Lifewatch, Inc.

Review: My mother's medical alert alarm did not function Saturday when she fell and pressed the pendant for over 1 hr. She had to crawl to the telephone and call 911. No emergency service available w/ Life Watch to check the alarm. I had to wait till Monday to report alarm not working. The customer service agent "[redacted]" immediately accused me of not paying my bill since 2012 and not returning the company's equipment. She told me multiple times unless I gave her a current credit card she would not answer any further questions. I advised [redacted] another agent "[redacted]" gave me 2 years of additional service in 2014 due to a similar incident when the medical alert alarm failed to work with a fall in May of 2014. I repeatedly tried to tell "[redacted]" my account was paid up to May 2016. [redacted] said that was impossible and they do not give "free service". She said she already spent too much time discussing this issue with me this morning and they were busy on Monday's. "[redacted]" never even apologized for the failure of the equipment. I asked to speak to a [redacted] or corporate office contact information. She said she had none and works directly under the [redacted] and that is why she is still there for 16 years. I requested to speak with the [redacted] and I was told good luck he is not available he was in Hong Kong. Upon further investigation by [redacted], which consisted of reading the notes on my account, "[redacted]" did provide me with 2 years additional service at no cost. Again according to "[redacted]" this is unheard of and it was crazy things like this that got "[redacted]" fired. She said she would honor the 2 years additional service and attempt to determine what was the cause of the malfunction of my mother's equipment. Her determination was Life Watch deactivated my mother's medical alert unit due to lack of payment. It was this deactivation that prevented my 80 year old mother from receiving the emergency help she needed while lying on the bathroom floor on Saturday. RUDE service by agent. This is 3rd out of 3 times alarm failed to work.Desired Settlement: Some type of documentation in the mail the ensures my mother's medical alert alarm will not be deactivated. An investigation to why the account was not properly updated. I received multiple calls from [redacted] with Life Watch in May of 2014 assuring me that this equipment failure would not happen again yet her equipment was DEACTIVATED in error. I was told in August of 2014 by [redacted] Angel in response to a letter requesting payment that my acct was in good standing.

Business

Response:

Good Morning:We extend our best wishes to [redacted]'s mom, [redacted], at this time. Customer Service is clearly the most important aspect of our business. We apologize that your experience did not meet our standards, and we are doing everything necessary to rectify this situation. [redacted] emailed [redacted] on Monday night (6/*) to inform her that she had arranged for our Serviceman, [redacted], to go to her mother's home yesterday at 12 Noon. He installed the replacement equipment, and tested and activated it, even though the unit that she had was last tested on 4/**/15 and worked properly. Prior to that date, the last test from that unit had been [redacted]e on 5/**/14. It is always recommended that the equipment be tested on a monthly basis.[redacted], and family can rest assured and be fully confident in the system knowing that when [redacted] left [redacted]'s home yesterday, she was and is, completely protected by the Service. We invite them to test the unit for the next few days, so they can be completely comfortable knowing that any time she presses her button, there will be a response from the [redacted]. At that time, she would inform the [redacted] that she is simply testing. We have extended free service/coverage to Maryann through May *, 2016. [redacted]'s account is in good standing, and there will be no deactivation of service on our end.Our goal is and always has been 100% satisfaction. We will continue to evaluate and redesign policies and procedures, so a situation like this does not occur again.[redacted] can reach out to me at ###-###-#### with any further questions or concerns.Sincerely,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

I would like an investigation and an explanation provided to me as to why my mother's billing account was not credited in May of 2014 to reflect the extended service for 2 years at no charge until May of 2016. I would also like to know who authorized the deactivation of my mother's emergency alert alarm as told to me by [redacted] for nonpayment.I will respectfully request again, as I did from [redacted], to be provided a copy of the record that shows the testing times and dates done by my mother or Life Watch USA on the unit that failed in her home on Saturday June *,2015. [redacted] has writtten in her response the unit was last tested on 4-**-15. Who tested what unit on 4-**-15? This satement directly conflicts what I was told by [redacted] on Monday June 8, 2015 that there not a record of testing times or dates to my mother's unit because my mother didn't test her unit that failed. Reinforced to me by [redacted] was that fact that if my mother had been testing her unit like she should have been my mother would have discovered sooner that her unit was deactivated and not functioning.Also it is too bad that [redacted] did not attempt to reach me by that same email that [redacted] refers to prior to disconnecting my mother mother's emergency aalert alarm. It is also too bad that representaive did not read the notes on my mother's account that we were given 2 years of free service to have the account paid in full up to May 2016 prior to disconnecting the service. Disconnecting in error the service to my mother's emergecny alert alarm left my mother laying on the bathroom floor without access to timely emergecny medical assitance.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.Sincerely,[redacted]

Business

Response:

I have asked [redacted] to call me to discuss. I would be happy to go over some details of how an error was made. The error was a direct result of computer limitations directly due to the fact that she was offered 2 years of free service. Our systems are not set up to manage these types of offerings. The system coded the account in arrears when months went by without payments. I would be happy to provide a signal report showing testing in April. I am happy to offer the remainder of the months promised for free. Apologies have been made and we are moving forward. Getting into individual personalities or mistakes serves no purpose in us moving forward. We would be honored to keep giving your mother free monitoring through the remainder of her promised months and retain her as a customer thereafter.

