First Alert Instant Alarm 4pk

Product Details

Product Reviews

(1 stars) - Poor product and service
When I ordered this item it was listed as "in stock". When the item still hadn't arrived two weeks after it was scheduled to the company sent me an e-mail asking how I'd liked the product. I had already been in touch with Amazon, but now I had an e-mail from the company I was able to tell them I hadn't received the product.

I was told it was on back-order and would take about three more weeks to arrive. I found it curious that although it had been listed as in-stock and it had been assumed I'd received it (because of the "how was it?" e-mail) it was back-ordered. I commented to the service representative that if orders are initially listed as in-stock and become back-ordered, they might want to e-mail a customer - I have a package pick-up service so I had been stopping in every day for two weeks to see if it had arrived. It was an inconvenience that could have been avoided had the company just contacted me. More curious still was that my package arrived withing five days of that. Wasn't it supposed to be on back-order for three more weeks?

It really looks to me as though they hadn't actually processed my order correctly and lied about it being on back-order. Actually I have just checked and seen that the postage stamp on my package reads august 19th, but someone (perhaps the post master) has written 9/16 next to it. 8/19 is when it should have been shipped, but mailing it 9/16 would reflect when it actually showed up. I highly doubt they print mailing labels before the product is ready to be shipped.

What's more, when it arrived, none of the eight alarms I ordered worked. Not a single one. I had read other reviews that said some had arrived with batteries that were dead, though it seemed to have been one or two out of four, not every single one. When I'd read these reviews I had purchased a set of batteries just in case, but when I tried to replace the batteries, first of all, the batteries already in the alarms were jammed in so tight I had difficulty removing them (I finally resorted to removing them in a somewhat dangerous manner). Once the batteries were out I put in the replacements, which were so loose that when I turned the alarm over they fell out with no provocation. I double-checked and I did have the recommended battery size.

Finally, the alarms I received were a previous model that as-seen-on-tv claims to not sell/have in stock anymore, and not the newer models pictured on the Amazon page. I thought perhaps they had shipped me some old models to make up for the new one being out of stock, but there is absolutely no indication of this (and the shipping label date makes me think the package was packed when it should have been).

I purchased something like this in stores a few years ago, and really, really liked it. In addition there are many problems a business can face, items going into back-order without warning, the usps losing packages, etc. I can only be understanding, though, when these situations are made clear to me in a timely, professional manner. If you have my e-mail and can send me a "how was your order" mail, you have my e-mail and can notify me when an item is on back-order, preferably before I've been waiting around for it for weeks. You can also notify me if you are sending me a different model (and more importantly ASK if I would like to substitute my order with an older, potentially not-working-anymore model).

My experience with this company was pretty poor.

(5 stars) - First Alert Instant Alarm 4pk
Great price and very easy to install. They are very loud for there size. Like the option of alarm and or chime mode. You can get a 50 or more pack of replacement button cell batteries here on Amazon.com at a fantastic price. Very pleased with there performance.

(5 stars) - Great doing business with
Haven't actually installed yet, but about half of them didn't work. I emailed the sender and he immediately replaced so I'm happy. :)

(1 stars) - Not a good choice for security
I had to return the product because some of the alarms were not working. It is not a good choice to rely on this product for home security.

(5 stars) - GREAT BUY - Try using velcro to install these, Batteries will be easier to replace, PLAN POSSIBLE BATTERY REPLACEMENT AT RECEIPT
GREAT price even though I had to replace some batteries on receipt - AFTERALL, this is a discontinued product. This is a 4-pack of ALARMS. Two alarms worked great right out of pkg. One had weak batteries, One had dead batteries. Fortunately, I had ordered a 50 pack of batteries for less than $6 total with FREE shipping off Amazon (from hobbytoolsupply). I'm glad I got these alarms but batteries are kinda frustrating to replace. I had to use tweezers to remove dead batteries BUT this was even before I even stuck unit to the door. So I decide "WHY NOT USE VELCRO TO ATTACH INSTEAD OF STICKY BACK?? That way batteries will be much easier to manipulate when it is time to change. I will probably ALSO try the "door stop" type alarm that uses a 9-volt battery. I can just pick up the 9-volt batteries at Wallyworld. Also, alarms I received are different from those pictured but they ARE FirstAlert products. Even with the battery hassle, I still recommend because the cost is super low.

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