How to Sue ADT in Small Claims Court

So you’re looking to sue Advantage?

At FairShake we’ve helped thousands of people ripped off by big companies like Advantage. And we’ve helped get millions of dollars in settlement offers…

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Tired of hitting dead ends when trying to get a refund from Advantage? Feeling like there’s nowhere to turn?

You’re not alone. It seems like many people have tried all the Advantage customer service options, but still feel unheard.

There are different ways to file a complaint against Advantage, but none have the same power and leverage as taking legal action.

So, if you’re thinking of suing Advantage, where do you even start? You might expect there to be tons of class action lawsuits against them, but it’s often more complicated than that.

What many people don’t know is that hidden clauses buried deep within their contracts frequently allow companies like Advantage to push legal claims into the private realm of consumer arbitration, away from conventional courts.

But here’s the thing: your Advantage contract doesn’t have the power to take away your right to pursue legal action by suing them.

Here’s what you can do…

Two options to Sue Advantage:

Consumer Arbitration: This involves accessing an official and independent dispute resolution process that is not a court. It provides an opportunity to seek compensation for your complaint without the need to appear in person. For many, this can be a preferable option.To find out if you can take Advantage to arbitration, you can check your contract or user agreement with them. Many companies’ standard contract are available on their websites. You can do a search for “arbitration” arbitration within the contract text — it is usually mentioned near the very top of a contract.
Learn more about the consumer arbitration process here.
Small Claims Court: If you prefer to avoid the arbitration system, you can opt for Small Claims Court. You should know that the procedures for Small Claims Court may vary depending on your jurisdiction.Taking Advantage to Small Claims Court will typically involve appearing in person and completing necessary forms.

If you’re ready to sue Advantage in Small Claims Court, read on below:

Taking Advantage to Small Claims Court Step-by-Step

Does your claim qualify for small claims court

You have to make sure your claim qualifies. Small claims court is for specific types of situations.

The amount of money: The first thing you have to pay attention to is how much compensation you were asking for. Every state is different and they each have limitations or caps on how much you can ask for. For most states that is between $5,000 and $10,000 but in some states it goes as low as $2,500 so if your problem with the company resulted in damages that is beyond that amount, you won’t be able to bring it to court. You can find a list of all 50 states’ monetary limits here.
The type of relief: The second thing you have to pay attention to is the type of compensation you want. Most small claims courts will only offer monetary compensation so if you had a problem with the security service provided and now you want to sue ATD for broken furniture or repairs to your property, you probably won’t be able to here. At best the small claims court would give you the monetary value of those replacements and repairs.

If your claim doesn’t fall within the limits of your state’s small claims court, you’ll have to arbitrate your claim instead.

Send a demand letter.

In order to sue ADT you have to ask nicely. Give them the opportunity to fix the problem voluntarily. This is a simple step but it is a required step by every small claims court no matter where you live.

The letter doesn’t have to be anything complicated. It can be something as simple as a few sentences explaining who you are, giving your contact information and your account information with the company, and then telling them what went wrong and how you want them to fix it.

When you’re done writing, you need to mail a hard copy of the letter, preferably as certified mail or some other service that allows you to confirm delivery, to their legal address.

According to our most recent research, ADT is legally based in Delaware and receives mail at this address:

ADT LLC
C/O THE CORPORATION TRUST COMPANY
CORPORATION TRUST CENTER 1209 ORANGE ST
WILMINGTON, DE 19801

If you would like examples of demand letters or more information about how to write them, you can find an excellent guide here.

If you are very lucky they will respond at this point and try to give you a settlement but in most cases you have to continue onward with the following steps.

Fill out your court forms.

Check your state court website for the forms you will have to fill out. Before you can sue ADT Security you have to fill out the right forms in the right quantity. Most states require three or four copies.

Be very vigilant about filling out every form and having the right number of copies because failure to fill everything out properly will result in an experience very similar to the DMV where you are told that it doesn’t count yet because something is missing and then sent on your way. Then it’s up to you to figure out what went wrong, fix it, and come back the next day.

“File” at court.

Now you have to officially file the documents once they are properly filled out. Again it’s important to look at your state court website because every state and sometimes County will have very specific rules on which courthouses you have to go to, when, and how you have to submit. Most require you to submit in person.

If you are very lucky you might live in a place where you can submit your forms in the mail or via fax.

“Serve” your forms to ADT.

Just like you reached out originally now you have to let them know that you have filed paperwork to sue ADT Security.

There are very specific rules for how to go about this, you can’t just toss it in the mail and call it good. Check your state court website to find the specific rules for your area.

Failure to follow even those that seem the oddest can result in your case being thrown out and no compensation.

Head to the courthouse (again).

When you submit your forms and officially filed with the court house the county clerk will give you a court date. That is your official hearing and you have to make sure you show up with any evidence you have.

When you sue ADT, they know about that court date so they may or may not send someone to oppose you. If they don’t, take advantage of that time to really present your case.

Ready to sue ADT in small claims court?
If this sounds too hard and expensive, try consumer arbitration instead…

How to Sue ADT