If you’re ever shopping around for a product or service and come across a famous company brand with the appended words ‘Authorized Dealer’ or ‘Reseller’, if you enter into a contract with them, you may be completely unaware of signing a contract with an unknown and independent company.
In this case, the official ADT company contracts its products and services by affiliating with authorized dealers or resellers. As such, it can be challenging to decipher the difference between ADT and ADT authorized dealers.
ADT Authorized dealers are independently owned and operated businesses that are licensed by ADT to sell and install its products and services while maintaining the same level of service and integrity. Using an ADT Authorized Dealers may have both benefits and risks which are listed below in more detail.
Below, we’ll discuss the benefits and risks of buying from an ADT-authorized dealer in more detail, so you’re more knowledgeable when viewing products, services, and what may look like discounts. Stay tuned!
Benefits and Drawbacks of Buying From an ADT Authorized Dealer
Buying your security and monitoring systems from an ADT dealer has the following benefits and drawbacks:
Benefits
IT’s SURPRISINGLY A CHEAPER OPTION
Buying from an ADT dealer is more affordable than buying directly from the company itself.
The difference in prices is due to the varying accounting rules when buying from ADT. For instance, the cost of buying from ADT is higher to cover the earning-per-share for Tyco, the parent company.
WARRANTY.
ADT authorized dealers have a warranty on most of their ADT products and services. For instance, the California Security Pro is one of the largest ADT-authorized dealers.
You get free repairs and maintenance within the first 90 days if you purchase ADT monitoring services through this dealer, so you’ll be protected in the event of an ADT failure.
FULL MULTIPLE SERVICE AGREEMENTS.
ADT dealers have a complete multiple service agreement of up to 3 years.
TIMING-SAVING
Most ADT dealers use e-contracts. Thus, you don’t have to go to the ADT office to sign the paperwork.
YOU QUALIFY FOR A DIGITAL REFERRAL PROGRAM
You get a Visa Reward Card for every friend or family member you refer to an ADT dealer.
Drawbacks
LACK OF SUFFICIENT PROTECTION.
Although most ADT dealers advertise “Free” services and systems, they don’t guarantee adequate protection. They may also charge extra money for installation and activation.
DEALERS FOCUS ONLY ON THE FIRST-YEAR GUARANTEE.
Most dealers are unconcerned about long-term services. Although they may serve you well over the first year, they’re cost-driven in the long term.
THEY MAY USE CHEAPER AND OLD VERSIONS.
In some instances, authorized dealers are allowed to create and sell ADT products. In this case, some may decide to use more affordable versions to make high profits.
Consider These Verifications If You’re Looking For an ADT Authorized Dealer
You may want to buy from an ADT dealer instead of the company itself to save some bucks. However, you need to approach a legitimate dealer for quality services and value for your money. Here are crucial factors to consider when looking for an ADT dealer:
- Check for reviews. Before proceeding with the purchase, get the company’s name and check for its reviews about the services. You can get online reviews from Google, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and other platforms.
- Check if they’re an authorized dealer. Visit ADT’s official website and check if the company you’re about to engage with is an authorized and verified dealer by ADT themselves. Once on the website, select your State from the drop-down menu to find the licensed ADT dealers.
- Get multiple quotes. It would be best to get multiple quotes from different ADT dealers before settling for one. By doing so, you’ll get a chance to compare the services and prices offered and choose the best.
ADT Authorized Provider
An ADT authorized provider and an ADT authorized dealer are two different entities. ADT authorized providers are higher-ranking ADT authorized dealers. These are considered to have unique marketing opportunities, higher product discounts, and more.
An ADT authorized provider:
- Can offer unique marketing opportunities to its customers.
- Has access to higher product discounts.
- Receives exclusive training from ADT.
- Gets leads from ADT’s national call center.
ADT dealers must meet the following requirements to become ADT authorized providers:
- Must have yearly revenue of at least $300M.
- Sell at least 150,000 alarm accounts annually for two consecutive years.
Common Misconceptions About ADT Dealers
The internet contains information about ADT dealers; some are true while others are false. Here are some of the misconceptions about ADT dealers:
No Warranties from Dealers
There is a false misconception that ADT dealers don’t offer warranties on their services and products. This is false information since dealers can offer various warranties depending on the products and services sold.
The California Security Pro is an example of an ADT authorized dealer that offers a warranty on ADT monitoring services.
The dealers also have money-back guarantees. For example, if you’re unhappy with the system within the first six months of installation, you can return it and get a full refund.
Lack of Professionalism
Some people believe that ADT dealers are not professionals. This is because some authorized dealers are small businesses run by single proprietors. While this might be the case for some, most ADT dealers have a team of highly trained and experienced security personnel.
For example, SafeStreets is an ADT-authorized dealer that employs a team of certified professionals to install and monitor security systems in homes and businesses.
Some facts proving that ADT authorized dealers have high professionalism levels include:
- Positive reviews. Most ADT dealers have A+ ratings on the Better Business Bureau. This means most customers are satisfied with the quality of services received.
- Longer duration in service: The ADT dealership program has been in service for more than 23 years. This is an indication that the dealers authorized by ADT are reliable.
- Larger geographical areas are covered. Most ADT dealers have a broad geographical reach. This means they’re capable of handling multiple clients from different locations.
- High product and service discounts. Since most ADT dealers have a high customer volume, they receive many products and higher discounts.
Final Thoughts
A company can grow strategically in a few ways, one way is to expand laterally into other markets by affiliating and leveraging the client database of other related and complementary companies.
Rather than acquiring another business, which could be costly, a company can authorize another to act in their stead as long as they are represented with the same values and integrity.
ADT contracts authorized dealers to provide home and business security systems and services. These dealers are contracted based on professionalism and must sell and market products under ADT’s brand. Therefore, the services you get from a dealer should be similar to the ones at the ADT corporation.
The main benefit of buying from dealers is that their services are cheaper.
