How to Sue ADT Home Security

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So you’re looking to sue ADT?

At FairShake we’ve helped thousands of people with claims against ADT and other big companies that ripped them off get millions of dollars in settlement offers… [continued below]

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Have you tried getting a refund from ADT and gotten nowhere? Do you feel like you have nowhere to turn?

You’re not alone. From what we hear, a lot of people out there have tried all the ADT customer service options and still feel like they haven’t been heard.

There are lots of ways to bring an ADT complaint, but none with the same power and leverage as bringing a claim through the legal system.

So where should you start if you’re looking to sue ADT? You might think there would be tons of class action lawsuits against ADT. But the truth is more complicated.

Little-read clauses in their contracts allow companies like ADT to force legal claims out of most US courts and into the private system of consumer arbitration.

But this doesn’t mean your ADT contract can take away your right to sue entirely.

Here’s what you can do…

Make a Legal Claim

Two options to Sue ADT

The first option for suing ADT is through consumer arbitration. Arbitration is an opportunity to take legal action through an officially-designated, independent dispute process that’s not a court and won’t require showing up in person. This can be a better option for a lot of regular people.

How do you get started? That’s what FairShake is here for. We can help you start the legal process against ADT in under 10 minutes, and we’ll only charge if you win compensation. FairShake’s customers have been offered millions of dollars in settlements. You can learn more or start a claim now.

Start FairShake Claim

The second way to sue ADT, if you want to avoid the arbitration system, is to use Small Claims Court. Because Small Claims Court processes differ from place to place, FairShake can’t help out here. It may require showing up in person and filling out some forms.

If you’re ready to take your ADT claim to Small Claims Court , read on below:

Taking ADT 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 ATD 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. ADT is legally based in Delaware and receives mail at this address :

ADT LLC
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…