lincare complaints

[Sir NoddinOff]

I'm currently using Apria and if you want to hear some bitchin' and moanin' about botched orders please do a search for Apria on this forum!

Given all that, I'm mildly satisfied with Apria's services after a few initial glitches with orders placed. The people who staff the phones don't often differentiate/understand if you mutter (for example) Quattro FX cushion or Swift FX cushion/pillows... too much caffeine on their part or not enough... I don't really know What I do to solve this problem is to spell it out somewhat like this: "I'd like a Quattro FX cushion which is for a full face mask NOT a nasal mask". Right away, I get them to repeat it back before we move onto the next item, making sure they got the item right. For my Climateline MAX hoses, I have to repeat about three time the MAX addition to the term (its a different heavy duty hose). Next I tell them they will probably have to special order it and also ask them to check my order history for the correct way to phrase the order. That always seems to work. It's more labor intensive for me at the onset of ordering, however in the long run it saves time at the other end of the order when the correct items arrive.

To be fair, some of this confusion is the fault of the CPAP manufacturer's who use weird nomenclature for what should be a simple naming process. Don't even get me started on machine naming

[FED UP]

LINCARE IN OHIO IS THE VERY WORST DME EVER. THEIR CLEARWATER HEADQUARTERS ARE JUST AS BAD==THEY DON'T ANSWER COMPLAINTS AT ALL. THERE IS NO ONE IN THE LOCAL OFFICE WITH ANY RESPIRATORY KNOWLEDGE, THEY LIE TO GET YOUR BUSINESS AND ONCE THEY CAP OUT YOUR BENEFITS THEY DON'T RESPOND TO YOU AT ALL. THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THE PATIENT NOR DO THEY CARE IF THEY HURT THE PATIENT MEDICALLY. THEY REGULARLY CHANGE RULES FORGET WHAT THEY PROMISED YOU TO GET YOUR BUSINESS THEN FAIL TO SUPPLY PRESCRIBED ITEMS. THEY ACTUALLY USED FRAUDULENT MEANS TO GET A PRESCRIPTION CHANGED. STAY AWAY YOU WILL BE SORRY PATIENT BEWARE. THE REGIONAL AND DISTRICT MANAGERS ARE JUST AS STUPID AS THE LOCAL STAFF UNPROFESSIONAL DISHONEST AND THE WORD MEANS NOTHING.2014

[Sclark08]

I switched to Lincare 2months ago. I'm switching back!

[Sharrykb]

Hmm...I'm new to CPAP and went to Lincare because I know someone who used to work there and he said their service is the best in town. My doctor had written a prescription that just said CPAP but I told the people at Lincare that I really want the ResMed S9 AutoSet but that I couldn't get in to talk to my doctor about it until next week. They wrote something up and took it over to the doctor's office and spoke with my doctor about it and guess what? I'm getting my ResMed S9 AutoSet this week. I'm hoping their service continues to be this good. Maybe the level of service varies from one location to another?

[chunkyfrog]

It most certainly does. My brother in Wyoming uses them, and they are available and prompt. (there)

[dhasson]

Lincare is not truthful about billing. The local office charged me $160 a month without my consent after I paid a $200 co-pay. They lied about a billing contract and are really rude and untruthful. I would highly recommend not using them at all, unprofessional and they rip you off. The plus side I have a new CPAP machine and I do not snore but they made the whole process pretty hard and I wouldn't go back to them again.

[TIRED OF LINCARE]

LINCARE PAINESVILLE OHIO IS THE WORST DME OUT THERE. FROM THE MANAGER TO STAFF ALL LIARS. THEY MAKE MANY PROMISES AND NEVER PRODUCE. ONCE THEY HAVE YOUR BUSINESS THEY FORGET YOU. BEEN WITHOUT A WORKING MACHINE TWO YEARS. COMPLAINED TO THEIR HEADQARTERS AND THEY ARE JUST HAS BAD. THERE IS NOTHING GOOD TO SAY BUT BUYER BEWARE AND STAY AWAY. ANYTHING IS BETTER THEN LINCARE. DUMB, RUDE, LIARS, DEFAMING AND YOU ARE NOT IN GOOD HANDS AT ALL. NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF THIEVES.

[Guest]

Hello im a patient out of Marlow Ok and I was very cocerned about two workers that delievered to us on July 19 2014 ,I walked out to meet them and the van reeked of Marijuana and for someone helping save livesI was very cocerened. On my recite the person was Justin C & the young lady was Monet Francois ,plz I would for them to hurt someone while driving.

[elmhurst1929]

I share the experiences expressed here. Just got off the phone with customer rep 'Carol', who not only was clueless about my questions but also resorted to rudeness when it turned out she lacked the know-how to solve the problem. Really, she started off rude before she even fully heard my questions. Honestly, how do such companies stay in business?? Their incompetence seems to exist in the billing and accounting department and then fully flourishes in their version of customer service. I was misled totally on the costs for their services . I will certainly be one customer who spreads the word. Now going to the Better Business Bureau site to note a complaint that, hopefully, will deter others.

