RANT WARNING OMG! Apria Screwed up. AGAIN! RANT WARNING

Craig-Tx · Post by **Craig-Tx** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:16 am

Ohh My Gosh...

I'm sorry to the readers here, I am so irritated with Apria I had to Rant. My Wife is in bed, it's too late to call any of my friends, so I'm sorry to everyone here, I'm going off on a rant.

Well, After approximately 10 weeks, I finally got my Twilight mask. Guess What... the IDIOTS sent my the nasal mask NOT the NP nasal pillow mask.

When I placed the order, I specifically told them I wanted the Twilight Aura NP, and I emphasized the NP and specifically stated that stands for Nasal Pillows. I even gave them the "M" number (Apria's in-house inventory number) of M034353 which I had a rep confirm that that corresponds to model #ISP2500 (Which on cpap.com confirmed that they were looking at the NP MED/Large.)

So MONTHS go by. (I ordered in mid April) I get very little status from Apria. They NEVER return my phone calls. And Finally today I come home. There is package waiting for me from Apria... "could it be???" I open the package with all the excitement of an 8 year old boy on Christmas Morning. And I look at the CPAP equivalent of a knitted sweater from an obscure aunt.

Yes, They sent me the Twilight II Nasal Mask. WHAT! Ok, maybe after all, I gave them the wrong "M" number. I look at the invoice included and there it is listed M033101. Wait... that is different than M034353. So once again, I'm not sure if they just mixed up the order AGAIN. Or perhaps it's yet another case of "We're medical professionals, We know better than the patient."

Now here I am with yet another mask I didn't order, and STILL waiting on the NP.

Perhaps I'll still keep this one and try it out.

Seeing that I am working 2nd shift this week, perhaps I'll drive to Apria tomorrow and deal with this in person. At least then I can sit in the guy's office while he ignores me.

If you've read this far, I'm sorry to have put you through this. In any case,
END RANT.

Thanks
-craig

Patrick A · Post by **Patrick A** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:32 am

I know where your coming from Apria didn't do anything good for me .
And they billed my insurance for items I never got from them, or for items that OWCP/DOL was supposed to pay for.

They stink like a dead fish.

Patrick A · Post by **Patrick A** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:36 am

They should issue air sick bags with all of the DME Apria issues to their customers!!!

geoDoug · Post by **geoDoug** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:50 am

Craig-Tx wrote:They NEVER return my phone calls.

That sounds familiar.

Craig-Tx wrote:Perhaps I'll still keep this one and try it out.

It's your fight to pick, but I wouldn't go this route. You'll just validate their behavior. You'd be saying to them, "it's OK for you to ignore my very explicit instructions for whatever lame, indefensible, unethical corporate excuse you decide to concoct." This makes it harder on you and on everybody else unfortunate enough to have a run-in with Apria in the future. You deal with a bully by standing up to him. Not by accepting his behavior as a fact of life.

Doug.

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:04 am

Go over the local "heads" and keep climbing up the ladder. If by some chance you documented all your contact & information thru out this order since April until receipt of the wrong mask - WONDERFUL! All the more and better information you have to hang the lower locals with AND each rung up the ladder you have to climb until they get your order RIGHT.

PLUS you have the documentation to use to provide to your INSURANCE COMPANY and the state licensing bureau.

My sympathies on the frustration. Good luck and God bless!

BarbarainCT · Post by **BarbarainCT** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 5:47 am

By all means, go and deposit yourself in their office. Be sure to take all your paperwork with you.

Of course, they will admit to no errors. Furthermore, they will not have the desired mask in stock and it must be special ordered. Stay until they special order it and give you a copy of the order.

While you are there, contact your insurance company by phone. You can make them even more nervous by calling your state insurance commission too.

I finally got results from Maureen Bryant 1-317-865-4238.

Barbara

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:04 am

And above all else, make sure neither you nor your insurance company pay anything for this mask, including postage.

Sergey45 · Post by **Sergey45** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:05 am

That sounds very familiar. At the beginning they requested 20% of CPAP machine cost be paid up front by credit card, which I did. Then my insurance paid them 1200 (100% they requested), then they sent me an invoice for 20% to be paid by me… and so on and so on… this is endless…
Sergey.
http://www.sleepapneasymptom.medgrip.com/tips.html

frete50 · Post by **frete50** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:26 am

Craig,

Sorry for the major problems you are having with Apria

I am so glad that neither the sleep center or my GP sent my equipment orders to them.

