Poll: Are you happy with your current supplier? VOTE Please

[Grems4ever]

I voted yes, but I feel I must qualify that vote with the following disclaimer:

I have a HMO that dictates that I use their supplier - so if I want coverage I have to put up with them. I have two different locations to choose from and they are complete opposites from each other. One location needs to learn the meaning of customer service and some basic communication skills. The other (which is a branch location of the first) is absolutely wonderful to deal with. They go out of their way to meet your needs and are not happy until you are. I bet you know which one I go to.

Right now I'm in a trial mode with my insurance company. If they decide to cover on a more permanent basis, I may explore my options (ie online providers) in order to save some money. I'll have to pick up 20% of the cost, so I''d like to minimize my out of pocket expenses as much as possible.

David

[Georgio]

I probably wouldn't be except that Cpap.com fulfills all my XPAP needs. They have the best prices and their service is outstanding. I actually recieved my Resperonics M-Series w/ A-Flex bundle with card reader and software within 25 hours of the time I placed my order! I was anxious to get going and they were a big help getting me to where I am today. Thanks cpap.com.

Georgio

[Billy6]

I couldnt get rid of mine fast enough. Unfortunately it took 3 calls to my physician to get it moved out of Apria

[webnrrd2k]

I'm going to a full-on sleep clinic now, the South Coast Sleep Center (based in Laguna Beach, but the offices are in Laguna Niguel) and I get most of the stuff I need through the sleep center. I've been very happy with them. I had Aprea before, and it was horrible. They gave me masks that were way too small, there was very little help. They messed up orders and took forever to get anything out of them. This sleep center is much, much better.

[gmoorhouse]

Wow who have you dealt with.

Apria has been the BEST BEST BEST customer service of any DME

My wife has AMERICAN HOME PATIENT here in Summerville, SC THEY ARE HORRIBLE AND DO NOT CARE IF THEY KILL YOU

I assume customer service is very area dependant but they and their corporate was horrible Tricare Plus we paid 268 for the initial DOS CPAP, paid via credit card with approval before we were allowed to get the equimpment. Well 2 months later we had a late fee.......3 months later she was received a flier that she's eligible for her new supplies, she called and they sked them. Called about 2 weeks later and guy said your account is "past due" no supplies. Went to Tricare Service Center and he looked at receipts, checks and said "AHP" Has a billing problem and they should get it correct in a week. Doctor did a script for increase in pressure and faxed to AHP, nothing heard from them..........doctor faxed it, nothing.......called corporate and they didn't understand accound was good but they did see where AHP opened up TWO accounts. Now AHP said they sent the supplies she asked for but was denied due to past due..........no supplies received, no UPS from AHP (hell they are only 3 miles down the road) but they charged us for these.......they said I said we received them when I said "the only supplies she received were the ones on our DOS 4/11 when we originally received the equipment.


What a mess.............billing don't even ask.........had to have BBB help.......cause Tricare Service Center Mr. Brembrey in San Antonio was simply useless.





Apria...........I have them now they seem to be pretty much on it.........always saying time for supplies...........friendly................did have a billing problem but just ignored it as we thought they crossed......sometimes tricare or humana screws them with claims and when they resubmit that next claim you get another bill




we switched my wife to Apria..........................and everything is going good.




I do have a question my wife had some low levels of oxygen during the sleep studies and trying to get some supplemental oxygen for her.............she also has PH and other things but they are being butts.

On my test I only had one at 88% which most say just once no big deal but if you have a high platlet count your o2 level will come out false and the doctors know this but that's that.



Thanks,

Cheers, Beers and no Tears.

[DennisZ]

I also am a customer of American Home Patient in Summerville, SC. Unlike a previous post, I have had no problems with the Summerville folks. The PROBLEM lies in their home office personnel. Their billing statements are the LEAST informative I have ever encountered. They don't provide any detail on services rendered or reflect payments or credits. Getting someone on the phone involves leaving your name and number and WAITING interminably for a response.

