When searching for a medical alert system for a senior, one will often stumble upon a number of websites that claim to be an unbiased source for medic alert system information. Our research seems to indicate otherwise.

It seems as though most of these sites only “review” or make a “comparison” of those medical alert system companies that pay them to do so. The payment may not be direct in the sense that Bay Alarm Medical in northern California probably does not write these websites a check that’s sole purpose is get a better review for their medical alert system or a better comparative narrative. It is more likely that companies like Bay Alarm Medical, Medic Alert or Medical Guardian bid for a higher ranking. In other words, Medic Alert may bid more per click so that they will be “ranked” closer to number one than Bay Alarm Medical Alert. So, it appears that getting ranked number one on these sites is not a function of how good a medical alert system provider is. It is merely a function of how much you are willing to pay to have these seemingly bogus sites rank you higher than others. Our research also seems to find that if you do not pay these sites, that company will likely not be “ranked” or “reviewed”. To those who are not intimately familiar with the medical alert industry it may not be apparent that some really fine medical alert providers, such as Lifeline Medical Alert Systems, are noticeably absent.

As an example, there is a website called consumeradvocate.org. The name sounds serious, official and trustworthy. And that’s the point, for those who are not aware, the name alone sounds credible. While it may sound credible, the reality is likely more misleading than trustworthy. When we took a close look at these review and comparison sites we found disclosures and disclaimers that were not likely to be easily found by a first-time searcher for medical alert system reviews or comparisons. Below, you will find one such disclosure (oddly, many of the disclosures and disclaimers we saw, contained very similar wording).

“ … Disclosure: We receive advertising revenue from some partners. To that end, you    should know that many advertisers pay us a referral fee if you purchase products after clicking links or calling phone numbers on our website.

The following companies are our partners in Medical Alerts: Bay Alarm Medical, Rescue Alert, LifeStation, Alert 1, Connect America, ADT, GreatCall, Medical Care Alert, Medical Guardian, LifeFone, and Mobile Help.

We sometimes offer premium or additional placements on our website and in our marketing materials to our advertising partners. Partners may influence their position on our website, including the order in which they appear on a Top 10 list.

For example, when company ranking is subjective (meaning two companies are very close) our advertising partners may be ranked higher. If you have any specific questions while considering which product or service you may buy, feel free to reach out to us anytime …”


 

Life Alert ® is a registered trademark of Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc.
Lifeline ® is a registered trademark of Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
MedicAlert ® is a U.S. registered trademark and service mark of MedicAlert Foundation

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