Bay Alarm Medical

This is an updated review… I have deleted my previous review.
We were contacted by Kayla who is the customer service manager. Someone at Bay Alarm Medical had read our review and felt that we had made a good point. They contacted Kayla and they asked what she could do in regards to our previous negative review. She contacted us and we explained that a little more open mindedness and a little more concern from her staff would be appreciated. She apologized for the way we were treated and asked what she could do to address our issue. When we explained that the issue was all about a miss-​coded key box she addressed the issue promptly and with courtesy. She also informed us that she would talk to her staff. She greatly changed our attitude towards Bay Alarm Medical and we have continued to use their services.

I signed a contract with Bay on June 21, 2012. After 4 years we decided to terminate our contract effective the June 21^st anniversary date of June 2016. I sent them a certified letter advising of our intentions. We received a telephone call from their Customer Service informing us that we must return the box and in their hands by June 12 or we will be billed for another year. We then received a letter from them now advising that they must have the unit in their hands by June 20^th or we will be billed $ 200.00 to our credit card. I have since mailed them a letter with a copy of the contract which very clearly states «I must return the equipment within 10 days of termination or cancelation of the contract or I will be billed $ 150.00.That date would be June 21 and not June 20 and I would have 10 days to perform. In order for me to have the unit in their hands by their date i would not have use of the alarm security which we paid for a year in advance. I am of the opinion this company takes advantage of elderly people and would cheat them of their rightful and legal rights. Their policies are far more restrictive than any of the many other medical alarm companies in the market. I am glad to be done with this company.

Scam, scam. Beware. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS CROOKS. My Father died and BAM kept biling and billing and billing. They refuse to acknowledge cancellation. Oh and BTW, expect a $ 200 charge for their un-​returned $ 8 piece of junk unit.

Bay Alarm medical has policies which promote unfair treatment of senior citizens, due to unfair requirements for return of medical equipment which she was unable to use and inflexibility with returns. My mother purchased the Bay alarm medical alert device and upon getting it set up, realized that it does not work for her. She found the bracelets to be cumbersome and difficult to take on and off, which she was required to do regularly after taking a shower. She did not want to wear the necklace because it was uncomfortable her for as well. As soon as she realized this, she had me call Bay medical alarm to explain that she was going to be returning and make sure that she would receive her money back.*(I am serving as her representative because the logistics of calling and making complaints would be too hard on her right now). I was explained by numerous representatives and managers that there was no way that she could receive her money back and that the policy of 14 days starts upon current receiving the package, which at that point was over. I explained to the managers that because my mother is elderly, it took her a while to remember to open the package and get it set up and also that from the day that it was actually activated, we were within the 14 day period of that day. They would not budge at all. I explained that the product was not working out for her and asked for some leniency, based on the fact that she is a senior citizen and that we were only a couple of days after the grace period for return and well within the 14 days of activation. The managers were supposed to call my mother to fix the issue, but they never did. I had to call repeatedly to follow up and whenever I was told that they would not make an exception for my mother, they refused to give me the name of someone else to call who was higher up on the managerial chain. I feel that this is very unfair to not work with my mother on this issue and feel this is taking advantage of senior citizens. I worked with both the BBB and our local consumer affairs and no one was able to get through to them that they are committing elder abuse so hopefully they will read this review, modify their policies to be more accommodating to seniors and prevent this from happening in the future.

Thank you Gjenes for your condolences.
My account # is 4G000994.
Thank you for any help.
Thank you Gjenes once again in helping me sort out any confusion with our service contract. It was a pleasure talking with you on the phone and your concerns with everything

The «resolution» the Bay Alarm Medical PR person refers to is as follows:
1. I paid for a service I never used and that I cancelled over a year ago.
2. The woman who trusted me still believes that I used her financial information to open the account without her permission.
Bay Alarm Medical did nothing to make this right. Not one thing. They may feel this is resolved, It remains to be seen whether the BBB agrees. There’s no way it’s legal to bill someone for a service they never requested or registered for.

This is a terrible company. I had to go through the credit card’s dispute program to stop them from charging my card after I returned the device. After I won the dispute, they tried to send bills directly to me. Please read all of the bad reviews here and go with a more reputable company even if it costs a little more. You will have better results. I went through a long drawn-​out process with the company, the credit card company, and the BBB who gave this company an «A» rating and did little to settle the dispute. I’m just telling it the way it was for me so you don’t end up pulling your hair out with frustration like I did.

We signed up for the Bay Alarm Medical service on June 25, 2015 for my mother-​in-​law after a fall and subsequent lengthy hospital stay so she could feel safe in her home and we could rest assured knowing help was there if she needed it. At the beginning of November, she fell again and after l laying on the floor all night (no help from the alarm), ended up back in the hospital. During this time, the semi-​annual renewal notice came for the alarm but we were in the midst of waiting to see if she would be home to use it so we didn’t immediately cancel. She made it out of the hospital and into a rehabilitation care facility only to fall again when she decided to go to the restroom unassisted – which resulted in a traumatic head injury on December 15^th. The neurosurgeon cautioned us that he was not optimistic that she would survive it given that she also has cancer and a heart condition. During this time, we were all on edge thinking the end was near. Fortunately, she surprised us again and was sent back to the rehab facility Christmas night but we were told she would never be able to live on her own again. We spent yesterday with her in an attempt to give her some kind of Christmas celebration and today I called Bay Alarm to cancel the service based on the physcian’s direction that she go to an assisted living facility. It is important to note here that during the hold time, the recording stated that they were closed 12÷24−12÷25. When I got someone on the line to cancel the service, I was told that there would be no credit for the time not used – which I had expected and didn’t ask for.
However, I was also informed that they charged me the next six-​month term on ¹²⁄₂₅ and, because my call was two days too late, it was not refundable. Even after I told her that even if we were not waiting at her bedside to find out if she would live or die, they were closed and I couldn’t call to cancel – they still refused to refund my money. I asked for a supervisor who repeated their no refund policy to me. I asked her if she would be reading a contract on Christmas or tending to her mother laying in a hospital bed and unexpected to survive and she just repeated the no refund policy. I told her that I prayed for her that she never have to deal with a company that would do this to someone during the holidays as she wondered whether or not her mother would live and that, if I were her, I would be ashamed to work for a company that did. I will send their worthless alarm equipment back to them and I caution everyone – DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! They DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONES… they just want to TAKE YOUR money!!!