Becky

roster · Post by **roster** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:52 am

I saw in another thread that an Apria person left to work in a Sears store making more money. You may want to go easy on them. It is the management of the company that is the problem.

SisterShotgun · Post by **SisterShotgun** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:59 am

Wow!! I am so thankful that a new store has opened up here in Ridgecrest called Phoenix CPAP Services, they are local and have 24 hour support if I need to call them at any time..They have bent over backwards to ensure that I have the right equipment...

Craig-Tx · Post by **Craig-Tx** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:39 am

geoDoug wrote:
Craig-Tx wrote:Perhaps I'll still keep this one and try it out.
It's your fight to pick, but I wouldn't go this route. You'll just validate their behavior. You'd be saying to them, "it's OK for you to ignore my very explicit instructions for whatever lame, indefensible, unethical corporate excuse you decide to concoct." This makes it harder on you and on everybody else unfortunate enough to have a run-in with Apria in the future. You deal with a bully by standing up to him. Not by accepting his behavior as a fact of life.

Doug.

Ohh perhaps I wasn't exactly clear on this part. I'll keep this mask, AND, VERY Clearly let them know where they screwed up, and make them order the NP mask as well.

ddpelp · Post by **ddpelp** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:01 am

Ohh perhaps I wasn't exactly clear on this part. I'll keep this mask, AND, VERY Clearly let them know where they screwed up, and make them order the NP mask as well.

problem is then the insurance co will balk at paying for the second mask. I'vr been down that road they love those games. As another said if you really want the other mask you best bet is not even open the mask from its package and go sit at the DME. to open and use I think you just bought your next insurance paid mask.. until the next cycle.. anyway..

Craig-Tx · Post by **Craig-Tx** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:08 pm

Ok, the outcome so far.

I DID drive across town and met the Branch Manager in person. I explained my absolute dissatisfaction with the whole experience.

First she did push the blame to the Main office, where I place the order over the phone. Surprise... Never mind the fact that I placed the order with the main office because the person at the local branch that I talked to when I originally tried to place the order didn't know Cigna's mask policy and said that I couldn't order one yet... (Background, Although Cigna forces me to use Apria, the good side of Cigna is that they have NO mask utilization policies. Meaning that I can order a mask on one day, and order a different mask the next day. I was told that you can't order two on the same day.)

Even though she skirted responsibility, she did apologized a few times for all the difficulty. While I was in her office, she personally placed the order for the NP. I watched her type in the correct M number, and in the parts breakdown it did list the two pillows it comes with. It's backordered (of course). She explained that it shouldn't take more than about 2-3 weeks. We'll see.

She did explain that the branch is going through some re-organization. She has been there only about 5 months. They have created and filled a new position to keep patients informed of such things as back orders and the like. (She even admitted that that process was "broken". I could have told her that.)

While talking about the difference between the two masks, Twilight II and Twilight NP, I mentioned I wouldn't mind trying the Twilight II, but I definitely wanted the NP. She offered to let me keep the Twilight. While I was sitting there, she went into that order and zeroed all the pricing. She stated that neither I nor my insurance will be billed for it.

She also offered to start the paperwork on an internal (to Apria) customer complaint to help document the problems I had with the ordering process. Useful for training reasons. Hope something comes of it.

Thanks everyone for all your support and for listening to my rants.

craig
--still planning to change insurance in January.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 4:44 pm

Craig-Tx

sounds like you have won this round

Only thing you might want to do is watch what they actually do charge your insurance company. I have a method to check online actual billing from my medical doctors etc. Kinda funny (not really ) recently I saw on one online charge for a nasal replacement cushions.. That was nice BUT I have never used a nasal mask. I called the DME they said oh must of been for another person.. why do I NOT believe that??

anyway, also a shame it takes you taking your personal time and expense to go directly yo the DME but great you have that option instad of mail order huh

RANT WARNING OMG! Apria Screwed up. AGAIN! RANT WARNING