From Durham, NC

[chunkyfrog]

I recommend these threads be read by DME managers--in their entirety;
as a condition of employment.

[Elmhurst2931]

Hey -- After posting a moment ago I went to the Better Business Bureau site to lodge a complaint and guess what Lincare's BBB rating is -- a big fat "F". So, even if some have had a decent experience with these folks, it's clear that the norm for them is way below acceptable. 43 unresolved complaints, and those are only those that have been reported to BBB

[palerider]

Hey -- After posting a moment ago I went to the Better Business Bureau site to lodge a complaint and guess what Lincare's BBB rating is -- a big fat "F".

well, that's a whole 'nother can o worms... seems the bbb has turned into a protection racket in recent years, so you can't really pay much attention to 'em...

bit like yelp and their 'paid reviews'

[pattysch]

YOU'RE FIRED, LINCARE! After two weeks of waiting, taking to condescending agents, Calls not returned and even the person in charge didn't bother to call back. Finally, I told to snotty LINCARE agent to fax my prescription to ADVANCED MEDICAL in Dayton, Ohio. Within three hours my order was filled and ready to be picked up, per my request (BTW: The agents were very nice). We have options, Just Fire the NO SERVICE "LINCARE" if you feel they aren't taking care of you.

[mitzi54]

I have been with Lincare as a customer since June 2014. I am calling the 1-888 number given to me by their office. I leave a message as requested..to date (4 weeks & 4 calls ) no one has responded.
I am also a medical Provider..I use Lincare for my patients. NO LONGER!! even the sales rep has not answered my calls..I am through with them..

[cathyf]

I had my sleep study on July 29, and got my prescription on Aug 26. At the sleep study they gave out a sheet with all of the local DMEs and said to check with your insurance to figure out who was in network. There was only one -- Lincare -- which is in a neighboring bigger town. (Of course they couldn't have the company that's in my town in their network. The one with people I know working there. *sigh*) I called my clinic back Monday afternoon and they faxed the prescription over to Lincare.

*crickets*

Thursday night I missed a call on my home phone and was cycling through the caller ID to see who it was and realized that earlier that day I had gotten a call from another local DME from the list, but not in network. So Friday I called them back, and she told me the weird story -- Lincare had faxed over my prescription to them, saying that they were NOT in Cigna's network. They didn't call me and they didn't call my clinic, just faxed it to this other DME. Who was nice enough to call me and tell me what was going on! Next I called Lincare, and there the person told me that they don't know why Cigna has them as in network, but her accounting person told her that they don't have a contract.

It's Friday afternoon before the Labor Day holiday, and my next step is to go through the voicemail ordeal with Cigna to look for another provider. They gave me another name that they said was in the same town as the Lincare office. I had the presence of mind to ask for in-network providers in the town that I work, which is 30 miles from home, in the other direction. They gave me two names plus the Lincare office here.

Tuesday I called the number for that was supposedly for the second in-network provider in the nearer town. I had a very confusing conversation until we figured out that the DME name was a place in Texas and the phone number was for an insurance-plan administrator not a DME -- a database screwup for sure. So now we are down to zero in-network DMEs at the 18-mile-away town, and I am moving on. I called Cigna back to make SURE that there weren't any closer places, and the customer (dis)service operator said, "you should use this company called Care Centrix!" and gave me their phone number. Being suspicious, I came here and put Care Centrix in the search bar and *whew* THAT would have been a mistake! Apparently they are the screw-the-customer subcontractors that insurance companies hire to "administer" benefits for people on their crappy low-cost plans. The way that they save money is that they screw everything up.

At this point I called the Cigna provider network hot line again, and got somebody willing to DISH! She shuddered at the mention of Care Centrix and told me to steer clear of them. When I told her about the Lincare cluster, she told me the scoop -- Lincare IS in the Cigna network, but they are refusing all new Cigna patients because Care Centrix screwed Lincare over so many times. Her comment cracked me up, "We LIKE Lincare, and we liked it better when THEY liked US!" She also sent me her complete list of providers for Illinois and Iowa, and confirmed the 2 DMEs in the town that I work in.

So, fortified by information from here, and with full skepticism, I called both of these local DMEs. One decided that since I have Cigna as network, and because I had not had an in-lab titration, I must have one of the super-crappy Cigna plans that they wouldn't pay for a titration, and that there was no way that they could get me a data-capable machine for what Cigna would pay them. (In fact, while the provider network is Cigna, the insurance -- the folks paying the bills -- are the self-insurance administrators, and the coverage is quite good.)

That's how I ended up with an A10 (regular, not the ForHer, that would have been on back order another month) with a reasonably good DME. Here's the timeline: May 13 -- did the ApneaLink screening which showed an AHI of 8 and a desat of 79%. That got me a sleep lab study on July 29. The report made it to my doctor on Aug 25. After the DME dance, I got my machine and used it for the first time on Oct 10.

But, anyway, if you have a Cigna network, whether you have Cigna insurance or not,
1) Lincare is not in network, no matter what they say; and
2) Stay away from Care Centrix!