One Call Alert Review

One Call Alert is affiliated with MobileHelp, so looking at their medical alert products and services may give you déjà vu. We combed through each company’s catalog to find the differences. There’s nothing unique about One Call Alert compared to MobileHelp. In fact, MobileHelp has more equipment options and better prices if you’re willing to pay on a quarterly basis.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with One Call Alert if you want a simple medical alert system and plan to make monthly payments. Let’s take a closer look at what this medical alert company offers and when you should consider purchasing from its sister site MobileHelp instead.

You lease all equipment from One Call Alert, so you don’t need to make a significant up-front investment.

The main cost associated with One Call Alert is its monthly monitoring fee. You can choose to pay on a month-to-month, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis. Paying in bulk saves you some money in the long run.

Here are some of the other One Call Alert fees you should know about:

• There’s a one-time $49.95 processing fee for the In-Home Wireless system, but every other One Call Alert system has zero hidden fees.
• Ground shipping is usually free, but other shipping options may cost $15 and up.
• All orders come with a free lockbox.
• Fall detection is optional and costs an extra $11 a month.
• An extended warranty, product discount, and price lock guarantee cost an extra $6 each month.

One Call Alert technically offers a price lock guarantee, but it’s not a very generous one. If you sign up for One Call Alert at a promotional rate, that rate lasts for the first year of service. After that, the rate can increase. Enrolling in the $6-a-month Connect Premium plan locks in your non-promotional rate for just two years.

If a free, long-term price lock guarantee is important to you, we recommend Bay Alarm Medical or LifeFone.

As we mentioned, One Call Alert is exceptionally similar to MobileHelp. But MobileHelp has more to offer, including wall buttons, a unique touchscreen tablet/base station, and optional services like medication reminders and activity tracking.

Since it’s so important for friends and family members to stay in the loop, we prefer to see medical alert systems with caregiver features—which One Call Alert doesn’t have.

All in all, One Call Alert gets left behind by the competition. There are better options for similar prices.

One Call Alert doesn’t require a long-term contract, but you’re welcome to pay up to a year in advance—which could be a smart move since it provides a buffer against any sudden price increases. You’ll get a prorated refund if you cancel before using all of the days you paid for—minus all shipping and processing fees if canceling after the 30-day trial period.

Because One Call Alert leases its equipment, there are no warranties. You simply send back a defective unit and get a replacement. Beware, though, that One Call Alert may fine you up to $650 if they believe the system was damaged “as a result of negligence or misconduct.”¹ The optional $6-a-month Connect Premium service protects you from this hefty fine.

You’ll get hit with the same $650 fee if you fail to return the equipment after canceling the service. Return shipping is at your expense.

You can get in-home and mobile devices from One Call Alert, as well as a bundled package that includes both. There aren’t any wall buttons, voice-activated buttons, motion sensors, or other accessories.

With the exception of the landline system, all One Call Alert devices connect to AT&T’s cellular network. The landline system is also the only equipment package that isn’t compatible with a fall detection pendant.

One Call Alert’s Mobile On-the-Go system covers all the bases. It works as both an in-home and mobile system, so you don’t have to worry about losing coverage when you head out. Just make sure you grab the base unit before you leave the house.

It does the same job as the Complete Protection package but costs less per month.

One Call Alert provides professional medical alert monitoring services through Rapid Response Monitoring. And . . . that’s it. One Call Alert offers no extra services.

While medication reminders are mentioned on the One Call Alert website, we didn’t see any option to add that service during checkout.

You’ll also miss out on activity tracking and a web-based caregiver portal—both of which are offered by MobileHelp.

One Call Alert provides phone support, live chat, and email support. We found overwhelmingly positive reviews from both One Call Alert and MobileHelp users, but we did read some reviews written by people who struggled to get refunds or cancel the service.

One Call Alert is not BBB accredited even though it claims to be on its website.² MobileHelp does have an A+ BBB rating with 4.7 out of 5 stars from its customer reviews as of publication.³ 

One Call Alert’s products and services are very basic: you get a base station, pendant, and emergency monitoring. Period. If that’s all you’re looking for, there’s nothing wrong with signing up for One Call Alert.

But we think it makes more sense to sign up for MobileHelp just to make sure you have access to optional equipment and services if you want to expand coverage later.

Neither One Call Alert nor MobileHelp is our top choice for interactive caregiving features or for people who don’t want to wear a help button. Be sure to view our complete list of the best medical alert companies for more options.

For our One Call Alert review, we studied the company’s history and judged its relative value by comparing it to MobileHelp—its parent company—and other medical alert brands. We combed through One Call Alert’s terms and conditions to verify its contracts and policies, and read real user reviews to look for patterns and red flags. Learn more on our Safewise methodology page.

• How to Choose a Medical Alert System
• How to Talk to Your Parents About a Medical Alert System
• Most Affordable Medical Alert Systems
• Best Medical Alert Systems with GPS

1. One Call Alert, “Terms and Conditions.” Accessed October 18, 2022.
2. Better Business Bureau, “One Call Alert, LLC.” Accessed October 18, 2022.
3. Better Business Bureau, “MobileHelp.” Accessed October 18, 2022.