Apria Customer Disservice

[roubai]

Sigh.

I'm just venting here...Apria is easily one of the worst companies I've ever dealt with, and I can't believe I have to trust a company this awful for something this important. If you haven't had problems with them yet, lucky you. I hope you can hang on to your luck.

It had been a while since I replaced any of my stuff, so I had forgotten how to do it. I went to their website, and it more or less says "Need replacement stuff? Just call our 800 #!" So, a day before Halloween, I called the number, gave them my insurance information, and told them what I needed. There didn't seem to be any problems

But apparently the 800# doesn't work with my particular kind of insurance, and I have to go through the local branch--even though they confirmed my insurance on the phone.

So on November 4th or so, the 800 number people CANCELED the order and sent a message to the local branch (supposedly) saying they needed to contact me about the order. Obviously someone screwed up. I dont know if it was the 800 number people or the local people. (It's possible I just have a really bad local branch, but from the way my original Stanford sleep docs cringed when Apria was mentioned, I don't think it's just my branch, since it's not the one that's local to Stanford).

On November 13th or so, I e-mailed the order support people and asked where my order was. They wrote back and said "Sorry, we don't know the status, but we've sent this to your local branch so they'll contact you." But by the 17th, I hadn't heard anything, so I called the local branch and spent a lot of time on hold listening to a looped recording about how customer service is their #1 priority. The local branch claimed to have never gotten any communication about anything from the 800 number people, but they started a new order.

On the 20th, I got my delivery. Filters, check; hose, check; mask .. Wrong mask. It's from the prescription before last. In fact, it's the SAME WRONG ITEM THAT THEY SENT ME LAST TIME WE DID THIS. Yes, 6 months ago or whenever I was first prescribed the Fisher Paykel Flexifit, they instead sent me the previous prescription, the Quattro, and they just decided to do that AGAIN! What fun!

November 21st: My husband calls them, tells them they messed up, and asks them if they want us to return the incorrect mask. (Last time they wanted us to, but I'd already opened it by accident, so they grudgingly said I should keep it.) This time they cheerfully said I should hang onto it and they'd send the correct one. I start using the new Quattro despite the rainout problems I always have with it, because the old Flexifit has become really uncomfortable. Last time they screwed up the order, they got the replacement to me in 1 or 2 days.

(Thanksgiving cleaning and then Thanksgiving happens, and we don't notice that the mask hasn't arrived.)

Today: Uh, holy cow, it's been TWO WEEKS. What is their problem?!

After I get this resolved I plan to pay out-of-pocket for a consultation with a private specialist in town to help me pick out my next mask. She has a full setup where I can bring in my machine and lie down a bed to test it out, and she'll help me fit the headgear (which I have problems with every time). Apria's "fitting" for the FP consisted of lunging at me with the fitter and touching it to my face for a quarter of a second. It took me far longer to drive to the office and wait around in the office than it did to actually get "fitted." I don't know how much the consultation will cost, but I think it'll be worth it.

I also got a great little thing in the mail from them explaining how I should answer with all 5s (the highest rating) if I get a customer service survey about them. I really hope I do get a survey! I'm going to answer it with their worst nightmare--complete and utter honesty!

Anyway, I haven't called the branch yet today to find out what is going on. I'm just kind of incoherent at their incompetence, and I'm also kind of assuming--from the reactions of the three sleep doctor teams I've encountered in the Bay Area--that their incompetence is so entrenched it's not going anywhere. So I wonder if there's even anything I can do about it. Complain to my insurance? (They must really underbid everyone else...)

Sigh.

Okay, venting over!

[elader]

Well I havent had good luck with them either. Tried to find out about replacement schedule for parts for mask, etc. Frist person I spoke to said I couldnt replace the gel cushion for 6 months, tough luck. Insurance tells me it's 'as needed'. She says 'you don't need it'. Next person tells me it says 2/month. She orders them for me. I get a packing slip for two but only one gel. We call them and get someone who says 'well you can only have one, no matter what the packing slip says'. Sheesh. Called again, this person says 'oops, we bad' and sends me the second one.

Thats a lot of work for a freaking gel cushion.

[roubai]

Good grief, elader...

[nightjar]

I've never had to deal with them, roubai, but they make the all my insurance companies and DMEs so far sound pretty good.

We're switching HMOs in January, and I'm pretty sure the new DME for sleep stuff--which is solely for sleep stuff--will be knowledgeable and helpful. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed. . . .

Good luck getting that Flexifit. . . .

nath

OH--I love your avatar!

