I have used Alert since 2006 and they have been much more reliable than ADT and AT&T which I previously used in different homes. Quick response, rare false alarms, reasonable pricing. This review is also about their tech support which we had to call for a lot in the past year: first to upgrade our system as we put it in 18 years ago; and then because we remodeled our basement so they had to come out a few times to deal with construction dust setting things off, moving motion detectors when walls were moved, adding new window contacts etc. Two of their service techs specifically are amazing: Gus and Mara. I feel extremely lucky when they send either of them out. Especially Mara. She stands out as being the most competent service tech - of *any company* I have ever dealt with. She assesses the situation, makes recommendations for better solutions, advocates for the customer if needed, and then executes the solution flawlessly, efficiently, quickly. Again shout out to Gus who is A+ but I have to give Mara an A++! read more

Hailey updated my account and was very thorough. Hailey is knowledgable and pleasant.

30 year of coustore Of Alert alarm . I don't know why i still a customer they charge me for service couple months of service and I never set the system up and running yet. I explained the system was not installed yet ! Originally the service guy ( Joe ) stated no problem i will not start billing until they set up lies more lie . the DIY system are junk ( crap )but so far they back up the shitty product . They want money and they Absolute horrible customer service . read more

Avoid Alert Protective Services. If I could get out of my contract with them today, I would, and happily at that. Here's why: A drunk driver hit a car on Thursday night in front of my home. We pressed the doorbell to record the incident, and it failed to record. Thankfully, no one was badly hurt and they caught the driver who left the scene. This could have gone another way, badly, and we wouldn't have had video of it. To troubleshoot the issue, we called Alert to find out why a system we pay for wasn't working, and were told a technician has to come out. (Pro Tip: this involves a 100 service fee that wasn't announced up front. The word "service fee and parts" may or may not have been used.) Here's why Alert is totally fired now: 1. A five minute service visit whereupon the technician logged into the wireless doorbell and rebooted it solved the problem. I then learned that the 100 dollars I was charged for this "service" could have been done remotely, (and according to Howard whom I spoke to at Alert to question this "service visit" charge), it was supposedly tried and failed when the initial call was made. This does not change the fact that it took a tech five whole minutes to charge me 100 bucks with something that could have been fixed remotely. 2. It took 40 bucks and 7 days to get a battery for a system (that I had to install by the way) that should have arrived in 1-2 days. (On a system that shouldn't even use a regular non-powered non-recyclable non-chargeable battery for.) 3. I was not told to call their offices to put our system in "test" if work is being done on the house, lest it call the fire department because hanging a ceiling fan set it off and did just exactly that. 4. If you bother to go with Alert, make a note that you cannot get out of your contract unless you pay 80% of it, and - here's the kicker - email in writing notice of cancellation 30 days before it expires. Oh, and apparently notice can only be given 30 days in advance, as I attempted to give them notice now and was rudely told "I can't put a cancellation note on your account for next February." 5. Their techs couldn't get my Comcast Business wi-fi network to extend to my garage for sensors or cameras. I had to install my own cameras for the whole place. (Thankfully my cameras are better and cheaper than their exorbitant prices anyway.) As I sit here, I contemplate my legal options for cancelling a service that has caused more headaches than it has solved. As someone who works a help desk myself, the abysmal customer service I receive up front and on callbacks (or no callback at all in one case) is enough to find another vendor for your home security needs. Stay Safe, Dear Readers! It's stupid out there. read more

I've now been a customer for 6 years and after 3 phone calls and 2 online submissions of a disconnection request, I've still been unsuccessful in closing out my account or having them wave 2 months of monitoring I don't need. I would expect a local company competing with Ring, Nest, and others to at least try to differentiate with good, personalized customer care/experience. read more

As a 7 year customer of Alert Protective, I was incredibly frustrated with how our relationship came to an end. I canceled service a few days before moving out of my home and was told I would be charged a $60 fee for not providing 30-days notice. I emailed Alert and expressed my dissatisfaction with this policy. I received no response. After following up was told they would hold firm on this policy. This was motivating enough to not sign up for new service in my next house. I later received a recurring subscription charge several months after canceling my service. I called and was told that there was an error in their software that billed previous subscribers and they would take off the charge. After calling and following up 3 times, the charge was never removed. I had to go through my credit card to get a refund. I would not recommend using Alert. The product is fine but the customer service was poor and at times borderline antagonistic. After giving Alert multiple chances to address the problem they created, I became frustrated enough that I was compelled to leave a review. read more

