How to Report SimpliSafe for False Advertising

What is False Advertising?

False advertising, sometimes called deceptive or misleading advertising or marketing, is any situation where a company presents false or misleading information usually to get you as the consumer to make a purchase. This can be very bad economically especially if a company is allowed to do it for a long amount of time to a lot of different customers.

There are rules that govern false advertising which exist in a collection of state and federal consumer protection laws. Most laws, however, are governed by The Federal Trade Commission Act, which established the FTC in 1914. Some examples of the rules outlined in that section are:

• If a business makes claims about something like scientific efficacy, they have to back it up with evidence
• If a a business advertises a product or service supported by reviews are testimonials, those have to be legitimate, from actual customers and not made up or from people who were paid to leave responses without actually testing the product

Note: No one actually needs to be misled for a court to find that an advertisement is misleading.

What Are the Different Types of False Advertising?

Sourced from the FTC with creative input from FairShake.

The FTC has a wide range of common types of false advertising. Things like unscientific claims or failure to disclose are taken very seriously when they involve things like consumer health and safety. For example, a company that is advertising products or services that help you with a diet or with healthcare, have to disclose specific information that you need to use the products safely. If they fail to do so, it can mean more than just economic damages.

SimpliSafe False Advertising Scandals 

The investigative arm of the BBB, the National Advertising Division supported an action that SimpliSafe is guilty of false advertising. They have recommended that the company change or remove entirely their misleading ads. One of the claims that has drawn the most attention or false advertising is that the system allows police to dispatch to a home 3.5 times faster. This is a claim alongside the battery life claim and the monitoring a notification claim that NAD has requested be removed or amended.

Another issue brought to the attention of attorneys is the claim that SimpliSafe offers video verification as part of their service which they do not, something that is false advertising at its best. The attorneys also commented on the claim of police prioritizing SimpliSafe signals over other calls which is, again, patently false. 

What to Do If You See False Advertising in Action

In order to stop companies like SimpliSafe from getting away with false advertising, consumers like you have to take action whenever you see it happening. Remember, you don’t need to have been affected by the false advertising in order to report it and have SimpliSafe investigated by the FTC. Start by submitting a consumer complaint to the FTC. The FTC wants to know about the situation so that they can investigate and take action against SimpliSafe. You can also submit a complaint to TruthinAdvertising.org where it will go public.

That action might include something like fining them, asking them to change the advertisement, or worse. If it’s bad enough, and there’s evidence that the company did it intentionally or they have misled customers before, the Competition Act might be enforced by the competition Bureau which can take a company to court or issue fines and jail time.

In most cases however if there is a fine issued, and you were personally wrong, you might not see any of that money. Usually the recourse available to you for compensation will depend on your state’s laws related to Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices.

Affected by SimpliSafe False Advertising? Here’s What You Can Do

So what can you do if you lost money because of false advertising from SimpliSafe? You can try to contact SimpliSafe customer service or corporate office for the company directly and see if they are willing to make amends. But if they aren’t, one of your other options is consumer arbitration.

Consumer arbitration is usually faster and less expensive than trying to go to court. However, this is still a complicated legal process with deadlines and paperwork. That said, FairShake helps you navigate the consumer arbitration process, from filing your claim to getting the resolution you deserve.

Tell us about your complaint and we’ll help you get a fair resolution.