Add Your ReviewMedical Care Alert Services are provided by Michigan-based, family-owned parent company American Response Technologies, Inc. The company's goal since its inception has been to make the best quality medical alert monitoring equipment affordable to everyone who needs it. Medical Care Alert offers several different emergency response systems and variety of payment options to suit your needs and preferences. These systems are manufactured by BOSCH, a German healthcare manufacturer that is known for creating hospital-grade medical and communications technology.
The Good
- Contract
- Warranty
- Monitoring
- Customer Service
- Safe, User-Friendly Equipment
- Mobile Ability
Medical Care Alert members automatically receive a host of benefits upon signing up for a monthly subscription of around one dollar per day- a total cost of $27.45 per month (in their annual subscription package, that is). Depending on the subscription, Medical Care Alert charges between $27.45 to $36.62 per month. There is no equipment fee, no activation fee, no installment fee (see the next section for more on that one), along with the following:
- Contract: Medical Care Alert offers members a choice of three subscription service plans: annual, semiannual, and quarterly. There is no contract. If at any point members would like to cancel their services, they can do so without charge. And if you cancel within the first 14 days, you get a full refund (More on this in the next section).
- Warranty: Medical Care Alert devices are backed by a lifetime warranty. Just call them with any issues and they will either offer you a refund or replace your device at no cost.
- Monitoring: Medical Care Alert Centers are all based in the United States, monitoring you 24/7/365. The company also offers free spouse monitoring. In an emergency, the monitoring center will call people on the contact list, and send free SMS test messages to cell phones. Medical Care Alert's monitoring center was awarded the CSAA 2016 Monitoring Center of the Year Award.
- Customer Service: Medical Care Alert's EMT-certified Life Safety agents are ready and available to assist members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year-including holidays. Whether you have questions about ordering equipment or if you are experiencing difficulty operating the system, their Emergency Response System is there to help by phone or email.
- Safe, User-friendly equipment: Medical Care Alert's push button wristwatch and necklace devices are aesthetically designed for comfort and attractiveness. The functions are designed for easy and simple use by just pressing a button-instantly connecting seniors with the company's Emergency Response System. The button is waterproof up to three meters deep and is easily pushed with arthritic hands. Medical Care Alert's call buttons are offered in three styles - pendant, wrist, or clip-on. The pendant has a break-away clasp to prevent choking while you are sleeping.
- Mobile Ability: Medical Care Alert's new product, Home & Away Elite, allows customers to travel anywhere with nationwide coverage through AT&T. It can be equipped with automatic fall detection and is highly water resistant.
The system is also easy to install yourself. The Home Medical Care Alert Base Station is so sophisticated that Safety Agents can communicate with you throughout your home without yelling. It has a very sensitive microphone and speaker that allows you to hear the Agent/Representative from most, if not all, parts of your home.
Medical Care Alert's mobile product Home & Away Elite gives consumers the greater mobility to fit people with more active lifestyles.
The Bad
- Short Back-Up Battery Life
- Warranty Limitations
Although Medical Care Alert offers a quality product and service, there are still a few things to be taken into consideration before signing up:
- Short Back-up Battery Life: Medical Care Alert devices have only a up to 72 hour backup battery. The initial battery life is three years, so around that time members should make sure to get a new battery sent to them as soon as possible to avoid any tragic situations in which your back-up battery dies when you need it most.
- Warranty Limitations: Medical Care Alert expects customers wanting to return the system to do a live trial run of the system to test it. This includes hooking the system up and testing it with their Emergency Response Center. In the case that you decide to return the system and equipment without testing it to see if it works, you will be charged a $50 fee.
The Bottom Line
Medical Care Alert has made its mark in the personal emergency response industry with its 24/7/365 emergency support, easy-to-use products offering a full range of free benefits, and a relatively affordable subscription service. Their monitoring service is available around the clock and even on holidays, providing much-needed accessibility to seniors and their families. There are four different system options that come with many extra features at an affordable price to meet the needs of different people. There's no long-term contract, activation fees, or installation costs which makes it very simple to begin service.
Medical Care Alert is a highly recommended company for your medical alert system needs.
