Personal Emergency Response Kit Recalled Due to Remote Battery Failure

A recall has been issued for Visonic personal emergency response system kits, following complaints that indicate that the warning signal for a low or dead battery may fail, posing a potential risk that the device will not work in life-threatening situations when users are in need assistance.  

The Visonic Amber Classic and Amber Select X Personal Response System kits recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on September 11, following at least one report of the device failing to send a warning signal to the user and system administrator to replace the battery.

Personal emergency response systems (PERS) are commonly used by the elderly, those who live alone, or people with health conditions that can be life threatening if not attended to immediately. The devices typically include a remote pendant that is worn or carried and a base station connected to a phone line within the home. This allows the person in need of help to press a button on the pendant that will send a signal to the base station alerting that assistance is needed.

The recalled Visonic Personal Response System Kits include the Amber Classic models with catalog number 0-7425 and serial numbers ranging between 0408044281 and 4410052723 and the Amber SelectX models with catalog number 0-100729 and serial numbers ranging between 2308600299 and 3013079617. The systems consists of white base stations that measure 9 inches wide by 7 inches deep and 2 inches high and have an emergency button that is red on the Classic model and grey on the SelectX model.

The emergency system kits were manufactured in Israel by Visonic Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel where they were imported to the U.S. a sold at Visonic distributors and professional alarm installation firms nationwide from January 2008 through August 2013 for between $220 and $240 per kit.

The CPSC recommends that those with affected emergency kits contact their system installer or Visonic at 800-223-0020 immediately to either reset the unit or add an additional base unit. Visonic is advising users not to try and reconfigure the device themselves and to manually test the Amber PERS pendant regularly for low battery alarms.