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LifeFone Medical Alert Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.1 / 5 (Excellent)
22 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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LifeFone, founded in 1976, provides medical alert services throughout the United States. Depending on whether the user is mostly in-home or on-the-go, this company’s six alert packages can be tailored to their needs. Customers can choose cellular or landline service, as well as fall detection, GPS tracking, and app integration. LifeFone is headquartered in White Plains, New York and earns an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

How is LifeFone rated?

Breakdown

4.5/5
Monitoring
4.0/5
Equipment
4.0/5
Contract and Price
4.0/5
Reputation and Certifications

Overall Rating: 4.1 / 5 (Excellent)

LifeFone offers customers the opportunity to customize medical alert services to fit their needs and lifestyle. Service is available at home via landline or via cellular, using LifeFone’s cellular service, not yours. For customers who have a more active lifestyle, the company offers a choice of on-the-go cellular service and GPS-enabled devices.


LifeFone's services are affordably priced. Depending on which device and options you select, you may pay as little as one dollar a day for 24 hour service and what could turn out to be a life-saving product.

Customers may also choose to use the company's proprietary Caregiver mobile app, which is available with the VIPx® system. The app offers many benefits, including location and activity tracking, battery testing and notifications, and lost device location services.

LifeFone Equipment

Equipment - 4 / 5

LifeFone features high-end medical alert systems that can fulfill the special requirements of any user, with landline, cellular, and GPS capabilities and some of the most impressive specs we've found.

The At Home-Landline and At-Home Cellular base station's operational radius of 1,300 feet and average battery life of 32 hours are quite good, though well within the industry standard.

LifeFone recently introduced the new VIPx device, the company's smallest product to date. The device is water-resistant and offers voice-in capability. It's available in three colors and can run a full 10 days without recharging. The VIPx can be equipped with optional fall detection and, because it is a cellular/wireless device, has an unlimited communication range.

The optional caregiver mobile app that supports LifeFone's VIPx system offers location tracking so you can find your loved one anytime, anywhere. You can also use location tracking to find a lost device. The app also provides a press button history. Caregivers receive notifications directly to their mobile devices when an alert is recorded.Want to check in on your loved one's mobility? The app will track his or her daily steps and offers a 7-day activity history. The app will also alert you when your loved one's first morning motions are detected. Knowing when your loved one wakes prepares you to be at the ready to assist and helps give you peace of mind, as well.

A medical alert system can't do its job if it's turned off or if its battery is out of charge. The LifeFone mobile app allows caregivers to check a loved one's device's battery level remotely. It also sends out an alert when the battery needs charging or when the unit has been turned off. Battery Level – Check battery level and receive notifications when charging is required or the unit is powered off. Find Lost Device - If the VIPx unit is misplaced, simply check the location tracking while also sending a manual ring to the device to help locate it.

LifeFone also offers a Voice-In-Necklace with optional fall detection. The necklace works with the At Home and On-the-Go GPS packages. You must have Verizon or AT&T cellular service to use the Voice-In Necklace—two of the most reliable cellular carriers in the US.

LifeFone also offers two products for at-home use: one for customers with landlines and the other for customers with cellular service. Both products have a long range of up to 1300 feet, which is critical for customers who live in larger homes. These devices offer 32-hour battery back-up to provide continuous service if a customer loses power.

A personalized emergency care plan is provided with all of LifeFone’s systems and include phone, email, and text notifications.
System Types
Home Landline
Home Cellular
Mobile/GPS
Safe Watch
Help Button Option
Necklace
Wristband
Base Station Backup Battery
32 hours

Key Features

Wearable 2-Way Communication
Waterproof Help Button
Automatic Fall Detection
Supports Multiple Help Buttons
Fall Detection
Optional Fall Detection
Water-Resistant Help Button

Additional Info

Cellular Provider Options
Verizon
AT&T
Equipment Warranty
All of LifeFone's systems come with a lifetime warranty against. manufacturer defects. For additional peace of mind, LifeFone offers a Protection Plan for an additional $5/month that provides you with equipment replacement for a deductible due to loss, theft, or damage beyond manufacturer defects, such as drops or accidents. For information about this plan, call 1-800-940-0262.

Monitoring

Monitoring - 4.5 / 5

LifeFone offers 24/7 professional monitoring. The company operates its monitoring in-house, with multiple US-based back-up monitoring stations. While multilingual services are not advertised, both emergency and non-emergency dispatches are available.
Monitoring Options
Professionally Monitored
Monitoring Center Type
Owned with multiple US-based back up locations
Services
24/7 Monitoring
Emergency Dispatch
Non-Emergency Dispatch

Contract & Price: How much does LifeFone cost?

