Frequently Asked Questions About Our Medical Alert Systems

Questions About Medical Alert Systems
Questions About Ordering
How To Talk About Getting A Medical Alert System

Questions About Medical Alert Systems

Q. Who is the medical alert service right for?
A. Our medical alert service is right for seniors, or people of any age who are:

Q. Will the system work where I live? A. We cover the entire US & Puerto Rico.

Q. Do I need a phone line to use the system?
A. Not necessarily...it depends on which system you choose.

Our "Home" and "Home & Yard" systems use regular "land-line" phone service to dial our emergency monitoring center. You can use either a standard phone line (sometimes called POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service) or the newer digital VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) phone services that are available from your cable company or internet provider.

If you don't have a landline, want to be mobile, or are using a discount phone service like MagicJack or Vonage, check out our "Home & Away" GPS Medical Alert Systems. Use the system at home or away, with NO phone line required.

NOTE: Due to low signal quality, phone service from Magic Jack, Vonage, Dish Satellite phones and Cellular phones are NOT supported. In fact, these phone providers DO NOT recommend using their services with any medical alert systems.

Q. How much does it cost?
A. For around $1 a day, you or your loved one will be protected and able to continue living independently. Our "Home" annual plan pricing is just $27.45 a month.

Q. Is there a contract or any hidden fees?
A. There is no long term contract and you can cancel at any time. There are no set-up, cancellation, activation, deposits or up-charges. Once you choose your plan, that is all you pay and this price is guaranteed to never go up.

When you receive your system you'll get a copy of our Medical Alert Monitoring Agreement which states you can cancel at any time and will receive a pro-rated refund of any pre-paid amounts when the medical alert system is returned to us.

Q. Who installs the System?
A. It just takes a few minutes to set up your medical alert system. Our medical alert systems simply plug into an electrical outlet and a telephone jack. Once you connect the system, you press the button to verify the connection with our Monitoring center and you are all done.

Other companies may charge you a $99.00 installation fee to come plug in their system, but it is often unnecessary.

Q. What is the range?
A. Depending on which system you choose, your loved one is protected throughout the entire home and up to three football fields outside the door.

Home System	Home & Yard System	Home & Away System

Q. What type of medical alert call buttons are available?
A. Medical Care Alert gives you the choice of wearing your waterproof medical alert call button as a necklace, wristband or clip on. Please tell your representative which one you prefer.

Q. Who manufactures the medical alert system equipment?
A. Our "Home" system is made by German healthcare manufacturer BOSCH. BOSCH is a global leader in medical and communications technology. Your BOSCH medical alert system is hospital-grade quality, and has a superior range and microphone/speaker sensitivity compared to other systems available on the market.

Q. How often can I press the button?
A. You can press the button as often as you like - and there is NO additional charge for pressing the button. Even if you don't have an emergency, we encourage our clients to press the button at least once a week as a test.

Q. What if my parent can't hear the operator or can't speak?
A. The most important thing is that when your loved one pushes the button, a signal is sent to our emergency operators. Even if your loved one cannot hear us, or if we cannot hear them, we know that there may be an emergency and will take appropriate action. If desired, we will also stay on the line and will not hang up until help has arrived. We will follow the protocol you set up. For example, you may have us notify a neighbor or relative first, and then call Emergency Services. We follow your instructions.

Q. What happens if something goes wrong with the equipment?
A. Medical Care Alert is responsible for all service and repair as well as battery replacements. Your medical alert system base unit and wearable transmitter buttons have a 100% lifetime replacement warranty - at no additional charge to you. You are not renting or buying the equipment. We want it to work at all times.

Q. What if I lose power?
A. The system has a 24-72 hour back-up battery in the event of a power outage (depending on system type). It resets itself once power is restored. Our monitoring center is notified in the event of power loss, or low batteries.

Q. Can I take it to the mall or in the car?
A. Our "Home & Away" system is designed to protect people anywhere in all 50 states where there is coverage with the AT&T Wireless network.

Q. What if I can't push the button?
A. The button is easy to press, and is designed for people with various medical challenges. We know from years of research, that in most emergency situations, people have enough time to push the button before losing consciousness. The ease of pushing one button to summon help is one of the key advantages of our system, as compared to trying to use a cell phone or other complex system as a substitute for a medical alert system..

Q. Can more than one person be protected at a location?
A. Yes. And unlike other companies, we don't charge anything extra - the monitoring service fee remains the same. More than one medical alert button can be ordered, up to three. So you can protect multiple family members living together. (There may be an additional cost for extra pendants - check with us.)

