Me vs. ADT for $8,010.15 - Part 7/
2-Way Communication
Intro:
Hello everyone. I know it has been a moment since I provided a rollup for timeforus.org. For those of you following on BlueSky or X, thank you. For others, my apologies for not getting this summary out sooner.
Feel free to follow along on X:@timeforus_org or Bluesky:@timeforus.org.
This post continues the weekly thread summary. We pick up with Tweet 38, skip over my vacation, and conclude with my post from this morning - number 55 in the thread.
If you're just joining the story, you can start with Part 1:
The story continues below.
38/
The tech visit was scheduled for May 9.
When I opened the door, I smiled—it was the same tech from 2023. I remembered him. Friendly, competent, fast.
That smile lasted maybe five minutes.
By minute six, he was gone.
#TimeForUs #Repair 📎 [Ray dispatch image]
39/
He said it wasn’t the panel that was beeping—it was something else. He was incorrect. But he also left my house. Just went outside to call his boss and never came back.
So I called to cancel the contract I’d signed the day before.
#TimeForUs #CustomerSupport 📎 [Two Phone calls May 9]
40/
I had to call twice that day. The first 17 minute call just dropped. The second call I reached Linda.
She understood. She canceled the new contract immediately.
Looking back, it’s almost like she knew what might be coming.
#TimeForUs #CustomerSupport
41/
Linda and I both knew: we could always restart a contract later if things got resolved. But something felt off.
The next tech was scheduled for May 13.
#TimeForUs #Repair
📎 [May 13 Dispatch]
42/
That second tech stayed nearly two hours.
My wife overheard something about “decommissioning a Northstar 5G endpoint.”
He eventually told me: “You need a new panel.” But he didn’t have one.
In the notes? Just two words “Needs upgrade”
#TimeForUs #Broken 📎 [“Needs upgrade” image]
43/
That evening, I spent 63 minutes on the phone with ADT.
I said: Let’s handle the warranty first. Then we can talk about a contract.
They said: Let’s do both together.
I said: Make me an offer.
They never did.
#TimeForUs #CustomerRights 📎 [May 13 call log image]
44/
May 14 was the last chance.
After 43 minutes on the phone, they said they could “make everything right”—
But only if I signed a 36-month contract for $49.99/month.
That was the day I knew: the plan needed to change.
#TimeForUs @ADT #LastChance 📎 [May 14 call log]
45/
Taking a short break for the July 4th holiday.
Back on July 10 with the rest of the story.
The timeline is built. The contract is real.
And when I return— We turn the page with 5 days until Day 60.
#TimeForUs @ADT #JulyPause
Tweet 45 was originally posted on June 30. I took a vacation and paused the thread during that time. The story resumes with Tweet 46, posted July 11.
46/
Took a short break. Then got sick.
What happened to get us here has been documented. Now the story continues.
During the break, ADT emailed.
More details tomorrow.
#TimeForUs @ADT
47/
I hinted yesterday that during the break, I finally got an email from ADT.
A litigation paralegal reached out to say she received the demand. Said it had been forwarded to Legal.
No power. No offer.
At first, I didn’t know what to think.
#TimeForUs #Litigation
48/
I read and re-read the email.
All it said was that my demand had been received and forwarded to Legal.
I already knew that. They signed for it in May. They confirmed it on the phone.
So why the email?
It just felt… weird.
#TimeForUs #Confusing 📎 [July 9 - ADT Email - Acknowledgement]
49/
There was no offer. No agent of equal standing. No resolution.
Just… confirmation they had the letter.
So I asked the question that made sense:
“Is this new information?”
#TimeForUs #Clarity 📎 [July 9 - Response Email - New Information?]
50/
To my surprise, I got a reply in under 20 minutes.
It said a full response would be coming “by the end of next week, likely sooner rather than later.”
Not a resolution. But at least a timeline for something.
#TimeForUs #HMMM
51/
Here’s the full email from the paralegal.
July 10 was Day 52 out of 60, but Amy (an alias) seemed thoughtful and genuinely tasked with figuring this out.
I figured maybe this was the real first step towards resolution.
#TimeForUs #CustomerService 📎 [July 10 - ADT Email - Response coming]
52/
My instinct, when someone apologizes like she did, is to say it’s ok—and begin building a relationship moving forward.
But this was different. ADT proper had their chance to work together. Now I had to hold the line.
I chose not to respond.
#TimeForUs #jurisprudence
53/
I decided to wait and see. Amy emailed me again 6 days later.
It was a short message asking if I had a “full copy” of my contract.
Wait… what? Doesn’t ADT have a full copy of my contract?
#TimeForUs #confused
54/
Check it out. A simple greeting—then a question:
Did I have a full copy of my contract?
It wasn’t just a check-in. It felt like the first real moment of two-way communication—
and maybe, in hindsight, the first test.
#TimeForUs #Test [July 16 - ADT Email - Full Copy?]
55/
Time to think. How do you respond to a question like that?
This is a paralegal. My answer needs to be accurate—but not offer anything extra. Could I just say “yes”?
To my knowledge, I had everything I’d been given. But was that a “full copy”?
#TimeForUs #Legal
Commentary:
Ok, because I hadn’t done this in a while, this article covers a lot of ground.
We began with Tweets 38 to 45. The goal was to complete the background of the story—focusing on the contract, the terms, and the moments leading up to the formal demand. You can feel the buildup there: I wasn’t speculating anymore. I was citing, quoting, and marking the timeline day by day.
Then came the break. A real one. I stepped away for vacation, and the thread paused. I also got sick, which kept me down a couple days longer than I anticipated. I’m sure there’s a mental health lesson in here somewhere—but for now, let’s just say everyone should take appropriate breaks.
When we resumed with Tweet 46, the facts hadn’t changed. The panel still didn’t work. The system still hadn’t been fixed. And the 60-day timer was still ticking.
But something had changed, I had gotten the first meaningful response.
From Tweet 46 through 55, we started to look at the email chain that followed—and how the tone started to shift. ADT had received the letter. They had the facts. And now, finally, they had a question for me. It wasn’t hostile or antagonistic. But it was a weird question. And the answer was going to require precision.
That’s where we left off—in the midst of the story, still unfolding, day by day.
Day 60 is tomorrow. While ADT and I aren’t close to resolving the issues, we’re no longer stuck. I’ve agreed to consideration in exchange for giving them more time to evaluate the situation. In essence, I’ve agreed not to file while they evaluate—and compensate me at a fixed rate per business day—for that time.
I don’t know if exciting is the right word. But I do feel like things are moving.
As always, thanks for reading and following along.
—David