Public Mediation

E.U. vs. Likfe Alert

E. U. vs. Life Alert (Headquarters)
16027 Ventura Blvd Ste 400, Encino, California, 91436-2747, United States
Amount Involved: $148.85
    • Claimant Seeks: View.
    • Claim #: 7537507
    • Amount Involved: 148.85
    • Filed On: Mar 02, 2016
    • Posted On: Mar 13, 2016
    • Complaint(s):
      • Bad business practices
      • Overcharge or billing error
      • Customer service runarounds
View less
Rate or Review on Life Alert (H...
Become an online mediator
  • Review this case.
  • Propose your solution.
  • Win the reward (1,000)
Statement of Claim
Complaints Involved (4) - View
Claimant says:
"Customer, xxx. My mom used to live at xxx and she had Life Alert service at this location for several years. She moved to my home at XXX on September 30, 2015. I called Life Alert in October, 2015 and told them she had moved, I asked for assistance to install the life alert equipment at my home, but they refused to send a rep out to help me. I called again in November 2015 and asked again for assistance and again they refused to send help saying that "you can install the equipment yourself", but there was no instructions as to how to do that, AND I was concerned that since my house is much larger than my mom's apartment, we might need a bigger speaker, etc., (not knowing really what might be needed since my mom's bedroom at my house is over 50 feet away from where the equipment would have to be installed). So, then, with the holidays, we somehow misplaced the equipment....I called Life Alert again and told them that we just wanted to cancel the account and asked if we should return the equipment. (There are two men who work at Life Alert, one is an elderly man named "Mark" and the other is a younger man who works in Billing named "Mark". The elderly Mark had told me that to cancel the account, we would have to physically hook up the equipment to my phone...his instructions sounded very difficult and I told him I was not able to do that, and that I wanted him to cancel the account...he said he could not "deactivate" the account unless the equipment was hooked up to it....I ended that conversation. I called Life Alert again in January 2016 and again had to speak with the elder Mark....he insisted that if we could not find the equipment that we would have to pay for it and that the fee was $300.00. I ended that call, and we searched for the equipment and could not find it. So, early February 2016 and spoke with the younger Mark in Billing...he was more helpful and told me that we DO NOT have to return the alarm equipment, and that WE WILL NOT be made to pay for it, but that we would need it so he could tell me how to disarm it. We searched the entire house again, and then by luck spoke to my brother about this and he said he had put the equipment behind our TV set (the one place we never thought to look), so we found the equipment, called Life Alert again, (early Feb. 2016), and I spoke to the younger Mark, and (would you believe this), all we had to do was put an ice pick or a screw driver into the hole where the phone jack goes and damage this connection area so that no one would be able to use this alarm on any phone. We were then told to simply toss the equipment (or put it in a recycle place for such equipment), and that there would be NO CHARGE for the equipment. I asked younger Mark if he would be sure to help me get the refund for my mom's Visa account since Life Alert had charged her the $49.95 each month from October 2015 through January 2016. He said he would have to look at the previous notes....well, it appears that the people I spoke with previously at Life Alert did not include in their notes that I had asked several times for help to cancel this account. Therefore, younger Mark told me today (3/2/16) that they are not going to refund any money. I asked him (incredulously), how can this be? We did not use that equipment at my house and my mother's telephone at her apartment was disconnected on 9/30/15. NO ONE WAS USINTG THE EQUIPIMENT, AND, the equipment ?WAS LOST for a period of time....no one could have used it ! I am asked Better Business Bureau to help my mom get the refund for the UNUSED service that Life Alert has billed her for and was paid for by way of her Visa Card. Thank you. xxx (My mom is 88 years old, partially blind and has Alzheimer's....I take care of her business transactions on her behalf. )"
...
Reply Have a similar problem?
What Claimant Wants Hide
1. Refund: Life Alert telephone service Refund Mar 17, 2016 $148.85
Cash total : $148.85
  • 0
Do you agree with the claimant’s demands?  (If you are a party to this claim, click here.)
Respondent's Counteroffer Hide
Message from Life Alert (Headquarters): The complaint contains a few factual errors. Ms. Uli (our subscriber's daughter), called on 9/25/15 to advise us that her mom had moved and she wanted us to install the equipment at the new address. We advise her that the connection process was very simple and that we would walk her through it. She did not have time at that moment and said she would call back the following week. She did not call back until 11/5/15 at which time she said she wanted to cancel service. We advised her that we needed to deactivate the unit because as long as the system was in their possession we could receive a signal and would be legally obligated to respond. A person does not have to subscribe to our service in order for us to receive a signal. If they have our equipment and a phone line the signal will come through. The only way to avoid this happening is for the equipment to be deprogrammed. She advised us that she needed to find the equipment and would call back. We did not hear from her. We called her in December to remind her that the account was still active. She advised us that the unit was lost. Normally we would charge a lost equipment fee but decided to waive it in this case in light of the circumstances. We canceled the account and stopped the billing. Ms. Uli then called us on 1/19/16 to advise us that she found the equipment and we were able to deprogram the unit. We did not cause any of the delays in canceling the service. The process was prolonged by Ms. Uli. As a gesture of goodwill, we will refund one month of monitoring.
What By When How Much
1. A refund of one month of monitoring Jun 07, 2016 $49.95
Cash total : $49.95
  • 0
Do you agree with the respondent’s Response?  (If you are a party to this claim, click here.)
Expand
Refresh
  • Show:
  • Sort by:
  • 1
  • Contributed Solution: by Sonya Shore On 05-28-2016
    View more
    A refund is due More...
If you are a party to this claim, click here.
Is this a fair resolution?
See how PeopleClaim Works
Get fast access to our Resolver community, for...
  • help with a PeopleClaim or any other complaint
  • assistance with a purchase or contract
  • expert advice
Other PeopleClaim resolvers
Want to see more? Search our directory of resolvers.
Get Free alerts when claims post in your area.
Get Alert
Cases seeking help
Pick a case. Help resolve it.
Need help resolving a dispute? Learn more.
Help resolve claims against businesses and people near you:
View more claims