Have been with Alert for more than 10 years now. They did a takeover of the existing alarm in my old home a very smooth transition. Called after about a year when there was a beeping and yellow triangle on the alarm before I called them I received a call from the monitoring center about the low battery. They transferred me to the main office where I was able to schedule a service call to replace the battery. They replaced it did a system check all good. Then after 4 years we priced 4 companies to get an updated alarm system. Not only did Alert beat the others on price but I knew the service was going to be good and it was. Moved to our new home last March Alert installed new system with home active devices thermostat video door bell indoor camera and garage door control. Took 3 hours to install and train my wife and myself. Our Technician Luis could not have been nicer making sure we were both comfortable using it. Over the past years we have recommended Alert to our family and friends who all had the same wonderful experience we have had. read more

Their support service is absolutely worthless. I bought a home and was left with no instructions on disabling the alarm, and became trapped in my home while their support line offered no assistance. Terrible company, and because of my experience, if I were to look for home security, I would absolutely look elsewhere. read more

Alert Protective - Torture device from this awful company. - Security Systems Near Me - River Grove, Illinois

When we moved into our new place, we knew we wanted to get an alarm system. We looked at the options available and wanted to get a monitored system. I contacted a few places and decided to go with Alert Protective Services. In my old neighborhood, most of the alarm signs in yards are for this company. For the most part, the process was easy. We worked with Tim and he came out and assessed our place and provided us a quote. We did have to hound him a bit to get the proposal edited to our specs and there was some confusion about needing a signed original prior to installation. Aside from that, the process was pretty smooth. We've had the system for about a month now and have no complaints. We mostly control the system through the Alarm.com app, which is very convenient. It's also easy to customize the various types of notifications and preferences through the website and app. The alarm has been set off by the manfriend more than once. As expected, when the alarm wasn't disarmed quickly, I got a text and app notification. I also got a phone call to verify that it was indeed a false alarm. They don't really talk about the contract term in the proposal, but the standard contract is 3 years. They will do a 2-year contract at no upcharge if you ask. read more

Absolute horrible customer service. I cancelled my account and two months later got a bill for service. I have reached out to their billing department 7 or 8 times about getting a refund, and every single time they tell me they'll "leave a note for their supervisor." Nothing ever happens, nobody reaches back out to me and I'm in a Groundhog Day loop of frustration. Avoid at all costs. read more

Because ADT never called us or the police one hour alarm went off and I don't think they were doing anything and we were having problems with some of their hardware and they were very unresponsive we switch to Alert I would love to have given them a five star but it's taking them two months to fully install our units and all of the conversions they were going to do from the former ADT didn't work out so I had to buy new cameras etc. but the guy who runs our service department Joe and the service guys will come out we're all great slow but great and very nice and personable so finally it's up and running the lights work everything works and I'm pleased if you have been a speedy is they promised me they would have five stars read more

Great service! Very pleased with the hard working professionals (Joe Rodriguez) . Rating 5 stars for the services alone but the hospitality that goes behind it deserves more! read more

Rip off service call and equipment fees. They charge to come out and fix problems on their own system, and then require you must buy from them new equipment at huge mark ups, otherwise they will not cover it. But then they will cover existing other equipment if just acquiring your account. Oh, and if you want, you can buy into a service plan to get service calls at a reduced fee. Sorry, but I would rather go with a company that has confidence in their install and contact from the start. read more

Great team of professionals that make sure their job is done efficiently and safely. Very pleased with their customer service and the overall ease I got working with them. read more

Great team that's easy to work with and keeps the process simple! Knowledgeable and friendly team that works hard for their clients.

