Resmed replacement pillows ...UK Rip off

[Scorpio]

I chose my Resmed S9 Autoset with great care, spending days googling all the reviews of various CPAP machines. I visited Resmed's sleep clinic in London and tried on their whole range of masks and eventually decided to purchase from them the S9, humidifier and Swift FX mask. I selected the Swift FX because it was by far the most comfortable for me.
I've come to love my S9, it performs silently and effectively and I became fully compliant in 2 weeks....against all my expectations.
After reading several posts in this forum recommending replacement cushions for the SwiftFx every 2-3 months I decided to look online to purchase some. I found several US sites selling replacement cushions for between 22 and 25 dollars, but what a shock when I called Resmed's UK shop....they wanted £47.50 for a set!!...thats more than 76 dollars for exactly the same product.
Now all that brand allegiance towards Resmed generated by their excellent engineering and excellent customer service has been completely undone by this blatantly greedy act.
I run a company that regularly imports products from the USA so I'm used to paying freight and duty costs but never have I been subjected to these kind of gross margins. So whoever at Resmed thought it was smart to rip off their UK customers like this, has now got me googlingfor other makes of nasal masks.....can anybody offer any explanation for this daylight robbery?

[xenablue]

Without knowing/understanding how the system works in the UK, I can't help you too much.

However, my CPAP gear is all covered by my insurance, but when I look at the receipt for the supplies, it shows ridiculously high prices for Swift FX or LT replacement pillows, S9 filters etc. Then they show an 'adjusted' cost to my insurance company, which is quite a hefty discount.

I don't pay anything - I paid a one-time $50 co-pay when I first got my machine and supplies and have paid nothing since, but still go to the DME for my replacements.

Without insurance it would be a much different story, but I understand that most medical supply companies offer some discounting if you are paying 100% out of pocket.

There are a small number of UK posters here - hopefully they will have some answers for you.

Cheers,
xena

[Scorpio]

Thanks for your reply Xenablue. Here in the UK we don't have the luxury of CPAP machines supplied on insurance. Even BUPA my private medical insurance supplier will not supply a CPAP machine under insurance. So we have 2 alternatives over here, either wait for weeks or months to get a machine supplied on the National Health Service...and then you have to accept the machine they consider to be the most cost effective and value for money. When I tried going down this route months ago I was told that the S9 was far too expensive to be supplied under the NHS.
So I did what many CPAP users do in the UK.....I obtained a letter of approval from my doctor and purchased my own machine and mask for cash. But far from offering me a discount , it seems like they loaded up the price by around 300%.

[chunkyfrog]

I find that my insurance allows about DOUBLE for the FX pillows that I can get them for online.
Since my in-network deductible is around 8 sets of pillows, (at the inflated price) with insurance timing and
DME foot-dragging calculated to take all year, I just order my supplies online and to heck with insurance!

[xenablue]

Scorpio - you might ask our hosts - cpap.com - about their costs and shipping to the UK - it might be worth investigating this. You should be able to buy new mask supplies (not whole masks) on Amazon.uk or eBay.

cheers,
xena

[Gerald?]

If it makes you feel any better, here in Australia, the home of Resmed, current RRP for Swift FX replacement pillows is US$92.

Heaven forbid what the cost might be if we had to import them!

[Scorpio]

Hi Xenablue...Resmed have a monopoly in the UK of all their branded CPAP equipment including machines, masks and pillows. Neither Amazon.uk nor ebay.uk sell them.
Gerald...it doesn't make me feel any better because the manufacturing cost for the fx pillows in medical grade soft silicone is around 2 bucks. Even accounting for tooling amortisation and a big chunk for marketing and development costs thats one hell of a margin even on the US selling price.

[Uncle_Bob]

The UK is a rip off in general but that price really is too high.

Doesnt the NHS suppy "free" equipment ?

[Gerald?]

Neither Amazon.uk nor ebay.uk sell them.

If the shipping costs work for you, buying from cpap.com is probably the way to go. Unfortunately their carrier charges very high fees to Australia making it uneconomic.

If shipping is also very high to the UK, I find that there are a number of US sellers on ebay who will happily ship internationally. Just look for one with very good feedback. I find if I buy around 3 at a time, the shipping cost is quite reasonable.

[Pugsy]

If the shipping costs work for you, buying from cpap.com is probably the way to go.

Cpap.com is prohibited from shipping any ResMed products outside the United States. ResMed's policy. Similar with other countries.

[archangle]

I found several US sites selling replacement cushions for between 22 and 25 dollars, but what a shock when I called Resmed's UK shop....they wanted £47.50 for a set!!...thats more than 76 dollars for exactly the same product.

Even in the US, a local authorized dealer will charge much more than the online sellers.

You might check ebay sellers.

We really need some Chinese counterfeiters to start selling clone CPAP parts. Even $22 is ridiculous.

[Scorpio]

Thanks for the good advice Gerald.

Uncle Bob, the 'official' line is that CPAP is available on the NHS but availability differs widely throughout the UK depending on where you live and which PCT (Primary Care Trust) serves your needs. My own PCT told me that they have an extremely limited budget for CPAP equipment and to qualify for a 'free' machine I would have to undergo another sleep test (my 3rd in 4 years) and then be evaluated according to the severity of my condition. I was told that if my AHI levels were below 5 then I almost certainly would not qualify. Eventually I was offered a second hand machine with a full face mask from an unknown brand. I turned down this offer because not only was the equipment archaic but I would have to do a 40 mile round journey every month to allow 'my' equipment to be examined, serviced and recalibrated. Instead I invested my own money with Resmed and got the machine and mask I wanted.