zeee French 420E and the DME

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:08 am

Maybe its just me, but I found this hysterically funny.....

After all the usual problems of being jerked around by my DME, I finally get an appointment to pick up my 420E machine. They come out to the lobby and tell me they'll be right back, but they just have to "grab my machine".

Almost an hour later.......

They (a trained professional RT and seasoned customer service person) come out and apologise for it taking so long, but they were apparently given a FRENCH machine and it has taken the two of them together that long to get it into english and change ONLY the pressure settings (wrong settings, but that a digression.)

So I toddle off, having begged a clinicians manual from them and thinking it would indeed be hard to figure things out, if all these commands are staring at you in French.

It takes me two days to finally realize.....there are NO WORDS on the settings on the machine, only symbols and numbers?
WTF is FRENCH????!!! ...pardon the french....

I finally figured it out. The machine had the pressure in metric/si units (hPa) instead of "english" (cm, H2O....which is still technically "french").
Which also takes about 5 minutes, if you are very unlucky and miss it at first, to find in the manual, and how hard is it to hold down the hidden button while plugging in the machine to toggle this, as clearly stated in the manual? I would say that adds at least another 10 seconds.

"French" settings......

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:30 am

Alors, zere are eediots in every langue.... eh, language.

Incroyable (can't remember how to spell that.. incroiyable? incroisyable?) .....ah well, I mean "Incredible".

O.

capt · Post by **capt** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:59 am

That is almost as funny as the story in the worst cpap moment post! What makes it not so funny is when you think what might be happening to the people that get all their assistance and medical treatment from such highly trained professionals.

UKnowWhatInSeattle · Post by **UKnowWhatInSeattle** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 1:53 pm

I always get a smile of some of the franglish used in the UI of the software. The menu option to get data from your machine is "Downloading Compliance". But hey, it works!

Laissez Les Bons Temps Dormir (Let the the good times to sleep).

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:37 pm

Snork, if that story wasn't so funny it would be sad.

Actually it is a sad commentary on your DME and their RT. You'd think someone with a modicum of technical training (such as an RT) would understand metric, or at least recognize it for what it is.

Fatigue Fighter · Post by **Fatigue Fighter** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:46 pm

Snork1,
Too funny about your DME (but they took 1 hour to get back to you with your machine???). Now that is sad.

My DME told me (in a very serious and strict tone of voice, "Whatever you do...don't touch that card"). They said it was only for Respironics use for maintenance of the machine. Oh brother. I knew very well it was the software card. I called the DME a couple weeks later to see if they would download the softare and print it out (just to see if they really knew what it was for). Of course, they had no clue. They even told me not to go with any machine too complicated cause they wouldn't know how to adjust it properly. Huh????!!! I recall they did know how to plug it in though!
FF

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:52 pm

They even told me not to go with any machine too complicated cause they wouldn't know how to adjust it properly.

At least they're honest....
O.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:52 am

snork, you tell things so vividly!! ROTFL!!

But you know...this aside of yours:

(wrong settings, but that a digression.)

That's a pretty serious mistake for the "professionals" to make. Granted, they were messing with a machine you had them order and they don't usually handle. But, still.....

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:14 am

rested gal wrote:snork, you tell things so vividly!! ROTFL!!

But you know...this aside of yours:

(wrong settings, but that a digression.)
That's a pretty serious mistake for the "professionals" to make. Granted, they were messing with a machine you had them order and they don't usually handle. But, still.....

Well....They were CLOSE.......sigh.....

I remember at some point, someone came out and mentioned something about only being able to get to a "half" on the pressure. Since I hadn't seen the machine, i could only nod.

I got the machine home and found the pressure set to 4.5 to 10.5cm instead of the prescribed 5-10cm (and I had been running 6-10 for comfort) soI was feeling starved out at 4.5. Oddly, I flipped open the clinician manual, found the easy instructions and can't for the life of me figure out why they couldn't get the correct pressure, once they figured out how to change it at all, since you just had to hold down the up/down key a second more to get it RIGHT.

Now could you imagine if I depended on these trained professionals to figure out if I needed the IFL1 switch on of off? I can't wait to get the cable and software!

Well, thank gawd I switched from the REALLY bad DME I was using. Believe it or not, this DME is the BETTER one.

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:07 pm

Further DME funnies............

OK, I may occasionally give bad advice, for which there are luckily people on the forum to temper that bad advice, but at least I am careful not to even pretend to be a "professional" such at those we are SUPPOSED TO totally depend on to take care of us.

Apparently I have zeee french cable too? or some similar weak excuse.

The trained professionals at the DME sent me home with the wrong cable to hook up to the 420E to get data. OK, I figure they can grab the wrong one, an honest mistake. Soooo, I call them. Try to explain I need a cable with a "phone plug at one end", to keep it simple for them. They are insistent they gave me the correct cable. I explain that maybe they sent me home with a Resmed cable (per info from this forum). NOPE, they insist.

So here's the good part..... "Maybe that cable is for their bigger machine. Maybe they switched it to a different cable when they recently came out with the travel size."

OOOOOO..K. whatever. But they are going to check into it with their rep. I do hope they speak French.......

Anyone have an "older" PB machine or a "bigger" PB machine that uses a cable with a serial plug connection at both ends? I am trying to figure out if they are just dated for their info, or just plain out to lunch.

or can I fall on the floor laughing now.......

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:40 pm

or can I fall on the floor laughing now.......

What a story!

I suspect that you and your floor are about to become well acquainted!

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:48 pm

I didn't wait - I was laughing my head off.

O.