1/ If they had just fixed it on March 20th, I’d still be their customer—quietly paying them every month to do next to nothing. But they didn’t. And my alarm system has not worked correctly since. #TimeForUs

2/ Honestly? I was never supposed to be ADT’s customer. I agreed to a contract with Northstar. It was ADT’s choice to assume the terms of that contract. #TimeForUs #CustomerRights

3/ On May 8, I agreed to extend my service for another 3 years. Less than 36 hours later, we couldn’t agree on whether my alarm system was even functioning. I exercised my cancellation rights within the permitted window. #TimeForUs #KnowYourRights

4/ This had to be the right story to tell. The company had to act in a way that the consequences were real. And those consequences had to translate—into time, into money, into something a court would take seriously. #TimeForUs #TimeIsValue

5/ Why $8,010.15? Here’s how we got there. Some of it is billing. Some of it is breach. Some of it is business practice. All of it is backed up by documentation and Texas code. #TimeForUs #TexasLaw

6/ This is the original bill of materials. It includes my alarm panel, listed at $950. It’s the failure of this panel that led to everything else.

7/ Checked the mailbox. No green card. Decided to check the tracking—and there it was 🙂 USPS says the letter was delivered to ADT in Boca Raton on May 19. #TimeForUs #TexasLaw

8/ Some people said the panel wasn’t worth $950. Maybe so. But that was the value placed on it when we signed. The contract said they’d “provide a replacement for any defective part without charge.” They didn’t. #TimeForUs #TexasLaw 📎

9/ When I renewed in 2020, the monthly rate was $40.82. It was locked in for 42 months—and set to renew unless I opted out. No activation fee. No gotchas. Just the deal. #TimeForUs #TexasLaw 📎

10/ If we take this contract at face value, it locked in a fixed rate for 42 months—and renewed unless I canceled. I never did. So one could argue the same terms still apply. But after everything? I’d also ask: was any of this ever valid? #TimeForUs #TexasLaw 📎

11/ Over the weekend I was thinking - I’ve stared at this charge a dozen times. $99.00 + tax, billed in 2023. I distinctly remember thinking that I was not aware of a $99 fee, nor that I had ever agreed to one. #TimeForUs #TexasLaw 📎

12/ When I had an issue years ago, I texted Carl—and without issue, a technician showed up at my door. That’s how it used to be. #TimeForUs #TexasLaw 📎

13/ The green card came back. Certified delivery was confirmed. Let’s see what happens next. #TimeForUs #HomeSecurity 📎

14/ That VIP warranty I mentioned a couple days ago? Upon further research, It looks like a replacement. The old $35 service became $99—buried in fine print among other constraints. That’s a coverage downgrade… during a renewal? #TimeForUs #consumerRights 📎

15/ I checked ADT’s website—https://www.adt.com/help/faq/b... their standard on-site fee is listed as $59. So where did $99 come from? The only place I’ve seen it mentioned is buried in the clause that supposedly obligates them to replace my panel. #TimeForUs #confused 📎

16/ ADT called me on Saturday. 14 mins. A Florida rep said he just got my letter. ADT had already confirmed delivery to USPS on 5/19. He tried to push a 'local process' and said 'legal is in Dallas'. I reiterated this is an $8K legal demand. #TimeForUs #CustomerServiceFail 📎

17/ I realized over the weekend that X is only one place to tell this story. So I’ve launched a Substack to start catching it up: 🕰️ http://www.timeforus.org The daily chronicle will continue— but now it has a home inside a bigger story that’s just getting started. #TimeForUs

18/ An advantage of standing up http://www.timeforus.org: I feel less pressure to be flashy on X and Bluesky. Something I’ve realized since the call on Saturday— This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. #TimeForUs #Substack

19/ I take my mom (70+) to dinner weekly. I told her about this—she said she’s having issues too. She and my dad originally referred me to NorthStar. I’m planning to dig through her paperwork… if it can be found. #TimeForUs #Senior

20/ Okay so we may be waiting on ADT for a while here. Why don't we start to tell the story of how we got here. We had just moved and needed an alarm system—like we just said—my parents knew who to call. #TimeForUs #HomeSecurity 🔗

21/ In 2015, Carl came over for our scheduled appointment. I entered into a 60-month agreement with Northstar Alarm that included a Lifetime Service Protection plan—an express warranty. #TimeForUs #Warranty 📎

22/Back in tweet 12, I said Carl used to just make things happen. Here's what I meant: In 2019, when my thermostat died. NorthStar mailed the wrong one. Carl didn’t wait. His tech was already on the way within hours. It was different then. #TimeForUs #CustomerService 📎

23/ In mid-2020, Carl and I confirmed my original contract had ended. I renewed for 42 more months—and as part of that, the $950 panel (and some other equipment) was replaced at no cost to me. #TimeForUs #Contracts 📎

24/ The next week and month, confusion set in. Carl was back-burnered. NorthStar didn’t seem to know which contract—if any—was in effect. Even when Carl flew to Utah, no one could give a straight answer. #TimeForUs #Confusion 📎

25/ Eventually, they settled into billing me something close to the agreed $43.78/month. But a few months in, it dropped slightly—then jumped to $45+ without explanation. #TimeForUs #Billing 📎

26/ I got another call from ADT yesterday. The call lasted 3 minutes. He said he was from customer support, that legal would be reaching out—and that they had 60 days. It felt odd. I had already told them that in the letter I sent. #TimeForUs #DelayTactics 📞

27/ Took some time to reflect on yesterday’s call. Nine days after I gave them clear legal instructions, they called to remind me that they have 60 days to respond. I know that. I wrote it. So… are they worried about something? #TimeForUs #Stalling 📞

28/ Ok, we can talk more about that call on Sunday. Let's get back to the story. In late 2022, ADT acquired a substantial amount of customers from Northstar Alarm. My contract was seemingly included. ADT emailed me and told me to change nothing. #TimeForUs

29/ After ADT took over, my bill eventually stabilized at $45.13/month. It wasn’t the exact amount NorthStar quoted—but it was close enough that I didn’t waste my time with it. That changed later. #TimeForUs #Billing 📎

30/ Now I understand what happened on 9/21/2023. This $99 fee was buried in fine print—terms never knowingly agreed to. ADT billed me anyway, withdrawing $107.17 the same day. They said a final invoice would follow. I don’t recall one ever arriving. #TimeForUs #Warranty 📎