New Hybrid head gear, NOT

grybeard77 · Post by **grybeard77** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 1:51 pm

E-mail to customer service at respcare.com bounces back non deliverable, tried phoneing and got service rep and she would only give me a web site where I can buy the new head gear for $31.00 plus shipping.

You early requestors were the lucky ones I guess....

KimberlyinMN · Post by **KimberlyinMN** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:31 pm

Ditto. The customer service rep I spoke with was very rude to me. I know that I was pleasant to her.

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:39 pm

I think there were too many people calling. It's one thing for the odd person to call here and there. It's another thing for someone to post this info as a freebie on a website read by 1/2 a million people worldwide.
B.

grybeard77 · Post by **grybeard77** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:42 pm

The phone number was shown in the video they sent with the mask, it's also on their home web page, along with the e-mail address, so if some one posted it here, it should not have made that much difference. IMPO....

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:45 pm

Someone here posted that if you called them, they would send you a free upgrade headgear. That post was read by thousands of people. That post was in error. That was ONE PERSON'S EXPERIENCE. NOT the company policy!!!!! THE COMPANY NEVER TOLD YOU THEY WOULD GIVE YOU A FREE HEADGEAR - A POSTER TO THIS FORUM DID.

Does your company routinely hand out freebies? No. How would they stay in business?

Get a grip, people.
B.

grybeard77 · Post by **grybeard77** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:06 pm

I bow to your superior knowledge of PR practice these days. You made me remember that most companies today don't care about replacing a part of a product that might become faulty. In my day, 60's through the 80's while working for a very large Company, we always tried to set a high standard for caring about our product, realizing that bad publicity gets retold by many, and good publicity by only a few...So your really saying that no one should talk about or write about a good thing done for them as it might cause a large company to have to replace a bad item and they they will have to answer a lot of phone calls and letters.

Seems like times have really changed....

oceanpearl · Post by **oceanpearl** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:26 pm

When I called and said "I love your mask', the C/S rep piped in and said "but you hate our head gear"" That was as far as it got, she got my mailing address and I had a new headgear within a few days.

Newsgrouper · Post by **Newsgrouper** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:41 pm

I called them many months ago, when the new headgear first came out. The customer service person told we they would send me the new headgear because the velcro was so weak my mask would become undone with the slightest movement. She took my name and address and told me the headgear would go out with that day's mail. It never arrived. I would have preferred being told the truth.

oceanpearl · Post by **oceanpearl** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:31 am

Babette wrote:Someone here posted that if you called them, they would send you a free upgrade headgear. That post was read by thousands of people. That post was in error. That was ONE PERSON'S EXPERIENCE. NOT the company policy!!!!! THE COMPANY NEVER TOLD YOU THEY WOULD GIVE YOU A FREE HEADGEAR - A POSTER TO THIS FORUM DID.

Does your company routinely hand out freebies? No. How would they stay in business?

Get a grip, people.
B.

It probably cost's them more in postage than material in the headgear!!

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:53 am

grybeard77 wrote:I bow to your superior knowledge of PR practice these days. You made me remember that most companies today don't care about replacing a part of a product that might become faulty. In my day, 60's through the 80's while working for a very large Company, we always tried to set a high standard for caring about our product, realizing that bad publicity gets retold by many, and good publicity by only a few...So your really saying that no one should talk about or write about a good thing done for them as it might cause a large company to have to replace a bad item and they they will have to answer a lot of phone calls and letters.

Seems like times have really changed....

No. What she said was that what happened was one person's experience. The company never came right out and said that the headgear was faulty & everyone was getting a free replacement. It is not a danger when the velcro comes loose, I'm sure there are people unaware of this forum who use the original headgear with no issues.

They could replace everyone's headgear, and lose a lot of money. They could replace the ones that receive complaints, and lose less money. I'm sory customer support was rude, but call back, complain about the original rep, and explain why you would like a replacement for free.

neverbetter · Post by **neverbetter** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:08 pm

They were sending a few hundred a day out at one point. I got mine.
this company is a pushover for free stuff. The whole incubator is. We use to call Innomed and get free cannulas for my wife nasal-aire II. Never failed.
People must have abused it. What a shame. That or now their getting too big to care like they did.
Always ask a name.
If someone is rude to you at customer service, come on here and expose them. That's how to get um.

neverbetter · Post by **neverbetter** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:17 pm

The telephone number on the video might be Teleflex Medical, not Respcare.

Newsgrouper · Post by **Newsgrouper** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:10 pm

They made a business decision to not replace an integral part that was faulty. I made a decision to never again use their products and to bad-mouth their company on boards like this and with fellow OSA patients. Hopefully, I have cost them much more money from potential new customers than the replacement of their deficient headgear would have cost them.

NOTE: I'm told that the new headgear helps keep the mask in place but has not really helped with the major leak issues.

phorts · Post by **phorts** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 9:10 am

Can I ask what the problem was with the original Headgear and what the new headgear has done to address it? Is there a way of telling the difference between the two?

I'm asking my RT to bring me a Hybrid and want to make sure I get the new headgear so i dont have to deal with it after the fact.

Thanks for any input

patbringer · Post by **patbringer** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:42 am

Newsgrouper wrote:They made a business decision to not replace an integral part that was faulty. I made a decision to never again use their products and to bad-mouth their company on boards like this and with fellow OSA patients. Hopefully, I have cost them much more money from potential new customers than the replacement of their deficient headgear would have cost them.

NOTE: I'm told that the new headgear helps keep the mask in place but has not really helped with the major leak issues.

When I called and asked for the new headgear, they sent it to me and I received it within a week. The new headgear has been a MAJOR improvement and has significantly reduced leaks for me, especially at the nasal pillows. I think it is because of the upgraded overhead strap.

I've read that all Hybrids shipping from the manufacturer for the past 3 months have been with the new headgear. So, unless your DME has old inventory, you should not be getting the mask with old headgear.

Cheers!

Pat