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    alexx,

    I'd suggest contacting the Better Business Bureau in your area and reporting it there.

    Also, whether the rep answers the question or not, the fact remains that they do not have the homeowner's approval to install the system and so legally can't install it or bill the homeowner for it, as I understand things. (Keep in mind that rules for rentals vary from state to state, so what I said might not be true where you are).

    And truly, from the comments here on my posts concerning firstline, it's not the reps I have the problem with for the most part. They're doing what they've been trained to do. It's the training that I take issue with.
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    -Attention Firstliners: Please leave this woman alone, she's too bright to be manipulated.

    I'll dare say that -Apples to Apples- is not a homeowner at all, but is rather, a Firstline employee.

    As a former employee, it is apparent that this 'homeowner' has a very intimate knowlege of the inner workings of the company, accompanied with the same spin that many Firstline employees have.

    What a great tactic, I believe successfull politicians are also implanting knowlegable staff to appear like innocent citizens.

    The truth:

    Many of my fellow coworkers used deceptive methods to sell systems. One rep told people there is a smoke detector in the panel. Another tells people that if they choose landline- rather than cellular- that the systems still sends signals even if the phone line is cut.

    Rather than ensuring these poor people knew the truth, it was my job to ensure the homeowner didn't cancel. Imagine what I challenge I had when attempting to explain- a mini smoke detector, or worse, a cut phone line which can still comunicate.

    And I do know that the cost of the system is added into the monthly 'monitoring rate.'

    I'm shocked to see that the best reason to buy from Firstline, rather than a discount distributor is: the supposed 'professional installation.' Check out the reality here, and take time to look at the pictures of the 'professional installations.'

    -Mike
    Firstline: Your First Line of lies.
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    Given the current federal law and NSA wiretapping, it literally does not matter. What they're saying is that phone calls via monitoring center may be recorded, which is standard in all customer-to-company calls. The security company is a for profit organization , not government unit, so they have no obligation to protect you or your privacy. Forget FBI, I'd be less comfortable with company employees listening to my calls.
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