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WHO IS VRI?
VRI stands for Valued Relationships, Inc. and is located in Franklin, Ohio. Their tagline is “here to help” and they have been in the medical alert system business since 1989. VRI provides emergency response, fall detection, medical management and vitals monitoring for over 150,000 clients in all 50 states. Their call center reps are all U.S. based and their monitoring centers are TMA Five Diamond Certified. They are also members of the Medical Alert Monitoring Association (MAMA). VRI claims to lead the medical alert industry in call response time. We are unable to verify this claim.
REVIEW SUMMARY
VRI does not offer any pricing online so a phone call to their sales team is required. If you call on the weekend, you may have longer hold times and not get all the information you may be looking for. The sales team is short staffed on the weekends and do not have all the pricing available. VRI does have a lot of great qualities for a medical alert system provider such as no long-term contracts or cancellation fees.
There are four different medical alert system packages that VRI offers that each use varying types of equipment. For example, if you use their online tool that helps you choose which medical alert system may be best for you, you’ll answer a series of questions as to whether you’re using your system in your home or on the go. If In-Home, there are 12 different equipment packages available and 4 different ones for the On-the-Go service. It’s pretty confusing and we’re not sure why there are so many options available since they are all very similar in function. Below is an overview of some of their basic features and functions:
1. VRI In-Home Unit: In-home traditional medical alert system that you can use with or without a landline. Connect with help in seconds with the push of a button. Whenever you push the button, a representative from the VRI Care Center will speak with you through the unit to assess your situation and send help. They have multiple medical alert base models to choose from, but all function in a similar way. Automatic fall detection is available as an add-on service.
2. VRI On-the-Go: On-the-go mobile medical alert unit with GPS and built in fall detection. Take it with you anywhere you go. You can choose it with or without automatic fall detection. They have 4 units to choose from, based on whether you choose fall detection or not. Belle and MobileHelp Solo are your options when you choose not to have fall detection and Mobilecare and Belle+ are for when you do want fall detection. Belle, for example, offers two-way communication in the lightweight pendant and up to 30 days of use with one charge.
3. VRI Medication Management: This medication monitoring device is a locked medicine dispenser with 28 slots that releases medicine in timed intervals. It has easy-to-set alarms and 2-way monitoring.
4. VRI Vitals Monitoring Program: A medical vital monitoring solution that allows health care providers to monitor the vital signs of the patient daily from the comfort of their own home. It monitors a wide range of chronic illnesses such as COPD, diabetes and asthma. You must go through your health insurance to qualify and sign up for this service.
VRI vs. CVS Symphony Medical Alert System
Service Provider: CVS Medical Alert is a service provided by CVS Health in partnership with Aloe Care Health. On the other hand, VRI Medical Alert is a standalone service provided by Valued Relationships, Inc.
Pricing: The CVS Medical Alert system has a starting cost of $29.99 per month with an equipment fee starting at $149.99. VRI, however, starts at $29.95 per month with no initial cost for equipment.
Contract and Cancellation: Both CVS and VRI Medical Alert systems do not require long-term contracts and allow you to cancel at any time. However, VRI offers a free month of service if you pay for one year in advance.
Features: CVS Medical Alert offers features like temperature and air quality monitoring, caregiver app, and an automatic fall detection in their Essential Bundle. VRI, on the other hand, offers fall detection, medication management, and vital monitoring services. However, VRI does not offer smoke or carbon monoxide detection, which is also absent in CVS’s system.
Support and Response: Both services provide 24/7 emergency response. CVS’s monitoring service is provided by Aloe Care Health, while VRI owns and operates its own TMA Five Diamond Certified Monitoring Center. The typical response time when the button is pressed is approximately 30-45 seconds for CVS and between 30-90 seconds for VRI.
PROS
No long-term contracts (pay month to month) and you can cancel at any time. No installation, activation, replacement or shipping fees. Additional options such as vital monitoring and medication lock boxes are a plus. Landline and cellular options available with or without automatic fall detection. The system is automatically tested every month. Own and operated TMA Five Diamond Certified Monitoring Center provides additional peace of mind.
