The Monitoring Center

Alarm Systems
Oakville ON L6H 5V1
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Alarm Systems
The Monitoring Center
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85%

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Reviews by rating (past 12 months)

Reviews for The Monitoring Center

Average customer rating:
9 10 (295 reviews)

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Don Jon from Vancouver
Don Jon from Vancouver
1 review Vancouver, BC
0/10

Home alarm

Our alarm went off twice in a week - they didn't bother to call and follow up. We called to complain - they were rude and unprofessional. Absolutely horrible services!!

Approximate cost of services:
$350.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

I have made every effort to find a customer on file that fits the profile of events described above and there is no such incident. Please Don contact me directly Mirella, Sales Manager 1-866-247-4999 Ext. 2235 or mirella@themonitoringcenter.com so we can locate your file and remedy this situation. To our knowledge there is no-one in our database that fits this scenario. I welcome your call :). Mirella, Sales Manager 1-866-247-4999 Ext 2235 or mirella@themonitoringcenter.com

Donald B from West Palm Beach
Donald B from West Palm Beach
1 review West Palm Beach, FL
10/10

Home security system

I switched to The Monitoring Center after my 5-year contract with another home security provider ended. Driving through my community, I noticed that many of my neighbors had The Monitoring Center signs displayed in front of their homes. I contacted The Monitoring Center. The sales representative was knowledgeable, professional and very helpful. She made me feel valued as a potential customer. She answered all of my questions and even called me back to make certain that I understood the process of how to switch my service. She scheduled an appointment and the technician came to my home. He was prompt, courteous, professional and very knowledgeable. He tested the system and all went well. During the test, the alarm sounded and I immediately received a call from The Monitoring Center. The approximate cost includes installation and monitoring service. My experience with The Monitoring Center has been a very positive one!

Approximate cost of services:
$175.00
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Company Response

We thank you for your exceptional review. We will continue to deliver the highest level of customer service to all of our subscribers. Welcome on board and thank you for choosing The Monitoring Center for your security needs.

Es Kay from Dearing
Es Kay from Dearing
1 review Riverside, CA
8/10

Alarm Installation & Monitoring Service

All around 5-Star service. Prior to ordering all questions were answered. Ordering process was smooth as well as the scheduling. They do schedule you out at least a week or two so keep that in mind. Install Tech was highly professional, did a great job as well as answered all the questions. The only negative I have if any is the pricing on their alarm system seemed a little bit high. The initial system is priced properly, however if you start adding up Contacts / Motion sensors, the price jumps up very quickly. Compared to their competitors, I could have paid the same price and got 2 years of service and an additional 5 contacts than what I have now with a 2 year contract. Other than that, monitoring so far has been great on all the tests performed. They call you immediately (within a minute mostly) if the alarm is tripped and within 5 minutes if the alarm is tripped and cancelled locally as that decreases the priority of the alarm as I have been told. Overall satisfied with everything except for the price of the system.

Approximate cost of services:
$1,300.00
What could this company do to improve their services?
Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
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Company Response

Our pleasure :). Your system will pay for itself within a 2 year period and you can then fully enjoy optimum service and SAVE a minimum of $240.00 year over year. Thank you again for your positive feedback and welcome to The Monitoring Center.

Phuong from Toronto
Phuong from Toronto
4 reviews Toronto, ON
0/10

Service

The experience with scheduling was horrible. I called in late November to get an appointment and there were availabilities for the first week of December. Two days later and I am pushed out to December 23rd. This date was a gamble and I was put on the waiting list.

So for the discounted price, I am now waiting two freakin months! And now I'll be sitting around on my birthday for the site visit.

Wow ... this is AMAZING service. NOT!

I want to clarify that there is no existing provider so there is NO CANCELLATION THAT I AM WAITING FOR!!!

