Connect America

Review: Deceitful business practice, said no charges if equipment returned before the specified date but were charged, trying to get someone in customer service is almost impossible, put on hold for 15 min or more and then disconnected on numerous occasions. When confronted they said charges would be taken off in 1 to 2 weeks, later they changed this to 1 month, final outcome is to dispute the charges with my credit card company.Desired Settlement: Talk to someone who will resolve problem

Business

Response:

Dear **. [redacted],

Review: I serve as the executor for my late uncle's estate. After my uncle's passing, I continued to pay Connect America quarterly fees because I could not locate the device in my uncle's home. Finally, after 18 months I called Connect America (Life Alert) to settle the matter. Initially, Connect America refused to settle the matter without returning the device. After escalation, the company agreed to a settlement amount of approx $390 that would cover quarterly payments in arrears plus the cost of the device, which I paid using my personal credit card.

Subsequently, I was billed quarterly fee of $89.95 for the next quarter's service. When I called the company to dispute, the company acknowledged the error and stated that it would take 3 weeks to correct. I told them that this period was unacceptable. I then filed a dispute with my bank under the provision of Regulation Z. Connect America contested the dispute, but ultimately refunded the amount of $89.95.

Five days after resolving, I received yet another stateme for "Name change" in the amount of $89.95. I called yet again to dispute an requested a supervisor to call me.

One last note...when I cleaned out my uncle's house, I found the unit and sent to the company three weeks ago. Per the converation with the representative, I enclosed a note explaining that I found the unit, provided the account number, etc.... She stated that a refund in the amount of $89 would be issued. Thus far, I have not received payment.Desired Settlement: Refund in the amount of $89 for the returned unit, show my uncle's account as paid in full, and never to receive any contact from this company again!!!

Business

Response:

Dear **. [redacted],

HOT HOT HOT

Review: I am writing on behalf of my mother, [redacted] She contracted for a home monitoring service with Connect America for one year, from March 2012 to March 2013. After that one year, we mailed back the monitoring station and remote devices and canceled the service, because she moved into a senior-living complex that has its own in-house monitoring system. My mother received a $49 bill in August 2013 for some sort of medical ID paperwork service which she neither ordered nor actually received. I did not see this bill until my next visit during the fall. I called Connect America in December 2013 and was told by someone named Sonja that the account had been canceled on April 9, 2013 with the return of the equipment. She promised to put in a request to cancel this new bill. A new bill was instead generated. I called again, in late January 2014, and spoke to Danielle who said she would submit a request to cancel this service (despite my mother having never ordered it in the first place). She promised to let us know via email whether the cancelation worked, but I received no email. I have visited my mother again and found in her accumulated mail not one but two bills for $49. One is dated August 1, 2014 and is from Connect America, 1 Belmont Ave., 12th Floor, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, and claims to be for a [redacted] ID Program recurring charge for 8/2014-7/2015. The other is dated Sept. 19, 2014 and is from [redacted], [redacted] PA [redacted], and claims to be for her [redacted] account. Each bill lists a different account number, and has a different letterhead, but the return envelopes provided are both for the same address: Connect America Com LLC, [redacted], [redacted], PA [redacted]. This company is generating multiple bills under different names and hounding my mother for services she never asked for, doesn't need and doesn't want. I am tired of calling these folks and failing to get the matter resolved. Thank you, [redacted]Desired Settlement: Stop sending bills.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

In response to the complaint filed by [redacted] on behalf of [redacted], please find the attached copy of the Medical ID Card provided to [redacted] on 5/22/12. We would have none of this information if [redacted] had not applied for the [redacted] ID Card. The information has never been updated, but I assure you the card was sent to [redacted]. Since we didn't receive the card back from [redacted], we continued to bill for the service.

I will cancel this service for [redacted] effective today. I am sorry that [redacted] had to go this far to have this taken care of. Both times she requested cancellation, the Agent did exactly what they were supposed to do, but the person they sent the request to dropped the ball.

I will make sure that the account is credited the $49 and the account is canceled.

