What is the best medical alert system to install in your home?
There are a lot of good medical alert systems on the market, and the one that’s right for you might not be the right one for your neighbor.
And it’s not likely to be one of the brands you see advertised on TV all the time…
Here are some factors to consider:
Are you on a tight budget?
Then you might want to consider a system that doesn’t require a monthly monitoring fee. Here’s how these work: you buy a unit that you plug into your phone line. It’s like a speaker phone. You program it (or have a helpful friend do this for you) so that it will dial the phone numbers of people who care about you. Usually you can program these machines to call up to 4 or 5 friends. Maybe the first call goes to your neighbor. The next goes to your son who lives across the country. Etc. If you have an accident, you just press the button on the transponder you wear, and the machine starts dialing. When someone picks up, the machine automatically announced that this is a distress call from you. Then the speaker phone allows you to communicate with the person you called. My favorite of these “no-fee” devices is the LogicMark Freedom Alert (aff). LogicMark also makes the Guardian Alert (aff), a system that only dials 911.
Do you want a monitored system so you have professional responders to help you?
These systems are by far the most popular. Be aware that the kinds of equipment vary widely, and so do the fees. It’s not hard to find a vendor with affordable monthly fees, but I don’t recommend buying solely on price. After all, if a company isn’t charging much for the monitoring service, you might wonder how well they staff their monitoring centers, and whether you’ll be able to get service when you need it.
Companies like Medical Guardian offer a range of equipment, from old-fashioned base station units to the latest mobile medical alerts with fall detection. See what Medical Guardian has to offer (aff).
Is money no object? There are quite a few companies that are happy to speak to you if money is no object. They will happily charge you upwards of $50 a month (some as high as $100) for the monitoring service, and $500 for the same base station equipment that others sell for just $200. Some companies will lock you into a 3 year contract that you can’t get out of even if you’re disappointed in the service. It’s not clear to me that paying a lot more than average actually gets you anything better, though.
So tread carefully. If a company wants more than $30 a month for basic service, it’s either because you’re actually getting premium service, or because they’re trying to rip you off.
What kind of equipment do you need?
There are now several different kinds of life alerts in use.
The first is the standard “old-school” medical alert that consists of a base station that has a powerful speakerphone in it. These aren’t fancy, but they work great for many people. Click here for more info about the different standard medical alert systems.
The second is a medical alert that also has automatic fall detection. Phillips Lifeline was a leader in this area, but you can now get home based medical alerts with fall detection (aff) and mobile medical alerts with fall detection (aff) from Medical Guardian for better rates.
The third is a mobile medical alert, which can contact a monitoring center when you’re away from your home. There are a lot of different systems in this market, and things are evolving rapidly, so it’s a little hard to keep it all straight. Some systems are hybrids which have standard functionality at home, and some are just for when you’re out. Others work with a special cell phone, or even your existing cell phone. The best one I’ve seen is the one from Medical Guardian (aff).
(My opinion is that the home is the most important place to protect yourself, because that’s where you’ll be alone.)
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See the comments below for a helpful discussion with a sales rep for Life Alert. Their contract terms have changed sometime since the difficulties with the issues referenced in various consumer protection websites. They are a lot more consumer-friendly now, at least according to the rep. As with all contracts, you’ll want to read it yourself and seek legal advice if you need it.
To summarize: there are a lot of options when you’re looking for life alert or medical alert services. It’s important to understand all your options before you sign a contract.
Great questions raised in this article – Thanks
You need to update some of your facts about Life Alert. Sure, Life Alert is more expensive than the cheapest system out there, but you get what you pay for. Buying a medical alert is like buying a parachute: You don’t skimp and you make sure you have a guarantee that it will work 100% of the time. Life Alert gives that guarantee for between $1-2 a day. When protecting yourself or a loved one, while trying to avoid assisted living, I would think $40 a month is an easy decision.
Thanks for your perspective as a sales rep of Life Alert, Randy. Can you share more info about how Life Alert guarantees it will work 100% of the time?
