State AG: Medical Device Company Failed to Respond to Calls for Help

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has issued a cease and desist order against an Odenton-based supplier of medical alert devices, alleging that the company did not respond to customer's calls for help.

The Consumer Protection Division in the Attorney General’s Office said Thursday that Medical Alert Buyers Alliance Corp. stopped responding to calls for emergency help after entering into more than 1,000 contracts and going into more than $100,000 into debt with a vendor.

The Attorney General named Glenn Chumley of Odenton in the complaint.

"Taking advantage of vulnerable Marylanders who depend on their medical alert devices is an appalling act that could lead to serious injury or even death and it must not be tolerated," Gansler said in a press release. "Consumers rely on emergency alert providers for help when they need it most."

The Attorney General also said Chumley made unauthorized charges on customers’ credit cards and failed to honor warranties and guarantees.

Chumley could not be reached for comment. A number for VIP Medical Alert in Odenton, which lists Chumley as the main contact, was not in service.

The charges against Chumley and his company included two petitions from customers who said they paid for a medical alert device and service but received no response when they tried to use it. One person said their mother tried using the device when she fell and broke her shoulder, but no one responded. Another consumer said she waited hours before finally getting help, after she could not reach anyone using the device she bought from Chumley.

The Better Business Bureau has given a grade of “F” to the company, claiming that the company has received 20 complaints over the last three years, with a failure to respond to 15 of them. The BBB said the company has failed to resolve the underlying cause of the pattern of complaints.

Chumley has been ordered to return any payments his company received without authorization. He has been ordered to appear at an administrative hearing on March 27, where penalties will be determined. In the meantime, he’s been ordered to stop selling the medical devices unless he can post $20,000 in bond or other security.

Anyone who wants to submit a complaint against Chumley or Medical Alliance Corp. is asked to call the Consumer Protection Division at 410-576-6569 or write the Division at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202.