City working to clear confusion over alarm fee letters

A man said the City of Pittsburgh sent a letter to his elderly aunt asking her to register her security system and pay an annual registration fee.

The letter demanding the payment, which was sent from out of the state, is now causing a lot of confusion here in Pittsburgh.

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The woman's nephew reached out to Target 11 after he called the number on the registration form and, much to his surprise, got this recording: ​​​​"This letter was not authorized by the city of Pittsburgh. Statements on this letter are misleading, and we will be contacting the vendor for action."

But after Target 11 reached out to city officials, they discovered the recording actually refers to another letter that was sent to residents who hadn't paid their alarm fees.

That letter, according to the city, indicated that emergency crews wouldn't respond to a home or business until the bill had been paid.

The city told the third-party vendor that sent the letter that it can't make that type of threat.

The city is working to clear up the confusion, and the woman who received the letter won't have to pay the registration fee because the city waives it for anyone over 75.

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