Approximate cost of services:
$0.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

We are sorry for any inconvenience. However existing providers normally require 30 days notice to cancel your existing service therefore we generally book conversions 3 weeks out. It is important to accommodate those customers who have absolutely no monitoring or protection first. If you called us in late November as stated above and were scheduled for December 23rd that falls in line with the 30 days notice required from your current provider. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me directly, Mirella, Sales Manager 1-866-247-4999 Ext. 2235

Dominique from Toronto
Dominique from Toronto
1 review Toronto, ON
8/10

Monitoring Subscription

January 12, 2015 Update

After the incident, I called Ascanio (the nice guy who sold the alarm system) and after hearing the story, he emailed Mirella and suggested that I should contact her directly. I decided to hold up my complaint to the BBB until I had a chance to discuss with Mirella.

She been kind to follow up with me very quickly on the issues of the staff’s tone and threaths and the communication/control unit bypass.

Mirella assured me that the unprofessional tone was an isolated occurrence; she referred the matter of the control unit by-pass to another staff who is working on it.

Mirella graciously offered me 2 months free monitoring services (thank you) and a two year prepaid contract calculated at $9.99 per month (thank you also). I accepted the offer and renewed with TMC.

I visited TMC's website and explored every single link and I have yet to find where the increase to $12.99 is mentioned. I tried calculating the savings (the big green button on about every pages) and could not reconcile the savings. Maybe the website is in need of an update!

Speaking of update, I am revising my rating as a result of TMC’s goodwill to 8.
_____________________________________________________
I had a monitoring system installed in 2009 after a break-in. All went well except for the communication unit that broke a couple of time. It was blamed on the Bell wiring! That second time the system failed, the technician indicated that he will temporarily bypass some features of the communication unit to allow the system to call the centre if the alarm is set off. The draw back was that an incoming call could not be disconnected if the system was attempting to reach the centre. I was told to have Bell check all its wiring and TMC would replace the IC in the communication unit. I'm still waiting for it! Last year and maybe the year before, the monthly rate was increased to 12.99 without warning or explanations whatsoever. This Saturday, someone called me to ask for a credit card number given that my card was renewed since the last automatic charge a year ago. I told the lady that I was planning onchanging monitoring because TMC increased the monthly rate without prior notice. This is when the lady waved a "contract" argument (this is a poor business approach to keep clients btw) that after 3 years there is a rate increase. The salesperson -- a nice guy -- certainly did not highlight that contract clause when selling the services, and who keeps reading a contract that was done 5 years ago!!!! Even TMC website leads you to believe that the monthly rate is 9.99 all the time. On its "Buyer Beware" page, TMC writes in bold red letters: With TMC your alarm monitoring cost is ONLY $9.99 per month!! So much for buyer beware.
I hung up on the lady after her contract argument and her indication that I only had 9 days to inform in writing TMC of my cancellation (a verbal contract is a contract... this being said I can expect a number of legalese arguments that TMC could include in its reply... if it does! I'm well "trained" by mychildhood friend who is a contract lawyer!). Anyhow, the lady called back and left a message about sending my file to a credit bureau and a collection agency if I did not cancel by December 15. So much for trying to keep the business!
I don't take threats and I'm not making any! But I'm certainly filing a complaint with the BBB about TMC's representations on its website that leads one to believe that the monthly rate will remain unchanged!
Mind you, I'm not dissatisfied with the monitoring service itself. I'm with the unprofessional business tone,representations or promises! A good friend of mine recommended this company at the time! It's now my turn to make a recommendation to him at this time.

Review has 2 previous versions
Approximate cost of services:
$800.00
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

First I would like to thank you for your patronage and also thank you for commenting that you were satisfied with the monitoring service. We do apologize that you experienced any difficulties at all as a customer should never be made to feel like they need to publicly complain. Our 4th year increase to $12.99 (unless you are a senior) is standard and is displayed on our website. The payment 2 years in advance in order to remain at the $9.99 rate is an offer we make to all of our existing customers in order to retain their business. We do appreciate your business and I am hoping you can take a moment to contact me directly in order to find a resolution for you. Mirella, Sales Manager, 1-866-247-4999 or mirella@themonitoringcenter.com

Fawaz
Fawaz
6 reviews Brampton, ON
10/10

Alarm monitoring

I've used this service for 18 months now. (first year paid for with 6 months free service)
I don't usually leave reviews unless its either really good or really bad--and TMC has been exceptional. Their service works well and the staff calls within a minute when alarm is triggered. I only wish they offer promotions for customers resigning. My contract will expire soon and it seems as though I wouldn't recieve the same offer as before. I have recommended TMC to two family members over the years.

