CVS Medical Alert

• Price
• Monitoring
• Battery life

Each CVS Medical Alert kit includes a base unit, a waterproof emergency button with a wrist, clip-on and standard traditional pendant options.

Price

CVS Medical Alert charges customers between $27.49 and $36.66 per month for round-the-clock monitoring and emergency dispatch services.

Monitoring

In the case of an emergency, the SIA-certified operator will dispatch the appropriate help for a customer's situation, staying on the line, talking them through until help arrives.

Battery Life

32-hour battery back-up. The pendant automatically checks for low batteries every few hours and alerts the user.

Additional Positives

• Braille characters for emergency, home, and clear button functions.
• A Clear button that lets user stop an alarm if pressed accidentally. It also comes with one free additional button.
• Distinct alarm tone to identify an emergency situation.
• Crystal oscillator design medical alert neck pendants that are attractive, sleek-looking and more fashionable.
• Waterproof accessories and equipment that can be worn in the bath or shower.
• High speed, 2-way connection allows customers to speak to monitoring staff in a speedy manner.

• No automatic testing
• Additional fees and financial obligations
• Cancellation caveat

Unfortunately, there is much which is lacking in ordering medical monitoring services from CVS Medical Alert. There is no warranty to cover equipment malfunction, which is unusual for the industry.

No automatic testing

CVS's alert system does not test itself automatically. While other companies require a monthly manual test, CVS's system requires a manual test every week to make sure it is working and connected to the call center. This is inconvenient and unpractical for an elderly customer who either may not remember or has trouble mentally processing the long list of instructions. They will need help to test it manually for certain.

Additional fees and financial obligations

Customers are responsible for any additional fees associated with their local emergency services (e.g. ambulance rides).

Cancellation caveat

After the initial 3-business days, customers can cancel anytime, with the caveat that they have to cancel at any time before Midnight of the third business day after the date of purchase to be eligible for a refund.