DO NOT BUY FROM CPAP.COM

[SharkBait]

I bought a nose mask and a chin strap from cpap.com and returned it with 7 days. It did not work for my face. I tried it for 5 nights and I just did not like it. When cpap.com received it they emailed me back this: "We have received the FlexiFit HC405 Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear -All Sizes (S, L) Included and PURESOM Premier Style Chinstrap in ourfacilities. You stated that you would like to send both back for arefund, however, neither are eligible for return. The return insurancewas declined on the mask and the chinstrap has been opened. Pleaseadvise on how you would like us to proceed. We will hold the packagein our returns department until we hear back from you." I did not know anything about return insurance. Who has ever heard of return insurance. And how do you try out a chin strap without opening it. I want someone to tell me this. I would advise anyone not to try cpap.com. I have never heard of a company that will not allow products to be returned.........

When you added the mask to your cart, it AUTOMATICALLY prompted you as to whether you want the return insurance or not. I know because I have purchased 3 masks and purchased the insurance with all 3...

[jnk]

This chart might help me decide when return insurance would be a particularly good idea for a particular mask:

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-mask-insurance-rates.php

[LinkC]

Too bad they don't have "I-didn't-bother-to-read-the-terms-of-sale insurance".

Oh, wait! I think they do! (And somebody just paid the premium...)

[tdm5032c]

Krystal3001,
I agree with the other posts above, you should have read the information on the order page BEFORE you ordered. I, for one, would not like to get a used mask from CPAP.com if I had paid for and ordered a new one. What do you think they do with this now "used" mask from you know that you decided you didn't like it? They are a business and wouldn't be able to stay in business if they just gave back the money on used masks that the customers decided they didn't like. It's just plain simple economics. That's what they offer the return insurance for. For just a little bit more money, you know HAVE the option to reutrn a mask if it doesn't work out. You elected NOT to buy that option. It's all over on their website if you would have looked. I don't think I've seen any other website offer such insurance and give you that option. Plain and simply put, it was your own fault you can't now get your money back. These aren't cheap five dollar items that you can return on a whim like it's Walmart, this is high quality, sterile medical supplies.

Most everybody on here is pretty loyal to CPAP.com for a number of reasons. I beleive they even sponsor this forum that is extremely effective in educating and helping people make a real difference in the treatment of their sleep apnea. I know personally this site has made the difference between me making it and sticking to CPAP treatment and just plain giving up, which I probably would have done with-out all the friendly help on here. Sorry for the way it worked out for you, but as Babette put it, you won't find much sympathy here, and for very good reason. CPAP.com cannot force somebody to read the policies on their page that YOU agree to on purchase. All they can do is give you the information.

Next time purchase the return insurance if you want to be able to return a mask.

Tracy

[Hawthorne]

The policy seems reasonable to me. They clearly state that, if you want to return a mask you have to buy the return insurance. I think that is more than fair, since it is medical equipment that touches a person's skin. So is the chin strap.

Cpap.com also guarantees that when I order anything from them, it will be new - not a used or returned item.

Actually, there are probably some companies that would not even offer return insurance! They would say "Since this is medical equipment of this type (something that would touch a person's skin)- no returns or refunds". Certain other items, like underwear , and some other items that would also touch a person's skin are also not returnable.

Without that policy, I would NOT buy from cpap.com or any company selling medical equipment of this type. You may choose not to buy from them because they DO have that policy.

Yes, there are a lot of loyal cpap.com people on this forum because their prices are great, their policies are fair and reasonable and------they sponser this forum.

[roster]

...........2. Chin Strap, despite the fact it's been posted many times here that generally chin straps aren't the answer for most. The only thing I can think could be wrong with one is that it's too small for you head. I doubt if this is your problem. ..........

Jim, Priceless.

[johnnygoodman]

Howdy Krystal3001,

I am responsible for CPAP.com. I set and enforce the policies you object to. I'm sorry that the mask you purchased from us wasn't effective. The two truths that play here are: facial features vary and the free market works. To balance these facts, we do the following:

1. Offer return insurance on every mask we sell, with a price that corresponds to the return rate for that specific mask. This return insurance is offered after you click Add To Cart on any mask. You have to explicitly click no to refuse it, but you can, if you know the mask you are buying already fits or just want to roll the dice. Also, we have a whole category that only offers return insurances. Every order we accept from the web has a box at the end that explains our return policy. Its a required box. If you don't accept our terms, we can't accept your business - because if we bend on the terms, the price goes up for everyone.

I wish there was a better solution to this that allowed us to make both the "I want to return anything on demand" and the "Johnny doesn't want CPAP.com to go broke" sides work without compromise. Until one is found, I must balance as I can. These are the lines I've drawn. My competitors are...well...competitors, and if you read their fine print they do the same thing. Any one of them could pick up more business short term changing them, but they don't because this is the common sense way to balance good business with customer interests.

2. We offer a free mask sizing guide. Its not universally loved by all on this board as its overly strict on what'll fit, but it will eliminate the "way off" sizing purchases.

3. We offer this forum, which is a good tool for advice and help, in addition to being a bull horn to yell "SCREW THESE GUYS".

4. We are open from 8 AM - 10 PM CST Mon-Fri and 8 AM - 6 PM CST Sat. We hire people who have good communication skills and put them through months of training before they are allowed to assist you on the phone solo. They are specially trained jet fighter ninjas sent back through time to help you with your CPAP mask. Its free to call them, they don't work on commission and there are no "average call time" metrics quotas. 1-800-356-5221. (Also, if you are an early bird, we're experimenting with a 7 AM - 8 AM CST call slot M-F. That'll be available through the end of the month at minimum.)