Approximate cost of services:
$264.00
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Company Response

Thank you so much for your positive review, it is greatly appreciated. We would like to explain that it is impossible for us to continue the 6 months promotion and continue to deliver quality service. We do however award 2 months FREE for each referred customer, so I urge you to contact our Accounting Department to ensure you receive your FREE months for the 2 family members you have referred to us. Hopefully this incentive will help.

geetesh from Brampton
geetesh from Brampton
1 review Brampton, ON
0/10

monitoring centre

Most unreliable service. Uneducated tech support run around. Unprofessional people. Will never work with there customers. Will put blame on your home phone company as no idea what to do. I am using my screw driver and messing around with wires. Please DONT USE THE MONITORING CENTRE WASTE OF MONEY

Approximate cost of services:
$65.00
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Company Response

It is unfortunate Geetesh that you did not contact us prior to changing phone providers. I again invite you to contact me directly so i can assist you in remedy for your communication issues. We would like to assist you but require you to contact us in order to do so. Mirella, Sales Manager 1-866-247-4999 X2235.

Raymond Coleman from Ottawa
Raymond Coleman from Ottawa
1 review Ottawa, ON
10/10

Medical Monitoring

My elderly mother needed to push her button one evening, and the Monitoring Centre was perfect. Paramedics were at the door just as the neighbour arrived from 4 doors down. Excellent service.

Approximate cost of services:
$9.99
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Company Response

Pleased to have been of service...hope all is well with you and your mother. Thank you for your positive feedback.

Alice from Los Angeles
Alice from Los Angeles
1 review Los Angeles, CA
10/10

Alarm system

I have been a customer of TMC for over 4 years. I couldn't be happier with my alarm system. It is very affordable and I have been singing their praise every since I got started. I don't have to think about my alarm system. I feel safe that they are always watching over me. I have been spreading the word that my friends in other states are envious. I want this company to be world wide. They truly desire it. Spread the word.

Approximate cost of services:
$150.00
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Company Response

Thank you Alice...we are pleased to serve. If you would be so kind as to email me personally at your convenience ... mirella@themonitoringcenter.com we would like to ensure that you have been awarded your 2 months FREE alarm monitoring credit for each referral you have sent our way. We appreciate your business. :)

The reviews on this page are the subjective opinion of the Author and not of HomeStars Inc.

More about The Monitoring Center

Welcome to The Monitoring Center. We offer Affordable ... Dependable ... Full Service Alarm Monitoring 24/7 starting at ONLY $9.99/month... 6 Month FREE Sign Up Bonus. ULC Listed and CSAA 5 Diamond Rated Alarm
Monitoring Facility. We provide new installations, system upgrades & add ons, and full service. We specialise in converting existing alarm systems to our monitoring facility while saving you money.

CATEGORIES
Alarm Systems
PRODUCTS
We can provide a wide range of alarm products to suit your security needs: *** Portable Panic/Medical Alert Devices Carbon Monoxide & Smoke Detectors Door & Window Contacts Glass Break & Motion Detectors Temperature & Flood Sensors Hold Up Buttons & Remote Keyfobs Wireless Receiver & Sirens Upgrade Kits And More
SERVICES
Existing alarm system monitoring New alarm system installations Existing alarm system upgrades Alarm service Smart home control
WEBSITE
https://www.themonitoringcenter.com
YEAR ESTABLISHED
1998
PAYMENT METHOD
Cheque or Credit Card
LICENSES
CANASA Membership ... ULC Certification
MEMBERSHIPS
BBB
LIABILITY INSURANCE
Yes
WORKERS COMPENSATION
Yes
WRITTEN CONTRACT
Yes
Company profile information is not moderated by HomeStars. Ask the contractor to verify before hiring.