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Report: #1530656

Complaint Review: Life Alert -

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Marshall — Sun Prairie Wisconsin United States
  • Author Not Confirmed What's this?
  • Why?

Life Alert is a medical alert system that provides emergency monitoring services, allowing users to summon assistance in case of falls or other medical emergencies through a wearable device connected to a monitoring center.

*Author of original report: Not "unless..."

*Author of original report: Cooling off period

*Consumer Comment: Unless...

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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.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 01/13/2024 09:39 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/report/life-alert/medical-system-provides-1530656. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
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#3 Author of original report

Not "unless..."

AUTHOR: Marshall - (United States)

POSTED: Sunday, January 14, 2024

  The cooling off period would be 3 days. On top of them using unfair business practices. 423.201 Definition. In this subchapter: (1) "Consumer approval transaction" means a consumer transaction other than a sale or lease or listing for sale of real property or a sale of goods at auction that: (a) Is initiated by face-to-face solicitation away from a regular place of business of the merchant or by mail or telephone solicitation directed to the particular customer; and (b) Is consummated or in which the customer's offer to contract or other writing evidencing the transaction is received by the merchant away from a regular place of business of the merchant and involves the extension of credit or is a cash transaction in which the amount the customer pays exceeds $25 423.202  Right to cancel: manner of cancellation. (1)  Except as provided in sub. (4), in addition to any right otherwise to revoke an offer, to rescind the transaction or to exercise any remedy for the merchant's breach, a customer has the right to cancel a consumer approval transaction until midnight of the 3rd business day after the merchant has given the notice to the customer in accordance with s. 423.203

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#2 Author of original report

Cooling off period

AUTHOR: Marshall - (United States)

POSTED: Sunday, January 14, 2024

 The cooling off period would be 3 days. On top of them using unfair business practices. 423.201 Definition. In this subchapter: (1) "Consumer approval transaction" means a consumer transaction other than a sale or lease or listing for sale of real property or a sale of goods at auction that: (a) Is initiated by face-to-face solicitation away from a regular place of business of the merchant or by mail or telephone solicitation directed to the particular customer; and (b) Is consummated or in which the customer's offer to contract or other writing evidencing the transaction is received by the merchant away from a regular place of business of the merchant and involves the extension of credit or is a cash transaction in which the amount the customer pays exceeds $25 423.202  Right to cancel: manner of cancellation. (1)  Except as provided in sub. (4), in addition to any right otherwise to revoke an offer, to rescind the transaction or to exercise any remedy for the merchant's breach, a customer has the right to cancel a consumer approval transaction until midnight of the 3rd business day after the merchant has given the notice to the customer in accordance with s. 423.203

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#1 Consumer Comment

Unless...

AUTHOR: Irv - (United States)

POSTED: Sunday, January 14, 2024

 Unless the sale was made in the home by a salesman who came to visit, there is NO COOLING OFF PERIOD. If the sale was made in the home, the cooling off period is three days.

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