AG Office, security firm settle
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has reached a settlement with a Utah home security company accused of violating Idaho's Consumer Protection Act.
The settlement requires the company, Vision Security, LLC, to implement changes to the way its sales representatives interact with Idaho consumers.
Consumers who paid early termination or "buy-out" fees to their prior alarm monitoring companies may be eligible to receive restitution.
Todd Dvorak, spokesman for the Office of Idaho Attorney General, said Kootenai County was a "hotspot" for the company doing business in Idaho.
"From the records we have, it appears the company sold contracts to more than 50 consumers in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden and Rathdrum," Dvorak wrote in an email to The Press.
Dvorak wrote that the AG's Office received multiple complaints from Kootenai County residents about Vision Security of Orem, Utah.
An elderly Coeur d'Alene woman, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said that she and her husband were targeted by Vision Security.
A company rep came to their home and stated that they need to "update" their current system. The couple later learned the upgrade was through Vision, not their previous provider.
"The security we had was fine, but we were told that we needed to update it," she said, adding that the couple gave their bank account number to the rep. "Our antennas have sure gone up over this. It scared the bejeebers out of us."
Vision Security, in response to the settlement, issued a written statement to The Press. The statement was sent via email from Sean Brown, the company's general legal counsel.
"Vision Security, LLC does not condone or support any deceptive sales practices," the statement reads. "Vision will comply with the mutually agreed upon settlement. Vision takes these allegations very seriously and requests that if any consumer becomes aware of any sales misconduct to also contact Vision's General Legal Counsel by emailing him at sbrown@lifevalued.com."
Consumers reported to the AG's Office that Vision Security's door-to-door sales reps misrepresented the terms the company's security system contracts and that representatives failed to fulfill their promises to "buy out" consumers' current security system contracts.
"The purchase of a home-security system is a significant investment and consumers should feel safe knowing that the people selling them are providing truthful and honest information, without hidden fees or misrepresentation," Wasden said.
Consumers often ended up paying monthly monitoring fees to two companies or paid large termination fees to cancel one of their monitoring agreements.
Additionally, Vision Security's door-to-door sales contracts failed to provide consumers with accurate information about the time allowed to cancel contracts, Wasden said.
The settlement requires Vision Security to make changes to how it does business in Idaho. For example, the company's sales representatives:
* Must wear identification that includes the sales person's name and affiliation with Vision Security
* Must inform the consumer of his or her three-day right to cancel the agreement
* Must not tell consumers that their current alarm monitoring company went out of business or is affiliated with Vision Security
* Must not misrepresent the number of security systems Vision Security has installed in the consumer's neighborhood or misrepresent that a consumer's home is located in a high-crime area
* Must not misrepresent the condition or operability of the consumer's current security system
* Must not promise to "buy out" a consumer's current monitoring agreement.
To apply for restitution, consumers must submit a complaint form and supporting documentation to the Attorney General before Sept. 8. For detailed eligibility information and to download a complaint form, consumers can visit www.ag.idaho.gov.