KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: APX is now Vivint

A new name and a fresh start?

Or a new name and the same old story?

That depends on who you ask.

But an out-of-state home security company is back in Arkansas doing business.  

A lawsuit filed last fall by the Arkansas attorney general against Utah-based APX is still pending.  

APX is now Vivint.

Why the name change?

Vivint says "The company has entered the home automation space and is not solely focused on security anymore."

"My guess would be they changed their name and re-branded because of the negative reputation that APX had earned," says Janet Robb, CEO/President of the Arkansas Better Business Bureau.

Robb warns Arkansas homeowners that Vivint is the same company that has been sued by Arkansas and several other states.

But Vivint spokesman Alex Kortiz says in a statement sent to KATV that "…previous government actions are historical and resulted during a time of significant growth for the company.  All have been addressed and new policies and procedures put in place to ensure compliance moving forward."

Here are some warning signs no matter who is trying to sell you a security system:

• Watch out for special, one-time offers.
• Installing a system right takes time. Beware same day installation/activation offers.
• Claimed connections to other established companies (Honeywell, ADT, etc). 
• Offers to upgrade existing systems. 
• Asking for your signature early in the process.  That should occur at the end.    
• If installation is free look for a catch…a catch that might include a monitoring contract longer than two years.

The Arkansas attorney general has five new complaints against Vivint.

Vivint spokesman Koritz says that is a very small number and the company is proud of its service record.

Air date:  May 23^rd, 2011