life alert medical alert review by tbc
TRANSCRIPT
Medical Alert
Life Alert
About Life Alert
Life Alert founded in 1987 so they have lots of experience in the medical alerting industry. Though not the largest company we have reviewed, they do employ at least 600 people in the U.S.. They adequately handle over 2 million calls per year. They boast saving 52,974 lives from catastrophes in the year 2013 alone. With that kind of track record, you can trust that they are efficient and good at what they do. You might know them best by the commercials of elderly people calling out, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”
Better Business Bureau Rating
• Life Alert has been accredited since October 22nd, 1987.
• They have an A+ rating.
• There have been 122 complaints closed with the BBB in the last 3 years, and 84 closed in the last 12 months.
• 25 complaints were for advertising and sales issues
• 17 were regarding billing and collection issues
• 1 was for guarantee and warranty problems
Life Alert Device Features
Getting information about this device was extremely difficult over the phone. However, we were able to get the information below: • Range of 300 feet
• Battery life is 2-3 years and it will alert you when it is getting low.
• Waterproof
• Pendant or wrist strap
• Response time 30-60 seconds
• Additional pendants $49.00
Installation
Even though many other companies have simple systems that can be installed by anyone, Life Alert says that their equipment is more sensitive and must be handled by a licensed technician. This seems suspect in our opinion and a way to charge people more money. Installation can cost anywhere from $95 to $295. This is very steep compared to competitors. You are not given a choice to install the equipment by yourself.
Returns and Service Cancellations
They do not offer any returns after purchase is made, though you always have 3 days due to consumer laws in most states. We were told that canceling service was possible if you could prove that 24 hour care is provided to the client, therefore showing that they no longer need the device. We were told that you can get a refund for up to three years if your loved one dies in their home, but they must have died alone.
Shipping Options
Shipping comes via UPS and arrives in about three days. After they have tracked the packaged and found that you have received it, they will call you to schedule the installation. We were unable to get an answer about how much shipping actually costs though.
Pricing
• $29.95 - $59.95 depending on the system you choose
• Installation fees can be anywhere from $95.00 to $295.00 though when we asked what the difference was, we were only told that it depends on the system and how we get it installed.
• 3 year contract
Product Guarantee
We were told that there is a 3 year money back guarantee though the representative would not tell us what that included.
Contact Information
16027 Ventura Blvd #400 Encino, CA 91436 800-920-3410 Representatives were unwilling to give us any email address for contact.
Customer Service Experience
We called three separate times to try our luck with getting more information from different people. The number you call takes you straight to someone who wants your address so they can send you a brochure. When we stated that we wanted to get information over the phone, we were sent to the sales department. The first agent we spoke to gave us almost no information whatsoever. The agent said that it takes weeks to understand how Life Alert works and why it’s the best. They refused to give us information until we got our family member on the line to talk to them about the product as well. When we said that wasn’t going to be possible, the agent became curt and very unprofessional. The second agent yielded more information to us about the product but would not give us straight answers to many of our questions. He also used a sales technique that was frustrating. The third call was similar to the second and we finally quit our attempts.
The Good
• Life Alert has a long history in the medical alert industry.
• There aren’t any fees for repairs or replacements.
• There are different service options depending on the age of the client.
• They provide monitoring for smoke and carbon monoxide.
The Bad
• Extremely difficult to get sales information over the phone
• Conflicting information from the website and between representatives we spoke to
• Cannot cancel anytime you choose; you are locked into a long contract
• Price is a bit higher than many we have reviewed
• There is no inactivity monitoring.
• No mobile options
• No GPS tracking system
• No fall detection
Summary
We do not recommend that you do business with Life Alert. The long contract and unhelpful customer service we received do not instill much confidence that you will get good service once you are a customer. There are many other companies out there that offer more features to their devices and more user friendly processes. With conflicting information we received on three separate calls, we feel that either their employees are poorly trained, or they are trying to swindle and sell you the product at higher costs if they can get away with it. We were told that installation fees were different on two calls and the other representative told us that the installation fee was included in the enrollment fee.
