Complaint Review: Life Alert -

In September 2023, my mother initially ordered Life Alert out of panic after a major fall and a hospital stay. She was surprised by the high cost, but after fear tactics employed by the salesperson, she reluctantly agreed. Within hours, she had buyer's remorse and called to express her desire not to proceed with the purchase. They assured her they would cancel it.

A few days later, the equipment arrived despite her cancellation. She called them again, reiterating her decision not to proceed. Once more, they used aggressive sales approaches and fear tactics, convincing her to buy the product. When she shared this with me, I conducted research and discovered that Life Alert's competitors are superior in almost every way, with the exception of a few minor features. Primarily, I wanted automatic fall detection, a service Life Alert does not provide.

I called Life Alert on my mom's behalf to cancel the service, and they insisted that I speak with their salesperson as part of their procedure. Despite anticipating aggressive sales techniques, I took time off work and extensively researched Life Alert and their competitors, including reading expert and YouTube reviews.

The conversation with the salesperson became heated. I questioned why they don't offer trial periods like their competitors, why they lock people into 3-year contracts, and why their monthly charges are significantly higher. I also brought up the lawsuit against Life Alert in New York regarding aggressive and unfair contract practices. The conversation lasted about 15 minutes, during which I emphasized that Life Alert's only advantage is name recognition, and their product is inferior to competitors. The salesperson refused to cancel the product until my mother called and abruptly ended the call.

I called Life Alert again, expressing our desire to cancel the product. Initially, they insisted I talk to the salesperson, but after putting me on hold, they confirmed that I could cancel without further interaction with him. They mentioned potential refunds, excluding the activation fee, which, according to their contract, is non-refundable. However, my mother never signed and returned the contract.

Returning the equipment proved challenging. Despite providing the box and packaging, the package got lost twice before finally reaching them. They initially resisted refunding the activation fee, even though my mother never signed the contract. After a month of persistent calls and negotiations, they agreed to a full refund, albeit with a $50 restocking fee, which we reluctantly accepted.

Dealing with Life Alert during this period was extremely stressful. I learned valuable lessons that I want to share with others. In my state, consumer protection laws include a cooling-off period, allowing customers to cancel a recently ordered service. Instead of engaging in prolonged negotiations with Life Alert, I should have informed them that I would dispute the transaction with my bank. Customers usually prevail in such disputes, leading to chargeback fees and potential damage to the seller's reputation.

I believe people should spend less time negotiating with Life Alert and dispute the charge with their bank, prompting Life Alert to reconsider aggressive sales tactics. Considering their limited offerings, I suggest they lower their monthly charges to $10 to $15 to align with market standards.