Sure Joe – I appreciate the opportunity to answer any question you or your readers may have. Let’s first start with the installation of the equipment. We aren’t about to ask a senior to set up their own medical alert; we have our professionals go to the members home during a scheduled installation appointment. While there, he will suggest the best placement of the equipment, make sure the volume is set to the member’s desired level, and then test the system. This test confirms that all equipment: button, master unit, smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and/or portable unit are all working. So begins the guarantee…
Once everything is set, each piece of equipment is monitored. If a low battery is shown, we send new batteries and once they arrive, we come through the speaker to make sure our member has put in new batteries properly and then do a test to show the unit working. If need be, new equipment will be sent (this maintenance is free by the way). But if any other problems arose – if equipment broke for any reason, that particular piece would show up faulty via the monitoring and would be dealt with immediately. No glitches in the monitoring at any time. We ensure that all equipment is working 100% of the time.
Importantly, if during the term of the 3 year agreement a member passes away while home alone, a full refund will be provided to the member’s estate.
Do you think all of this protection would guarantee peace of mind for a member’s family?
Thanks, Randy. I can see where the installation services and ongoing monitoring could be very helpful.
Readers, if this kind of equipment setup and monitoring is important to you, ask if the vendor you’re thinking of using does this, or if you’re on your own to keep it working.
Randy, what about the automatic renewal of the 3 year agreement? How does that work? It seems to catch some people by surprise.
After the 3 year agreement has ended, Life alert members have a couple of options:
1. The member may continue their Life Alert membership monthly, or may cancel at any time. The equipment must be sent back before the membership has ended.
2. The member may continue their membership and pay for an entire year. By doing this, the member is only charged for 11 months, and receives a month for free.
As a side note, when signing up for a Life Alert, a new member may also take advantage of paying for a year in advance, and will receive the same free month.
I would like to ask – why does a 3 year agreement shock and frighten so many people?
I think it bothers people because there are decent alternatives that don’t have a three year commitment. It’s hard for people to see what value they get for committing for that period of time.
The options you present, do they require that you take action at a certain time? I’ve read stories of people being automatically renewed for a second 3-year term and not being able to cancel. What happens if you lose track and don’t do anything as your anniversary date approaches?
And if anyone wants to chime in with their own reasons for being wary of three year commitments, feel free. I think this is all a helpful discussion.
In my opinion (and I know it is clearly biased), the value of a 3 year agreement is found in the written guarantees. A company that offers month to month monitoring seems a little shaky to me. If something goes wrong – the button doesn’t work, or something promised is not true – where is the guarantee or promise in writing? How do you hold such a company accountable for it’s actions?
Not to mention that many alternatives to Life Alert are franchises set up by Connect America. This means the person selling the equipment has no control over maintenance of the equipment or quality of monitoring. Those companies couldn’t possibly have a long term contract because they can guarantee nothing. Are you and your readers familiar with Connect America, and the large number of franchisees they monitor for?
I do believe that in Life Alert’s past, the member was signed up automatically for a second 3 year term. BUT NOT ANYMORE. After the 3 year period has passed, the membership is monthly, and the member can cancel. If nothing has happened to the member within the 3 year membership, sometimes, they do think they are fine without it and do leave Life Alert. But the majority of members put the company to the test in those first 3 years, and once they experience Life Alert’s service first hand, the member generally stays with the company until the end.
The other side of the long-term agreement issue (well, one side, at least) is that some people believe a company that has you locked in to a three year agreement actually _doesn’t_ have to be responsive, because you can’t leave. A company that runs month-to-month has to keep earning your business.
It’s true that a lot of companies selling medical alerts are simply sales organizations. They sell one company’s product and another company’s monitoring services. I agree that in these cases it might be tough to get anyone to pay attention if there’s a problem with the equipment or the monitoring center.
What happens to the 3-year contract if the elderly person dies or has to move to a nursing home?
