Why do some home med alert companies want to take you to the cleaners?

I was just looking at pricing for a company that sells home med alerts to the elderly.

Their service is a very typical one. For $26.95 you get a two-way speakerphone alert system. So far so good.

But when I got to the accessories area, I got scandalized.

Extra panic buttons are $3 a month, and what you get is probably the ugliest version of the panic button known to humanity (it’s the gray one a lot of companies sell). The thing probably costs them $10.

They also try to sell you lock box for holding your house key. I don’t dispute the need for this: it can make a big difference in the speed with which the ambulance crew can get into your house.

But I do object to the pricing. They try to charge you $3 a month for this. But if you go down to your local hardware store you can buy a lockbox like this for between $20 and $35.

Imagine you use this service for 3 years. That means you will have paid $3 a month for 36 months, which is $108 for an item this company probably purchases wholesale for about $10.49 each.

All I can say is, yikes.

This company also sells a room extender product that makes the two-way speakerphone slightly less unusable in a large house. But it’s $10 a month to rent. Over three years you’ll be paying $360 for the privilege of making their system functional.

I’d be more pleased if they simply sold you a unit with two way communication through the pendant, like the Freedom Alert II Newest DECT Model 600 Foot Range (60 day return policy).

I don’t know about you, but it makes me uncomfortable when companies try to make extra money off people who are confused or scared.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments!