"We had extreme damage so they had everyone evacuate," she said.
With only days to find a new place to call home, in the midst of the move, she called her security system company to cancel her services. But Dutes says she was shocked at what she says a SecureWatch rep told her.
"Natural disasters aren't covered under my contract," she said she was told. "I was advised the best they could do was drop my bill $5 a month which would make it $40 a month and pay up until September when my contract was up."
Dutes says the company also gave her a second option.
"I have to pay the 75 percent fee of canceling my contract which is equal to $1300," she said. "I don't have that money and it's not my fault I can't pay the bill because I don't have a home anymore."
Frustrated Dutes got in touch with ABC11.
Troubleshooter Diane Wilson got in touch with Secure Watch and Dutes quickly got a call.
"The corporate office called me an hour later and advised me I'm out of my contract with no fees, no penalties, never going to collectors and they apologize about misunderstanding that they had to look into it," said Dutes.
A rep with SecureWatch told ABC11 if the area was declared a natural disaster it would not be a problem to cancel the contract with no penalties. And, since Cumberland County was declared a natural disaster, they had accidentally given Dutes bad information.
The rep added there is paperwork that has to filed in order to terminate the contract and he apologized that Dutes was not told the right information when she originally called.
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