Public Mediation

The shortest path from your problem to its resolution.
1
Peer to Peer

Engage the other party and use powerful tools to negotiate the best resolution.

Free
If Unresolved
2
Community Resolution

Post your case online and get help from legal professionals, industry experts, consumers & advocates competing to find the best resolution to your claim.

$14.99 + optional reward for best resolution
Full refund if not resolved to your satisfaction
If Unresolved
3
Private Mediation

Lets you mediate your case privately with the help of our professional mediators and industry experts.

Free to claimant. Mediator fees negotiable.
If Unresolved
4
Engage a Professional

Find the best community-reviewed professionals near you to resolve your issue in private online mediation or traditional court/mediation.

Resolution

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.

I am (not) alone, and I feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine...~ Goethe

Get a public verdict — create an online trial $50 public trial / $50 reward for successful resolution
Important: All information contained herein is the opinion of the posting parties, who are solely responsible for its content. PeopleClaim offers both free and paid services to help consumers, patients, employee, tenants, and others resolve disputes without lawyers or courts, through negotiated online settlement and public disclosure of wrongdoing or unfair treatment.
Claims against parties operating under bankruptcy protection, by law must be processed solely through the appropriate US bankruptcy court. Any claims against this party currently posted on PeopleClaim are available for purposes of public business review only and are not an attempt to collect money or recover assets subject to protections under the United States Bankruptcy Code.
*IMPORTANT: PeopleClaim is a public dispute resolution system, independent of the BBB, small claims court, or other dispute resolution services. PeopleClaim is not a law firm and does not provide legal services, opinions, or advice. PeopleClaim facilitates peer-to-peer negotiation and resolution and crowdsourced input on issues of fairness to help resolve complaints. Users should contact professional legal counsel on any matters of law or regulation regarding their claims. PeopleClaim does not review or evaluate the merits of claims submitted through its site, and users are solely responsible for all content filed in their claims.
© reserved by PeopleClaim