NBC

Suffield Woman Asks For Help With Life Alert's Cancellation Policy

Teri Lee Wedderspoon of Suffield said when she took over as her mother’s caretaker, it was tougher than she expected to cancel the Life Alert policy they no longer needed.

Wedderspoon said her mom signed up for the Life Alert Emergency Response system along with a monthly service subscription while living with Wedderspoon’s sister.

“Mom was alone all day long. She absolutely needed to have the Life Alert system,” Wedderspoon said.

But after Alice fell and broke a hip, Wedderspoon said the family decided that it was best for their mom to move into their Suffield home.

“Basically, I’m retired. I can take of my mom 24/7. My husband is retired. We’re home. We don’t need the Life Alert system anymore,” said Wedderspoon.

Wedderspoon called Life Alert and explained the situation and stated that she wanted to return the system and cancel the contract.

“They wouldn’t return it. They basically said you signed a contract, we’re not going to take it back,” said Wedderspoon.

Wedderspoon said she contacted the company again and reached a manager who agreed to cancel the third year of the contract. But Wedderspoon disagreed.

“I said not good enough,” added Wedderspoon.

Wedderspoon called a third time and the company indicated that it would cancel another six months of the contract.

“I said six months still is not good. I simply want to return the equipment to you and want you to stop charging my mom’s credit card,” said Wedderspoon.

According to Life Alert, Wedderspoon’s mom signed a three-year contract and Wedderspoon says the company told her the only way she could cancel the contract is if her mother died or if she resides in a nursing home.

“I got an 85-year-old woman here. She’s deaf. She’s blind. She’s got a broken hip can’t you help me out here?” said Wedderspoon.

Wedderspoon refused to back down and reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds for help. When we reached the company they told us in a statement:

“The cancellation terms are stated in the agreement. One of the ways that the agreement can be canceled is to provide a letter from the subscriber’s doctor advising us that the subscriber has 24-hour care. I apologize, but this option was not presented to Ms. Wedderspoon when she called to cancel. Upon receipt of said letter, we will cancel the agreement and refund any money charged after the date of her initial call.”

Days later, Wedderspoon said Life Alert picked up the equipment, refunded her mom’s credit card for $99.90 for the two months, and canceled the remaining contract.

“I think NBC was on the ball, they got me more than and I asked for and I’m extremely pleased,” said Wedderspoon.

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