First deceptive pricing, and now the worst service.
I’ve been a loyal customer for **over 20 years**, originally signing up for monitoring service at the advertised **\$9.99/month**—which, ironically, is also their phone number. That price didn’t last long. Within six months, I was being charged **\$300 per year**, without warning or consent to the new rate. When called, I was told that the $9.99 rate is only for new customers and only for the first 6 months. But the real problems started **recently**, after we received a letter stating that the Monitoring Center had been **taken over by TELUS**. Since that takeover, the service has gone straight downhill. Before TELUS got involved, the service was reliable and professional. If the alarm went off—even if we disarmed it within seconds—they would call us **immediately**. Service calls were prompt, coordinated, and followed up on. That level of reliability is now **gone**. Today was the last straw. My son accidentally triggered the alarm this morning. I waited **20 minutes**—**no call** came. So I called them myself. The first prompt I heard was: *"If you’re experiencing an emergency, press 1."* I pressed 1—and was **put on hold for FIVE MINUTES**, listening to **advertisements** the entire time. Let me ask you this: **WHAT IF THIS HAD BEEN A REAL EMERGENCY?** I’d be sitting there, terrified, listening to marketing fluff while trying to get help. **Five minutes in an emergency could be life or death.** When someone finally answered, she sounded completely lost and inexperienced. She was based in the U.S. and passed me to someone who sounded like they were in Egypt, who then passed me to **Montreal**—who ultimately told me: *"That’s not my department. Call back tomorrow—admin is closed today because of Canada Day."* **Unbelievable.** So now, instead of trusting the company I’ve paid thousands to over the years, I’m left wondering if my family would be **abandoned in an actual emergency**. I’m posting this as a warning: if you think you’re still getting the reliable service you signed up for, **think again**. As soon as I hit "send" on this post, I’ll be shopping for another monitoring service. I suggest others do the same **before they find out the hard way.**