CONS
Hard to find pricing and product information. Website is updated but limited and confusing with too many equipment options. No smoke or carbon monoxide detector options. Limited weekend sales staff provides additional challenge in getting information. No senior discounts are available.
RATING: 
SINCE YOU’RE LOOKING AT VRI, CONSIDER TAKING A LOOK AT LIFEFONE FOR COMPARISON.
COMPARE DEVICE PLANS & FEATURES:
PROS & CONS TO CONSIDER | How did VRI do? |
| Price | VRI Review |
| Cost for Equipment | No initial cost for the VRI In-Home system. |
| Cost Per Month | Monthly costs start at $29.95 for the VRI In-Home landline unit. |
| Advance Payment Discounts | If you pay for one year in advance you get a month free. |
| Monitoring Agreement Term | No contract term, pay monthly. You can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee. |
| Repairs or Replacement Charges | No cost for replacements regardless of reasons. |
| Cancellation Policy & Discounts | VRI Review |
| Cancel at Any Time | Yes |
| Senior Discount | No |
| Other Discounts | If you paid annually, you get one month free. |
| Equipment | VRI Review |
| Approximate Button Range in Typical Home | 600-800 ft for VRI In-Home unit |
| Watch/Button Battery Life | Pendant has a 2-year battery life and notifies VRI if it is running low so they can send you a replacement. VRI Mobile is recommended to be charged every day for at least 4 hours. |
| What Happens if I Lose Power | There is an 8 hour back up battery for the in-home unit. VRI is notified if the base has been disconnected and they will call to notify you. |
| Is the Watch/Button Waterproof | Yes |
| How Can The Button Be Worn | Pendant or wrist options. |
| UL Certified Equipment | Yes |
| Does The System Automatically Test Itself To The Monitoring Center | Yes – monthly |
| 24 Hour Technical & Customer Support | Yes |
| Monitoring Station | VRI Review |
| TMA Five Diamond Certified Monitoring Center | Yes. VRI owns and operates their own TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center. |
| Typical Response Time When Button Pressed | Between 30-90 seconds. |
| Other Options & Information | VRI Review |
| How Fast Does System Ship | 2-3 business days. |
| Do You Need Separate Systems For Mom & Dad | Not for the VRI In-Home system. However, an additional pendant is $10.00 per month. |
| Optional Advanced Features | VRI Review |
| Activity or Inactivity Monitoring | No |
| Senior Fall Detection | Yes |
| Cellular or No Phone Line | Yes. If you do not have a landline, you can use the cellular base unit. |
| Smoke or Carbon Monoxide Protection | No |
| GPS Medical Alert Tracking System | Yes |
| Special Offers | VRI Review |
| Special Offers For Our Visitors | None at this time |
MONTHLY COSTS, SERVICES, & FEES
VRI’s monthly fees are on the higher end of the medical alert market. You can find similar services for nearly $10.00 less per month. VRI is a month- to-month service and there are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees. They also offer free shipping and there are no activation fees for any of their products.
Please note that when you sign up, the only option is auto-pay so they will need a credit card on file. If you pay a year in advance, you will receive a free month. For their VRI Vitals Monitoring Program, you have to qualify through your insurance for this service. If you would like to add automatic fall detection to your plan, it is $10 per month for the in-home systems and $5 per month for the mobile option.
| VRI System | Cost Per Month | Cost with Fall Detection | Shipping or Activation Fee |
| VRI In-Home Landline | $29.95 | $39.95 | $0.00 |
| VRI In-Home Cellular | $39.95 | $49.95 | $0.00 |
| VRI On-the-Go | $39.95 | $44.95 | $0.00 |
| VRI Medication Management | $29.95 per month if you add it to your VRI monitoring system $39.95 per month if you do not have a monitoring system with VRI | N/A | $0.00 |
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT VRI
Mobile Medical Alert with GPS Option – VRI On-the-Go unit with GPS and built-in fall detection is a great option for those who want protection outside of the home.
24-Hour Support – The VRI emergency support team is available 24/7. They also have a back-up call center and they are both based in the U.S.
Cellular Medical Alert System – They offer a cellular model in case you are without traditional land-line phone service.
