1 Message
Cancellation of monitoring
Since California has outlawed click to subscribe, call to cancel since 2018 and the FTC outlawed it in 2021 why do I still have to call to cancel my monitoring service?
1 Message
Since California has outlawed click to subscribe, call to cancel since 2018 and the FTC outlawed it in 2021 why do I still have to call to cancel my monitoring service?
Official Response
davey_d
Community Admin
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4.3K Messages
3 months ago
Hi all,
We are proud that our customers trust us to help keep their homes and loved ones safe. We take this responsibility seriously, and are constantly reviewing our systems and processes to ensure that customer safety and security remain at the core of everything that we do. This goes for your whole experience with SimpliSafe; from account setup, to rapid response from our professional monitoring, and even all the way to your experience when requesting a cancellation or modification of your service.
Account setting changes are a highly sensitive topic given that they can impact your level of protection, and it’s not difficult to imagine a situation where this type of request may be made under duress. If you are looking to cancel your subscription, you can always call our customer service team at 1-888-783-8441. Our Support team will verify your Safe Word passcode, and ensure the request for cancellation is authentic; they can then make any change as desired for your account. We are continuing to work with authorities and our technical teams to find other ways to receive cancel requests without jeopardizing our primary goal of the safety of our customers.
SimpliSafe exists to secure our customers’ homes, and that commitment extends to protecting your accounts from unauthorized access. But we also recognize the importance of giving you options to put you in control of your system. Your feedback helps us develop more streamlined processes, ensuring that you have a smoother experience in the future.
If you have any further questions, please send me a direct message, and I’ll be happy to put you in touch with the right team.
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worthing
Advocate
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529 Messages
10 months ago
Which somehow supersedes California and Federal law? I know your support for SimpliSafe runs deep but you can't be serious.
Hey @davey_d can you give an official comment on this? Based on a few sites:
https://www.consumerprotectionreview.com/2021/11/california-passes-updated-automatic-renewal-law/
https://www.cooley.com/news/insight/2021/2021-10-27-california-passes-updated-automatic-renewal-law
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB390
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/1598063/negative_option_policy_statement-10-22-2021-tobureau.pdf?utm_source=govdelivery
It seems pretty clear that you all aren't meeting requirements under CA law which was signed by the governor on October 4, 2021. Based on the FTC document above you may not be meeting federal guidelines either?
Are there plans to fix this to comply with state and federal law or am I misreading something here? Please note that this may be a legal matter and, "we cannot comment on future plans" is in no way an acceptable response here.
I'm not looking to cancel for the record but it does irritate the heck out of me that I can't cancel online or via app on general principle and I'd like to see the option there. (It also comes up a fair bit on reddit.)
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davey_d
Community Admin
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4.3K Messages
10 months ago
Hi @adamhalf,
Thank you for bringing this up. I know that there’s quite a bit of interest on this topic! We want you to know that we’re taking the issue very seriously, and our leadership continues to look into it.
I can tell you that our current policy is in the interest of protecting our customers – we are a security company after all! We maintain a strict protocol where we require verbal confirmation of your Safe Word passcode on a recorded line, so we can make sure that whoever is making the request is authorized to do so, and that we have a record of that action taking place.
We do want to make the process as easy for you as possible. Flexibility in your monitoring is a big part of what makes our service unique! If you like, I can put you in touch with a senior specialist to assist with any issues specific to your account.
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worthing
Advocate
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529 Messages
5 months ago
@davey_d
Any updates here? We're 6 months since the original post and I don't see any option to cancel or downgrade online. Is this something you all plan to implement to meet the state and federal legal requirements or have you all decided this isn't something you're going to do?
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jcsparks85
1 Message
5 months ago
Frustrated
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pearle749
1 Message
5 months ago
what a pain in the butt to cancel. twice had to give my email and safeword. 4 times had to tell them I sold the property. In total 15 minutes on the phone. And they cancel your hardware warranty btw.
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indiescreen
1 Message
5 months ago
Customer service from time of order until cancel has been nothing but frustrating with SimpliSafe.
(edited)
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worthing
Advocate
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529 Messages
5 months ago
@davey_d
Any response to this?
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worthing
Advocate
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529 Messages
4 months ago
@davey_d
Tap tap tap. Is this thing on? Pushing on 7 months to get a simple answer of, "we're going to add that soon" or "we have no plans to add this". This is ridiculous SimpliSafe. What the heck is going on over there?
3
cybergeistmrw
1 Message
4 months ago
Same issue: I logged into the @SimpliSafe web portal to discontinue service. I could not. I reached out to your support chat, and they said to call to discontinue service. Forcing a consumer to call to cancel service is illegal in all 50 states per the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection. Here is the law: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-ramp-enforcement-against-illegal-dark-patterns-trick-or-trap-consumers-subscriptions
This is unacceptable and needs to be fixed.
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rgg
3 Messages
2 months ago
Until SimpliSafe chooses to comply with FTC, New York, and California policy, I highly recommend anyone coming across this post notify the appropriate agencies of this abusive practice:
FTC: Go here and fill out the form for 'Online shopping'. You do not have to fill everything out, but if you answer 'Yes' to 'Did you pay or send money', enter your subscription cost and payment method, and indicate it is a recurring charge, you can explicitly identify that 'I had difficulty cancelling a recurring charge'.
California residents: Go here and fill out the form to file a complaint with the Attorney General
New York residents: Go here and fill out the form to file a complaint with the Attorney General
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