MobileHelp Medical Alert System Review

When you start looking for a medical alert system, it can be hard to choose between an at-home or GPS-based system. MobileHelp gives you both in one system for under $50 per month. Most packages don’t require activation fees either—all you pay for is monitoring.

That said, MobileHelp’s equipment isn’t the sleekest. The GPS wearable stuffs a lot of features into one device, making it bigger other opions. It’s a handy device for loved ones, but it could get in the way of daily activities or feel uncomfortable after a long day.

MobileHelp’s pricing structure is transparent and easy to understand. For the five packages available, each comes with the option to pay monthly, every 3 months, every 6 months, or every 12 months.

While $400 and up seems like a lot for a medical alert system, you’ll save money by paying in larger chunks once or twice a year. We like that you can adjust your payment schedule.

We’ve come across plenty of medical alert systems with high entry prices and lots of extra fees. And we have some good news for you: MobileHelp is the exception. You won’t incur equipment fees. All you’ll have to pay for is monitoring.

The MobileHelp Classic kit is the only one that comes with a one-time processing fee ($49.95). Aside from that, you won’t have to worry about any extra costs looming around the corner.

The flexible payment schedule makes MobileHelp more accessible to folks of all pay grades, especially families caring for multiple older loved ones. And no matter what schedule you choose, there are no contracts, so you can return it anytime.

MobileHelp doesn’t require you to sign a contract, but cancellation can be a little tricky.

If you received your equipment directly from MobileHelp, you need to send it back to cancel your service. The return shipping fees are your responsibility, and MobileHelp won’t cancel your service until they receive the equipment.

The bad news is you could get charged for a month you didn’t need if the equipment doesn’t arrive on time. But the good news is you’ll get a prorated refund based on the monthly cost—even if you paid in advance at a discounted rate.

According to MobileHelp’s terms of service, you won’t get a refund if your remaining balance is less than $15 when you cancel. MobileHelp also notes that its pricing is subject to change without notice. There’s no price-lock guarantee like you get with other alert companies such as Bay Alarm Medical.

We dive deeper into details when we look at MobileHelp’s customer service.

MobileHelp offers your garden variety of medical alert equipment including an at-home system and GPS wearable. For at-home systems, you can choose a cellular or landline connection for the base station and the type of waterproof wearable that suits you best.

A fall detection pendant is available as an optional add-on for all packages. None of the mobile devices feature built-in fall detection. 

The base station itself has adjustable volume, a test and reset button, and of course, its giant red help button that’s easy to find in an emergency. Because the MobileHelp Classic system uses a cellular signal, you won’t need a landline to use it.

This system uses AT&T’s cellular signal (but you don’t need to be an AT&T customer). If you can get AT&T coverage in your area, the MobileHep Classic should work just fine.

When they leave the house, they can use the GPS lanyard. It sends their location to the monitoring center when they need help out of the house.

Our only complaint is that the GPS unit is bulky. So it’s not always easy to wear, especially during exercising or physical activity. But its bulk comes from its built-in speaker and microphone that help the wearer to speak with operators and call for help.

In our interactions with MobileHelp, the customer service representatives and monitoring center operators were helpful and patient. Our only complaint is the return and refund policy, especially if you’re sending back the equipment after a loved one has passed away.

The company doesn’t provide packaging to return the equipment in, and you’re responsible for the return shipping costs. On top of that, you can’t even cancel your service until MobileHelp has received the equipment. That means you’re being charged for service after your family member is no longer using it.

The company also makes it clear that prices are subject to change without notice. That means your monthly cost could increase.

But MobileHelp does some other things right:

• Trials: MobileHelp has a no-risk, 30-day trial, so you can find out if you like the MobileHelp equipment and service before you shell out any money.
• Simplicity: We also like that MobileHelp’s policies, packages, and pricing are transparent and simple.

We’ve lined up MobileHelp against some of the best medical alert systems we’ve reviewed. Here’s what we found.

• No equipment fees: MobileHelp charges only for monitoring. Companies like GetSafe and Philips Lifeline charge for equipment.
• Adjustable payment schedule: MobileHelp and Medical Guardian are the only two medical alert systems we’ve found that let you space out your payments for monitoring. The rest of these companies charge month to month. 
• Automatic fall detection is a standard extra: MobileHelp, along with these other companies, charge $10 extra per month for fall detection equipment. One exception is Philips Lifeline which includes this feature in the price, making it one of the best options for fall detection.
• Monitoring changes with your equipment package: While MobileHelp doesn’t charge equipment fees, it does increase monitoring prices by package. GetSafe, on the other hand, charges for equipment (between $200 and $300), but all monitoring costs $24.95, regardless of the package you choose. 
• Lackluster equipment: MobileHelp’s equipment doesn’t need to be chic per se, but they could stand to update the look and function. Other companies, like Medical Guardian, have more modern options like the Freedom Guardian smartwatch or the Family Guardian security system.

MobileHelp lets you choose when to pay for monitoring and has a few unique equipment packages. But its return and cancellation policies could use some improvements, especially if you’re in the midst of grieving a loved one.

For anyone looking for an easy-to-use and affordable medical alert system, MobileHelp is worth your attention. Its equipment may not be head-turning, but the at-home and on-the-go systems provide independence for loved ones for when they need it most.

We used information from hands-on testing, customer reviews, research, and my father-in-law’s real-life experience to review MobileHelp’s medical alert systems. We considered customer policies, equipment and package offerings, monthly fees, and how easy the system was to understand and operate.

Our full rankings methodology has more details about how we rank and review products and services.

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