When you sign a contract you are liable! Why would you ever sign an agreement without reading it. Sales people lie, but contracts don't! We at AA never ever train dishonesty and I would challenge anyone to provide documentation to that accusation. I'm sorry that you trusted someone and they defrauded you but you committed when you signed a contract! This story could be written as I should of read an agreement that a sales person presented me because it made me liable for the agreement and i had to pay it off. Always be accountable, we are a very honest company and you made a mistake by signing something without reading it, IS THAT OUR FAULT OR YOURS?
To take what the owner of American Alarm is saying a few steps further allow me to ask why the landlord isn't holding the tenant responsible for neglecting to inform him/her that they haven't been paying on a contract co-signed by the landlord?
Why is the landlord acting surprised that American Alarm is expecting payment from any party that signed the contract? I can just about guarantee that the landlord consented to a credit check. If that isn't enough of a red flag saying the contract terms apply to the landlord then nothing is.
The security industry has enough black eyes from legitimate complaints, but there has to come a time where the end users also take responsibility for their actions and stop pretending they were in a trance when the transaction took place.
Referring to an entire company as "lying cheats" because you are unhappy with the terms YOU agreed to is unfair.
To the landlord:
Had they not installed what they agreed to, or had they not provided the service they agreed to then I'd be the first one to call them scammers, but this company has done absolutely nothing wrong. The contract terms were agreed to and now you no longer want to honor your agreement. The blame lies with your tenant. The tenant's refusal to pay their bill has put you in this situation. Chalk it up to another of life's experiences.
To the owner of American Alarm:
In the future you might want to make a landlord aware of any late payment situation involving a tenant that the landlord co-signed for. You might also consider hammering it into the landlord's mind that they are co-signing. If that means you lose a potential install then so be it. If you have been in this business for any length of time you know there are some consumers that are best left for your competition. Life is too short to deal with people that blame you for everything.
I had a client years ago who complained to the BBB because I refused to replace his keypad at no charge after his son destroyed it with a hammer.
Now one thing I offered when I installed was the opportunity for a landlord to suspend an account when a unit was vacant. I did make sure to inform them that it was in their best interest to maintain security even in a vacant unit, but I gave them that option.
I really hope that both parties here come to the conclusion that you have a business agreement where one party agrees to pay, and the other party agrees to protect.
Ratchet down the blood pressure and see if you both can't return to an amicable business relationship.
Good luck.
Tom