Consumers often agree to a contract with a business only to find that they have been mislead or that the business is not providing the services promised. This happens often in the home security or television industries. This article will discuss ways to motivate a business to release you from a contract, which may be useful if you are looking to get out of an alarm contract with providers such as Vivint or ADT, or a television/internet contract such as DIRECTV, Comcast, or DishNetwork:
1) Attorney General Complaint – You can typically file a complaint with the consumer division of the Attorney General for your state online. The Office of the Attorney General then sends the business a letter requiring a response in writing to your allegations. Be sure to include your desired resolution, such as being released from the contract, being refunded the amounts you’ve paid, or having repairs to your home from the installation.
2) Letter from an Attorney – A letter from an attorney will typically get a businesses’ attention. This can be done fairly inexpensively and will put the business on notice that keeping you in the contract may be a lot more expensive than letting you go.
3) Better Business Bureau Complaint – If the company you have contracted with is large and well-established, they may be keeping an eye on their Better Business Bureau ranking. The ranking is determined, in part, by the number of allegations a business receives and the timeliness of their written response to the BBB. This is going to be a more powerful tool with well-established businesses than with small, local businesses because the smaller ones are less likely to have a BBB ranking.
4) Small Claims Suit – In some states, it’s possible to sue for a declaratory judgment on the contract in the court of small claims. The advantage of this type of suit is that the filing fees are lower and you can represent yourself. The downside of this approach is that you will have to invest time and money into the suit, which may not be worth it, depending on the amount left due and owing under the contract.
5) Social Media Complaints – Social media complaints are becoming more and more important as businesses seek to use effective online marketing. Check to see if the business has a Facebook page and leave a comment establishing your dissatisfaction. Leave a negative review on sites such as YELP or ripoffreport.com. Write about the experience on a blog or talk about it in a YouTube video. Only publicize facts that are true, as publishing negative false information may expose you to slander or defamation suits.
6) Local Media – In smaller cities and town, the local media is often looking for a story that impacts citizens. Contact the local television or newspaper with a concise summary of the deceptive or misleading practices of the business and why this story impacts the people in the community. This type of media attention can put pressure on a business to make it right.
