Home emergency call test: Winner of the Stiftung Warentest

Stiftung Warentest took a close look at home emergency services in the August 2018 edition. We present both the test winners and the losers in the test and also show you where you can conclude the best contract.

Test winner of the Stiftung Warentest: home emergency services with good emergency handling

The experts tested a total of nine home emergency calls and paid particular attention to how the emergency call was processed, how well the devices could be installed and whether specialist advice was given. In addition, the customer service and contracts as well as the terms and conditions were the focus of the test, whereby any defects were not included in the evaluation.

• The house emergency service of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) emerged as the winner in the test. The service impressed with a grade of 2.7 above all with its good handling of the emergency call. The technical advice was also good. However, the auditors found defects in the contracts, for example, they found an ineffective disclaimer. The nationwide service is available for around 23 euros per month for self-payers.
• In second place, with a grade of 2.8, came four services that were almost on par with the test winner: among them the home emergency call from the German Red Cross (DRK) and the Malteser Hilfsdienst. Both convinced, among other things, with good emergency handling, customer service and expert advice. The services of Vitakt and Volkssolidarität, which scored points for the commissioning, also came in second. Three of the house emergency calls cost around € 23 a month for self-payers, and around € 25 for Malteser.

Contracts and terms and conditions in the test - this is how the individual house emergency calls perform

With house emergency calls, it is primarily important that these provide quick help for senior citizens and other people who need help and care. For relatives, the contracts and terms and conditions are also interesting, which were also checked by Stiftung Warentest.

• The experts found the least deficiencies in the home emergency services from Vitakt (rating: 2.8), Libify (rating: 3.1) and Sonotel (rating: 3.8). There are two services for self-payers for € 23 per month, the Libify house emergency call costs € 24.90.
• With all other providers, the auditors identified clear deficiencies. In particular, the rear of the test had very clear shortcomings. Zembro's house emergency service (rating: 5.0) only delivers the German-language terms and conditions with the invoice.
• All details of the test can be found at Test.de.

Inadequate house emergency call in the test at Stiftung Warentest

One service failed the test and finished with a grade of 5.0.

• When it came to the most important task, namely processing the emergency call, Zembro's house emergency call received a poor rating (4.6). In addition, there were sufficient services from customer service and very clear shortcomings in terms of contracts and terms and conditions.
• With a price of 39 euros per month for self-payers, the service is also the most expensive of the test.

In the next article we will show you what you should pay attention to in the case of emergency systems for seniors.