Respectfully,

Old company was great. New owners in Connecticut do not answer calls or call back. They have disregarded alternative billing address instructions and billed in error.

Review: I accepted this product on the basis that it would be free and that I would get a $100 gift card whether or not I activated the product. I never activated the product and was charged $44.95 to my credit card three times, although I never activated the product. I sent the product back, but they claimed to have never received it. I did not get a tracking number when I sent it back, taking for granted that the USPS would get it there and everything would be refunded including the original $79.95 they charged me for the product. In order to resolve this issue they required another $300 to pay for lost or damaged goods. I agreed in order to stop the billing for the future service which I never activated. I am very unhappy to have paid Lifewatch over $500 for service and product that I never used and sent back to the address they gave me. I will never foolishly return something without a tracking number. But this is awful service for a product that could not have cost that much to replace. The reps that I talked to were unreliable in helping resolve the issue as they were only concerned with receiving more of my money for nothing. I am not elderly, but this company clearly is targeting senior citizens and will gladly take their money whether they need the product or not.Desired Settlement: I would like my money back, $514.80 by my calculations.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:

I contacted [redacted] and informed him that we will refund the $300 payment for the lost unit at this time. In the interest of excellent customer service, we will accept the loss of our rental equipment.

He is completely satisfied with that resolution.

If there are any further questions or concerns, I may be reached directly at ###-###-#### or ###-###-####, ext. [redacted].

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lifewatch USA

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I have been with Lifewatch for over 5 years now, which my contract was for 2 years. I have been having trouble with my Lifewatch machine not working on several occasions. I had called and complained about it several times and they told me that I needed to get a $5.00 upgrade. My machine and my phone wasn't working for 2 days, so if I would have had an emergency, I would have been in big trouble. There machine was defective. One of the ladies I spoke to said that I must have changed phone companies, for my phone to mess up and that I needed a $5.00 upgrade to fix the issue. I never changed phone companies and have never been told prior to this, to get an upgrade. They were unwilling to fix the issue, unless I paid, so I told them that I didn't want their system any longer. I ordered from a new company and switched everything over to [redacted], and got it installed on 06/**/15. I called Lifewatch, again, and told them to cancel my services, but they argued with me and were very rude to me and said that they will continue my services with them and that I'm under a contract, and they will continue to deduct money from my account. They wouldn't listen to me and kept interrupting me, so I told them to cancel it and hung up on them. So, then the [redacted] called me yesterday 06/**/15 at 2:57 pm from number ###-###-####, and apologized for how I was treated by their customer service. She kept trying to get me to stay with them (Lifewatch) and offered to waive the $5.00 upgrade fee if I stayed. I told her that I didn't want their services any longer and that I already had a new service. She told me that she was sorry to lose me as a customer and that I was a good customer for 5 years. She said that she is sorry that they couldn't be of any help any longer. She never mentioned anything about a contract. I told her that I was going to send back the machine, and she was fine with that. I had forgotten to ask her about getting a return label to send back their machine. So, I called today, 06/**/15, at about 9:00 am, to talk to a representative for them to send me a return label for their equipment. This lady was very unprofessional and argumentative with me and my family. She told us that I have a contract and that they will not be canceling my services and will continue to take the money out of my checking. We tried to explain to her that I already cancelled it yesterday with the [redacted] and that I told her I would sent it back, but I forgot to ask for a return label. The lady kept telling me that the conversation that I had yesterday didn't even happen and that I never called to report any issues with the machine. I told her that I have called 3-4 times about the machine not working, and no one helped me, and they said I had to pay more money to get it upgraded. Yet, the [redacted] that I talked to yesterday pleaded with me to stay with them. This lady on the phone today said that the person I talked to told me I was under a contract and couldn't leave. That [redacted] never said anything about a contract to me and never told me I couldn't discontinue services with them, they must have me confused with a different customer. My family even tried to talk to this lady, today, and explained how I have been a customer for over 5 years and the contract ran out 3 years ago. Lifewatch has a contract for 2 years at $29.95. I never signed another contract for anything, the service just continued. I have talked to several service reps. about this machine. She even said that regardless of getting a new service, that they are still going to take their money out each month. I put a stop payment at my bank against Lifewatch. I, also, spoke with [redacted] from [redacted] and he said that Lifewatch can not keep me from canceling my service with them and that they are just ,basically, bullying me and taking advantage of me being a senior citizen. I just want this resolved and cancelled. I won't pay for something that I don't have any longer. I, also, want them to sen me a return label to send back the machine. Thank you.Desired Settlement: I want my services cancelled and a postage paid return label sent to me to send back their machine.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:We are sorry that [redacted] chose to leave our service, after having been a loyal and satisfied Subscriber for 5 years. We received her equipment, and her account was made inactive on June **, 2015. We have tested it multiple times, and it works just fine. Perhaps, there was something going on with her phone line, as she mentioned that neither the phone line or unit were working for 2 days. If there was a problem with the phone line, that would cause our unit to be inoperable.I also wanted to apologize if [redacted] feels she was treated in a rude or disrespectful way by any of our Customer Service Representatives. We are looking into this further, as Customer Service is and always has been the most important aspect of our business.In terms of the 2-year contract that was signed and sent back to us on March **, 2014, a copy is attached. [redacted] had come on board with us in October of 2010. There was no Contract at that time--the Agreement at that time was month to month. However, after having been with us for four years, she was offered a two-year Contract as a price-protect to continue the service at the rate of $29.95 per month.Due to the sequence of events and our appreciation of [redacted]'s business for so many years, her contract is null and void at this time. There is no payment due us.If there are any further questions or concerns, [redacted] can reach me directly at ###-###-####.On behalf of Lifewatch USA, we extend [redacted] and family our best wishes.Sincerely,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I, [redacted], received a flyer in the mail from Lifewatch several weeks ago. I attempted to contact them to inform them that I did not want their product. I was unable to reach them. I now rec'd their lifewatch monitor in the mail and again tried to contact them to tell them that I do not want their product. I have left several messages. I live in a retirement community and have asked the [redacted] at the facility, [redacted], to assist me with this matter. [redacted] also tried to contact the company but has been unsuccessful. I wish to prevent any further contact from this company and want to be sure that they are not billing me for a service I did not ask for.

