I Know I've Complained about Apria in the past...

[dllfo]

I get good service from our local Apria. I have the manager on speed dial. He requested I call him before I file any more complaints with Corporate. When I felt Corporate was not timely enough, I filed a complaint with Tricare and now Medicare, stating Apria apparently could not meet their contractual obligations and was requesting new bidding be opened up, with Apria excluded.

Of course that probably would never happen, but someone at corporate called me and I read the problems off to them. After that was resolved I called the local manager and asked him if he would prefer I bring my problems to him first, or continue requesting adult supervision for our branch. I have his direct line now. I also asked him who his "Go To" person was and he gave me her name. I call her if I have a problem and it is resolved. She is GOOD!!!!!

Good luck with your Apria. BTW, I had these same problems in Denver, CO a few years ago and solved it the same way. As I told them, I don't have the time nor energy to babysit Apria's people.

One more thing, when their people go out of their way to help me, I also write letters to Corporate praising the efforts of this individual.

[GTOJim]

I have the local branch managers business card but unfortunately she hasn't returned any calls. I met the branch manager the day I got a new S9.
That day I was fighting with Apria, getting the typical run around "Apria stating my insurance would not allow an S9 Auto" instead offering a cheap machine. The manager seemed like a very pleasant sincere person. I was surprised she didn't return any calls.

Opening grievances with Corporate I'm always told management looks at every complaint, takes them very seriously, but the call backs are always from India.
I even complained to corporate regarding the follow up call is always from India. That follow up call was from India, I explained my problem, they were going to look into it, it would take 3 to 4 weeks, they would call me back etc, they did not follow up, did not resolve the issue. That was the last time I opened a grievance with corporate, I got the message loud and clear regarding how seriously Apria management considers complaints these days.

I'm thinking about trying another branch office, not sure it will help with billing issues. I know there is another location 45 miles away but met someone at my local branch who lived near that location. They were giving my location a try because of problems at their branch.

I don't have medicare to help, insurance will only let me use Apria, insurance reps have stated they get a lot of complaints about Apria, so far they haven't been much help.

Last week I called to open a grievance, Insurance suggested doing a three way conference call, after putting me on hold I was disconnected. Called back, CS put me on hold, again disconnected.

Monday I had a supervisor from my medical group and the Insurance on a three way conference call. The medical group supervisor did all the talking. When the insurance rep stated she was going to put us on hold the medical group supervisor begged the insurance rep not to disconnect us. Seems she was wise to their game of disconnecting callers. I didn't realize it was such a common practice.

I recently opened a grievance with my insurance and intend to open another grievance a few days after Apria's bill arrives. Not that these will have a better outcome than the pre printed responses I've received in the past.

In my opinion, the insurance companies are keeping Apria in business in my area, it sure isn't Apria's great customer service.

[Lindapat]

Just a follow-up on my issues with Apria Billing for my CPAP (I'm with Kaiser HMO). They finally called me asking for payment information...Argh. They guy on the end of the phone was asking for information on the phone - my birthdate. He stated that he needed to verify who I was. I read him the riot act. After confirming that the Address he had on file (made him tell me) I was able to get him to realize that I was indeed the person he intended to call. This was a truly frustrating Saturday morning, let me tell you. After taking information, giving me a tracking number, it still took them 3 more weeks to actually charge my credit card for my portion of my CPAP. Whew! Now, I just need to deal with them for supplies - for which I have never received any calls or shipments..... At least the local office sets aside Wednesday as "Mask Day". You don't need an appt, just show up between 9am and 3pm and you will be able to work with a rep. Haven't tried this yet and I'm needing some items. So, I will report back on how the "Mask Day" goes. So far, I've only gotten items (pillows or such) from CPAP.com's store - they are great for mailing and billing, btw.

Linda

[GTOJim]

I hope it goes well for you on mask day. My branch doesn't do it.

I hope your location is different, my local branch will not let you try a mask. They are all factory sealed, if you break the seal, it is yours, you just purchased it. They do not allow returns on open items. You can pick up a mask and look at it, just don't break the seal unless you want to purchase. Last time I witnessed the mask selection process the RT looked at each person and guessed the proper size for each person. That is how they determined mask size in a group setting for new users picking up their new CPAP equipment.

