Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.

  16027 Ventura Blvd Ste 400 Encino, CA 91436-2747

  
• 

  Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.

  1211 N West Shore Blvd Ste 110 Tampa, FL 33607-4601

  
• 

  Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.

  800 NW 62nd St Ste 320 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309-2057

  
• 

  Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.

  1111 Park Centre Blvd Ste 330 Miami Gardens, FL 33169-5370

  
• 

  Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.

  620 Cranbury Rd Ste 101 E Brunswick, NJ 08816-4000

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/28/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Now that ************************* has 24 hour full time care, we are attempting to cancel the service. I have been told that we must provide documentation that the caregivers are professionally licensed. They are not. They are local ladies providing care. We have been told that the contract says we cannot cancel the service in this case. I see no legal reason why we should not be able to cancel the service. This way we are trapped into paying for Life Alert until ****** either enters and nursing home or dies! I would never have chosen Life Alert if I knew they would treat us this way.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  When you initially spoke with our care sales manager, she reviewed our cancel clause which includes if your mother received 24-hour professional care.  This is also noted in our *********************** Agreement, which is a legal agreement where we promise to protect your mother and not raise your prices. However, we hope you take the time to read the over ****** lifesaving reviews from customers, family members, and caregiver at ******************************************************************* grateful reviews are from caregivers who praise Life Alerts ability to get help in an emergency so that the caregiver didnt need to leave the side of the patient.  Moreover, Life Alert was a calming and steady presence in an emergency which allowed both the patient and caregiver to remain calm.  Additionally, since we are HIPAA compliant, we are able to provide emergency services with medical information about your mom, whereas your local ladies may not remember in an emergency.  Lastly, and more importantly, a caregiver can not be with your mom 24/7, but Life Alert can.  We are confident that the local ladies taking care of your mom will be grateful to you for having Life Alert at their fingertips if an emergency occurs.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 20911648
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Mom now has 24 hour care. Life Alert is no longer needed.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/12/2023

  You can email the 24 hour professional care paperwork to ******************************** and an agent will be able to assist you.  

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am 93 years old and purchased the use of the Life Alert in September 2021. I was living alone at the time. Since then, my hearing has further deteriorated to where I am almost deaf. My health and mobility have deteriorated as well. Rather than move into assisted living/nursing home my daughter residing in ******** came to live with and assist me. She is here 24/7 and the Life Alert has been sitting in a box in the closet. I am unable to communicate on it anyway due to to my hearing loss. My daughter called Life Alert today and they were rude and almost laughing- ******/11/16/23-11:25am EST- he kept stating They wont do a thing you have a contract! This company takes advantage of senior adults for money. Things for seniors can change rapidly, and they are scam artists who dont care about anything but the $! My daughter is typing this for me as well. Someone needs to get the word out about Life Alert. They are taking advantage of elderly citizens by not offering yearly contracts or considering life altering changes that come with age. I have seen many complaints about them!

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

  Life Alert has been saving lives for over 35 years, and as the only medical alert company proven to save a life every 11 minutes, Life Alert takes complaints seriously.  We have performed a thorough investigation including the recorded calls, and found that your daughters complaint has no merit.  Actually, we found that she was rude, called us names, and threatened to smear us on the internet before abruptly disconnecting the call.  We have since called her back to follow up and to see if there was something we could do to assist, but she has not returned our calls.

  Life Alert does understand that an elderly persons life can change,that is why we offer a cancellation clause.  Your daughter was not only aware of the clause, but also knew what qualifies for the cancellation. We do agree that scam artists dont care about anything but money, they also dont care about the safety of the elderly when they are left alone.  Its great that your daughter moved in to help you, but family cant be with you 24/7,whereas Life Alert can.  If an emergency happens in the middle of the night, just press your button.  We will send help regardless on whether you can hear us or talk to us.  We will even notify your daughter and keep her informed. Best part is, Life Alert can be used for the whole family, so everyone can stay safe and protected.

