Tons of complaints. Does anyone like this product?

I've used Simplisafe for almost 4 years now and have been very pleased.  SS isn't without problems, but their customer service has always treated me well.  

Standby for Captain11's response about ADT.

@mdolfan I showed my wife your post and thank you for making her laugh very loud to make her day. Appears I need to get a bit more restrained with my rants on my old "friend" ADT.

@dcw94965 I too am a long time customer of Simplisafe, nine years this past April to be exact. Was one of the first with SS2, and one of the first with SS3. I have also recommended and placed 30+ systems, including two brother-in-laws, 3 nieces, my daughter and son-in-law (condo gift), her in-laws, a half dozen co-workers, and add neighbors and friends to round things out.  I can assure you if they have an issue I hear about them...which, for which will be surprising to you based on your post... is not many times.

By all means, Simplisafe does not get everything right..but they do try to make things right.  With now millions of customers that is virtually impossible. Now think of this: these forums, as long as you do not directly attack another member, or use profanity, what you post stays up.  Even if you say, pardon my French, that Simplisafe "sucks", robbed me blind etc etc. When you consider that, what may be dozens of dislike posts seem pretty small in comparison.

if you do a Google site search, you will see more of what is posted in this state of the art 1997 forum (yes, I do make fun of and complain about SS at times), you will see why I say they are the best value and the most effective security solution out there.

And, yes, as mdofan says, I despise ADT and on that Google search you can easily read why, since I have posted it at least a dozen times over the years.

@mdofan, and everyone else, my apologies for going overbaord on ADT rants over the years!

And, here are a few others who you may trust if not mdofan and I:

PCMag  https://www.pcmag.com/search/results?query=simplisafe&page=1

CNET  https://www.cnet.com/home/security/simplisafe-home-security-review-an-outstanding-value-in-its-class/

US News:  https://www.usnews.com/360-reviews/home-security/simplisafe

@Captain11, I'm glad your wife enjoyed my comment.  It was meant to be funny.

@ mdolfan no fear, it was taken that way.  My wife does like to point out that by now I have my views on ADT very clear, and did find it very humorous as I did. Have a great week.

@dcw94965

Well, when you go to what is primarily a support-type forum you do mainly see the concerns/complaints. Not many people drop into a forum like this just to say, "Hi, I'm not having any problems.".

As far as changing systems, one of the biggest complaints I see and it really grinds my axe is (paraphrased), "I changed to SS because it was cheaper, but now I'm pissed off it doesn't have features I had with the previous system and I really liked (insert favorite features)."

Do your homework before changing. Be SURE SS has the features/function you must have, not change simply based on price alone. Do NOT assume just because you think in this day and age it should have X, Y, or Z, or because you had on previous system that it will be in SS (or that they will provide an update/feature enhancement, e.g. buying Blue Sky).

It may sound like I have a bone to pick with SS. I don't (and didn't have any other system for comparison). Just relaying what I see fairly often as a gripe.

That makes sense. You have to take anonymous user forum whining with a grain of salt.

I inherited our ADT system from the prior homeowners. After almost two years, I have smoke detectors that go off due to shower steam, batteries that die sooner than they should, things that go beep in the night for mysterious reasons, mobile/iOs software that is horrible and requires rebooting all the time, two external cameras (out of three) that just--let me see if I can find the right phrase--don't work. All for $60/month.

So I'll take more reliable and less expensive any day. I just don't want to swap one lousy product for a different lousy product.

But I guess if the new lousy product is half the price, I'm ahead by that at least.

I haven't been on here in quite a while, but I can say that I've had my SS system for many years (the "old" version now).  Like anything, it can have some bugs and may take some tweaking to get it set up for your situation.  
What gets me is how those other companies make it sound like their system somehow is going to destroy any intruder- like laser cannons are going to pop up and actively defend your residence.  Do you remember the old ADT commercial that had Ving Rhames standing guard in the front yard, scaring would-be thieves away?  What a joke.  These systems make noise and notify a monitoring company.  Police may be dispatched.  Most burglaries are a smash-and-grab job, so it's quite possible that a burglar could smash a window and take your new flat screen tv before the cops show up, all while the siren is blaring.  It's possible it could be a deterrent when the siren goes off because it attracts attention, which a burglar is likely trying to avoid.  That's where the cameras come in handy to capture them in the act.  
I like the smoke and water sensors, and those being active regardless of system status. A little more peace of mind.
Plus, my homeowner insurance discount covers most of my monthly monitoring plan (basic).  
To give an honest complaint, I have had two false alarms from motion sensors that I attribute to low batteries.  No battery notification on the keypad, but that's the only thing that could explain it.  New batteries and nothing since.

