Product Reviews

Philips Lifeline Review

Review Summary: Philips Lifeline provides a comprehensive product offering with an informative website that is backed by the Phillips name. Their website provides good content but the convenience of pricing and online ordering is non-existent. During our calls to their telephone sales group, we found an unwillingness to provide all the information we desired and felt their sales efforts were more aggressive than most.

Pros: Long range button with good battery life expectancy, professional system installation, no long-term contracts, activity monitoring option, and automatic monthly tests of the console to the central monitoring station.

Cons: Higher monthly charge than many providers, higher priced options compared to other companies, limited telephone support hours, no other discounts available.

Rating:

Quick Stats:

Most Important Things To Consider	How Did Philips Lifeline Do?
Pricing	Philips Lifeline Review
Installation/Equipment	$60.00 Installation Charge + $12.95 Enrollment Fee
Monthly Charges	$41.00/Month
Advance Payment Discounts	No
Monitoring Agreement Term	Can Cancel Anytime with 30 Days Notice
Repairs or Replacement Charges	None, Replacements Shipped
Cancellation Policy & Discounts	Philips Lifeline Review
Cancel at Any Time	Yes, With 30 Days Notice, BUT you will be out your installation, enrollment fee, and monthly fees paid.
Senior Discount	No
Other Discounts	No
Equipment	Philips Lifeline Review
Approximate Button Range in Typical Home	Depends on Home - 800 ft. Range
Watch/Button Battery Life	5 Year Battery
What Happens if I Lose Power	15 Hours of Battery Backup
Is the Watch/Button Waterproof	Yes
How Can The Button Be Worn	Pendant or Wrist
UL Certified Equipment	Yes
Does The System Automatically Test Itself To The Monitoring Center	Monthly
24 Hour Technical & Customer Support	No. Available 8:00 am - 8:30 pm Weekdays and 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Weekends (EST)
Monitoring Station	Philips Lifeline Review
CSAA Five Diamond Certified Monitoring Center	No
Typical Response Time When Button Pressed	20 Seconds
Other Options & Information	Philips Lifeline Review
How Fast Does System Ship	Not Applicable Installed By Company
Do You Need Separate Systems For Mom & Dad	No. $10.00/month Additional Button
Activity Monitoring Available	Yes. It's an Additional $17.50 Per Month

Likes:

Installed By Company - Although these systems are typically very easy to install yourself (see our Basic Installation & Set-Up video) some might find it convenient to have it professionally installed, especially if you live a long distance from your loved one.

Has Different Equipment Options – Lifeline has different consoles and pendant and watch styles to choose from. They also have a telephone with reminders option. Prices stated here are for the basic equipment and services. These options would be additional.

Activity Monitoring – Activity monitoring typically requires the user to check in with the system by pressing a button once every 24 hours. This is very beneficial as it allows you to know that your loved one is active and about each day. This is an optional service add on, but is almost 3 times higher than the competition, per month.

Automatic Monthly Tests – System's console will automatically test monthly to the monitoring station. Some companies offer the preferred weekly test, but others offer no automatic testing at all

Optional Fall Detector – Since diabetics can have the tendency to faint, fall detectors can be helpful because the user would be unable to press their medical emergency button. Philips has the optional AutoAlert pendant which can help in these situations.

Dislikes:

High System Cost – Unless you require a pill dispensing system or fancy-looking watch-style transmitter, you can do much better with another service provider without sacrificing quality.

Cancel at Any Time Policy – If you are not happy with your system or service, you can cancel with a 30-day notice to the company. You will be out your installation, enrollment fee, and monthly fees paid.

No Discounts For Advanced Payments – Monthly payments are your only option. The convenience of quarterly or annual payments can be desirable, especially if you can receive a discount.

Bottom Line:

Although Lifeline is backed by a very good name, you may find better value for your money elsewhere. The Phillips name carries a high price tag in itself.

The sales rep we spoke with had an aggressive sales approach. We had a difficult time getting questions asked because we were given little opportunity to speak during the calls. The representative's sales pitch and their continually asking for the sale made the conversation more difficult. They also phoned back several times after the initial call to continue to attempt close the sale.

Although our experience with this company had these results, your experience may be different. If you're interested in this company's services, contact them to judge for yourself.