W
A very good questions…
If the member reaches a point where they require more care than Life alert can provide, such as a nursing home or 24 hour care, Life Alert will void the contract. All that is needed is to send the equipment back and to have the administrator of the facility or nursing service send Life Alert a letter.
I do want to be clear that a member moving in with other family members, like children, does not equal a need for greater care. Just because a member is living with children, does not mean that they are watched 24 hours a day, or have medical professionals always standing by. In fact Life Alert has had many members fall or have accidents within their own bedrooms. I talk about one such situation on my blog here: a father fell in his room while his family was downstairs
If a member is to pass away home alone within the 3 year agreement, not only will the contract be terminated, but Life Alert will issue a full refund to the member’s estate.
I’m glad to have stumbled upon this discussion. Before my grandfather passed late last year, my family and I set him up with a medical alert system. A quick search on Google and you’ll find countless companies offering the same service.
We called 5 companies in total (Life Alert being one of them) and narrowed our search down to 3 companies – Alert1, Lifestation and Bay Alarm Medical. We decided to go with Bay Alarm Medical simply because they were local to us and also because of the customer service, lower price and no contracts. With that said, I’m sure the other 2 companies listed above probably would have offered the same high level of service without any 3-year contracts or commitments as well.
I agree with Joe regarding the 3-year contract. It doesn’t make any sense from the standpoint of an end-user to sign a contract especially at that age. Perfect example is my grandfather as he had the service for 2 years. If we were stuck in a contract, it would not have made any sense whatsoever to pay another year for a service no one else in the family needed.
Thanks for your comment, Alan. I agree that this has been a helpful discussion, and I appreciate hearing your perspective as someone who has been through this on the customer side recently.
I’m glad to hear from Randy that the three year contract can be terminated if the person using the medical alert passes away, but of course cancelling that contract then becomes one more thing the family has to do during a time of grief. I can really see the appeal of month-to-month service agreements for many families.
I’m sorry to hear of your grandfather’s passing Alan. I am glad that your family was able to find a medical alert that was a good fit. Bay Alarm Medical ships equipment to members, for the member to install themselves. Not everyone has a loving family that lives close enough to help grandma or grandpa install the equipment meant to save their lives. That is why Life Alert has professionals do it, to eliminate any errors.
I do want to point out though that if your grandfather had passed away 2 years into his contract, not only would his contract be terminated (and his payments cancelled), but your family may have been paid a full refund depending upon the circumstances of his passing. Either way, the 3 year Life Alert agreement would not have been an issue.
Great site, thank you Joe.
I do want to note that “the three year contract can be terminated if the person using the medical alert passes away” is not quite what Randy said.
Randy said, more than once, that the person has to “pass away home alone.” That would eliminate instances where someone passes with loved ones (or paramedics) present or in the hospital.
Thanks, Elaine. I think there are two different things Randy was saying. (Randy, correct me if I’m wrong!)
1. If the person passes away at home, alone, then they’ll refund the entire contract amount.
2. If the person dies in some other situation, the contract can be cancelled (but not refunded). My point, above, was that this might be the last thing on your mind after the death of, say, a parent, and I don’t know what you have to submit in order to cancel the contract. With a month-to-month arrangement this would be as simple as calling up and cancelling, no need to prove that a death has taken place.
It appears to me that LIfe Alert has improved their contract terms from what I understand they used to be. As with anything, though, one has to read the contract terms carefully and know what you’re signing. You’ll be held to the written terms, not what a salesperson told you.
Thank you for clarifying Joe.
All that you said in your last post is correct. If the member passes away home, alone, within the first 3 years of membership, Life Alert will refund the estate. But if a member passes away while medical professionals are there to assist, then there is no refund (Life Alert did what it was meant to, and provided the emergency medical assistance).
You do bring up a very good point that after a death in the family, the last thing a son or daughter need to think about is returning their parent’s Life Alert. I can tell you, I have received 2 of those phone calls, and during both conversations, I was thanked for peace of mind I was able to offer to the family.