I have been trying to reach them for what seems like forever and I cannot ever get someone on the phone. They expect issues to be resolved via this forum. Honestly. That is the answer I was given today, on the forum. LOL.

It is was great in the beginning but slowly has become horrible. I work and don't have the time or patience to monitor the forums or to go back and forth with someone in the forum. I also don't have time to sit on the phone for an hour or more. It's a security company - why I would share any details, even mundane ones, on a forum is beyond me. I've tried twitter and phone - no answer on either.

I can't even cancel without a phone call so I guess I'm disputing with my bank. That doesn't seem like the right way to run any company.

Thank you for your feedback, dubess2525. We sincerely apologize for this experience. Please head over to this thread to read our response to your messages.

- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security

I just installed my new SS system about 2-3 weeks ago. Did it all by myself (husband helped out only with placement of the sensors up high where I couldn't reach. It has been excellent so far! My main reason for installing was I wanted to know when my doors were being opened. I have a pool and need to know if my youngest is trying to get outside to access it. So far SS has done the job of alerting me when my doors are open. I do wish I had more options for settings. For example there is Off, Home and Away. I wish we had a home day and home night so home day would not set off alarms with doors being opened and closed but rather would trigger the system to speak out loud 'family room door opened' and the home night mode would trigger alarms if doors were opened. Right now my only option is to set the system to Off when we're home and changed the setting to give me 'silent' alerts when the doors are opened. It working so far but could be improved.

Hi monicavm84,

That would indeed be the purpose of the Secret Alerts - so you can get notifications without the system being actually armed, and without triggering an actual alarm.

But thank you for the feedback! I'll make sure our development team sees it.

- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security

I like them well enough when they work.  and I have recommended them...

but when they don't work or they do stupid stuff or take YEARS to implement stuff (or NEVER implement stuff they've said in the past that they are going to implement... hello.... HOMEKIT!?). I get really high strung and vocal!

I knew better than to go with ADT based on their horrible reviews......

I bought my original system in October 2017.  Along the way I added more components.  To date I have $1,187.81 invested in the hardware.  I have 2 indoor cameras, 2 doorbell cameras, entry sensors, motion sensors, a temperature sensor, a water sensor, a smoke detector, a CO detector and a panic button.  Then they came out with a new generation of hardware I would like to have but I have too much invested to start over.

For almost 4 years now I have had the $24.99/month Interactive Monitoring Plan and enjoyed being able to view the cameras in real time, see who was at the door and generally monitor the status of my sensors plus use the app on my phone when I was away from my home.

However, I have been providing 24/7 home care and support for my girlfriend and that has now increased which keeps me home all the time to care for her.  I decided it was silly to pay for a monitoring plan that I didn't need or use because I am always home now.  So I called support and cancelled the plan.

Now I have a worthless system except that it beeps when someone (me) opens one of the doors and I suppose if I broke a window the sensor would alert me that I had.  I certainly hope the smoke and CO detectors will still let me know if they detect that.  But the 2 indoor cameras, the 2 doorbell cameras and the app on my phone are worthless as I can't use any of that without paying for a monitoring plan I don't need.  I can't even see the status of my sensors without getting back on a monitoring plan.

The system is great and well designed.  I am glad I got it.  But think about it before you invest in it.  For us older folks who take on added responsibilities and become homebodies, it becomes an expense we don't need when we are home all the time and don't have one of the monitoring plans.  I'm getting tired of being beeped at when I open a door so I will likely turn off the base and remove all my sensors.  I can't use any of it without spending more money I can't justify.

I do wish the smoke and CO units still worked as I don't need a monitoring plan to make use of them. The water and temperature units would also be helpful if I was asleep when something failed in the house. But it may be that the way the system works is if you don't have a monthly monitoring plan the units are somehow shut off and won't trigger an alarm (in my home).

These will work just fine without a monitoring plan and if they're not, something's broken. Whether you self-monitor or pay for monitoring you will still get alerts on your mobile device, audible alerts and alarms at your house, etc.

Again, if these are no longer working, something is broken and you need to call support and not just post about it here. My guess is that since you downgraded your plan there's something that needs to be done. (There are quite a few reports on Reddit of people downgrading their plan and the app no longer works properly, for example, until they call support.)

And yes, your cameras will also keep working but only in live view. If you want recordings you'll have to pay for a plan or at least for camera support.,