Very happy with the service I received from Alert. Around ten years ago, Alert Protective installed security cameras and an alarm system in my home. Both the security cameras and alarm system are still fully functioning after a decade of use. The support team is always easy to get a hold of and is quick to help. I would highly recommend Alert Protective to keep your family and home safe! read more

we needed a new alarm company because the previous company closed. alert was able to service the existing alarm and add their alarm app to work as new. don't be fooled by other alarm companies promising and can not deliver. if you want a quality alarm for your business or house and if you want cameras installed or maintained call alert. knowledgeable staff and quality products. read more

canceled account in February , but have not stopped . service was ok but charging even after service canceled is not right

Update - I cancelled service in December 2021, based on the review above. In February 2022 I received a bill from them. I contacted them and was assured that the charge was "an error" and that the account was "closed". I received another bill in May 2022 that had to be "cancelled". No apology for hassling me. and assured that it wouldn't happen again. We'll see. Very disorganized and poor record keeping. Strongly suggest any other alarm company read more

After doing my research on Alarm monitoring companies I realized there are a lot of bad eggs out there. High monthly fees tied to long contracts in which the fees can "adjust" at the will of the company and poor customer service seem to run rampant in this business. Alert is a bright spot in all these areas. Not only is the monthly monitoring fee lower, it doesn't adjust and the 2 follow up customer service interactions I've had with them have been quick and easy. No automated menus to plod through and no holding or waiting to talk to someone. I chose the 2GIG wireless system for it's GUI and overall easy of use and programming. Initial install was pretty quick and the tech was on time, friendly and walked me through operation of the system. The initial price of the system was a little higher than others out there but the significantly lower monthly monitoring fee will more than make up for that. Very happy so far. read more

Installation of a system is one thing. Ongoing service is another. When my fire system was installed three years ago, Alert Protective was professional in its installation timeline & the system has worked flawlessly until recently. When I called the service department to schedule someone to come out, a time was agreed upon by both of us. When the time came & went, I called the Service Manager (Todd) to find out what was going on. He said that he would call me back in 5 minutes....no return call. I call the Owner Chuck...he told me he would figure it out. About 4 hours past the agreed upon time frame, I get an e-mail from the Service Manager that he has talked to the Owner & technician....they weren't able to make it that day & need to reschedule. ARE YOU F-ING KIDDING ME? No one had the professional courtesy to call me & let me know the technician is running behind? On top of that, Todd nor Chuck had the common courtesy to return my call? Frustrated, I followed up with an email to communicate my disappointment with how they handled my situation. They finally sent someone out, but no reply back to my email, no apology for blowing me off....nothing. Maybe I'm a small fish in their portfolio of business, but the way I was treated was completely bogus. I'm a business owner myself & if I heard that my customer...big or small....was treated like this by my employee, heads would roll. At the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM I would call the customer back & try to explain where things went wrong. I'd call, leave a message AND send an e-mail. The only positive was Mike, the technician. He's knows his stuff. If I ever decide to use them again in the future, he would be the only reason I'd call back. If that time comes, I hope the team at Alert Protective has their sh-t together. read more

I've had no problems so far. Granted, I've only been using this alarm company for one month, but so far, so good. When I called initially to ask some questions about their services, they were very informative. One thing that generally concerns me about alarm companies is the lengthy contract. I specifically asked Alert Protective Services about their contract and how easy it is to get out of the contract. Alert Protective Services told me that if I no longer want their services, even before the contract is out, that they will let me out of the contract. I found this reassuring (and since I'm documenting this conversation in a public review, I hope that it remains the case and they honor that statement if it comes to that!). However, so far, I have been very pleased with this company and as of today, I have no interest in breaking my contract. They have been responsive to my questions (even when I called last week to ask a stupid question), and I have had no problems with the service. The price is very reasonable and they have been easy to work with. The installation technician arrived at the time that he said he would. read more

We recently purchased a Townhouse that had an Alert system installed when we bought it. Our neighbors all had the same system installed and mentioned Alert being a solid service. I called to set it up, the pricing was completely fair, and even though our system is 9 years old, they told me it was a great system and there are certainly newer ones out there that they could upgrade us to, but that they thought ours was good and no need to do it. I appreciated the honesty having just spent a lot of money on moving/new home. Scheduling was easy and the technician took the time to walk through the system and set me up with a mobile app to arm/disarm the system from my phone which was nice. Hopefully I never have to find out just how good Alert is with any break-ins or issues. read more