And yes Joe, you bring up a very good point that members need to read their contracts before signing up in order to ensure they are going to received the same service promised to them over the phone. I know that over that phone, I try to be as detailed as possible while providing an summary of the system (I have read specifics word for word from the contract over the phone, and that particular call lasted almost 3 hours). But I wonder, when signing up with a service that is month to month, if there is no contract, what is there to read? The website, and salesperson can make any statement they want about how the service works, but if there is no contract to sign, how does a person know the medical alert will do what it is supposed to?
I have a contract sitting in my hand unsigned. I have yet to sign it because I am undecided if I want to be locked into a 3 year contract. If I become unsatisfied I am able to get out of it like my current carrier.
Would you please tell my why I have to obligate myself for 3 years? I understand if I require 24 hour care, moved to a nursing home or die I could cancel. Change it to 12 months or even better month to month!
Thanks for your comment, Kathy. I don’t believe the LifeAlert 3 year contract comes with a “satisfaction guarantee” beyond an initial period. So if you become unsatisfied you are stuck, as I understand it. (I haven’t read the contract myself.)
Like you, I’m still not convinced about the benefit the 3-year contract brings to the consumer. With a month-to-month system you have an easy remedy if you are unsatisfied and the company won’t respond to your concerns: you leave.
(Again, not having read the contract I’m sharing an opinion that isn’t based on knowledge…)
I just had a false alarm! After wearing the neck alert for two days my unrecessed button somehow has activated. No thank you Life Alert. I will be sending the unit back. Please note that I did raise this concern.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Just as a side note, false alarms could happen with any brand of medical alert, either because of a circuitry error or because of the button getting pushed accidentally. I can only imagine it’s very challenging to design a button that is easy to push in an emergency but hard to activate by accident.
Joe, I currently have LifeLine because I did not want to cancel to find out if I would be satisfied with Life Alert. Lifeline is more expensive ($10.00 higher). I have used this service since 2006. Fortunately I haven’t used it due to a medical emergency. LifeLine has a recessed button while my current one had an easily false alarm button therefore no accidental having the alarm system utilized. I was told this is to make it easier for older, more feeble people.
Please know that I was treated very good by the LifeAlert person. He assured me that there was no problem and glad there was no emergency. Very good and when my Husband initially spoke he wanted the code number! Very professional. I just don’t want to be tied into the 3 year contract! What to do – I am so confused!
I’m glad — and not surprised — to hear that the phone response person at LifeAlert responded well and professionally to your false alarm. I’m sure it’s not the first time it’s happened!
I don’t have an answer for you about which service you should choose, but if cost is your issue, one way of thinking about is to compare the money you’ll save ($10 per month times 36 months = $360) to the money you put at risk if you decide you don’t like the LifeAlert service or if a better service comes on the market and you would like to switch to it ($40 per month times 12 or 24 months = $480 to $960).
Do you have reasons for wanting to switch away from LifeLine besides the price?
If I can get a system with a good reputation (as as Lifeline) for one that is $360 cheaper per year I will. I do not want to be locked in to a 3 year contract. This is my ONLY reason for not signing the agreement. I did a lot of research on different products last evening and found that LifeAlert is the only company that requires a 3 year contract. I am sure there are others that I am not aware of. This makes me too nervous! If LifeAlert would remove that requirement (3 years) I am positive that more people, such as myself, would sign up. I wish I would have known this before installation. I would have refused the service. The only thing I recall was I would have the price locked in for $30 for 3 years. Of course, I may have been told about signing a contract this but I truly don’t remember.
Well, if the difference is $10 a month that’s only $120 a year in lower costs, but $360 over three years.
You’re not the only person who is put off by the requirement of a 3-year contract. Perhaps it’s time for LifeAlert to change their business model a bit.
In any case, the general advice I’ve seen regarding all contracts, not just this one, is that if you’re not comfortable signing a contract or you don’t agree with the terms, you shouldn’t do it. There are plenty of competent vendors in the $30 a month range.
