Critical Review: My Frustrating Experience with Ring Alarm System and Customer Support

Hello, I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with a Ring agent. Here’s what I learned from my experience before you decide to purchase a Ring alarm system: Entry delay: While necessary, the minimum delay is 30 seconds (!). In other words, the alarm won't sound for 30 seconds. That’s far too long. If you happen to come face-to-face with a burglar (as has happened to me in the past), they have plenty of time to "convince" you to disable the alarm in their own way. I don’t understand why Ring doesn’t offer shorter delays—it’s a common request in many forums. After the 30 seconds, if the alarm does go off, brace yourself: the Ring alarm system takes about 15 seconds before calling the first emergency contact. I called Ring to ask if this was normal. They said yes (...) because it’s a safeguard in case of false alarms. That puts us at 45 seconds after a burglar’s entry. The Ring agent told me that in this timeframe, a burglar wouldn’t have time to do much. At this point, I’m wide-eyed in disbelief. If the first contact doesn’t answer, the system then calls the second contact (we’re now around 90 seconds after the intrusion) and, finally, the third contact. I wish this process had been clearly explained in Ring’s product documentation because I find it absurd. The three numbers should be contacted simultaneously, as it’s a machine making the calls anyway. Moving on. I mentioned to the Ring agent that I’ve also installed Panic Buttons in my home. I pointed out that, unlike the aforementioned delays, the Panic Button sounds the alarm instantly AND calls all three emergency contacts simultaneously. So it’s technically possible to handle emergencies this way. Once again, the Ring agent got creative with their response: “The Panic Button is for real emergencies, whereas the alarm sounding might not be a real emergency.” Hmm. And what if it is a real emergency? Shouldn’t the system treat all alarm triggers as real emergencies? The response I got from Ring’s customer service was astonishing: "Then you should place Panic Buttons in every room." So about 20 of them, if I go by their advice. At this point, it’s no longer the system automatically handling emergencies effectively—it’s up to me to press a button. And what happens when I’m not home? And that’s not all. I politely expressed my dissatisfaction and asked for an email address to file a complaint. I was told that there’s no way to contact Ring via email or postal mail! They only offer phone support. Is this even legal? I’m not a lawyer, but I doubt this complies with European law. So, dear Ring community, this is my feedback. If anyone has insights to help alleviate my frustration and dissatisfaction, I’m all ears.