Life Alert Customers In NY State May Be Entitled To A Refund

You remember the company best known for helping folks who "have fallen and can't get up?"  Well, they may have fallen out of good graces with New York’s top prosecutor.

The items in question are called Personal Emergency Response Systems, and Life Alert is arguably the best known of the businesses that monitor those medical devices.

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According to NEWS 4 (WIVB-TV) the Attorney General accused the company of skirting State law in their consumer contracts, and now they have reached a settlement.

New York’s attorney general accused the Los Angeles-based company of failing to clearly indicate consumers are afforded a 7-day cooling-off period after signing a contract, and they have the right to cancel any time.

A quick check on the Internet shows the crowded field of providers.

When someone needs help they simply press the ‘diamond’ button on the mobile PERS device.

Local Security Firm Amherst Alarm is best known for operating home and business security systems, and medical alerts are part of their commitment to their customers.

These portable devices operate on cell phone networks, so a customer can take their PERS with them anywhere in the country that has cell service.

“It will give information about the person’s name, their home address. It will also give GPS coordinates as to where the person is. So if they are not at home, the dispatcher will know where they are so we can dispatch the appropriate people,” Creenan added.

Upset Erie County residents could get refunds under a legal proceeding called an Assurance of Discontinuance, Life Alert did not admit to any wrongdoing and the company will notify customers of their rights.

Customers who were unable to cancel a contract between 2014 and 2020 may be entitled to a refund.