Since we have several offices, it wouldn't be out of the question to get an invoice from two separate locations. The initial invoice comes from our Main Office. The second invoice came from our Collections Department which is at another address.

If I can be of any additional assistance, or should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Barbara *. V[redacted]

Customer Resolution Manager

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and am satisfied with the resolution although I find the various explanations by the company to be specious. If I understand correctly, they seem to be charging $49 a year for the provision of a card? And the card, for which they were still trying to charge fees in 2014, was dated May 2012 and had an out-of-date address for the client, out-of-date phone number, and out-of-date phone number for the emergency contact. The information was never updated because we canceled the service in March 2013 when my mother moved to a senior-living facility. Clearly the card in question was not in use. I also find the supposed explanation as to why bills would be generated from different addresses to be inadequate. The fact that the two 2014 invoices, issued a month apart, came on letterhead of two different company names, with one not clearly identified as the collections department of the other, can be characterized as intentionally opaque. Finally, the excuse that the person who on two occasions was supposed to take care of canceling these bills did not do so because they "dropped the ball" is too easy an explanation to make for a company aiming to be responsible for senior citizens' emergency response services. I am grateful that my mother is now in a supervised care situation and that we have (I hope) finally extricated ourselves from any dealings with Connect America. I thank the Revdex.com for their assistance.

Regards,

Review: While deep down I feel that this company took advantage of an 88 year old woman with Alzheimer's, to their profit, my immediate concern is to get the account closed and stop their attempts to collect money from her. The person in question is my mother-in-law who has lived with us since July of 2013. We are not sure how she came about the Medical Alert equipment. We didn't know she had it until we started receiving bills for it at her old residence earlier this year. When we found out she had it, we searched her house and found it under her bed, not even plugged in. We contacted the company and were instructed that the only way the account could be closed was to return the equipment with a note inside stating to close the account. I followed those instructions in April 2014 and included a note giving them her new mailing address, the unit was received by them 4/30/2014, but as of the end of May 2014 collection notices for the early part of this year are still going to her old address. Attempts to resolve this with the company have been futile. I call an 800 number, wait 10 -15 min to speak with someone, then they send me to someone else where I wait another 10 mins, then they send me back to where I started with another 10 min hold time.Desired Settlement: All I want is for them to clear her account and stop sending colleciton notices. They were paid for a year for a service that she had no idea how to use. We would have cancelled earlier had we known the thing even existed, but we certainly don't feel like she should be paying even more than she already has.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

In response to the complaint filed by [redacted] on behalf of [redacted], please let [redacted] know that **. [redacted]'s account, with us, was the result of an acquisition, and **. [redacted]'s account has only been with Medical Alert since March, 2014. The original company **. [redacted] was with is a company named [redacted].

I have checked **. [redacted]'s account, and it is canceled. There was a $59.90 balance on the account which I credited. There may be one more item that was mailed yesterday, she might receive.

However, the account is now canceled with a zero balance.

Please let [redacted] know that we don't take advantage of the elderly. We protect them.

Please extend my apologies to [redacted] for the telephone problem. I believe that one of the people who answered the telephone didn't listen to [redacted] closely enough, and that is why she was transferred around.

If there is anything further I can do, or if there are any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Customer Resolution Manager

Medical Alert

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Also to their credit, the business did call me back and explain the action they were taking. They seem to be a legitimate organization and it is entirely possible that the problems that I experienced dealing with their customer support could simply have been a training issue relating to a couple of their employees not fully understanding their responsibilities concerning the new aquisition.In any case they were responsive to the complaint I filed with Revdex.com and the problem has been resolved.Thank you to both the Revdex.com and Medical Alert for your assistance.

Very respectfully,

I did not have to use mine this last year. My children were all very happy that I have it. I live alone and although I am healthy, it is a good "insurance" to have.

Really haven't had to use medical alert, so far and guess that's one positive thing, but it is there if I need it. Staff has been a pleasure to work with signing up.