I've had my home protected by Alert for the past 3 years. Great service and great response time. One of our doors was left cracked open by mistake and blew open after we set our home alarm system and left. The police came within minutes. I felt bad for the false alarm but happy to find out that if anything should happen, Alert was on top of their game. read more

The people at Alert are extremely customer service friendly and easy to work with. I had several questions before we ordered the service and the man on the phone talked to me extensively about everything before he even knew he had our business. I never hesitate to call for anything. Also, you speak with an actual human pretty quickly...there is no automated service, which I really like. When we ordered the service, I accidentally forgot about the appointment time and they did not charge me! I was very thankful for that since the man stood on my front porch ringing my door bell for 15 minutes and I wasn't there. They were very nice about it and simply had me reschedule. One reason I'm giving 3 stars instead of 5 is that the Alarm System key pad is fairly confusing and although the man who installed it showed us how to use it, he did not write anything down or give us a user manual of any kind. Hence, we accidentally set it off ourselves when we first began using it. I had to call and have them talk all the buttons through with me again. Turns out, there IS a user manual online, but the man who installed it all for us did not tell us about it. So, if you use Alert, make sure to write down everything the man says...as I think that's easier than sifting through the user manual. Another reason I'm giving 3 stars is that there were charges we did not expect to have to pay when ordered the service. When the installation man showed up, he said the key pad that was already there was really old and one of the buttons was broken. So although we thought we only had to activate the service that was already installed in our new apartment, we had to buy a whole new keypad (~$150) and a battery (~$30). Overall, we feel safe, so that is the most important thing! read more

Very happy with Alert... They took over our old system from those criminals at ADT, and the sales rep gave me a range of options to switch over the service or upgrade the system in various ways. The technician Mike was very knowledgable, a great resource, and did an excellent job (as we did do some system upgrades). Knocking off 1 star as the initial upgrade / switch over was a total bust on the Alert-end. Even though the sales rep and I went over the particulars of the control panel installation, it was very apparent that NONE of this information was communicated to the installer Mike. Thus, a wasted appointment and wasted day, as they requested a reschedule. Everything went great during the second attempt, and I'm really happy with the system and the service. Still, communication is a good thing... read more

The home we recently purchased had an Alert system installed when we bought it. We still shopped around with a few different home security companies, but found Alert to be the best value in terms of the monthly fee and the level of service provided. They were very flexible in scheduling our installation (even when we had to reschedule), and the technician who came out was very efficient in getting everything set up. He also took the time to walk through the details of working the system before leaving. We have found if to be a great product and really appreciate the high quality of service Alert provides. read more

These guys were fantastic. After having another company come and fiddle with our old alarm system with no success, the Alert Protective team came to our home to do an assessment and then provided a quote for installation that had a number of different options. The installation was efficient and effective, ripping out the old alarm system and putting in the new one within 2.5 hours. The sales person (Adam Pflug) and the installation technician (Fredy) were both highly professional and clearly good at their jobs. They were also friendly and helpful, an attribute that was also lacking from their competitor. After a miserable experience with a competitor, these guys were truly a breath of fresh air, read more

I've used Alert for years on my properties in Chicago. They are very courteous, responsive and professional, whether it's the front office or a technician. read more

Alert Protective Services (APS) is one of several security firms that we considered for a new security system in our new home. We had the pleasure of working with Jerry who came on site and provided recommendations and pricing. And also with Luis who installed the system. Both Jerry and Luis are "the real deal". Consummate professionals who are knowledgeable in their trade AND looking out for their customers. It felt like they were a team working with us rather than merely fulfilling an order. The equipment is state of the art and as a bonus looks great too. We highly recommend APS and Jerry and Luis. Thank you gentleman for going above and beyond. read more

My husband and I purchased our first home that already had Alert Protective Services wired into the structure of the home. I spoke with Tim Davis over the phone and when he came to the home he explained all the aspects of the system and the options for updating and enhancing the security. Luois came out only two days later and was very diligent in updating the entire electrical box and fixing all electric work needed to ensure that the entire system was working perfectly. He also gave me a great tutorial on the unit and the phone app, which my husband and I appreciate so much (the phone app is a must!!). Overall we are both really happy with this service and feel confident in this service to keep our home safe for years to come. read more