I have a real problem with contracts for services such as cell phones, alarm systems and medical alert systems. If the product is worth having, people will continue to subscribe. If the product is less than first class, the company must resort to less-than-ethical tactics like multi-year contracts and automatic renewals. So, if you feel the need to lock people into your product, there must be something wrong with it.
Thanks for commenting, James. I guess long term contracts also work if the product in question is so desirable that people will want it even though they get locked in for a couple of years. The iPhone springs to mind. But I don’t see anyone in the medical alert space who has that kind of lock on the wants of the customer.
Obviously, as a sales rep for Life Alert, I still don’t really see the problem with signing a 3 year contract – as long as the contract is clear. If a person needs a medical alert, the odds are they aren’t getting any younger or healthier. So really, the only reason to no longer need a medical alert is if the person needs extra care, or if they pass away. If a person ever needs more care, such as a 24 hour nurse or needs to move to assisted care, the contract will be terminated. If the person passes away, not only will the contract be terminated, but the family may be entitled to a refund.
And people keep going back to the saying “what if I’m not satisfied.” If you aren’t satisfied with your medical alert, then you probably came pretty close to death due to the fact that the button didn’t work. If a company puts no guarantees in writing, how can you trust anything the sales person tells you over the phone? Life Alert knows, for a fact, that the service will be tested in the first 36 months. To give peace of mind, Life Alert puts the service guarantee in writing – If a member of life alert passes away at home alone (whether the member presses their button or not), Life Alert will refund the member’s estate. If a member of another medical alert company passes away because the company didn’t respond to the member’s needs, what ramifications could there be – there was no contract.
Also, for many people on fixed incomes, the Life Alert contract enables members to calculate costs into their budgets for 3 years. At any notice, any other company without a contract can raise rates. Sure, at that point, the member can move onto a new company. But is that really the point – to jump around from medical alert to medical alert? No, the point of all medical alerts, Life Alert included is to have members stay with the company for years, keeping the members safe and giving peace of mind to the rest of the family.
I work for a home health agency that is also a Lifeline provider (and has been for many years). We do not require a deposit or contract, and we provide a professional installation rather than dropshipping the equipment. And, Randy, I have a real issue with they way you are presenting “month to month” providers as though we are fly by night agencies with no integrity or merit. Requiring a contract does not a reliable provider make!
“But I wonder, when signing up with a service that is month to month, if there is no contract, what is there to read? The website, and salesperson can make any statement they want about how the service works, but if there is no contract to sign, how does a person know the medical alert will do what it is supposed to?”
It’s called a service agreement, Randy, and it’s there to spell out what the customer is responsible for and what the agency is responsible for. The only part that is missing is the long term obligation. It’s always smart to get something in writing when you are paying for anything; that is very different than requiring a 3 year obligation.
Thanks for sharing this, Stormy. Good points.
Randy, I think you should read the comments about
Life Alert on consumeraffairs.com.
Stormy, just to clarify – do you work for Philips Life Line? Or is it one of the many other medical alert companies that are simply a franchise with a clever name? I ask simply because Philips Life Line has a 1 year contract, has a lanyard for seniors that doesn’t break away (which could be a choking hazard), and offers an alert that doesn’t require the member to press a button (a gimmick from what customers have told me). So many other companies with “Life Line” in their names I simply don’t trust. I don’t like when call centers and sales centers aren’t connected within the same company, and I especially don’t like the phrase many of them use – “You can cancel is not satisfied.” That really doesn’t instill too much confidence.
I wonder – would you post any guarantees you offer in your service agreement? Things like what happens if the member passes away without help, and what happens if you decide to raise the price 3 months after the member signs up. I know that Life Alert is pretty darn specific with it’s guarantees – and the fact that there is a 3 year contract shouldn’t scare anyone. If some one needs a Life Alert – and not just for the weekend while the kids are away – why in the world would they possibly think, “Wow, I’m locked in for 3 years, but I may be getting younger and healthier, and may not need it anymore.” I realize that some people just simply don’t want a contract, but shame on you for comparing Life Alert’s contract so a simple Service Agreement.