  As the industry leader in saving lives,we invite your daughter to go to ******************************************************** to read the over ****** grateful testimonials from customers and their family members.  Perhaps she will understand the importance of Life Alert and understand that we have thousands of more positive feedback versus the very few complaints.  If your daughter promises to be cordial, then we invite her to call our customer care ***** at ************** so we can help her further.

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My mother is dissatisfied with the Life Alert and has tried to get out of her agreement without success. She originally signed the 3-year agreement when she lived in her home last year. The unit they have you wear when you are more than 700 feet from home is too heavy for her to wear, it rubs and abrades her skin and falls off of her elastic waist pants waistband and it is too heavy to wear around her neck. She now lives in independent living and eats meals and does activities within the complex that take her more than 700 feet away and ends up carrying the *** based devicein a purse rather than on her person, as it should be worn. She does not have a cell phone when she recently accidentally activated the alarm, due to carrying it in a purse, they called me because she wasnt answering. I was able to locate her in one of the dining areas and she could not hear the device go off because it was in her purse. She originally voiced discomfort with the size of the device and it not being wearable after using it only a couple of times and within months of signing the agreement last year. life Alert claims to have no record of her calling about this. I know she did because i was with her when her alarm went off and and we had a conversation with customer service about not being able to wear the device comfortably. She would like to get out of her agreement in order to get a device that is actually wearable and has fall detection, which is now something she is more likely to need. My mothers name is *****************. Life Alert is willing to cancel the agreement if she pays for 6 more months of service at 68 per month. We dont feel comfortable with her having a device that is not wearable, that she cannot hear because she cant wear it.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  We have spoken to your mother multiple times and have offered her many options that were in her favor, but for whatever reason, she has refused to work with us.  As for our GPS device, it is the industry standard in size and weight, and does not have to be worn. Seeing that the real reason to cancel is for fall detection, Life Alert welcomes this opportunity to explain as to why we do not offer fall detection at this time.  As the only medical alert service that is PROVEN to save a life every 11 minutes, we will never offer a product that *** compromise the lives of our customers, therefore, we do not offer fall detection due to it being unreliable.  For example, depending on the fall of a person, the fall detection *** not go off, rendering the service useless. We suggest that you read the fine print of the companies that do offer Fall Detection. They, too, will not stand by the technology.  Please have your mother call our ****************** at ************** so an agent can review her options with her.  Thank you, Life Alert.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My complaint is that Life Alert misrepresented the terms associated with purchasing Life Alert Services for my elderly parent of 87 years old.- In January 2021 I had a pleasant call with a sales representative and was careful to document everything she said to me regarding the costs, connection instructions and offering of the Life Alert system.- When I called 2 months ago to cancel the services because my dad has in-home care from a relative, I was told that I would be held to a 3-year contract. This was the first time I ever heard of a 3-year contract. I would never intentionally sign a 3-year contract if this was explained or pointed out to me since my dad is 87, almost now 88. Why would anyone do that? And since when do you continue paying for a service that you no longer want or need? This is crazy.-I asked to see a copy of the contract that I apparently signed and after 2 attempts requesting to see it, they never sent it to me. -Instead, Life Alert sent a letter to my 87-year-old dad trying to convince or trick him into signing a new 3-year contract. What kind of company harasses and confuses an elderly man when Life Alert is supposed to bring a sense of security to the elderly. I was paying for the service in the first place, not my dad!-I have been paying $89.85 for the past 2 years approximately (never late on payments) and have stopped payment on 9/21 because of their unethical, unreasonable, and unprofessional practices.- They have now sent me a bill for the last 2 months of $179.70 - I will send equipment back but am requesting a label.-It has been a headache to work with Life Alert and I wish to not be hassled any longer in any way.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2023