5. We made CPAPAuction.com, which is an auction website where you can buy or sell new and used CPAP equipment. It supports prescriptions, has a lot of feedback built up and is a good market place. You can take the mask and supplies that aren't working for you, have a "CPAP.com sucks" special, turn them into cash and use the service I provide to stick it to me by shopping at my competitor. I think our current fee for a $100 sale would be ~$5. Also, all the product data is imported from CPAP.com, so its way easy to list.

Conclusion:

A lot of times people post to CPAPtalk with a CPAP.com order gripe and I may not agree with it, but I can see why they acted as they did and why they are frustrated. People can take the time to improve their condition and still get sold the wrong thing because my website wasn't 100% clear and accurate, or a fluke occurs, or any number of good faith things happen. I believe in being flexible in these cases. I'm here to help people and doing so is good business.

As I look at your case, I feel like you've put more time into posting the complaint than into shopping for the product. Is your position that you should be able to buy and return anything when ever you want with no effort on your part? If you take that position and apply it to every CPAP user, is the world better or worse? Is your position that CPAP.com didn't do enough to set you up to succeed or to get the right stuff? If so, where did we go wrong?

If your position is "I just want to be able to do it, its my right" with no explanation as to why or even the thought that one should be offered, then I truly and sincerely don't see merit in your claims.

However, I'll make you this deal. If you can give me something our company did wrong that lead you to this point, and I can use that point to improve my business, post it to this thread, have 2 other registered and known CPAPtalk members say "Johnny, I think that's a fair point", I'll accept your return and refund your money. Otherwise, I'll sleep well at night holding the line and encourage you to either order a mask that you know has worked well for you in the past or get some free help which is abundantly available before making a buying decision.

Johnny, who still believes people are responsible for their own actions, no matter what the TV tells him or how nasty a thread this ends up being.

[boston]

First off its medical equipment, you read before you buy. They offered return insurance, you gambled, thought you didnt need it, you lost.
Second, you should always find out the return policy before you buy anything online.

I wanted to try a swift LT and didnt want to pay full price not knowing if I'd like it or not, so I got a new one, sealed, off of cpapauction.com.

If you'd like to buy a mask online, you might try to buy a used one from cpapauction.com and make sure you like it, or go to a local DME and try some one, find one you like, then go buy online.

[Hawthorne]

Actually, cpap.com stated, in their reply to you say that they are holding the items for some action from you. They say they are holding them in their returns department until they hear from you. They say - "Please advise how you would like us to proceed".

Contact them and tell them to return the items to you. I don't know if they would ship them back to you without you paying the shipping or not. You were, after all, at fault for not reading their policy carefully.

Even if you have to pay for them to ship them back to you, get them and sell them on cpapauction.com, where used items (as long as they are identified as such) can be sold. Take a look at that site. At least you can recoup some of your money.

[kteague]

Sorry to hear things didn't turn out as you had expected on this transaction. Tough lesson to learn. Trying to find equipment that works for us can be one of the most frustrating aspects of making this treatment work, and to hit extra bumps in the road on the journey is not what one wants to deal with. You probably feel attacked over this, but I hope you can get past that and see the other side of the story. Even if off to a rough start, please feel welcome to hang around.

Kathy

P.S. Should you be inclined to edit the title of your post, that option is available.

[TheDreamer]

I have never heard of a company that will not allow products to be returned.........

Ya...I'm really annoyed that well-known-store.com wouldn't take back the underwear I had ordered from them, just because after washing them first and then wearing them one night..I found they were the wrong size.

And, then later I bought some other brand from their brick and mortor location, and found it to be uncomfortable...and they still wouldn't give me a refund.

Just for that I'll never buy underwear again......

The Dreamer.

[jnk]

I have never heard of a company that will not allow products to be returned.........

Ya...I'm really annoyed that well-known-store.com wouldn't take back the underwear I had ordered from them, just because after washing them first and then wearing them one night..I found they were the wrong size.

And, then later I bought some other brand from their brick and mortor location, and found it to be uncomfortable...and they still wouldn't give me a refund.

Just for that I'll never buy underwear again......

The Dreamer.

Sounds like The Dreamer is out there, and lovin' every minute of it!

http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:aoK ... cd=2&gl=us

[Bigburd]

Kinda strange, two topics in one day about unhappy customers.

[carbonman]

Johnny, who still believes people are responsible for their own actions.

WOW.....you're pretty young for radical thinking like that.....

.....if you keep it up, it may become fashionable,
again.

[SharkBait]

For folks that have never bought a mask from cpap.com, I want to reiterate -- As soon as you add a mask to your basket, a page comes asking you if you want 30 day return insurance.

For example:

Return Insurance Option
A Cost Effective Way To Trial New Masks
$13.32

The purchase of return insurance allows you to return this item to us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund of the product's purchase price less shipping.

All CPAP Masks offered on CPAP.com are brand new. Nothing sold on our website has been used previously by another customer. Our policy protects your health and is prudent for companies who sell medical equipment.

....

yada, yada, yada...

At that point you either click "Add to Cart" or "No Thanks, Take me to the Shopping Cart".

If someone wants to claim they missed the insurance policy after the "auto insurance" screen comes up, that's on them. But please don't be pissed when I tell you that I don't believe you. You gambled, you lost. You threatened to trash the company on the website. They didn't buckle. Nice try, move on...