Return old Dreamstation?

[Thumper1947]

I had a Dreamstation 1 for 5 years. I was uncomfortable waiting until Philips got around to sending me a replacement(still hasn't happened). I bought a Resmed Airsense 10 on my own and began using it. I read about someone who was scared about using her Dreamstaion with the foam still in it, so I removed the foam from mine and donated it to this woman. The question is, if I ever do get a replacement from Philips, do I need to return the old one which I no longer have. I didn't think I'd need to, but someone who got their new machine told me Philips said if they didn't return the old one, they would be charged a thousand dollars. Anyone have any experience with this that could shine some light on it? Thanks.
Thumper

[jas32]

I haven't seen the actual note regarding charging you if you do not return your old unit but several people have reported it. It may be a veiled threat to get people to return their units so that Philips would have units to refurbish otherwise the recall process will be further delayed.

I'm not a lawyer but technically if you received a replacement unit and they requested the bad one back, you are keeping their property. You only paid for one unit and are entitled to keep only one (not two). There are lots of people who say they are refusing to return their bad units so maybe eventually Philips may actually send out invoices for unreturned units.

If and when I finally receive my replacement unit (hopefully soon), I will return the bad one as soon as I can so that the person behind me can get their replacement unit faster. I see no reason to screw them as well.

[Wulfman...]

In an effort to find out more about the recall and if there was any actual PROOF that anyone has been harmed by the foam they used in their machines (but didn't find any), I ran across this well-written link:

https://www.cpap.com/blog/philips-recall/

I came to these conclusions

I'm glad that I was content with using my "old", reliable equipment and not chasing the newest, "latest and greatest" generations of machines. (all of my machines were made before 2008.)
I'm glad that I would never have been duped into using an ozone -type cleaning device.

I believe that too much of this recall was based on knee-jerk hypotheticals, "what-if" scenarios, speculations and fear of lawsuits.

However, I believe that if I had been using a system One or first generation Dreamstation machine, I would continue to keep using it because I am skeptical of all the fear mongering that has been going on and because my usage would not have been a potential cause to the conditions that have been behind the recall (no ozone or heated humidity)

Den

.

[jas32]

.... However, I believe that if I had been using a system One or first generation Dreamstation machine, I would continue to keep using it because I am skeptical of all the fear mongering that has been going on and because my usage would not have been a potential cause to the conditions that have been behind the recall (no ozone or heated humidity) .

That is essentially what I did. Continued using my DS1 even after the recall was announced. My sleep doctor suggested continuing its use as the risk of not using it was much greater than the foam degradation issue. Also I have not seen any black stuff on my water chamber and have never used an ozone cleaner ever. I only stopped using my DS1 when my DME offered me a used ResMed S9 at a very reasonable price. If I did not get a ResMed I'm sure I would have replaced the foam chamber on the DS1 with a foam-less one from Amazon. In fact if I get a recertified DS1 as a replacement, I may still do that considering the controversy on the safeness of the replacement foam.

[D.H.]

I think that yes, they can legally bill you for the replacement if you don't return the old one.

However, I think that Philips doesn't want more bad publicity.

Furthermore, I don't think that they would be able to charge that much if you brought them to court (lawyers are expensive though).

[chunkyfrog]

If they contact you, tell them it died, and you discarded it.
Try not to laugh.
You say you had it for 5 years--failure is common at that age,
--especially for inferior brands.
After 5 years, Respironics may not even feel obligated to replace it

[Thumper1947]

Thanks for the replies. When I registered,they asked me if it was critical to my health to have CPAP. I have 2 friends who really, really need it badly and it is definitely critical to their health. I don't put myself in that category and I told them so. So, I assume I'll be one of the last to get one, even though I registered the second day they announced it. It's not that important to me anymore and as I mentioned I took out the foam and gave to a woman with far more problems then I had. I bought a Resmed 10 not long after she has been using the one I gave her. Since I no longer have the machine to return, I was trying to get a sense of how I'll handle it when it happens. Thanks.
Thumper

[chunkyfrog]

They might send the new model, the #2, the brick.--just send it back--I would

[D.H.]

If they contact you, tell them it died, and you discarded it.
Try not to laugh.
You say you had it for 5 years--failure is common at that age,
--especially for inferior brands.
After 5 years, Respironics may not even feel obligated to replace it

Despite that mine was six years old, they sent a new one and asked for the old one back. I did give it back, though I'm sorry I did so now.

Note that they sent a comparable model (i.e. an APAP).

BTW, I used my old F&P HC-231 when I heard about the recall until the new one arrived. That machine was fourteen years old (at the time) and had at least seven years or use on it.

[Thumper1947]

I only personally know two people who have received replacement machines. Both got the new Dreamstation 2. I haven't kept track on this forum, but it seemed most were also getting the new machine, not the refurbished old one. If they are sending both out, I'd be curious to see how they determine who gets the old and who gets the new.
Thumper

[chunkyfrog]

Flip a coin.

[Grumpy48]

I only personally know two people who have received replacement machines. Both got the new Dreamstation 2. I haven't kept track on this forum, but it seemed most were also getting the new machine, not the refurbished old one. If they are sending both out, I'd be curious to see how they determine who gets the old and who gets the new.
Thumper

My understanding is that if you need a straight up Auto CPAP you would likely get a DS2 as a replacement. If you needed a BiPAP machine you would get a refurbished (or possibly new) DS1. The DS2 can not do BiPAP. If the recalled DS1 is not sent back to Philips the pool of available DS1 units is less and it may take longer for someone that needs a BiPAP machine longer to get one.