Great Call, Inc

This review is for Great Call located in Carlsbad — since I can’t find a Carlsbad Unilocal location. I will say outright that I’m spoiled by APPLE and the ease of set-​up with same. We purchased a Jitterbug 5 for my mother because of ease of use. BE AWARE that the «set-​up» for this phone takes approximately 25 minutes — on the phone — partially because the rep (who was professional and courteous) will ask several marketing-​related questions. Also, BE AWARE that there is a HIDDEN COST that is NOT mentioned on the Jitterbug/​Great Call enclosed information — a $ 35.00 set-​up fee (with taxes for our area it came to $ 43.10) It’s a one-​time fee but again, no mention of same on the front of the Jitterbug/​Great Call packaging.

Literal jerks. If you have a loved one or if it is you with this Great Call, Inc., you are in trouble. My mother whom is elderly lost her phone. Great Call played games three separate telephone calls with us trying to locate her phone. They want her to purchase a new one. Not only that, they are RUDE, STUPID, IGNORANT AND GREEDY. WE ARE GOING ELSEWHERE!

The worst customer service I have ever experienced –Have tried for 2 days to get through to customer service _​_​WHAT A JOKE !!! I don’t think they even have a customer service dept, just a recorded message tell you what Q # You are. in. the only dept that answers is sales —— IMAGINE THAT !! — –! When you call them they act all sweet and transfer you to Q !!! can’t even get through to cancel service !!! DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE if you think you wil lever need customer service – they don’t have any.

I got my dad the new Splash medical alert device since I worry about him when he goes out on his own into the woods for hunting. His health is unpredictable as he is battling cancer and dealing with unfortunate effects from his body’s rejection of his stem cell transplant. Knowing he has a simple mobile emergency response device on him when he’s out and about gives me great peace of mind. It’s only $ 19.99 per month, which is much less expensive than comparable device options I looked at. We got to enter all essential information about him into a profile that would be useful in an emergency in case he was unable to communicate: We entered all the anti-​rejection medications he’s currently taking, the painkillers and his medical condition (multiple myeloma), plus my and other family members’ contact information. With how many medications he is on, it is essential that there are no unintentional dangerous drug interactions, and I like that emergency response personnel will have my information immediately. We chose the upgraded plan which includes an app that shows his activity using the device (whether it is turned on, the power level, and notifications if/​when he places a call). Thankfully there hasn’t been an incident in need of it yet, so we’ve only done a couple test calls when he first received the device. It makes me really happy to know that I can keep an eye on him when I can’t physically be there. Based on the test calls we made, I can tell that the agents are well-​trained and equipped to assist. They first asked if we were calling with an emergency, then when we said it was just a test, they verified our address through GPS. The sound was loud and clear, and the device is waterproof and appears to be durable. He also accidentally pressed the button once, and he said that they called him right back through the device to check that everything was ok. This is such a great product and service for a very affordable price, so I give it 5 stars.

I got the 5Star splash for my step-dad’s 93 year old mother. It has given him real peace of mind since she is out-​and-​about in the facility where she lives, never caries her cell phone and is not always within reach of her land-​line phone. She is the hypochondriac type and has used the 5Star device to speak to a nurse or doctor (included in the service) when she wasn’t feeling well several times. The doctor who comes round her nursing home once a week checked out the device too and was impressed by it. Definitely recommend getting one for your elderly parents or grandparents.

My mother fell and pushed the button on Great Call. It did not work. She was trapped on the floor for 90 minutes before crawling to her phone and calling me. It appears that my debit card was one of millions in a security breach and I was issued a new card. When the card was declined at GreatCall, they never notified me although they had my phone number, emaiil, and address on record. They CLAIM they called my mother, but she is hard of hearing and has early Alzheimer’s. The card was in my name and they should have contacted me before disconnecting. It gets worse. When I reactivated the account, they said my device $ 35 device was obsoolete. today at Walmart I purchased the $ 65 device since that was all that was available. To make matters worse, they made me pay an additional $ 40 reactivation fee – even though they were the ones that deactivated the account without telling me.

Consumer ALERT:
We bought and recommended this service to our family and friends, but since then learned one thing. IF you are away from your relatives, like we are from our elderly, handicap father with dementia and the equipment is not working, like in our case — the equipment was defective, and not working for several months until we got to dad’s for the holidays. YOUR MONTHLY PREMIUMS will still be charged to your credit card.
AWARD for Worst Customer Service:
Just spoke to a woman who identified herself as SANDY, a SENIOR Customer Service Representative from GREAT Call in Carlsbad/​San Diego. This individual should be FIRED or retrained to the warehouse. When I asked this SENIOR Representative how they warn elderly folks and their families when their service is not working and whether they stop charging us for service that is not working due to their own equipment not working, she started with an attitude that was unacceptable & offensive.
SUGGESTION;
Very disappointed on a service we recommended to family and friends, and UNTIL they put into place MECHANISMS that alert families that an equipment is not working and stop billing them — Stay away from these folks.

Their 5 star device is awesome and if you have a daughter or wife in college who has to walk across campus late at at night or works at the mall etc. This is a definite must have. GO on line and check out the details. Could Save A Life… No B.S.

I went to Walmart to buy the 5 star alert device to get a discounted price. I tried it for 48 days and didn’t like it so returned it to Walmart for a full refund of $ 47. 3 months went by before I realized I was still being charged 17.97/ mo for Greatcall on my credit card. I called Greatcall and asked them why I was still being charged and they said that is for the service and I should have called to cancel that when I returned the phone. Well, I was not aware of that and I tried to get them to cancel the charges. They refused and were very cold about it. I told her that if their company is marketing to senior citizens they should be providing better guidance to prevent these problems. She said too bad you owe it in so many words. So I told her ok I have paid it, but I will let all my senior pals know how I was treated by Greatcall and will advise them to do business elsewhere. We know when our business is not wanted.

GreatCall, Jitterbug statement gave me the heeebeeejeebies. I love the phone it’s uncomplicated and has big numbers. Perfect for my needs. But, the statement is a bit misleading, and I landed a $ 291 bill for going over on my minutes to the tune of .35 a min. Seniors on fixed income is who they mkt to, and will add texting for $ 3 and check in calls or pharmcy reminders. BUT, tell you you are going over on your minutes. No siree, that they can’t do. I’m leaving them because their statement is too ridiculous to understand. Now that they are bigger too, their customer service is not nice like it once was.