My thanks for your assistance with this matter. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

Business

Response:

Good Morning!

Review: This business called my sister to tell her she was to receive a free medical alert system and smoke detector. All they needed was her credit card number to verify their information on where to send the devices. When they arrived she put them in a closet and never activated them and never signed a contract. They charged her a monthly rental/service charge. I just found out this was going on after I took over her financial responsibilities as her P.O.A. I called the company for a refund on the monthly charges for 7 months but they said she had the device for that time and it did not matter that she did not activate or sign a contract. She is in a nursing home presently and the devices have been returned.[redacted] poa for [redacted]Desired Settlement: Refund of the service/rental charges for 7 months for the life alert device and smoke detector. They are listed as separate companies but have the same return mailing address.

Business

Response:

Good Morning:In response to this Complaint, we are the Medical Alarm Company, not the Sales Agency. We ship our equipment and monitor our 200,000 Subscribers Nationwide. There are, however, Sales Agencies across the Country that sell the Medical Alarm Service, and we as the Medical Alarm Company, along with all the other Med Alarm Companies, purchase those accounts,. This is an industry-wide practice. There is a Criteria that must be met in order for us to purchase these accounts--all calls must be recorded, it must be confirmed at least 4 times that the Subscriber understands what the Service is, what the monthly monitoring fee is, and the Subscriber provides their payment information. It is assumed that if someone lives alone, has a lucid 25 minute conversation with the Sales Agent as [redacted] did, confirms multiple times that they understand what the service is and need it, and have access to their payment information, that they are capable of placing the order. The Sales Agent never stated that the service was free; what was explained to [redacted] is that there is no charge for the Medical Monitoring Equipment because it is rental equipment; however, there is a monthly monitoring fee of $34.95. That is why she provided her credit card information--for the monthly monitoring payments.Patricia ordered the Medical Alarm Service and it was delivered to her in July 2014. Our rental equipment was returned and her account was closed 8 months later on March **, 2015. The equipment is activated from the day it is shipped, so that any time a Subscriber plugs the unit in and presses the button, the Monitoring Center has their info in terms of name, address, and phone number, and will dispatch 911 to them, if necessary. Therefore, we were paying monitoring fees to the Monitoring Center for more than 8 months. We already have provided a refund for the month of March. In the interest of excellent Customer Service, we will provide one more refund for the month of February, as well. It will be credited back to her Visa card, as the March payment was.In terms of the Smoke Detector Company, we have nothing to do with them. The Smoke Detector and our Monitoring Equipment are shipped from the same Fulfillment Center--that is a shipping address. They are not associated with us. I believe that company is called Direct Connect and [redacted] can reach them at ###-###-####.If there are any further questions or concerns, I may be reached directly at ###-###-####.Sincerely,[redacted]

Review: In July of 2014, we accepted and received your equipment for free trial.

Decided not to continue service because not really needed at this time.

As per trial agreement, the equipment was returned shortly after and our refund (34.99) was received on 7/**/2014.

As of that date the service SHOULD have been cancelled and no monthly service fee payments should have been withdrawn.

Since the return, charges of $14.99 have been withdrawn monthly for a service subscription not in effect or being used. The equipment has been returned to you.

bank statement entries:

07/**/2014 POS Deposit (MPS) LIFEWATCH INC LIFEWATCH INC ###-###-#### ** $34.95

04/**/2015 POS Withdrawal POS Withdrawal (MPS) [redacted] $14.99

03/**/2015 POS Withdrawal POS Withdrawal (MPS) [redacted] $14.99

02/**/2015 POS Withdrawal POS Withdrawal (MPS) [redacted] $14.99

10/**/2014 POS Withdrawal POS Withdrawal (MPS) [redacted] $14.99

09/**/2014 POS Withdrawal POS Withdrawal (MPS) SMOKE/CONNECT/9 SMOKE/CONNECT/[redacted] $14.99

07/**/2014 POS Withdrawal POS Withdrawal (MPS) [redacted] $14.99

We require an immediate refund for the 6 months of non-justified charges for a service that was cancelled within trial period therefore never used.