And yes, I read just about every website that has something posted about Life Alert. I read the issues about billing, about calling too much, and about returning equipment. And you know what? I feel for these people and want to help. Any time I see an issue, I pass it on to my manager and make them aware of any problems. Having said that, I also know that people can be downright crazy. I’m sorry to put it that way, but it’s true. I get nasty calls from children wanting to know why I’m wasting their inheritance; I get calls from people who’ve fallen outside and waited 5 hours for help, but still don’t think they need help; I get calls from people in the 90s who live alone and have had 2 strokes who think they aren’t ready for a medical alert device.
Of course, I also get the calls from members, their friends, and their families about how grateful they are that I was able to get some one protected, and give them peace of mind.
Lifeline was brought to our home for no charge by a homeheath care provider when my mother in law had her leg amputated .. we started paying for it once she no longer needed the home health care. I provide that now. We are right across the porch they always called us first I never looked for another provider til now because they want to start charging her 2.00 a month to have a bill sent or sign up for direct withdrawal from bank account or credit card, saying they have no online services well thats means she keeps the same billing date .. The first.. she does not get soc sec. til the 3rd so may not always have that in her account. I find it hard to believe they have no online payment acess .. I was interested in Alan wu and the bay alarm seemed like good service and low cost no contract also alert1 .. right now she pays her fee and a rental and tax..my thing is all these sites have prices shown online and didn’t see it for medic alert, also had read many complaints about people wanting to get out of the contract for different reasons one was the woman moved into a nursing home well they finally cancelled it but had to pay the remander in full and the grandmother is receiving phones calls trying to get her to sign back up..its not easy to choose a different service .. we are lucky that we get a call when she fall and we can run across the porch and make sure she is okay,if we are not home they call our cell phones if we are not reached they would call paramedics luckily we have always been close when this happened.. I see many different companies .. fun time now I need to get her a new alert system and new medicare advantge as her old will be non existant..
Thanks for your comment, Maggie. It really can be confusing, can’t it? I think you’re right that Bay Alarm Medical has very good prices.
You can get an even better deal if you use a promo code that Alan made available for readers of this website. When you order the quarterly plan from http://bayalarmmedical.com you can save $1 a month by using the promo code “joe”. (Update: also works on the annual plan.)
thanks so much Joe I got 2 things done today Mama’s part d and the Bay alarm system is comming .. did the quartely with your promo code so it actually comes out to be a better saving than the limited time annual payment .the quarterly plan comes with the lock box .. so if we bought that with the lower monthly plan our total savings would have been less.. and the fact they have the protection plan with her meds included is free wher Phillips Lifeline wanted us to pay for that.. so glad I came to your site.. now onto the medicare plan.. whew thats a load off those 2 things done..I had a few questions to ask before ordering online so i called and Marcella let me do the whole order by phone and made sure the promo code went in monthly insted of 1.00 a quarter .. she asked what site I was on and told her .. I didn’t realize there is a link on thier page that leads to your.. I feel confident I have made the right choise.. thanks for you help..
Thanks, Maggie. I’m glad your experience with Bay Alarm was so positive. It matches my experiences on the phone with them discussing their service. And yes, the promo code includes $1 off per month and free shipping on the annual plan, or $1 off for each month with the quarterly plan. Good work making progress on these tough issues!
just got my system .. already not happy with the condition of the package and the agreement tried to call them twice on hold for and hour both time never have spoke to anyone..
Hi, Maggie– I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I’m distressed to hear it. I’ll forward your comment to the person I’ve been in contact with at the company and see if they know what might have happened to make it so you haven’t been able to reach anyone.
Joe, thanks for contacting us on behalf of Maggie’s situation. Everything has now been successfully resolved. We appreciate your recommendation of Bay Alarm Medical and will continue to provide the highest level of protection and customer service for your visitors.
Just for the record, Bay Alarm Medical actually solved this yesterday morning, within a very short time of receiving my email. Good job on them for fixing it so quickly!