  Since Life Alert works primarily with the elderly, we ensure our customers are made aware of our *********************** Agreement. Not only is this explained on the initial call, but multiple calls are also given to confirm a new customer understands the terms, plus we put everything in writing.  Our agreement works in our customers favor as we promise not to raise our prices on our subscribers, which is very important in this current time of high inflation.  Life Alert understands that the lifestyle of an elderly can change, that is why we have a cancellation clause in our agreement.  A copy of the agreement has been sent to you.  Were sorry you feel we are unethical, but the truth is we are keeping our end of the agreement by protecting your father.  We would like for you to call our billing ***** at **************.
  Thank you,
  Life Alert

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  MY NEED: Cancel the last 2 years of a 3 year contract with Life Alert because I received wrong information that put me and a relative at serious risk and then, when I tried to get a 1 month refund for nn-working service, at least 2 agents and a manager were rude and blamed me for the problem, 3 executives did not respond to my letters asking for a refund until 20 days later an HR manager offered a 1 month refund for the Sept 5-Oct 12 2023 lack of coverage.REASONS FOR WANTING TO CANCEL NOT JUST ACCEPT 1 MONTH COMPENSAITON:- When I called from CA to ask why my mobile device kept giving a message to wait for an agent but never brought on an agent, 2-3 agents, a call center manager and Life Alert's HR manager blamed me for n to checking coverage - even when I explained I called LA before I left ask if the mobile device would work in CA even when I shut off the home equipment and an LA agent told me yes .Did not check the address or tell me how to check it. I assumed GPS ran the device,. How would I know LA depends on **** cell phone coverage? How would I know how to contact **** to check?tthey kept blaming me, not listening and when I said the conversation was stupid, one agent thought I was calling the agent stupid and got angry at me -The agents and manager said they could not give refunds for the month my own cell phone is hosted by ******* and works fine where I was in CA. I would have needed information that the device depended on **** cell phone coverage and instructor who/how to contact at ****. to check coverage - 3 LA execs did not respond to my mailed requests for a refund of the month when I had no service, thought I had service, and if anything had happened to me, I would have pressed a button that only repeated "Wait' notices, I might have died and my relative with Parkinsons could have seen me, and, as he does in normal times, fallen or had a recurrence of heart problems. If I had known the device was not working, I would have made other back up arrangements.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/10/2023

  We are sorry you feel this way, and we respectfully disagree with your review.
  Not only did we reach out to you both verbally and in written form multiple times, but we also gave you a solution that was to your benefit.
  Moreover, all other Life Alert devices were working.
  Sincerely,
  Life Alert

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/26/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bought life alert. Dad fell, pushed button around neck . It didn't work. He laid on floor for 4hrs till found. All life alert says is well it seems to work now. I said that's not the point. Their response was. What can we do now?

  Business Response

  Date: 11/10/2023

  Hello,
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

  We did a thorough investigation and found the equipment was working. 
  We have since been in contact with your father and gave him a different pendant that was easier for him to push.
  

  Please remind your dad to test his pendant monthly.
  Thank you,
  Life Alert

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/13/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/13/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  About 2 months ago me and my husband joined life alert. Was not told about the 7 day cancellation if you choose to cancel. To read about life alert was 2 pages long. The printing was so tiny I didnt have a magnifying glass to read it.2 weeks after I joined I tried to cancel because I found out my secondary ins Carries the same equipment for must less a month. Life Alert was charging me $118 per month. I sent 2 faxes from my secondary ins stating that my husband and belong to the new company. The Gentleman who was handling my claim told me I was locked in for 36 months unless in a nursing home or deceased. I asked for an address to send my equipment back but they wouldnt give it to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2023

  Life Alert welcomes this opportunity to explain the differences between our lifesaving services versus a cheaper service.  Life Alert is the only medical alert company proven to save a life every 11 minutes.  We manufacture and monitor our equipment which never needs charging.  More importantly, Life Alert owns and operates its own emergency dispatch center.  We stay on the line during the emergency and inform EMTs of any medical conditions you may have in the event that you cannot communicate. 

  A cheaper company cuts costs with equipment and the Emergency center.  They buy cheap equipment in bulk that needs to be charged. If a device is on a charger, its not on you therefore leaving you vulnerable, and its not monitored.  Lastly, cheaper companies farm out the emergency center, sometimes in foreign countries, where either a signal can be dropped or communication can be a problem.  Going cheap may actually cost you more than you expect, it can cost you your life.  