Refund of $14.99 for each of the withdraws made from 7/2014 to present !!

This is the second contact attempt. The first having no response or action ! Consequently another payment was withdrawn this month!

I feel I have, am being taken advantage of; being a senior citizen!

Will be contacting Revdex.com, [redacted], social networking, etc. all if this matter is not resolved quickly.Desired Settlement: Refund of service fees charged for a cancelled subscription/NO SERVICE used

Business

Response:

Good Morning:In response to this Complaint, we are Lifewatch USA, the Medical Alarm Company. [redacted] is correct in stating that she returned our Rental Equipment, her account was made inactive on 7/**/14, and we processed the refund for her only payment to us of $34.95. We have nothing to do with the $14.99 charges. [redacted] mentioned that perhaps the $14.99 charges are for Smoke Detectors., There is a Company in our Building called [redacted] that offers Smoke Detectors. Their phone number is ###-###-####. [redacted] can contact them directly to discuss those charges. I will also reach out to them to see if she is their client, and ask them to contact [redacted] at ###-###-#### or via email:[redacted]. That is all I can do to assist at this time.In terms of Lifewatch USA, Patricia's account was cancelled and the payment was refunded in July 2014.Sincerely,[redacted]Lifewatch USA

Review: On 11/**/2014 by phone I accepted an offer for a medical alarm system. I received the product not too long after. I never followed through on activating the system. For whatever reason, I was already reluctant to use it. It has in the box since then to date. I have been charged $34.95 a month since then. On June *, 2015 2 payments of $34.95 was withdrawn from my account throwing my account into a negative status. This led me to call them and in the course of our discussion I expressed that I felt they were charging for a service they were not providing as I had never activated my system. I further stated that I was cancelling my "service" and they were not to take any more money from my account. I was told they would make withdrawals until I return their product. I agreed to do so. I further requested a refund of the monies they had withdrawn as no service has been provided. I further I have Authorization Form that was enclosed in the package that I never signed and never gave authorization for these withdrawals. On 11/**/2014 I probably did agree to the initial payments. However, the credit card I used at that time expired on 1/2015. No one called me in January to get the new expiration date. Had I been called at that time, I would have let you know my decision not to activate. Therefore, I believe you used fraudulent methods to get my new expiration date. The form that I have also set the Monitoring Agreement, which discusses medical information, responder info,responsible party and etc. This was never given, never discussed, and therefore never available to you to provide a service.Desired Settlement: I am requesting a $209.70 refund of all the funds withdrawn from January, 2015 and following due to no authorization was given to make these withdrawals as well as no service being provided.

Business

Response:

Good Morning:I attempted to contact [redacted] to discuss her complaint this morning, and left her a message to please contact me. The medical alarm equipment that she has in her possession is rental equipment. Therefore, if she had decided all these months that she did not want the service, she could have simply sent it back to us to cancel her account. As with any rental equipment, the Subscriber is charged until the equipment is returned. For example, if someone has Cable TV Service and doesn't watch television for a month, they are still charged for the service, until they return their Cable Box.Our policy is and always has been that once our rental equipment is returned to us, the Subscriber's account is made inactive, and there are no further billing attempts. From the day the equipment is shipped, it is activated with our Monitoring Center and we are paying them to monitor the unit. They had the pertinent information for [redacted] in terms of her name, address, and phone number in case of emergency. If she had connected the unit at any point, and pressed the button for help, they would have dispatched assistance (her local Paramedics) to her home. It is not necessary to provide medical information, or responder information to obtain emergency assistance. Thousands of our Subscribers do not have anyone for us to contact, except their local 911.We are unable to refund [redacted] for all the months she had the Medical Alarm Equipment in her possession. From a Corporate point of view, if she had returned it in a reasonable time frame, the unit would have been refurbished, and sent to another Subscriber to use. Thus, we would have been paid for the Monitoring Service from another client all these months.In terms of her credit card expiration, the payments went through until the month of May 2015. That was the first month there was a declined payment. There were two payments charged in June to compensate for the declined May payment.In the interest of excellent customer service, we will send [redacted] a return label, so that we are responsible for the payment of the unit return. She contacted us on June [redacted] stating she wanted to cancel the service, was informed she had to send the rental equipment back to us, yet as of today, the equipment has still not been returned. We will also refund the two June payments, as long as we are in receipt of our rental equipment by July [redacted].We have gone above and beyond to resolve this Complaint, and I am certain that [redacted] will find this a fair and reasonable resolution. If [redacted] has any further questions or comments, she can feel free to contact me directly at ###-###-####.Sincerely,[redacted].

Review: Some time before August **, 2013 I receive a call advertising a product that will provide assistance in case of emergency when anybody who wear the device press a button on a witch look alike device or necklace.

- The caller offer the free 30 days try out period and first charge of $34.95 after the 30 days period, if the service is not cancel before that time.