Review: My 89 year old father, [redacted] was contacted by telephone by this company. He is hard of hearing and did not understand that he was ordering the Emergency Reporting System. He received a box from America Connect addressed to [redacted]. He stated he never ordered this system. The box has set at his residence unopened for several months. He is now receiving harassing telephone calls for payment. My father's address is [redacted]. I am unsure if any payments were made. I reviewed his bank account and can't find any transactions for Connect America. I am unsure of the date of the telephone call when Connect America says the unit was ordered.Desired Settlement: Full refund.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]

excellent service. very speedy turn time on personalized product. I will purchase my medical alert items here always.

Review: Company says that we gave them our bank information over the telephone, which we did NOT do and debited a amount from that account that was not authorized. I am not sure how they received the bank information, but it was NOT given by my mother, whom they say gave them the information. I have had to change our bank card and file a fraud charge with our bank to stop these charges.Desired Settlement: Do not wish to be on any further calling list or shipping list from any type of these companies. We want NO contact with this company or any of their sister companies.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

Review: I returned the equipment which they received on March 20 2014 signed by [redacted]. The refund was to take 30 days. After several phone calls to company I still have not received my refund and it is now 49 days.Desired Settlement: I would like my refund.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

In response to the complaint filed by [redacted], please let her know that the refund check has been

cut and was sent out last week. The amount of the refund was $179.70 on check #[redacted].

Please express my apologies for the long wait for the refund. It should not have taken as long as it did.

If there are any further questions, or if I can be of additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Customer Resolution Manager

Medical Alert

money well spent to ensure my mothers safety I can rest easy knowing alert is there for her

Very quick when answering calls for help and thoughtful. Always made sure everything was alright and I didn't need any thing before hanging up with me.

Always good service. Always helpful.

Review: I want to cancel my service with Connect America and have been calling since March 5th. After many telephone prompts directing me to Customer Service, I am told that all agents are busy and to leave a number. I have done this and have never heard from anyone. The people that I have talked with have told me I needed to talk with Customer Service. After losing my credit card and receiving a call from Connect America, they were given the new credit card number and I was gold that everything was straightened out. I am now told that they have no record of the new card number and that I owe the amount of $179.90 (which I am willing to pay). All I want to do is cancel my service.Desired Settlement: For my service to be cancelled and to be told what amount is due on my account. I do not, however, feel I should be charged anything since I have been attempting to reach this company.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]

Review: I was charged an unauthorized amount to my checking account which left me without funds to live on for four days. I am a widow on social security which at the end of the month, my funds are very limited. I had cancelled this account in December 2013 and returned the equipment in January 2014. When I called them, they said they did not receive the equipment and I owed several months payments. They later changed their minds and said they were wrong but it would take 3 days for me to get my money back. This took approximately 30 phone calls and being put on hold for very long times. I finally got my money back after 4 days. I believe that they were very wrong to make this unauthorized debit to my account. They also did not handle this situation in a professional manner. I believe there are many businesses out there that take advantage of older people like myself and they are one of theseDesired Settlement: Pay the bank charges that were incurred by the overdrawn condition of my bank account. The amount is $30.00 and a letter of apology to me.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

I am in receipt of the complaint filed by [redacted]. She is absolutely correct about the

debit to her account. It shouldn't have been done, but I was advised the person who did that debit was new and didn't realize he shouldn't have done it.

Although [redacted] called in December to cancel, the account cannot be canceled until the unit is here. Therefore, there was a charge for December.

I have credited off that charge due to the problems she encountered and her account is closed with a zero balance. Please extend my

deepest apologies to [redacted].

Unfortunately, it was the mistake made by a new employee that made [redacted] feel that we were trying to take advantage of her. Please let her know that our seniors are very important to us and we do everything in our power to make them feel that way.

If I can be of any further assistance, or if there are any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Customer Resolution Manager

Medical Alert

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I paid the December 2013 charge. It was debited from my checking account. I have a copy of that statement. They have blamed every error on their part as a result of a "new" employee. I suggest they train their new employees better. I was also told that they didn't receive the unit I returned by a "new" employee. This action has caused me a lot of anguish and stress. I am also out the bank charge for overdrawing my checking account. They continued to bill me for the December payment. Their so called crediting my account to a zero balance was a bunch of stuff. I don't mean stuff but improper language would not be in order.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

In response to the rejection filed by [redacted], I called her today and went over the debits that were made. The December debit was agreed to by [redacted]. However, the $447.80, taken in April was not.