Bay Alarm contacted me and is working on a resolution for me. They have processed a refund. Thank you.

i can’t rate this any lower or i would. don’ ever use these people — they take advantage of people in difficult situations. terrible business practices — charge us a full year even though my father went into assisted living within 2 days of the annual renewal.

Everything worked as advertised. Signup was simple and the unit arrived quickly. The range was better than competitors, and most importantly, it worked we’ll when needed. Pricing was competitive and returning the unit was simple and straightforward. In a crowded market of devices, I’d recommend Bay Alarm with no hesitation.

We got this system for my mother one month ago. Unfortunately, her health circumstances changed and with around the clock in-​home care, we were not in need of the device any longer. We have sent the device back and were told there is no refund for unused time. Unfortunately, we took advantage of the six month plan discount and now are out for five months of payment. A company that deals with the elderly should be aware that situations can change very quickly and they should not lock someone into a long term commitment.
Shame on you Bay Alarm, I will not recommend you to anyone.

DO NOT USE BAY ALARM. Go with another service. My wife and I got Bay Alarm for her mother in case of emergencies so we all felt safer with her in her home. When she subsequently became more ill and had to go into hospice, and eventually passed, we tried to cancel Bay Alarm. The service representative wouldn’t cancel the service until we provided a death certificate! This is absurd. All this company cares about is billing you, and making it difficult to cancel service.

Shame on you Bay Alarm Medical for taking advantage of the elderly!!! They encouraged my 80 year old mother to pay an entire year in advance, however if you cancel early for any reason, they do not refund any of the unused months.

This Company provided great service for my mother while needed. Even though my dad would call me prior to the ambulance to let me know, I always got a call with the same information that my dad relayed immediately afterward. However, now that my mom doesn’t need the service as she needs ²⁴⁄₇ care, the fee that I paid for the year less than a month ago, of $ 226.00 is not refundable, not even on a prorated basis. This is far from a good business practice. I wonder if she had passed if it would be the same?!? If you have money to throw away, then by all means use this Service.

Do not use their services. When I set up the equipment for my grandma, there were multiple false alarms. She told me the device would go off on its own in the middle of the night. Because of this I decided to cancel services and returned all the equipment and a few months later got a call from a debt collector saying that I did not pay and that it could affect my credit. I never received any notice from Bay Alarm that I even owe any money and the last time I checked my invoice was $ 0.00. Also why would I pay when I already cancelled services months ago? I called Bay Alarm multiple times to straighten out everything since there is a misunderstanding and they keep transferring me to the debt collector! Absolutely ridiculous! I do not have time for this. I will definitely will not recommend to anyone.

Impressed with the attention these folks pay to my Mom by checking in quickly any time there is a question about a service interruption from either a power failure, low battery power or even a phone knocked off the hook.
Attention to detail is SO vital to this service and much appreciated/

I had gotten my mom a medical alarm bracelet from Bay Alarm Medical back in May 2012. The problem started when her phone line kept going out and she didn’t feel safe anymore by herself. So I called Bay Alarm and ask about a cellular device and they checked and said they do not offer service in our area. So I asked about cancelling the service. They said fine they could cancel it as soon as I send the equipment back. I said I would like a refund and we pay by the year and it renewed in May. They do not send a notice of renewal in advance they just charge your account. We were not having this problem in May and I feel we should get a refund since they cannot provide the cell service. They said no refunds since I sign up for the yearly contract and could have signed up for the monthly contract. I asked if they could just charge me the monthly fee for the 3 months then refund the difference but no, a policy is a policy. I would not reccomend this company because of the customer service is very poor. They do not realize they are working with the elderly, I feel they are taking advantage of them. I guess I need to contact the BBB.

Response to company comment: The problem was that your salesperson wanted me to follow his script. And when it was clear that I only wanted specific answers, he got mad. What a very negative reflection of your company.
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They must have gotten too big for their britches. I’m looking into getting a medical alarm system for my mom. Bay Alarm was the second one I called.
Guy on phone: Questions about reason for needing this.
Me: Don’t really feel like telling a stranger about anything about my mom’s health, whether she lives alone or not, etc. I’m just starting to research this and want to get some facts.
Me: Mobile option?
Guy on phone: No.
Guy on phone: [silence]
Me: So can you tell me about your system, the pricing; are you a sales person?
Guy on phone: I’m a sales person and I don’t feel like talking anymore.
Prior to calling them, I looked up complaints on the BBB website, and there are numerous complaints regarding payment/​billing and extremely poor customer service. Even in the company’s responses to the complaints, you can tell how non-​service oriented they are.
They’re so big, they don’t care. What a joke.

We got a system for my Granny, and though she can’t remember everything these days, she always remembers to put on her pendant/​button!
She hasn’t needed it for an emergency yet, thanks goodness, but when she set it off accidentally, the people on the phone were extremely attentive, helpful and friendly.
All good here!