⚠️ 24-Month Lock-In, Hidden Fees & Poor Billing Transparency

Very disappointed with Atlas Security and, in my experience, their approach to customer contracts and billing.

A salesperson came to me and presented the service in a way that made it very easy to sign up, but I did not feel that the 24-month contractual commitment was properly explained or discussed with me before I signed.

This was particularly concerning because we are renting the property and, at the time of signing, I had no way of knowing whether we would still be living there for the full 24 months. This was never properly discussed or considered by the salesperson before putting me into a 24-month contract. I was not consulted about whether that commitment was actually suitable for my circumstances.

Once you're in the contract, you're effectively locked in and have to pay to get out of it.

What has really left a bad taste in my mouth, however, is the billing.

If a debit order does not go through on the first attempt, Atlas charges a R55 penalty. I have now received a statement telling me that I have additional arrears and fees. I was advised that two missed payments resulted in R110 in penalties.

The important point here is that I did actually make manual payments before the 10th of the month. So it is not as though I simply ignored the account or refused to pay. I made payment, yet I am still being told that I have arrears and additional charges because the debit order did not go through as expected.

The amount they are now saying I owe is R141. If two R55 penalties account for R110 of that amount, I have still not received a clear explanation of where the remaining R31 comes from.

When I queried this, the response was essentially that it is "according to company policy". That doesn't explain the actual amount being charged or why a manual payment made before the 10th does not resolve the supposed arrears.

My biggest issue is the lack of transparency. A security company is supposed to build trust with its customers, yet my experience has been that the sales process focuses on getting you signed up, while the contractual obligations and subsequent charges are something you discover afterwards.

I am not disputing that legitimate amounts may be owed if a payment was genuinely missed. I am disputing the lack of transparency around how these amounts are calculated and why penalties are being app**** when I have made manual payments before the 10th.

Based on my experience, I would strongly recommend that anyone considering Atlas Security carefully read every part of the contract, ask specifically about the cancellation terms, debit-order penalties and all possible additional charges, and get everything explained in writing before signing anything.

Unfortunately, the experience has left me feeling that the focus is more on securing the contract and collecting fees than on treating the customer fairly and transparently.