- The caller assured me that I would not be charged the shipping and return of the product if I do not like or agree to the Service.

- The caller promised a $2,000.00 in grocery voucher and free 5-days/ 4-night vacations to accept the offer.

To receive the risk free offer, I have to provide my Credit Card number for future billing.

With the understanding that I will be charged $34.95 monthly fee; after the first 30 days of service if I don’t cancel it within the free period, Activate the Service and Accept the Lease Agreement.

On August ** 2013 I receive a package including;

- a welcome page

- 2 Two fine print legal pages of Contract in witch one should be signed and returned in provided envelope

- Life Watch Subscriber and Responder Form for Personal and Medical Information

- a referral form to provide names and phone numbers of ten friends or relatives

- some advertisement material

- 7” x 5” x 1” device look like telephone answering device with a 4 feet telephone wire and look alike watch without a dial that have a button to press.

On September *, 2013 at 12:21 PM I call and stated that after reading the contract I am not interested to sign and enroll. Also I ask for the free return authorization to ship the product back.

I been told that I will receive the free shipping authorization after a one month pay service to witch I don’t agree.

Also I call another two times on Sept. [redacted] 1:58 PM and Sept. [redacted] 10:40 AM and try to talk with a higher authority, with out any result and been threaten that I will be charged several hundred dollars if I don’t return the package on my own expenses.

After I receive a Credit Card Statement I find out that the Home Health Alert charged me right after the initial call to offer me the service, on August [redacted]. $ 34.95 without any approval or authorization.

I file a Dispute with the Credit Card and made stop payment. On the following month on September [redacted]. The company charged me again the amount of $34.95 under a different Company name as Medical Alarms [redacted].

And on the October **, 2013 charged me again for the third time $34.95 billed to: Home Health Alert [redacted].

I never agree and sign any contract to be billed for any amount and never activated the service.

The company charged my account three times without authorization.

I will not ship the material if I have to pay for shipping.Desired Settlement: Credit my Credit Card for the three monthly charges of $34.95 each $104.85, and pre pay shipping material if they want to receive back the items.

Also I will charge @ $10.00 per month for safe keeping storage fee.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:

Review: I ordered a monitoring device with GPS system. The GPS had T-MOBIL as their satellite system and did not work in my area. I returned the system well within the 30 day return policy. To date no credit has been issued to my Mastercard. I have called many times to no avail. The amount of 34.95 has been put in dispute through Mastercard.Desired Settlement: The amount of 34.95 be credited to my Mastercard

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:

Review: They contact my [redacted] father on a SUNDAY, and although we already have a similar service, convinced him to give them his credit card number, and signed him up. When we tried to cancel verbally they insisted on a written notice (didn't need one to sign up). When I cancelled the credit card associated with their billing they started with letters about past due bills and collection agencies. All they cared about in the end was getting their cheap machine returned with the plastic wrist band for an alert system.Desired Settlement: 3 months of alert monitoring ($99.00) and the shipping charges for their product to be returned ($13.00) would be nice.

Business

Response:

Good Morning:

Review: This company has targeted my elderly parents, separately, twice in the last 8 months. My mother has since passed. She was targeted in a state of dimentia, they called their house and pressured her into purchasing their service. Equipment was sent out and immediately we sent it back and cancelled the service when we discovered what had happened. Lifewatch sent the equipment back to us again. We then in turn sent them back again. This wasn't completely cleared up until about 4 months ago. Now they have contacted my 88 year old father who has lost approximately 75% of his hearing capabilities. He was confused and thought it was his ADT alarm company calling to confirm an order we had placed for medical alert system through ADT. My father was told to confirm with 3 different people on the phone with Lifewatch USA and was tricked into purchasing THEIR system once again!I immediately called back to the ###-###-#### number and spoke with a man named [redacted]. He said the charge would not go through and the order that my dad placed would be cancelled immediately. That call was placed at 2:54 Pacific time on May **, 2015. I just checked my dad's bank account today May **,2015 and there is now a charge for $34.95 on his account from the Lifewatch USA company. I tried to call them back but just got a voicemail. I feel these people are targeting the elderly and tricking/pressuring them into purchasing their service. It is a shady business who targets elderly/vulnerable people.Desired Settlement: We want the $34.95 charge reversed or refunded and we would request for this company to never contact my father again. EVER!

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:I reached out to [redacted] regarding her Dad, [redacted]n, and I explained to her that we are the Medical Alarm Company; we are not the Sales Agency. We ship our equipment and monitor our 200,000 Subscribers nationwide. We have been in business for 34 years, I have been with the Company for 13 years, and we are proud of our A+Rating with the Revdex.com. There are, however, hundreds of sales agencies across the Country that sell the Medical alarm Service, and we as the Medical Alarm Company, along with all the others, purchase those accounts. A certain criteria must be met. All calls are recorded. It must be confirmed no less than 4 times that the Subscriber understands what the Service is, what the monthly monitoring rate will be, and the Subscriber provides their payment information. [redacted] explained to me that she had ordered Medical Alarm Equipment for her Dad the day before and when he received the call from the Sales Agency the following day, there was a misunderstanding. He thought he was speaking with the Company that [redacted] had ordered the service from the day before. I informed [redacted] that I will pull the recording from the Sales Agency to make certain that protocol was followed, and that it was just a misunderstanding. In the meantime, [redacted]'s order with us had been cancelled on 5/**/15 and the $34.95 refund was processed back to his Credit Card early on 5/**/15. I have put his phone number on the Do Not Call List with the Outside Sellers that we deal with also.If there are any questions or further concerns, I may be reached directly at ###-###-####.Sincerely,

