I just bought a new house and there is an existing alarm system in there. Here's my question, do I have to choose a specific alarm company or does that system work with multiple and I just choose the provider?
Generally it would be set up to be monitored by a specific provider. If you decide to go with a different company, the new one may be able to work with it.
I would call the prospective companies and ask them. Nobody here can tell you without looking at your existing systems. In the past many companies would not retrofit to Brinks systems, for example. Nowadays, most of the same companies will do it. Sometimes they'll replace the main board/box and or wire into it for whatever they need. Since they'll be doing the work, only they'll be able to tell you.
Call smith Thomson. They are 17 a month and they work to use your existing system. You can pay 80 and get the cell option and the monthly price is the same. ADT wants 8 extra a month. Can't wait to cancel ADT.
I think this is the appropriate thread, because I was somewhat tricked to signing up with ADT... and now I am looking to cancel with the three-day no-obligation clause. I too bought a new house and we had a salesman tell us that VOICE-TO-VOICE monitoring was $41.99 a month and that was all we would pay. We would get installation, equipment, and one key fob for the system. All was fine and dandy, and I even had a day off from work to be there for the technician. On Monday, the day of the installation, a rep calls and says that the salesman who made us the offer the night before didn't give us the right price, that the voice-to-voice monitoring is really 47.99, and if we don't want that, the next level down is $44.99 for cell phone monitoring. Well, I told them to send the technician anyway, and that my wife and I would discuss if it was worth it. The technician was there and told me that because the salesman the prior night messed up, we'd get an additional key fob valued at $90 and carbon monoxide monitoring in addition to the system we already would get. This would be to compensate for the salesman's mistake. I told him the most I would sign up for was the 44.99/mo service that is cell phone monitoring, and won't even consider that initially we were quoted $41.99 for the voice-to-voice which really is $47.99 Now I am thinking there's gotta be a way to get them to budge and accept that they really and truly messed up and had the technician out there, installed the system, and now they will have to remove it if they don't accept. FYI, I am already getting 3 of the 36-month contract free. Do any of you have any tips, suggestions, etc., to get this company (it's a local installer/distributor) to fairly realize they messed up and get them to give me the service at $41.99? I don't want to have to threaten to call ADT themselves and tell them what a poor job their distributors are doing. Thank you. tl;dr - They offered $41.99 but now want to get $47.99 instead... what can I say?