  The contract you sent us from the other company was 2 pages long and had very small print making it hard to read. Also, they did not offer the full protection that you have with Life Alert.  Per our recorded calls, an agent did speak with you regarding an option for you and we are waiting to receive the proper notice from you. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 20730676
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I took out a Life Alert Emergency Response system for my 100 year old mom, ************************* on March 4, 2022. The Life Alert representative told me since my mother was so elderly and hard of hearing and nearly blind that I needed to set it up for her. My mom, ************************* passed away on August 16, 2023. My daughter called on August 21, 2023 to have the account closed since my mom had passed. At this time she was informed that the contract was in my name and it could only be canceled by sending my death certificate. This was very unthoughtful since we had just lost a family member. I called the company myself on August 31, 2023 and after being passed from one employee to another and treated very rudely. I was finally told to fax them proof that all payments were paid from ***************************** bank account. They gave me a fax # ************. When I went to fax the bank statements it turned out that the number they gave me was a phone number not a fax number so I was unable to send the proof that all payments were from ***************************** account ****. The company misrepresented to me in 2022 that this service was for ************************* and I was managing it for her. This service was used only for ************************* and paid by **************************What I want is for the company to cancel this account and pick up their equipment and stop contacting me for payment. I am ********************************************************************************** notices and calling me.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2023

  We are very sorry for the loss of your mother; we know that this is a difficult time, and our goal is for changes to your account to be easy and seamless for you.  We apologize for the misunderstandings that occurred.  When you set up the account, everything was in your name, not your mothers. So, the account belonged to you.  We have since had a representative reach out to you to assist in this matter.  Again, our condolences and we hope you and your family find peace at this time.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/29/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We order a life alert system for my mother in law while she was hospitalized. It was delivered as promise, however it was not opened because my mother in law was hospitalized. There was no need for us to set it up yet. Unfortunately, my mother in law succumbed to her illness and passed away 11 days after this was delivered. Again, we NEVER opened the package. We brought it home with us from ******* and returned the UNOPENED package as directed by the associates at life alert. The *** worker literally had to remove all of the old shipping labels because we honestly never did anything with it but transport it. Please explain to me how a device is missing from an unopened package. We were promised a refund due to the passing of my mother in law and the devices never being able to be used and instead, they charged my card, without notice, for a missing device. A device missing from an UNOPENED package? Seriously? This company is literally exploiting people who they KNOW, are dealing with a recent death. I can promise, we will never give this company another dime!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/06/2023

  We are very sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law.  We know how difficult of a time this is for you and your family without having the added frustration of a refund mistake. 
  We have already processed the remaining refund.  If you have any further questions, please call our ************* at **************.
  Sincerely,
  Life Alert

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/27/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My mother passed away Sept. 4 2023. I contacted Life Alert to let them know she had passed away to discontinue the service. I didn't call immediately after she passed away but waited a couple of weeks. Life Alert is pro rating the refund from the date I called to cancel the service and not the date of death of my mother. I would like the amount to be pro rated from Sept. 4 not from the call date. I have paid for Life Alert for years without using it. The last time I used Life Alert I couldn't get the operator to call an ambulance. She wanted to review my mothers med list. I put my mom in the car and started to the hospital telling the operator we needed an ambulance. Thankfully a county police officer was parked on the side of the road and called for an ambulance. I just hung up on the Life Alert operator and never used the service again. I paid for it for years but never used it again. I had tried to cancel Life Alert when this happened but they wouldn't let me.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/29/2023

  We are very sorry for your loss.  We work with family members with end-of-life issues daily, so we understand what a challenging time this is for you.  We have esculated your concerns and an agent has reached out to you.
  We hope you find peace during this time.
  Very Sincerely,
  Life Alert

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/29/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Life Alert has agreed to the refund for September.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************