Review: I ordered a Medical Alert system for my 90 yr old Nanny in Baltimore. Beginning with a telemarketing call the order was placed on or before May **, 2013. My credit card was charged on May **, 2013. I was told 7 to 10 day delivery. It was not delivered and on June [redacted] I called the company. The rep apologized, indicated there was a back order and promised to give me expedited shipment in a few days. The item was still not delivered by July * and I called again. This rep was not empathetic at all, she said the item is still on backorder and did not know when they would get it. I advised If I don't receive it soon I will cancel my order. I called on July ** to cancel. The rep said that she is just the answering service and she will have someone call me back. I missed the call back at 10:00 AM on July **, and called them back at 10:39 same day. Again this rep said she is just the answering service and will have someone call me back. My account with the above company Lifewatch USA is listed under my nanny's name [redacted] and her zipcode is [redacted] Many companies do not charge your account until the item ships, but this company has had my money for 50 days and act as though I am being unreasonable. I believe I have fallen pray to a phone scam to get my credit card # and that the product does not exist. I also feel Lifewatch usa intentionally misrepresented themselves as another more reputable company like Life Alert or Lifeline for whom I am already a customer for my mother-in-law.

Coincidentally, my mother-in-law has been getting telemarketing calls from an Emergency Medical Alert system who has a blocked ph # and does not say the name of their company in the message they leave on the system. She never used to get this type of telemarketing call which says "the system is already paid for by a friend or relative and all she has to do is press #1 to accept it." I may have mentioned her name on the call that hooked me because I said my motherinlaw has one, and they asked the name to look her up.

I made a mistake by making a purchase from a company I did not verify and I feel like a fool. I would like this company checked out to prevent others from having the same bad experience. I noticed on the company website for Philips Lifeline they posted a telemarketing fraud alert. It says that they are not making those calls. ([redacted])Desired Settlement: If they are a scam organization I would like to see them prosecuted, or at the very least shut down.

Business

Response:

Hello:

Review: I'm helping my Mother who was hospitalized 3 days after ordering from this company and is now in a memory care center diagnosed with [redacted]. I have been trying to have my Mother's bank acct credited for the $34.95 she was charged since May **, 2013. The product showed up at her home sometime after that. I've talked to various people at the company approx 6 times since them. A manager, [redacted] at ###-###-####, told me on 6/** if they received product back by end of month they would refund in 7-10 days. UPS delivered product back to them (I paid $12.01 shipping) on 6/**/13 10:48 AM received & signed by [redacted]. On 7/* they faxed me an approved refund stm showing the money went back into Mom's acct on 7/* at 4:08 PM transaction ID # [redacted]. She still does not have her refund. I called the company for the final time last week.Desired Settlement: It is her debit card which was cancelled back in May due to about 5 charges that were made to it. One was fraud and settled by a bank affidavit. 2 were refunded and this is 1 of the last two to be trouble. Her bank assures me that this money can be refunded into Mom's acct using that same debit card. I would like the $34.95 and the $12.01 shipping for a total of $46.96 credited to her acct. AND that this company is stopped from preying on elderly people who are so easily taken advantage of. We are in AZ. This company has strung me along telling me she would get her money back when they have no intention of returning it. I was surpried at the number of complaints they had on your site. They must rip off alot of people around the country.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:

Review: Deceiptfully enrolled into lifewatch-usa services. Was told would not be charged unless agreement was signed and system was activated. Have been charged $29.99 per month since 8/**. Never signed an agreement or activated the system, as I was admitted into an assisted living facility in August of 2015. I am on a fixed income and have left messages with customer service to no avail. I have the system still in unopened box.Desired Settlement: To receive refund of $119.96 (so far) and for the monthly billing to STOP, as I cannot afford.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:I spoke with Megan today, who registered the Revdex.com Complaint and resolved everything with her. She had ordered the system for her mother, [redacted], and apparently there was a misunderstanding in terms of how the time frame of charges were explained to her. Although [redacted] has been in possession of the equipment since August, we will accept the loss of 3 months payments, in the interest of excellent customer service. [redacted] will ship the equipment back to us, and upon delivery to us, we will process a refund for the three months of payments at $29.95 for a total of $89.85. If there are any further questions or concerns, I may be reached directly at ###-###-####.Sincerely,Pam C[redacted]Customer Relations Manager

I am the Resident Services Director at a retirement village in Oklahoma. I have called twice to figure out why one of my residents is being charged (directly from her account) for a unit she never received. When I asked what address my resident's unit was mailed to, I was told they couldn't give out that information and he wanted me to give him the address I had; I was told by Jack "that's the address we mailed it to." I knew that would happen; I wasn't born yesterday!!!They are very abrupt and rude on the phone once you do get a customer svc rep. When asking about their service and needing their help, they hang up on you or are very curt and rude. If you have a parent who is in need of a medical alert system in their home, DO NOT use this company. You will be very disappointed!!! There are many legitimate medical alert companies out there.

