Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The 5star Responder and 5star Response is amazing. It's probably the most portable, cost effective personal safety device on the market. As a lifelong allergy and asthma sufferer who's had a few close calls, I had considered purchasing a medical alert button before but I found every other service far too expensive (and just a little bit uncool... hey I'm only 29). Then I found the 5Star Responder. 5Star is so much more than your typical medial alert button. It's really like a personal emergency concierge or an On*Star for people. 5Star isn't just for medical emergencies. You can call 5Star for any urgent or potentially urgent situation. You could be afraid to walk to your car alone at night, run low on gas and need directions to the nearest station, or hear strange noises in your home. At the push of a button a friendly 5Star agent will come on the line and offer assistance. Thanks to the unit's built in GPS the agent on the line will know exactly where you are and where to send help if you need it. The responder device retails for under $50 and the monthly service fee (after a one time activation charge) is just $14.99 with no contract and it works anywhere on the Verizon network. This means that unlike a traditional medical alert button that's fixed to your home, the 5Star responder goes with you and is ready to provide assistance anywhere you happen to be. The device is small and weighs just 1.8 ounces. I keep mine clipped to my belt and I hardly notice I'm wearing it. When traditional medical alert companies charge $30-45 dollars a month for a service you can't take with you, 5Star is definitely a bargain. As an added bonus, 5Star even offers a LiveNurse service that a 5Star agent can conference in for you to answer any of your health or medical questions. Best of all, GreatCall's 5Star Response has rock star customer service. I had a little trouble getting my device to activate due to a technical problem with a Verizon tower in my area. As a techie I usually hate calling tech support or customer service centers but Great Call connected me with the best customer service agent I've ever worked with. Not only did he seem concerned with my service... but he seemed concerned about me as a person and by the end of the call I felt like I was talking to a trusted friend or colleague. GreatCall also offers a 5Star Response app for the iPhone. I tested the app and it worked well too but I ultimately decided to go with the 5Star Responder as a standalone unit because if you're like me your iPhone is never charged when you need it or perhaps you don't carry it around with you in the gym. The standalone unit has much better battery life and is a lot easier to keep with you. It might be nice if 5Star offered some sort of combination where you could have both the stand alone device and the maybe the iPhone app for just a few dollars more (it never hurts to have a backup) but so far that's not an option. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my service and my purchase and I would highly recommend this device to anyone who is concerned about their personal safety. Update: GreatCall now lets you use the mobile app for no additional cost if you have the 5star Responder. You just need to download the app on your smart phone and use the same email address you used to register your 5star responder. The mobile app will share the same profile as your 5star responder.