New user, is machine insurance worth it?

[palerider]

So it comes down to how reliable are these machines if not dropped on the floor? Because if Medicare is going to get me another one in 9 months it might be worth it to cover this one for the full 5 years as a backup.

It's clear that you REALLY REALLY want to give them another 75 bucks...

Why don't you just get it over with...

Not really, but as is true most times on the web, I got lot's of opinions, but not many answers to my original inquiry, which was, how reliable are these type machines?

You've had an answer, you just don't want to see it.

If the machines *needed* "extended warranties", then those would not be economical and wouldn't be offered.

The only reason that places push extended warranties is because *they make money on them*.

Do CPAPs break? sure. Do they break often? No.

[Recoil Rob]

That's the closest to an answer you've given me, they don't break often. Thanks, feel better?

[Pugsy]

how reliable are these type machines?

And with anything electronic....no hard fast answer because people have had them up and die the first week, first year...and some people have 25 year old machines they are still using.

In general though they are quite reliable except for an occasional lemon.

The reason these guys are offering this is because most of the time they never have to do anything except pocket the cash.
They are making money on the deal for sure. They are betting you won't ever have a problem....you are betting you might have a problem...that's what any kind of insurance is all about.

[Recoil Rob]

OK, I have a handle on it, thanks to all.

[CpapUser100]

I don't know what the average is but CPAP machines tend to live longer than most people would want to use them. New machines with better features come out and people who are aware of that tend to want to switch to those.

I had my first CPAP machine for 10 years. It still ran but it got noisy (not something that insurance would have covered and they don't fix 10 year old machines anyway) and it was a fixed pressure machine so it was a huge upgrade to get the PRS1 auto machine. I had that for about 7 years (it was always too noisy) and it still works but no longer writes to the SD card. (They could get enough info off of the machine itself to show compliance, fortunately.) My motivation for replacing it was primarily that I wanted to try the advances offered by a newer machine and my HMO was willing to pay for most of it. Sadly, my sleep doctor is not very involved in my care so the full data is for my benefit and probably completely ignored by my doctor.

My husband has been using his first machine (fixed rate CPAP that only reports compliance data) for probably 12 years and once I started the process to get a new machine he decided that he wanted to try an auto-pap with full data capabilities. I know a lot of people with xPAPs (almost all auto paps these days) and I am the only one who had a machine "break" in that time.

[Okie bipap]

As Pugsy said, the life of electronics is unpredictable. My first machine was faulty from the factory. The machine supplied the proper pressure, but would not transmit using the cellular modem. The replaced it at the end of the first month. My second machine failed six months after I got it. We went on a short out of town trip, and the machine would not power up when I plugged it in. My current machine is just over 4 years old and works just fine. I could have kept my first machine, but ResMed wanted it returned so they could see why it wouldn't transmit data. I don't rely on the cellular data and neither does my sleep clinic. Once I finished the first month, I had aready completed my compliance as required by Medicare.

[Goofproof]

how reliable are these type machines?

And with anything electronic....no hard fast answer because people have had them up and die the first week, first year...and some people have 25 year old machines they are still using.

In general though they are quite reliable except for an occasional lemon.

The reason these guys are offering this is because most of the time they never have to do anything except pocket the cash.
They are making money on the deal for sure. They are betting you won't ever have a problem....you are betting you might have a problem...that's what any kind of insurance is all about.

Some people could break a Spike Nail with a foam Hammer! Jim

[jimbud]

That's the closest to an answer you've given me, they don't break often. Thanks, feel better?

Post by palerider » Tue Dec 17, 2019 1:26 pm
They're trying to scam you out of $75...

Post by palerider » Tue Dec 17, 2019 1:35 pm
The basic rule of thumb is "if someone offers you an extended warranty, you don't need it", if things broke often enough for them to *need* an extended warranty, they wouldn't offer one, because they'd be losing money on the deal.

Post by palerider » Tue Dec 17, 2019 6:15 pm
It's clear that you REALLY REALLY want to give them another 75 bucks...
Why don't you just get it over with.



Maybe just a few more close ones than that.

JPB

[babydinosnoreless]

So it comes down to how reliable are these machines if not dropped on the floor? Because if Medicare is going to get me another one in 9 months it might be worth it to cover this one for the full 5 years as a backup.

It's clear that you REALLY REALLY want to give them another 75 bucks...

Why don't you just get it over with...

Not really, but as is true most times on the web, I got lot's of opinions, but not many answers to my original inquiry, which was, how reliable are these type machines?

I have used mine every night for over a year without a single problem with the machine. There are some people on here who have been using them far longer and do not appear to be having any problems.

Btw mine has been dropped on the floor and also had my mask and hose chewed up by the dog. Which is why I now have a backup machine that is exactly the same as my other machine.

[palerider]

That's the closest to an answer you've given me, they don't break often. Thanks, feel better?

You've been given it multiple times, you're just incapable of comprehending.

[chunkyfrog]

OK, I have a handle on it, thanks to all.

Just in case somebody missed it . . .

[Janknitz]

Not really, but as is true most times on the web, I got lot's of opinions, but not many answers to my original inquiry, which was, how reliable are these type machines?

For the most part, VERY reliable. Philips Respironics had a known manufacturer's defect that caused the humidifiers to fail and they continued to put the devices out in the world with the flaw because it typically happened beyond the warranty period. But I have not heard of any such issues with their latest models. Most issues--if there are any--will show up during the initial warranty period and be covered that way. I've seen very few people here need to swap their machine out before the usual 5 year replacement time because of a problem with the machine.

Lost or stolen? Perhaps if you travel a lot it might be worth considering. But the phrase "of equal value" means either you are going to get a used machine replacement or you are going to get a lesser machine as your machine declines in value. Just like if you crash a 10 year old car, you're going to get the value of a 10 year old car from your insurer, not a brandy shiny new one. And you probably have to pay a deductible or some sort of fee for the replacement.

You seem to be an intelligent person who is not going to misuse your CPAP. The machine sits at your bedside and there's not much that can happen to it there barring, fire, earthquake, or a rambunctious pet or toddler. Occasionally someone will toss and turn in bed and pull their CPAP off the bedside table, but there are easy ways to prevent that. Again, if you travel, mishandling could happen, but we ALWAYS advise that you take your machine as an exempt carry-on (does not count in your two item limit in the USA) so that you can be certain it's not mishandled by baggage handlers.

Whether some burglar is dumb enough to swipe your machine in a home burglary (or hotel room burglary), I think that's a very rare occurrence.