Rescue Alert Review

Friday, January 15th

2021 Medical Alert System Reviews

Rescue Alert

• Cost: Starting at $27.95/month (rental) or $15.95/month (purchase equipment)

Rescue Alert is based in Utah and provides medical alert systems for both home and mobile use. We love that Rescue Alert has been in business for more than 30 years and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Even more remarkable is that they have zero registered complaints with the BBB: an accomplishment for a company that has been around for three decades and BBB-accredited for nearly 15 years.

One reason customers like Rescue Alert is the 21-day check-in: if no calls or button-pushes have happened over the course of a 3-week period, RA's customer representatives will reach out to ask the user to test the system and make sure it's still functioning properly. Many seniors and their caregivers have said that they feel extra peace of mind knowing that the medical alert system is working even when they've not had to use it.

Compared with our highest-ranked medical alert services, Rescue Alert comes up a little short when it comes to monitoring: although customers are generally pleased with the courtesy and responsiveness received when they've pushed their button, RA's call center is in-house, with no backup in place. Our top services tend to have multiple call centers or service locations, so that in the event of a natural disaster or other outage, there is no break in service to their medical alert customers.

Pricing is also more complicated with Rescue Alert. While most companies have no equipment fees and just charge a monthly fee for monitoring, this provider breaks their medical alert service fees into two categories: rental vs. purchased equipment. With further pricing differences depending on whether payment is made monthly, quarterly, annually, or one-time, the average customer could understandably come out confused.

Here's the rough breakdown of what Rescue Alert has to offer:

• MXD: the traditional, landline-based unit with a pendant-style or bracelet Personal Help Button. Pricing options include the $32.95 monthly rental plan, $29.95/month quarterly rental plan, and $27.95 annual rental plan; alternately, you may purchase your equipment for a fee of $199 and then pay just $15.95 for monthly monitoring, or a one-time fee of $849 that comes with lifetime monitoring. All MXD plans come with a free gift of a key lock box(valued at $39.99) that allows first responders access to the residence with no need for forced entry, or a second Personal Help Button for another user in the home. You can also include the fall detection service - myActive Alert - for an additional $10/month, or a wall button that can be mounted anywhere in the home that falls are likely ($5/month).
• MXD3G: the all-cellular, no landline required system, which uses the AT&T network to connect the base unit to the monitoring system. This also uses the same pendant/bracelet panic button as the MXD unit. Pricing options include the $42.95 monthly rental plan, the $39.95/month quarterly rental plan, and $37.95/month annual rental plan; you may also choose to purchase your equipment outright for $299 and then pay just $25.95/month for monthly monitoring. This plan also includes the free gifts and additional services available with the MXD plan described above.
• Rescue Alert GPS: this plan uses the AT&T network and updates the users location via GPS every 15 minutes. The device only weighs 10 ounces and can be worn or placed in a pocket or purse. This system includes both a lanyard and carrying case/belt clip for the help button, along with a free lock box ($39.99 value). You can also choose to bundle this with the landline-based MDX unit for an additional $15/month in monitoring fees. Pricing for the GPS-based unit starts at $44.95/month for monthly rentals, $39.95/month for quarterly rentals, and $37.95/month for annual rentals. This plan does not offer the capability of adding the myActive Alert fall detection or wall button features.

Overall, Rescue Alert has a good reputation for service, and some customers may like having the option to purchase their equipment outright and pay lower monthly monitoring costs.