These guys are good. The only reason that they are not getting five stars is that there were a couple of scheduling miscommunications on Alert's end that caused me to take two days off work unnecessarily. (employee out sick, but no call to me and wrong tech sent). However, they faced some serious issues with my place - two panels, both incorrectly labeled, and a ton of hardware already installed. It took some time for two techs to work it out, but they got it done after about three hours. Great service at a fair price. I got a bid from three alarm companies (national and local) and Alert was not only competitive, but had very good customer service and no-nonsense pricing. I had sent one alarm company away before because the installer tried to up-sell at the time of installation (they said it was "necessary"). Alert did no such thing - I paid what I was quoted. I am going to use them again to add a few bells and whistles (literally). read more

I've had Alert for over a year and have been really happy with the service. The setup was painless - they converted an old ADT to their model. Everyone I've dealt with has been very professional and the few times we've tripped the alarms accidentally the response time was quick. I love that they have an app to turn the alarm on/off. So convenient! I only took off a star because it's a pain to send in a check. They have an app, but no online bill pay?! read more

We were customers of Alert when we lived in Chicago. We recently relocated to Evanston and had Alert install their system on an existing ADT platform. Their installer spent time explaining our current system and how the new system would integrate. He walked us through the operation and made sure everything was perfect before her left. I would recommend Alert for anyone looking for a competitive local Alarm company. My in-laws have recently signed up too! read more

We just moved into a home with an Alert system already installed and were incredibly pleased with the service. When we called to inquire about reactivating the system, the rep was informative and never pushy. They'll matter-of-factly run through the short list of options (it's mostly standard and all very simple) without steering you in one way or another. By contrast, as soon as I installed my new land line, ADT bombarded me with cold calls, even after asking to be taken off their list. (Apparently third parties can still market their products to you.) The service is rather affordable and you pay only every three months, and they say you have an option to cancel any time before the next three-month cycle, so it's flexible as well. read more

We've worked with Alert Protective for our home and businesses for over 20 years. They've always been responsive. Just got some of the newest technology installed. It's amazing what they have. I would highly recommend them. read more

Had a break in while out of town. When I asked why nobody showed up they asked me to look at the system. Told them they ripped it off the wall and cracked it. The response was," unfortunately the system you have, they're known to not work once they're cracked." I was paying 120 dollars a month for the service. Why would they give me an alarm system that wouldn't work once someone hit it. Just replaced them with adt for 50/month and guaranteed I won't have the same problem. read more

This company was so much better when Greg was hands on and local in northern suburbs. Now I can't even get a simple request through at 3:45 on a work day afternoon. On hold 3 times. First over 7 minutes. Hung up tried again then over 3 minutes. Tried again -straight to voicemail. Now in process of looking for new Alarm company that can actually SERVICE their customers. read more

I recently starting using Alert after my move to Chicago. The apartment was already wired with the system, so I just had them come to reactivate it. When they initially sent a technician, they weren't able to get a signal and needed to return in order to install an extra signal booster. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because I needed to call to schedule the appointment even though they said that someone would call me. They also arrived after the appointment window. Other than that, the service was great once they were there and the technician did a great job of setting it up and instructing me on how to use the alarm. Our alarm actually went off a few days ago (accidentally), but they were prompt in calling me right away to get information before dispatching the police. I travel a lot for work so it's reassuring to know that I'm always protected! read more

We bought a house that had an alarm system that was setup by alert. When I filled out a form on their website for a quote to re-activate the alarm Jay Zito replied to my via email the next day which was a Sunday(!) We made an appointment for a technical specialist to visit our house , review our system and re-activate it for that same week. The technician came and I can say that it was an absolute pleasure to work with him. Extremely knowledgeable, patiently answering all questions and he worked diligently with me to set up the mobile app. He absolutely didn't push anything, but advised me to get used to the system before I considered making additional purchases. A couple of weeks after the visit Jay followed up to check how my experience was, and if I had any more questions. He actually gave me a couple of great suggestions how to use the mobile app instead of buying an extension to the system. To be honest with you, the only thing I'm worried about is whether they make enough money to stay in business. Their prices are competitive, they don't try to screw you and they go the extra mile to make you a happy customer. What more could you ask for? read more