Q. Will it go off accidentally?
A. Our hospital grade equipment does not go off accidentally by turning over in your sleep or bending. We do not charge for false alarms, check with your local authorities on their policies.

Q. How will EMS access my home if the door is locked?
A. We include a free lockbox with our annual plans, or you may purchase one from us at a discounted price. The key lockbox is a secure box which easily attaches to your home - just like a real estate agent uses when showing a home for sale. Local emergency personnel are given the combination to the
lockbox so they can quickly get a key to your home in the event of an emergency. The lockbox can also be used so that family members or friends can readily get a key to your home when necessary.

Q. Can the system go with me if I move or am on vacation?
A. You can easily take our "Home" or "Home & Yard" systems with you on vacation, or if you are a SnowBird. It is very easy to unplug and re-install. Simply notify Medical Care Alert Customer Service at 877-913-3680 of your current location. Information can be changed anytime and as many times as needed at no charge.

Our "Home & Away" systems can be taken anywhere in the USA. You will be protected anywhere you have coverage with the AT&T Wireless network.

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Questions About Ordering

Q. What do I need to prepare to order service?
A. Ordering your medical alert system takes less than 5 minutes.
We will need the name, address, and phone number of the protected person and where we will be shipping the system to. We will also ask for you to provide a few names and numbers of family members or neighbors you want called in case of an emergency.

Once you receive the system, you will return paperwork to us. You complete your Personal Profile which includes additional names and numbers in the order you want notified, a lockbox code and any medical information or special instructions. This information is kept strictly confidential by our professional and certified call center. When you order you will also need to provide your initial payment using a credit card, debit card, automatic withdrawal from checking, or other approved method.

Q. How quickly can I get my system?
A. Medical Care Alert ships your medical alert system the same day if the order is received by 1:00 PM Eastern Time. All personal emergency response systems are shipped using US Postal Service Priority Mail. Ask your representative about the various shipping options available, including overnight shipping. Just call our sales associates at 1-855-272-1010 to order today. Our representatives are available to answer your questions. Ordering takes about 5 minutes.

Q. What payment options are available?
A. We accept all major Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Checks through Automatic Withdrawal (ACH). Three payment options are available to suit your needs, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual. Get one month free when you pay annually in advance. Any balances will be refunded if you cancel the service after the first 30 days - no problem.

Q. What if I want to return the system?
A. No problem. We have no long term contracts, so simply notify us that you want to send the system back and discontinue service. Once we receive the medical alert system equipment back from you, we will cancel your service and cheerfully refund any pre-paid balances on your account. Learn more about our medical alert return process here.

Q. Can information be changed after a medical alert system is ordered?
A. Yes, information can be changed anytime and as many times as needed at no charge.

Q. How does your "30-Day Risk Free Trial" work?
A. We want you to be happy and confident with your system. But if it’s not right for you, you know you can send it back for a full refund during the first 30 days, no hassles.

If you're not completely satisfied, call our customer service team at 1-248-946-8172 and return the system for a full refund, or see if one of our other systems does a better job of meeting your needs.

Click Here to read the full 30-day refund policy and return procedure. No fine print, but one caveat: we ask you to actually hook the system up and test it out to give it a real test before returning the system. After all, if you don’t hook the system up, then you don’t really know if it will meet your needs. If you choose to return the system without testing it, then we will deduct a nominal $50 fee from your refund to cover our costs of programming the system and setting up your account. So test your system and see for yourself!

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How to talk about getting a Medical Alert System

Q. How do I talk to my family members about getting a personal emergency response system, and about paying for it?
A. If you are the primary caregiver for a senior family member, the decisions often fall on your shoulders. It is hard for you to get everyone to agree on anything, especially where money is concerned. Remind the other family members that over 68%
of seniors will suffer from a fall in their own home, often with
tragic consequences. You do not want to take the risk of
having an emergency situation where your senior loved one
cannot get immediate help. Our subscription fees are as low as $27.45 a month… less than $1 a day - a reasonable price to pay for peace of mind and truly life saving help when needed.

Q. My elderly parents live with me - why would they need a medical alert system?
A. Regardless of where they live, they will be home alone at times and may suffer a fall, stroke or other medical emergency. If your older parents live with you, you still need to go grocery shopping, run errands and so on, and you cannot always be there 24/7 365 days a year. A medical alert system provides peace of mind for all of you.

Q. My grandmother has a cell phone - why cant she use that instead?
A. While you can certainly call 911 from a cell phone or landline phone, this is not a substitute for a medical alert system for the following reasons:

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