Contract and Price - 4 / 5

Depending on the user’s desired technological level, from landline to mobile and GPS, the starting price will vary.

On par with the industry standard, these starting points range from $24.95 to $36.95 for the VIPx model. With that in mind, there are neither contracts nor activation fees.

Starting Prices per Month

Landline
$24.95
Cellular
$30.95
Mobile/GPS
$36.95
Free Monitoring for Additional Person

Contract & Fees

Contract Required?
No
Activation/ Installation Fee
None
Equipment Fees
None
Free Trial Period
30 Day Free Trial
Cancellation Policy
Should you decide to cancel service (once you have returned your equipment), LifeFone will stop billing and will pro-rate a refund based on the amount you have pre-paid. There is no refund on partial months of service.

LifeFone Reputation

Reputation and Certifications - 4 / 5

LifeFone is highly rated by its customers and independent sites. The company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and earns an A+ rating.

This company also has an excellent rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. LifeFone is accredited by the Underwriter's Laboratory and the National Fire Protection Association, The company's products are also Five Diamond Certified and FM approved.

Professional Certifications

  • Underwriter's Laboratory (UL)
  • Factory Mutual (FM)

Additional Ratings

TrustPilot Rating
4.7 out of 5
BBB Rating
A+
Date Collected
2023-10-11

Disclaimers


Contact & Additional Information

Homepage URL
Headquarters Address
16 Yellowstone Avenue, White Plains, NY, 10607
Mailing Address
16 Yellowstone Avenue, White Plains, NY, 10607
Year Founded
1976

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22 Customer Comments & Reviews

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Carol G
7/1/2017
I love this alert system! My mom wears the necklace alert and has already used it several times to call for help! By the time I am able to reach her home, medics are already there assessing her condition and calming her. Mom doesn't have to turn on any lights, know where the portable phone is, or remember any numbers. She has the necklace with her at all times and just presses it to call for aid. A Life Fone operator answers to verify the problem, call the medics, and calm Mom while help is on the way. In the meantime, Mom's list of responders is also called so one of us can be with her. Excellent service!


C
Carol E
6/29/2017
Having this service allows me peace of mind. I've had to use this service and was very pleased with how fast it works and how they alert each of your designated family members that you had a situation. I take my GPS when I travel so Lifefone knows where I am in case of an emergency. I live alone and I am handicapped. If I fall, i do need assistance to get back up. Thee is always a representative who will respond 24/7.


M
Michael T
6/15/2017
I selected LifeFone for my mother based on the features and reviews from customers. My mother had to use the LifeFone alert and the response was immediate, thorough and professional. I was contacted immediately by LifeFone. The service is very reliable and a good value. I recommend it.


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Mary V
6/7/2017
My experience with LifeFone has been very good. Every time I accidentally touched the button they responded so quickly. That gave me great peace of mind. I'm very thankful for them & to them. I know that if I ever need their services again, they will be there for me.


Mary V
1/18/2017
We had this system for my dad for a few months. Within that time the system would falsely go off several times a day - he was just sitting in a chair. It was inconvenient at best. However, twice my dad was woken up in the middle of the night with paramedics at his bedside because the system had gone off and my dad hadn't heard it. Pretty scary for an 87 year old. That leads me to another issue - we completed the contact list (a list letting them know who to call if my dad's system went off). They never did that but went right to calling the paramedics. We had them replace the system three times and the issue continued with each one. We eventually sent it back and are now continuing... Read More


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Terry P
9/8/2016
My daughter got a Lifefone button for me about two years ago. Lifefone has taken the fear out of living alone as I know that help is always within reach. I would highly recommend their service.


M
Matthew D
9/8/2016
We got my mom LifeFone about two years ago. She’s very happy with service - they always respond quickly to her calls and get her help when she needs it. They also call my sister and me and let us know what’s happening. We feel better knowing that she has the LifeFone button.


M
M Y
9/8/2016
I've had Lifefone for several years and I am very happy with the service. The operators are always kind and very patient. I feel very safe in my home and have told many of my friends about this wonderful service.


R
Robert K
9/8/2016
My dad is 94, in good health, and only agreed to get a LifeFone neck pendant and monitor/call-box after falling a couple of times and getting dizzy other times. He lives alone and wears the pendant and sleeps with it. There have been two instances since installing the system two months ago, and LifeFone alerted me and alerted my dad to let him/us know that they were dispatching help. I'm in New York and my dad is in Miami, so it was comforting to hear how professional the LifeFone team was in their calls and in their process. Thank you!


J
John J
9/8/2016
We are very pleased with the Lifefone system and service. I would highly recommend this system to anyone who needs a medical alert monitoring system.



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