[atab]

My DME is horrible. Don't know how to enable user EPR setting, don't know how to change the mask setting , don't return calls, etc. But compared to titration technician, mask fitting technician, RT, and the doctor, my DME guy is like Einstein.

atab

[Hoser-Eh]

YES! YES I am....

I only say this because my supplier is paid by myself and is CPAP.com.
Together we have a wonderful stress free, working relationship. My sleep Dr is totally supportive and helpful, and I have a DME a block away, that I can pay inflated prices to, anytime I really need anything in a hurry or emergency. (Rentals, parts, etc.)

Paying out of pocket sucks most of the time, but I'm a ton easier to deal with than most insurance co's, (and DME's from what I've read here.) It's all the same in the end, pay out of pocket, or pay with your sanity.

[rock and roll]

I hated my old supplier which I dissed and bought from Cpap.com. But my insurance switched to Apria and at first I was worried about such a big company. But they have been a joy to deal with, at least in Houston, and I really like them. I recently had my humidifier start flashing a LED light, and after checking everything and finding nothing wrong, I called them and was told "No problem, you tried to fix, we will just send you a new one. That easy! They also have called me every six months and asked what I needed and sent it right out. I could not be happier with them.

[OwlCreekObserver]

Mine stopped calling after about the first six months. Then they wouldn't even return my calls. They're sorta like a bad date: They tell you they really like you and that they'll call you but they never do.

[mars]

Hi All

I have shopped around, and so far I have bought from 3 different local sleep apnea equipment suppliers, and tried 3 others, including the one that has ads in Cpap.com (he hung up on me), and only one gave me reasonable service (BOC), but they only sell Respironics and Resmed, so they are pretty limited.

However, the best I have found is CpapAuction (Maskman2), where I got 3 different masks (all new), for a lot less than I would have paid in Australia, including airmail postage. And very helpful service.

So from now on, although they are thousands of miles away from where I live, I will be buying from CpapAuction and Cpap.com.

cheers

Mars

[birdshell]

I hated my old supplier which I dissed and bought from Cpap.com. But my insurance switched to Apria and at first I was worried about such a big company. But they have been a joy to deal with, at least in Houston, and I really like them. I recently had my humidifier start flashing a LED light, and after checking everything and finding nothing wrong, I called them and was told "No problem, you tried to fix, we will just send you a new one. That easy! They also have called me every six months and asked what I needed and sent it right out. I could not be happier with them.

Houston is the home of cpap.com. One cannot help but wonder if this is a coincidence, OR is it simply having to compete with the "good guys" in that area?

Karen,
Who thinks Mission Control may have raised expectations for Houstonians!

[SleepyNoMore]

My vote was "yes", I use cpap.com for my supplies, they aregreat, Thanks Johnny!

[teresamichele]

I like my DME, more or less. I go through Barnes Jewish Homecare (which is probably local to the St. Louis region). They were quick, nice, and they have 24/7 call-in service for problems.

They're more expensive than an online DME but my insurance pays for 80%, so once that's taken out, it's much cheaper for me to use Barnes Jewish.

[TXLadybug]

I have always had good service from my DME- Pacific Pulmonary. http://www.peaksleep.com I believe they are nationwide. They do have local offices, but I'm not sure they keep masks there. They have been extremely supportive to me when I was having difficulty with machines, and mask after mask. The only negative, is that I finally had to go to another local DME "Sleep EZ" who is not on my insurance, to get help from a real human to fit me properly. After about 30 different try-ons, with a machine set to my pressure, over 3 different visits, I found a mask that works. I bought it from them, but then found out the insurance was a problem, so I now buy that one from Pacific Pulmonary again. I found that most of the RT's that I have dealt with are also sleep apnea sufferers, so they understand what I am talking about. They do call me monthly, and let me know what supplies I am eligible for, then ask what I wish for them to send. Never any shipping charges. Always work with my insurance company well. This has been over 9 months. I do not plan to change.