ADT frustrates client over faulty alarm

Mervyn Davids of Grassy Park sounded the alarm over ADT Security’s debt management company, Nu-Debt Management, which threatened to hand him over, even though he has been communicating with them for three years since 2012 without getting any answers.

Then sometime last year Mr Davids received an SMS from Nu-Debt asking him to call them.

When he does, no one knows what he is talking about.

Not so long ago he received an email from Nu-Debt in Johannesburg saying they would hand him over. However, the email was unsigned so Mr Davids did not know who to deal with.

The issue centres on an amount of R4 354.58 for an alarm system that was installed on February 26, 2011.

“However, the system was faulty and it took them two years to repair it after I told them I would be pulling out the wiring. It would go off when I set it before I went out.

“ADT also told me they would charge a call-out fee of R100 and I should read my contract,” Mr Davids said.

“So I switched it off and didn’t use it and when I asked if I could buy the system they told me I was renting it and I had to pay for them to come and check it out on February 24 2014. But they didn’t fix it. I emailed Caleb van Rensburg at ADT explaining that I stopped payments in 2012 as the system was not working and would start paying again when it had been repaired.

“This didn’t happen until 14 January 2013 when a technician turned up but he couldn’t fix the problem.

“A technician arrived on January 25 2013 and repaired the system. By then it was too late as I had already signed up with another security company.

“On August 8 2013, I notified ADT that their system was awaiting collection and I offered to pay 50% of the account. Now I refuse to pay because of their bad service and would not recommend them to anyone.

“The system is still waiting to be collected,” Mr Davids said. “I really need your help.”

So I contacted ADT and asked them to assist Mr Davids and explain to me what went wrong.

The answer, which was short and sweet, came back in a few days without any explanation.

Jade Hanning, ADT Security’s District Manager, Cape Town South, apologised for the way in which this matter was handled.

“We have instructed Nu-Debt Management to cease all action and we will update his profile with all credit companies accordingly. Mr Davids’s outstanding debt has been written off,” she said.

And an email asking why it went all pear-shaped for Mr Davids went unanswered.

I think it’s inefficiency, incompetence, care-free attitude, or all three.

And what did Mr Davids say? “ADT did not contact me. But you have resolved the issue for which I am grateful as it has been years of frustration.

“Many thanks for your help and I will be following up with the credit bureaux to see if ADT has updated my profile.”

* Crochet Home by Emma Lamb is published by StruikLifestyle, an imprint of PenguinRandomHouse, not RandHouse as stated in last week’s column.