Review: My mother,whom is elderly and has [redacted] was contacted by someone at medical alarm systems, and they told her that someone had purchased a medical alert system for her.They said they could not give her information on who purchased this system, but duped her into giving her bank account information to activate the monthly service.Medical alarm systems then charged her the 34.95 monthly service fee approximately 10 days before receiving the alert system equipment by [redacted] ground.When I contacted customer service I was put on hold for exactly 15 minutes before someone picked up the phone and immediately hung up. I called the same number again an was put on hold again for exactly 40 minutes before I finally gave up and disconnected my call.Desired Settlement: I would like to ship this product back to supplier, and be credited a full refund of $34.95 for the monthly service fee.We did nothing to activate this equipment.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:I spoke with [redacted] today and explained to him that once our equipment is returned to us, we will refund the $34.95 payment. in addition, I informed Michael that we are the Medical Alarm Company; we are not the Sales Agency. We have never made outbound Sales Calls. There are, however, hundreds of Sales Agencies across the Country that sell the Medical Alarm Service and we, as the Medical Alarm Company, purchase those accounts as do all the other Medical Alarm Companies. There is a certain criteria that must be followed. All Sales Calls are recorded, the Subscriber must confirm no less than 4 times that they understand what the service is, what the monthly monitoring fee will be, and they provide their payment at that time. I will obtain the Sales Recording to make certain the proper protocol was followed with his mother. We have been in business for more than 35 years and will not have a Sales Agency damage our good name and reputation. We are proud of our A+ Rating with the Revdex.com.I also apologized regarding the phone issues he experienced, and assured him that he can contact me directly at ###-###-####, if he has any future questions or concerns.Sincerely,Pam C[redacted]Customer Relations Manager

Review: I signed my parents up for the Lifewatch USA medical alarm system in January of 2014. Earlier this month we found that my Dad who has [redacted], as a veteran, was eligible for a free medical alarm system through the Veterans Administration. I called today to cancel the service with Lifewatch/Medical Alarm System and was told that my Mother had signed a 2-year agreement. I am paying for the system for my parents with my credit card. I cannot find on the Medical Alarm System Lease and Monitoring Service Agreement anything about a 2-year contract. I have not yet returned the system, and perhaps that is the problem, but I wanted to make sure I was following the correct procedure by phoning them and was going to return the system this week. I was told today to get out of the 2-year contract we would owe $569 but they would settle for 50% of that. This company advertises on our Church Bulletin and several of my parents friends have this service as well.Desired Settlement: I want this service canceled upon my return of the system to them and no further charges be made to my credit card for this service.

Business

Response:

Good Morning:

I left a message for [redacted] to contact me, but have not heard back from her. Based on her Dad being a Veteran, the Contract will be Null and Void when the Medical Alarm Equipment is returned to us. The account will be made inactive and no further attempts for payment will be made. I have already discussed this with the Customer Service Representative that [redacted] had spoken with. He completely understands that if any of our Subscribers are able to obtain the Medical Alarm Service free of charge, they will not be held to any type of Contract with us. On behalf of Lifewatch USA, I apologize if this has created distress for [redacted] or her parents.

If there are any questions or concerns, I may be reached directly at ###-###-####.

Sincerely,

###-###-#### Cell

###-###-####, [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

I did not receive a call as stated from [redacted] at Lifewatch, Inc. but accept her message that the contact has been canceled due to my Dad receiving the medical alarm at no charge from the Veterans. Administration. Thank you for your assistance. I do appreciate Lifewatch giving this consideration to our Veterans. In addition, I returned the Lifewatch medical alarm and per USPS Tracking it was delivered to them on June **, 2014, at 9:28 am. My Discover account was charged for $89.85 (for 3 months service) on June **, but I will check to see if at least 2 months can be credited to my account. I am sorry for my delay in responding to you, I cannot open your messages on my laptop and had to find another computer to use.

Thank you again for your assistance.

Review: I am filing this complaint on behalf of my mother [redacted]. I am her son [redacted].

The problems with Lifewatch are twofold:

First, the monitoring service was never desired.

Second, the service was never provided, yet the company continues to send bills to my mother for $34.95 per month, starting on May **, 2014.

I first became aware of the situation when an unexpected charge appeared on my mother's credit card. I contacted the credit card company, with my mother also on the phone, to find out who had submitted the unauthorized charge. We got the contact information for Lifewatch and called them next. The company representative said that they had my sister's information listed as the emergency contact and suggested that she must have ordered the service (Red Flag - why would their records not have been clear about who ordered the service?). We told the representative that my mother did not want the service, and also explained that no equipment had been delivered. We then contacted my sister who confirmed that she had not ordered the service either, neither had she received any equipment.