We refunded this debit, and I have asked [redacted] to provide me with the checking statement so that I can have her reimbursed for the bounced check fees she incurred.

I apologized for the problems [redacted] has encountered. I know she is upset, and I don't blame her. I hope at some point in time, she will accept my apology on behalf of Medical Alert.

If there are any further questions, or if I can be

of additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Customer Resolution Manager.

Medical Alert

Review: Item was returned and signed receipt on 9/3/2013 USPS Confirmation Receipt [redacted]. Connect America still as of 10/10/2013 still has not got it in their system. My mother-in-law is 96 years old and they are constantly calling and billing her for this service which she cancelled. They told me 2 different times that it takes 30 days. The time is up!Desired Settlement: Stop contacting her in any way

Business

Response:

Dear **. [redacted],

Review: on the 11/14/11 I orderered an alert system from [redacted] and they charged my credit card $89.85. on Feburary 1 2012, Medical Alarm

charged me $89.95 on my credit card and because I received no responses from these companies; I returned all of this equipment on July 24,2012,and have never received an acknowledgment on any of this even after I wrote the President of the company [redacted] a registered Letter addressed to [redacted]. They have ignored meDesired Settlement: Money Back that I will donate all to the charity of my choice VIPS (visual impaired pre school children)These dedicated people teach these blind children to read brail

so they enter school

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

Review: Service was cancelled and equipment was retuned on November 16,2012. Billing Dept stated a refund would be generated for November when equipment was returned. Contact was made approximately February 9,2013 requesting $89.85 for November or a pro-rated amount, but please resolve this account it's been almost 90 days. Then two days later they took an additional $89.85 deduction from the account in February. So now after 90 days after the account was closed and they have received their equipment back in their warehouse they deduct this amount when it was not authorized. Now they owe $179.70. Their billing dept is never immediately accessible, you have to wait at least 24 hrs for a return call, yet if it's a sales call they handle the call immediately. You ask for a supervisor and the only person you get is a manager of phone overflow who can't access the accounts. So customer service is very poor!Desired Settlement: Same customer service for billing questions/ resolutions as sales department . No more unauthorized bank debits. You are servicing senior citizens who are on limited incomes. When you owe them that much money it might make the difference on whether they eat or take their medications. Shame on you, you're supposed to be advocates for them!

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern:

Review: Was paying every 3 months for monitor, was billed in Feb. for Feb,March, and April. the last week of Feb. the person that the monitor was for went into a nursing home. I called the first week of March and was told I would receive a label in the mail to return the monitor and when they received it I would receive 2 months credit. I contacted them in April to see why I had not received the mailing label. I was then told that I had to return it at my cost, I would receive no label, then I would receive the credit. I sent it back then called to make sure they had received it, they had. I was then told I would only get one month credit, because the accounts were billed on the first of every month. I explained I had cancelled the monitor in March. I was told it did not matter. I also explained that it cost me almost 15 dollars to return it.They said I would still only get 1 month credit.Desired Settlement: I would like to receive the 2 months credits I am due, also they should pay for the return of monitor as I was told I would receive a mailing label.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

In response to the complaint filed by [redacted], please let her know that I have authorized and additional month credit. Even though the unit is billed until it is returned, she waited for a return label which she didn't receive. Normally, we don't send or offer to send return labels. There are no notes on the account that indicate one was supposed to be sent.

I am willing to reimburse her the return shipping costs, however, she will need to send me the shipping receipt showing the cost. The receipt should be sent to: Medical Alert, [redacted] PA [redacted]. Please make sure it is sent to my attention. On the receipt, please ask her to reference #[redacted]. Upon receipt of the receipt, I will gladly put it through for reimbursement.

If there are any further questions, or if I can be of additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Customer Resolution Manager

Medical Alert

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

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

Regards,