Settlement Reached With Life Alert For Cancellation Violations

New York State Attorney General Letita James has announced an agreement with Life Alert Emergency Response, Incorporated over giving customers who want to cancel their contracts a hard time.

Over 5,500 customers will be able to cancel before the end of the 36-month contract and 700 customers are getting refunds for past cancelation attempts.

James says the company famous for the slogan “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” wouldn’t let customers get out from under a required 36-month monitoring service agreement with a monthly service fee, upfront program and installation fees that cost between $49.95 to $89.95 per month in addition to up-front fees and service charges of an average of $198 dollars.  Those charges added up to total payments ranging from just over $1,996 dollars to $3,436 over the 36-month term.

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The investigation found that from at least January 2014 to February 2020, Life Alert didn’t make oral and written disclosures of the fees, affecting over 16,000 New York customers.  In addition, James says her office found many times Life Alert refused to cancel contracts and instead told customers that the best they could do was lower monthly fee or allow them to cancel after another six months.

New York law allows a seven-day cancellation right.

Affected customers are being sent notices by Life Alert regarding the settlement.