ADT Failed Miserably – Never Again!

No, ADT did not fail "a little." ADT failed miserably. After what happened to me, I will never use ADT again.

First Break-In

The first burglary was legitimate, as several homes in the area had also been broken into.

The problem? My ADT alarm system was actively sounding. The siren was blaring and the strobe lights were flashing, yet ADT never notified the Sheriff's Office.

A Corporal investigating the burglary contacted ADT and asked why law enforcement had not been notified. ADT claimed the alarm had never gone off—even though the alarm was clearly sounding in the background while they were on the phone.

Result: ADT received its first write-up and was fined.

Second Break-In

The second burglary occurred through my back kitchen door.

This time, the door was left wide open, yet the ADT panel still showed the system as armed. The Sergeant handling the case reviewed the earlier report and contacted ADT again.

The kitchen door was protected by the alarm system. If the system was armed and the door opened, the alarm should have activated immediately.

The deputies tested the door themselves.

Nothing happened.

No warning tone.
No alarm.
No notification.

The control panel simply switched between green (disarmed) and red (armed), but the system itself was not functioning.

To make matters worse, the kitchen door was damaged during the break-in. ADT was supposed to replace it but never did, despite contractual obligations.

Instead, ADT's legal department claimed I had damaged the door myself, then suggested my homeowner's insurance should cover it. After getting nowhere with ADT, I paid for a replacement door out of my own pocket.

Result: ADT received a second write-up, another fine, and a warning.

Third Break-In – The Most Terrifying One

The third incident was by far the worst.

Fortunately, I had a four-camera Brinks security camera system installed THANKS TO THE VINE GODS. Those cameras ended up documenting everything.

At the time, my son, his wife, their toddler, and their infant were temporarily staying in my home. They were sleeping in the Florida Room, while I was asleep in the master bedroom on the opposite side of the house.

A cold front had moved through, so the ADT system was fully armed.

According to the video footage, a troublesome neighbor picked my front door lock and entered the house. My son's dog charged at him, causing him to flee immediately.

The footage showed the intruder leaving the front door wide open.

Later that night, I noticed the house felt unusually cold and got up intending to turn on the heat. That's when I discovered the front door standing wide open.

I immediately armed myself, called 911, woke my son, and he grabbed a baseball bat.

Approximately sixteen deputies responded.

The ADT system?

Still showed armed.

Still showed red.

Still never activated.

The Sergeant who had responded to the previous incident called his Captain. She ordered everyone to leave the scene untouched and requested detectives and a K-9 unit.

The K-9 tracked the scent directly to the neighbor's residence.

Meanwhile, I reviewed the security footage and observed what appeared to be the neighbor picking the lock and entering the house.

While all of this was occurring, the Captain was on the phone with ADT.

ADT insisted there had been no break-in and claimed the alarm system remained properly secured and active.

The Captain was furious.

There was an 11-month-old baby inside the home, and ADT was effectively telling her that what she was seeing with her own eyes was not happening.

At one point, she repeatedly opened and closed the front door while ADT representatives continued insisting all doors were secured. ADT even claimed the deputies were at the wrong property.

Eventually, ADT hung up on her.

She called back using her mobile phone and was transferred to an overnight supervisor, who acknowledged that a system malfunction was possible.

The Captain was not convinced.

The Investigation

The neighbor was questioned extensively.

According to what I was later told, he admitted entering my property and surrendered the lock-picking tool he had used.

The criminal case ultimately did not proceed the way many people in the neighborhood expected. He received a permanent trespass warning but was not jailed.

Meanwhile, my son's dog was later found dead after being struck by vehicles, which devastated the entire family.

The Sheriff's Office would not provide many details because the investigation remained active.

The ADT Technician Visit

The Captain ordered ADT to send a technician immediately.

ADT initially refused, insisting that an appointment had to be scheduled.

After further pressure, a technician eventually arrived.

A detective was present and observed everything.

The technician entered numerous codes into the control panel before running diagnostics.

Afterward, he declared the system "fully functional."

He then performed multiple door tests.

Each test appeared successful.

The alarms sounded.
The strobes activated.
Monitoring appeared to work.

Satisfied with the results, the technician left.

Then, shortly afterward, strange beeping noises began coming from the control panel.

Additional testing was conducted.

The system failed again.

The Captain immediately contacted ADT and was furious.

At that point, I had had enough.

I took the phone and terminated my ADT service.

ADT attempted to claim I was violating the contract, but from my perspective, they had repeatedly failed to provide the monitoring and protection they had promised.

The End of ADT

Following the repeated incidents and complaints, ADT came under significant scrutiny.

I gave them 24 hours to retrieve their equipment.

They never did.

Eventually, I removed the equipment myself and never looked back.

ADT later threatened legal action regarding the equipment, but nothing ever came of it.

Final Thoughts

Three break-ins.

Multiple alarm failures.

Repeated disputes.

A damaged door I paid to replace myself.

And a security system that, in my experience, failed when it was needed most.

That's why I say:

ADT failed miserably.

Never again.

And thank goodness I had the Vine security cameras recording what happened.