I tried to exchange an unopened factory sealed mask for the same mask in a different size. Stating "I take full responsibility, if it doesn't work, it's on me". They refused.

Six months ago I tried to exchange a new, opened, unused, mask, the Velcro wouldn't stick together enough to get the mask on. I could not get the bottom and top strap to stick at the same time. One would stick but when I tried to fasten the other strap, the first strap would pop off. Apria refused to exchange, stating "the mask had been tested, there is nothing wrong with it".

When an RT fitted me for the wrong size mask, I had to get my medical group involved before Apria would agree to exchange it.

I apologize for the rants, I've been using Apria for about 8 years and have never had a single pleasant experience. I think it's a awful company, absolutely
the worst company I've dealt with. I'm not making these stories up, unfortunately it's from 8 years of bad experiences.

I will not post anymore, everyone must be thinking by now, I have a personal vendetta against Apria, the type of person who will never be satisfied. So no more Apria stories from me. I apologize to everyone. Since I can't say anything good about Apria it's best I don't say anything more. Subject is closed. I only intend to share my mask experiences in-case your location is similar to mine, you might be better prepared for the games they can play. Unfortunately I have many more bad Apria mask experiences in addition to the the ones I shared above. Like the old saying "if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck", at least in my Apria experience.

Please let us know how it goes. I truly hope it goes very well for you.

Good Luck Sorry Everyone.

[pratzert]

I hope it goes well for you on mask day. My branch doesn't do it.

I will not post anymore, everyone must be thinking by now, I have a personal vendetta against Apria, the type of person who will never be satisfied. So no more Apria stories from me. I apologize to everyone. Since I can't say anything good about Apria it's best I don't say anything more. Subject is closed.Please let us know how it goes. I truly hope it goes very well for you.

Good Luck Sorry Everyone.

GTOJim,

No....No... Please don't stop posting. If you feel as if you are always bashing Crapria... there is a reason for that... and it's NOT YOUR FAULT !!!!

It's Crapria's faulet that they suck wind and have totally non-existant customer service.

I have been dealing with them off and on for 3 1/2 years and the ratio of good experiences I read about versus bad experiences seems better than 1,000 to 1 in favor of the BAD experience with Crapria.

Please continue to post your experiences with Crapria whether they be good or bad.

That's what the forum is for... to communicate experiences and knowledge about things which pertain to CPAP therapy.

That includes the equipment, Doctor's, supplies, and of courese, and the EVIL DME dealers of the world, of which, Crapira is the worst of the worst !

[allend]

My DME, on Long Island, is Home Care Supply or HCS Praxair has been great. I never get incorrect shipments and if I never need anything, I can always drive over there to pick it up. I did have an issue with the way the machine was set initially but that was quickly remedied when I acknowledged that something was going wrong. They got my bipap auto m fixed for free and a bunch of other good things. But the most important thing is that every time I call up they always make time for me. The sales people are very nice but the most important relationships are with the RTs and that's where they are so good.

Alan

[chunkyfrog]

You keep it up, GTO--there's no sin in telling the truth.

[GTOJim]

Ok since a couple of you asked for it, here goes.

I called Apria this morning, asked for my account balance. I was quoted $542.70 as the balance due on my CPAP as of 10/20. Apria stated my insurance company paid $542.70, my portion is an equal amount of $542.70. The machine had been a rental and has been converted for purchase, I have 270 days to pay the remaining balance. I was asked to make a payment, I responded not at this time, thanked them, and hung up.

On Tuesday when Apria phoned, Apria stated I owed a little over $300. Gotta love their accounting. Per my Insurance company they paid Apria $390 as their portion of the TOTAL COST.

Earlier in this tread I had posted Apria sent me a refund check for $275.00 after deducting $100. The refund check is dated 10/20.

This is how things currently stand. I be calling my insurance company today to open another grievance.

