Are you looking to hear about Vivint horror stories? Vivint has become one of the most popular home security system providers in the United States. Since 1999, Vivint Smart Home, Inc. has gathered 1.9 million customers throughout the US and Canada.
While Vivint has worked with millions of people, they have gathered their fair share of negative reviews from customers. From unethical sales tactics to restrictive contracts, there are many Vivint horror stories online.
While we find the Vivint security systems to be among the better options, it is important to highlight their business practices. This article will cover six Vivint horror stories from real customers of this smart home brand.
This Article Includes Verified Customer Reviews Have Been Modified For Privacy Protection, Spelling Errors, and Improved Readability. The Sources of These Customer Reviews are at the End of the Article.
Story 1: The Pushy Salesman
One of the top negatives of working with Vivint is their salespeople. Vivint has hired an extensive group of door-to-door salesmen whose main goal is to sell you lengthy contracts at any cost.
As many homeowners find out, they don’t do a great job of selecting their employees. Many Vivint sales professionals are hired from temporary employment agencies. A Vivint customer mentioned a similar review about their salespeople:
Our sales rep was deceitful from the start. He told us we had seven days to cancel, but in the fine print wrote we had three, so we were screwed and left paying over $100/month for this system.
Unfortunately, we found several instances of Vivint salespeople blatantly lying to secure a sales commission. It’s important to review the contract and to confirm that it states the agreed-upon conditions.
Another past customer mentioned another similar situation:
Shame on me for falling for high-pressure tactics disguised as friendly banter. Said I qualified for a free system, which was, of course, not true. Said installation might take a few days, but installers came within minutes and did a sloppy job.
Finally, I realized they were waiting up the street, so I would not have time to come to my senses, which I did the next day. I canceled during the Vivint cancellation period for the system.
Story 2: Never-Ending Technical Glitches
While we believe Vivint has a better system than most mainstream security providers, it’s not free of its problems. Several reports from past customers have been made about a system that experienced technical glitches frequently.
A customer stated a similar review about their Vivint smart home system:
I have made complaint after complaint over 15 different malfunctions in the 13 months I’ve had the Vivint system in my home. The installer hung the wiring over my garage door, so it became entangled the first time I tried to open it.
The manual lock didn’t interact with the panel. The panel froze (3). The phone app didn’t complete the lock. The cameras froze. The phone indicated it was locked, but the panel was green.
The panel indicated it was locked, but the phone was green. The panel and the phone indicated it was locked, and the front door was wide open. Worst of all, the panel and the phone app froze, and I was locked in my house.
Story 3: Unhelpful Customer Support
Along with the salespeople, the biggest complaint with Vivint is their customer support representatives. We believe that Vivint has decided to cut its customer service department costs and outsource it to other countries.
A customer provided a similar statement about the customer service provided by Vivint:
After almost 2 hours on the phone speaking to individuals with poor English, I was finally able to speak to a manager who could help the situation. It’s just the worst customer service I’ve received from any organization.
As a major ranking factor in our list of The 5 Worst Home Security Companies, we mentioned unprofessional customer support being a big issue. If you can’t find helpful support for your security system, you are better off working with another provider.
Story 4: Restrictive Contracts
Unfortunately, home security system companies are notorious for restrictive contracts with expensive fees. Many salespeople want you to sign up for a system contract as long as possible.
Vivint is not the exception, as there are numerous instances of customers being convinced to sign up for an initial 60-month contract. Additionally, you are required to pay a large fee if you want to cancel your contract early.
We believe one customer summarized much of the Vivint horror stories in one sentence:
I was truly dissatisfied and disappointed with the service we received, and now I’m stuck in a contract.
In a previous article, we mentioned that it is quite difficult to cancel a Vivint contract without receiving a penalty. Vivint will grant you a policy cancellation without any early termination fees if the system owner meets the following criteria:
- Death
- Bankruptcy
- Transition to an Assisted Living Home
- Military Deployment of More than Six Months
- Military Medical Discharge
- Military Retirement
When you don’t meet any of these listed criteria, you will likely need to pay the remaining equipment balance and a fee of around $300. However, the fee is based on several factors, so you must ask Vivint customer support.
Story 5: Changing Installation Costs
At Serious Home Security, we believe every home security provider should have transparent pricing. In some reports, customers have mentioned that Vivint added hidden fees to the installation of their system.
When signing up for a contract, a customer mentioned a similar statement:
I signed with Vivint through a referral. We agreed to pay $84.96 monthly but received an additional $77.00 for services. I tried to cancel the services for a while and was told I couldn’t get out of my contract without paying off the equipment.
With differing installation costs, it’s challenging to budget for what you can expect to pay with Vivint. The Vivint website mentions that you pay no installation fee when you sign up for their services online.
However, this article conveniently doesn’t mention the costs of an installation when you purchase a security system in person. The lack of transparency allows some Vivint technicians to charge customers various installation fees.
Story 6: No Refund Sent
Finally, the last of the Vivint horror stories is the fight for a refund. If you request a refund for your purchase with Vivint, you can likely expect to deal with frustration. The home security company doesn’t make it easy for customers to receive their funds back.
First, you must request a refund within the standard 3-day window if you want a full refund from Vivint. The technician installing your Vivint system will provide you with two documents, which is the “Notice of Cancellation.”
Along with the short return policy, some customers have had experiences like the following:
After telling me that they would cancel my service they now refuse to. I was told several different things from their call center, I spoke to about six different people to resolve the issue on the phone.
I spoke with service representatives, supervisors, and the dispute team. They still refuse to cancel my monitoring service even though they have taken all of the equipment off of my house.
Bizarre Vivint News Stories
Opening 10 Credit Accounts in a Customer’s Name
Aggressive Salespeople Harassing Local Communities
Conclusion
While many customers are happy with their Vivint system, it was important to showcase differing experiences. Much of the concerns with Vivint are not with their systems but with the salespeople often staffed by temp agencies and outsourced customer support.
If you’ve had a Vivint horror story, we would love to hear more in the comments below!
Sources:
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/apx_alarm.html?#overall-rating
https://au.sitejabber.com/reviews/vivint.com