Company Owned TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center – The monitoring center is TMA Five Diamond Certified which requires an annual renewal process. There are many benefits of being TMA Five Diamond Certified including a commitment to a higher-level monitoring service.
Discount for Advanced Payment – If you pay annually, you can receive one month free.
No Contract – You can cancel at any time, even before the service has started, if you change your mind.
Fall Detector Options – Falls are a huge concern among seniors and their loved ones. Fall detectors can be helpful because the user may be unable to press their button in a medical emergency.
Medical Monitoring Option – The future of the medical alert industry is wellness monitoring and VRI provides a great option with their VRI CareConnect solution.
Medication Dispenser – Caregivers will be happy to know they have medication monitoring services. The is a great add-on feature to your overall medical alert system.
WHAT WE DISLIKE ABOUT VRI
No Carbon Monoxide or Smoke Detection – Both are important features to have in your home and VRI does not have these options at this time.
Limited Product and Pricing Information – VRI provides very little detail about their products and no pricing information online. It takes a lengthy call to their sales team to get answers and even then, the sales reps don’t seem to know all the information you might need.
Too Many Equipment Options – Although they have an easy to use product selector, it returns results that aren’t really useful with no pricing available online either.
No Activity Monitoring – Activity monitoring typically requires the user to check-in with the system by pressing a button once every 24 hours or automatically checked with motion sensors and door contacts. This is very beneficial as it allows you to know that your loved one is active and about each day.
Insufficient Weekend Staff – The sales group is scarce on the weekends which can make it quite hard to gather any price or product information.
No Weekly Automatic Testing – Although VRI tests their system monthly to ensure it is working properly, we prefer a weekly test of the system. Be sure to test your system manually each week.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VRI
VRI provides user testimonials on their website, however they are not verified reviews from sources such as Trustpilot.
Some of the positive feedback seems to be the friendliness and calmness of the monitoring center reps. These reps are highly trained and will be an asset in an emergency for your loved one. Others are happy with the monthly system checks and overall peace of mind of the monitoring service.
With reviews being so scarce on this company, it was hard to find negative feedback. However, we did find a review from a user with a billing issue. VRI claimed to not have received payment from the user’s mother for over 4 years and wanted to collect the service fees for those months. This issue might have been rectified now since VRI requires a credit card on file to sign up for service.
VRI is a Better Business Bureau Accredited company and has an A+ BBB rating with only four complaints on file in the last three years as of writing this review.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
How much does the VRI medical alert cost per month?VRI has several options for in-home and on-the-go medical alert monitoring services. Their basic in-home landline package costs $29.95 per month.
Does VRI require long-term contracts?No, VRI does not require long-term service contracts and you can cancel anytime.
Does VRI offer medication monitoring?Yes. VRI offers a medication monitoring system which is discounted if you are already a VRI medical alert monitoring client.
Do I need a landline to get VRI in-home service?No, VRI has several in-home medical alert base options you can use with or without traditional in-home landline telephone service.
BOTTOM LINE – WILL IT FIT YOUR NEED?
VRI Care has been in the medical alert industry for over 20 years, however we found their website and weekend sales call center to be severely lacking in providing information. Our several calls to VRI’s customer service have gone well and the sales representatives are very friendly and do not rush us off the phone, however we have found they lack product knowledge and have to go to several different sources to get the information we provide in this review. We’ve reviewed this company a few times and have found this the case each time we call.
There was absolutely no sales pressure experienced during any of our calls to VRI which is a positive however they may ask for some personal information like your name and state. It appears as though VRI is not as end-user focused and perhaps more focused on dealers of their products. They offer several options for base units for their in-home medical alert service and this can be very confusing to the end user. We do like the fact that they do not have a contract or cancellation fee which makes them a company that is very easy to try out.
Their monthly costs are on the high side compared to other medical alert device products on the market. They do offer some great add-on features to their traditional monitoring service such as medication and vitals monitoring. We feel this is the future of the medical alert monitoring industry. There also are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees.
A huge plus is that their monitoring centers are owned by VRI and they are TMA Five Diamond Certified. If VRI would be more transparent with their products features, costs and fees online, comparing and buying their products and services would be much easier.
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.
