ADT Salesperson Just Showed Up — Here's What Buyers Need to Know

Authorized dealer vs. ADT Corporate

Ask who employs the representative and get the company name in writing. ADT has an authorized dealer network, so an ADT logo alone does not verify a visitor. Use ADT’s official representative or dealer verification options before sharing information or agreeing to work.

The contract term and cancellation charge

Read the initial term in your offer. Some current professional-installation offers specify 36 months, or 24 months in California; that is not a rule for every ADT agreement. ADT’s cited residential contract charges 75% of remaining monthly service charges for termination during its initial term, with no such charge during its 30-day renewal periods. Check your signed terms and any equipment debt separately.

The rate-variation risk

Compare the monitoring fee in the service agreement with the written quote. Have any differences corrected before you sign. Ask whether the rate can increase during the initial term, how you will be notified and what options your agreement gives you.

Check whether the Cooling-Off Rule covers your sale

The FTC rule covers certain in-person sales, including eligible household purchases of $25 or more made at home. It does not cover every sale: purchases made entirely online, by mail or phone, and some emergency or requested repair visits are excluded. For a covered sale, the cancellation deadline is midnight of the third business day after the sale. Saturdays count; Sundays and federal holidays do not. Read the FTC’s coverage and cancellation instructions linked below.

In the next 15 minutes

1. Ask for the full written quote — monitoring rate, contract length, equipment cost, ETF formula, and installation fee. Get the full terms in writing
2. Ask: "Are you an ADT employee or an authorized dealer?" Get the dealer company name if applicable
3. Take a photo of any documents shown to you before signing anything
4. Take time to decide: "I need to review this before I agree." Ask for any offer-expiration date in writing
5. Review installation terms first — do not authorize work until you understand the agreement and any cancellation or return conditions

Before making your decision

1. Use our Quote Decoder — organize the monitoring, equipment and installation charges, then compare them with the written offer
2. Estimate a service cancellation charge — use the formula in your agreement and check equipment or financing balances separately
3. Compare the written monitoring rate — resolve differences between the service agreement and the quote before signing
4. Read our ADT contract length guide — check the initial term and renewal provisions in your particular agreement
5. Compare alternatives — check monitoring terms, equipment payments and the features you need. Flexible monitoring does not necessarily remove equipment costs

Already signed? Check deadlines now

1. Review the separate costs: estimate the service cancellation charge using your agreement, then check any equipment, financing or return obligations. First establish whether a cancellation right applies
2. If your sale is covered by the FTC rule: sign and date the cancellation form and mail it to the address it specifies. Have it postmarked by the applicable deadline; the FTC recommends certified mail. Keep a copy and proof of mailing
3. Check any 6-month guarantee separately — ADT’s published guarantee concerns an unresolved system issue after ADT has tried to resolve it. It requires continuous professional monitoring and Quality Service Plan coverage from activation, plus equipment return and other conditions; it is not a general change-of-mind trial
4. Read the full service agreement — including the rate increase clause and the ETF calculation formula. The summary sheet is not the contract

Assuming the rep is an ADT employee

Ask for the representative’s employer and verify the representative or dealer through ADT’s official channels. Also check which company is named in your quote and agreement, and who handles installation, billing and support. Do not infer those responsibilities from a shirt, badge or logo.

Not calculating the ETF before signing

Use the formula in your agreement. Under the cited ADT contract’s 75% rule, a hypothetical $50 monthly service charge with 30 months remaining would give 30 × $50 × 0.75 = $1,125. This is an illustration, not an ADT price quote or a statement that every cancellation owes that amount. Equipment debt, notice requirements and applicable cancellation rights need separate review.

Trusting the verbal rate over the written contract rate

Compare the service agreement with the written quote. If the monitoring rate, equipment cost or other terms do not match what was discussed, ask for corrected documents before agreeing. Save the documents you relied on.

Waiting to check a cancellation deadline

Do not treat three business days as a blanket 72-hour window. If the FTC rule covers your sale, use its deadline and mailing instructions rather than waiting for a phone response. If the seller did not provide cancellation forms, the FTC says to write a cancellation letter and meet the deadline; do not assume missing paperwork automatically extends it. For uncertain coverage or additional state rights, contact your state or local consumer-protection office promptly.

Assuming equipment can—or cannot—be reused

Check the ownership, return and financing terms for your equipment. Then ask a replacement provider about compatibility using the exact model numbers. Keeping a sensor, keypad or camera does not establish that another provider can monitor it, or that its app and recording features will remain available. Budget for replacement only after those checks.