I’m looking into getting one of these products for my grandmother, she will be 92 in May. She still lives by herself and drives herself, however she still occasionally has issues. 2 years ago before my wedding she fell and hit her head and she laid there for quite awhile before getting help. I want something that is easy for her to use but that will work in her farm house. I would like it to be a company that doesn’t keep you on hold for a long period of time while trying to contact them, affordable but dependable. Any suggestions?
Joe, is there a medical alert the can be obtained through a federal or local government? My parents are very much in need of such device, but the kids are financially scrapped.
Sydney: Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply. One of the most affordable systems I know is the Bay Alarm Medical. (be sure to use the coupon code “Joe”) If your mom’s farmhouse is a big one, or if she spends time in the garden, etc. (which it sounds like she might), then the Medipendant is probably a good bet.
Willie: Again, sorry for the delay. I don’t know of any devices that are available through federal or local governments. You might be able to find a low cost speakerphone only unit that can dial family and friends, so you wouldn’t have any cost beyond the purchase price. But beware that some of these units are junk and don’t even allow real two-way communication through the speakerphone. Read the description carefully!
My grandfather is considering a medic alert device/service and has asked me for my advice. The information in this form is great, but now I have some technical questions. I’ve searched for a while to find how these devices work wirelessly but have been unsuccessful. I am concerned that a WiFi system, a cordless phone, or other device could interfere with the medic alert device. Do you know of any place I can find the technical specifications of the devices available? Thanks!
Thanks for the question, Danny. To my knowledge this is not a concern, as the devices have been on the market for a long time and have existed along with WiFi and cordless phones for much of that time. I suggest calling a company to inquire about their particular system, as different systems probably use slightly different technology. Hope that helps!
Randy – if my parent died because of a medical alert system failed, it does NOT matter if there was a three-year contract or not. Having a 3-year contract does nothing to make your system more fail proof. Additionally, if my parent dies, regardless of the circumstance, we should not have to continue to pay for a service we are no longer receiving. Why would we pay two months or two years longer for a service we are NO LONGER RECEIVING. Everything I see online about this company looks sleazy. I am suspicious when a company places and ad (like I saw in today’s Sunday paper) and does not include a web site (it is 2012!) and when the web site does not list pricing or contract/service agreement information. One more thing, I’m not a lawyer, but I view a service agreement as a type of contract. I should be able to find all the information you are providing here on the company’s web site. And not finding it raises a lot of red flags. By the way, what is the company’s web site? http://www.lifealert.com ? http://www.lifealert.net? http://www.lifealert.org? I have no reason to think that this company is anything but a for-profit enterprise. So why would there be a web site using a .org which indicates a nonprofit? Red flag.
Are there any alert services that will call a loved one…..instead of an ambulance? My father lives 45 minutes away from me. My mother passed away 6 months ago, and now my Dad is living alone. He refuses to move…..he’s only 75, but has nerve damage in his legs. Last night, he had a bad fall, and it was 1 1/2 hours before he could crawl to the phone and call me. I got there and thankfully he was okay. My dad does not want 911 called, because he doesn’t want his door broken down. Sounds silly, but it is what it is. Is there a system that will call a family member first?
Hi, Vicki. You want to be looking at a no-fee medical alert. In particular, look at the Freedom Alert on this page: http://findtherightalert.mystagingwebsite.com/no-fee-medical-alert-devices.
Hey there. I just spoke with Bay Alarm Medical and the code “Joe” no longer includes a free lock box. If will include free shipping, if and only if you buy the annual plan. It still does have $1 per month off.
Thanks for hosting this “conversation.” It was enlightening.
Hi, Jessica– You’re right! I’d thought I’d changed all references to the lockbox, but I’d missed the one in the comments above. Sorry for the confusion. I’ve changed it now. So the current offer from Bay Alarm is Free Shipping and $1 off per month with the annual plan or just $1 off per month with the quarterly plan. (With coupon code “joe”).