We then filed a dispute with the credit card company and cancelled the card so no further unauthorized charges could be made. Lifewatch responded to the complaint with a USPS tracking printout showing that equipment had been sent to [redacted]. However there are three more red flags in their response. First, why would a medical alert service not have sent a technician to ensure proper installation and positioning of the equipment so it can be heard throughout the house? Second, why would they not require a signature for delivery if self-installation was appropriate and had been requested? Third, why would they only insure the equipment for $50 if it is really worth $475 as the company claims in a later correspondence?

The company also sent a "Medical Alarm System Lease and Monitoring Service Agreement" in response to the credit card dispute, but the agreement is unsigned! Presumably they were documenting their cancellation policy, but shouldn't they have a properly executed agreement if either my mother or sister had actually ordered the service?

Lastly, the company sent a printout of an account history showing various employees initiating a shipping request, identifying a unit model number, etc. What caught my eye in the history is that they also show a commission being paid on 5/*/2014. This now makes me think that they used a telemarketing service to contact my mother initially - a very different story than what the first representative told me on that first call. If this was indeed an unsolicited telemarketing call, then it would be interesting to know how they portrayed themselves in order to get my mother to disclose my sister's contact information - assuming that was what happened.Desired Settlement: The company must stop sending invoices and past-due notices.

Their service was never desired in the first place, and since the equipment was never received or installed, they have never actually provided even a single day of monitoring service to my mother. There is no basis for charging my mother for a non-existant service.

We would gladly return their equipment if it had actually been received; it has no value to us without an active monitoring service. However, since it was not received, we have nothing to return.

If the equipment was lost or stolen, then the company should take it up with the USPS.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:

I contacted [redacted] directly and we had a most pleasant conversation. I explained to him that we are the Medical Alarm Company--we ship our equipment and monitor our 200,000 subscribers; we are not the Sales Agency. There are sales agencies across the country that sell the Medical Alarm Service, and we as the Medical Alarm Company, along with all the others such as [redacted], and [redacted] to name a few, purchase those accounts. All calls are recorded; it must be confirmed with the Subscriber during their initial conversation with the sales agent no less than 3 times that they understand what the service is, what their monthly monitoring rate will be, then the Subscriber provides their payment information. In [redacted]'s case she went as far as giving her daughter, [redacted]'s phone number and listing her as a Contact Person if assistance was required. As [redacted] mentioned in his Revdex.com Complaint, USPS confirmed delivery of the Medical Alarm Equipment to [redacted]--on 5/*/14 at 10:22 am (Tracking #[redacted]).

I have requested the recording from the Sales Agency to confirm that the correct protocol was followed by the Sales Agent when [redacted] ordered the service. In the meantime, I informed [redacted] that we will make [redacted]'s account inactive at this time, even though we are at a loss for our $475 Unit. There have been no payments made to us because [redacted] disputed them with the Credit Card Company. In the interest of excellent Customer Service, we will not pursue any payment.

If there are any further questions or concerns, I may be contacted directly at ###-###-####.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I very much appreciated [redacted] from Lifewatch calling me over the weekend to discuss the issue at hand.

She sounds like she truly does value her company's reputation and wants to demonstrate excellent customer service practices.

I will be interested to hear whether she finds that the original Telemarketing call did meet her company's standards for sales practices.

Meanwhile, I appreciate that she agrees to not pursue any payments from my mother.

Sincerely,

Review: I am making this complaint on behalf of my father. In October 2014 LifeWatch claims an alert device was left on our doorstep. No product ever arrived or was signed for. We have not received, activated, or used this product. We received a bill for $ 279.60 on 4/**/2015. After researching what this product is, and searching the entire house, we realized we don't have this item. LifeWatch had already charged our credit card three times. We called LifeWatch on 4/**/15 to ask what we were being charged for, and let them know we don't have their product. They insisted it was left on our doorstep. They insisted we received it, and yet acknowledged no one signed for it. After being told there was nothing they could do, we asked to speak to a supervisor. We spoke with [redacted], who told us that we had this product, and we owed them for it. [redacted] offered to settle the matter by charging us $ 300. I became angry! I do not believe we should be charged for something we don't have. No resolution reached.

We called again on 4/** and spoke with the same person. We were told this time that we would be charged $ 700 and in addition would continue to be charging monthly monitoring fees. This is not acceptable. We do not have their product. They insist we need to return the item. We cannot return what we do not have. No resolution.

I have to believe there is a way for LifeWatch to test their equipment to verify we do not have it. I have never made a complaint to the Revdex.com before, and am hoping you can help resolve this problem.Desired Settlement: I would appreciate LifeWatch acknowledging that we have never received or used their product. We would like all charges cancelled.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon:I spoke with [redacted]'s daughter, [redacted] on May *, 2015. I gave her the [redacted] Tracking Information [redacted], with proof of delivery in November 2014. I explained that [redacted] will not leave packages outside the home. They hand deliver it to the resident of the home. However, [redacted] stated that they have looked around the home, and there is no unit. There have been no payments made on this account at this time because everything has been charged back/disputed. We are at a $400 loss of our unit at this time, but we are closing [redacted]'s account, in the interest of excellent Customer Service. Sincerely,[redacted]Lifewatch USA

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,