[Guest]

My mother has had trouble with Apria since she was forced to use the company after getting out of the hospital and back into her independent living apartment once out of the healthcare center in the retirement home she lives. They dumped the equipment into her apartment on Thanksgiving Day and instructed her for about 10 minutes on how to use the cylinders and left. My mother called Apria and it took them 4 days to come so she had to get help from assisted living in the meantime. It got the the point of her bothering them too many times so they refused to come out. She then had to pay for a nurse to come help her fill the cylinders. My mother had to take the regulator off to fill them and back on when they were full. My mother had a hard time putting the regulators back on. I told my mother to see if they had cylinders with the regulators on them permanently. They said there was no such thing. She suffered from depression, anxiety, and peace of mind to the point that she overdosed on her meds. Good thing she was alright. I got so fed up to the point that I called another company, Snore No More and found out that the regulator doesn't need to come off to fill it. The cylinders were junk since one exploded in her face and they had to replace a screw twice in 2 months due to its malfunction. She has many witnesses to the problems she has experienced with Apria. I may take further action against the company.

[Patrick A]

I do not care what anybody else believes.APRIA RIP OFF STILL SUCKS!There I said it.
I have not dealt with them for several years since I went on Medicare. When I was forced on Medicare they would not return my calls. By the way Liberty Medical Supply isn't much better.

[GTOJim]

It's been about six months since my last post. Currently Apria has my balance owed over $700. Apria very nicely explained if the balance isn't paid in 10 months they will turn it over to a collection agency, stating the money has been owed since Oct 20th.

I thought things had been resolved with Apria, for several months I had a zero balance. The day I picked up the new CPAP Apria explained the total cost for the S9 Auto was $760, since I have a 50% co-pay my responsibility was $380. There would be a total of 4 payments, 3 equal payments, the 4th payment would be larger at $275. Apria did not allow me to pay full amount in one payment, insisted it had to be spread out over 4 months.

Apria is now claiming I have a much more expensive upgraded machine, it had been incorrectly coded as E0601. When I requested the code number Apria back peddled stated it is an E0601 but it's a much more expensive model, It's self titrating, has more features etc. the price of the machine is $1,235, the basic machine is $760.

Apria states all the money I previously paid has been applied to the rental period, then on Oct 20th it converted to purchase.

My portion for the S9 is now at $1,100 not including what my insurance has paid. What I find interesting is this date of Oct 20th, the Oct 20th date was also on a $225 refund check from Apria. The $225 refund check was returned to Apria, it was supposed to be applied towards the S9 purchase.

[archangle]

I hope all of you unfortunate Apria users are sending formal written complaints to your insurance company. It may not help, but it at least gives the insurance company a chance to try and fix things.

[Shellie_p]

Ok --on a good note--I use Apria all the time and NEVER had a problem. My CPAP stuff is 100% covered by my Cigna insurance and I just call them to tell them what i need and they ship it. NEVER had anything go wrong---they NEVER have sent me the wrong items as someone has stated previously. Nothing bad --they are very friendly when I call on the phone too so I am not sure why some of you are having such a bad experience with them. LOVE APRIA!!!

Wow nice to see I am not the only one who has had mostly positive experiences with APRIA..
Been with em for something like 8-9 years now and the biggest problem i have is when they ship something. since I don't sleep at night It takes a couple tries to get the deliverys. Or the half hour drive to visit the office.
They don't harass me, but have called a couple times to check up and see if i need anything, always send my supplies or new equipment when I ask, they did try to give me a small nasal pillows when a medium works better for me. And give me the standard BS thing about not being allowed to print off my data and let me have it. but other then that they have been great.

[pratzert]

The "good" experiences seem to run 1 to 100.

I wish I had something nice to say about 'em... but I don't.

I'd rather shove razor blades under my fingernail than deal with them.

[SleepyT]

....It saddens me to see people having issues with Apria cause mine at least has gone out of there way for me a few times now. To keep me with a working machine, so it HAS to be a individual manager or something that is different from each site.

I think what Shellie is saying is probably the closest to the truth, in my mind. Individual managers at the Apria sites are making the positive differences in some cases. I am one of the lucky ones apparently...I feel sorry for those having awful experiences with Apria. I wish I could fix this...wouldn't know where to begin.

Still....credit where it is due.....THANK YOU to those individuals who work for Apria....and have a strong, personal work ethic. We hoseheads appreciate the great customer service! May the good Lord in heaven reward you for caring about us.