[roubai]

nightjar, good luck with the new guys--too bad I love the medical group my insurance gives me access to! Otherwise I'd think about switching to the other choice (well, no, I wouldn't--the other choice is Kaiser).

My avatar is from Chii's Sweet Home--not sure if you recognize it or if you just think it's cute, but you can read it online at http://www.onemanga.com/Chiis_Sweet_Home/ -- it's full of great icon and avatar fodder. I miss having a cat! (Mr. Roubai is allergic, darnit.)

[nightjar]

My avatar is from Chii's Sweet Home--not sure if you recognize it or if you just think it's cute, but you can read it online at http://www.onemanga.com/Chiis_Sweet_Home/ -- it's full of great icon and avatar fodder. I miss having a cat! (Mr. Roubai is allergic, darnit.)

Ah, allergies. My son is heading into the big city (Madison--ha!) for an allergy appointment even as I type this. I had a appointment with my sleep doctor this morning (in another city, smaller and closer) or I might be going with him for his appointment. He's allergic to cats, and we have two, but we find that keeping them out of his room does a good job of controlling his reactions.

I hadn't heard of that manga, so didn't recognize the cat, but I'll give it a look. I just like cats, I guess. Browser's got a neat white-cat avatar (a moving one), and someone's got Bill the Cat, and someone else has Bucky (from Get Fuzzy). I like all those, but I really liked yours a lot.

Good luck with that mask!

nath

[djv1255]

My problem with Apria was that the bill would show the charges and payments for like the last year.
The bill was regularly 12 pages long and the amount owed didn't always add up to the current charges.

[boston]

thank you for your posts, i am looking for a new dme and my insurance wants me to go to apria, nope, i dont think i will be doing that now.

[bairdbeth]

Uh oh! My DME no longer accepted my insurance so my CPAP clinic changed me to Apria. I told her that I had heard bad things, but she insisted that the local branch here had a good track record. I will say that I went to the clinic late Thursday and Apria had called to verify my address yesterday and I got my new mask and parts today. It was the wrong humidifier chamber, but I don't know if that was the clinics fault or Apria. I will call them or show up at their door tomorrow and find out!

[pratzert]

I have not had any good experience with Apria either. Although the last time I had to order a new mask... it wasn't horrible.

But Apria has a habit of sending you whatever they want instead of what you order or what your Doctor prescribes.

Then it's a fight to try to get it right.

When I was first diagnosed.... I tried to order a machine from them, and in spite of their assurances that they would send me the machine my Doc prescribed, they sent something else.

It took OVER a year to get it straightened out.

I ended up buying my machine from CPAP.COM and paying out of pocket.... my sanity was well worth it.

Problem is... not everyone can afford to drop $500-800 on a machine out their own pocket and are stuck dealing with these idiots. Your Blood Pressure will spike in your dealings with them.... for sure.

Tim

[bairdbeth]

I called today and they didn't have the right machine listed as my clinic didn't tell them? I now know why health costs are so bad. offered to bring the wrong humidifier chamber back to their office as it is close to work. Apria said that they didn't take them back? I just do what I want with it? I told her I never even removed it from the plastic bag! She said I could bring it by, but she didn't know what they would do with it! I asked if my insurance would have to pay for the wrong part sent and then again for the right one and was told that they would only bill them for the right one. Well, I figure someone has to pay for the wrong one and that is where the prices skyrocket! I am going to check with a couple of teachers here that either use CPAP or have a family member that uses it and try to give it to them. If not, I will list it here. I don't want it to go to waste. we all are paying for it in the long run so it might as well be used!

[roubai]

Yeah, kind of mind-boggling, eh?

[roubai]

Mr. Roubai is on the phone with them now and the initial person he spoke to claimed that there was no record of any Fisher Paykel mask in my file (which is amazing, because they sent me one about 8 months ago--after they screwed up and sent me a Quattro first, of course, but that means I know they have that prescription in their files and they darned well OUGHT to know that's my current prescription). And what did the person we spoke to 2 weeks ago do, I wonder? Really not happy.

OK, so Mr. Roubai demanded to speak to a supervisor. SHE told a totally different story--she claimed they sent the right order to the warehouse, and the warehouse shipped the wrong thing. (Yeah, and it just happened to be the same as my old prescription, and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.) And she claimed there was no record of us calling on the 21st.

Argh.

It'd be hilarious if it weren't my health at stake.

[GTOJim]

I agree Apria is the worst, unfortunately it's the only place my insurance company will allow me to use. I've been stuck with them for 6 1/2 years, lots of horror stories I could tell but the list is way to long.

One fight I have been having for the last two years is over the 20% co-pay Apria charges, claimed my insurance coverage changed, thus the reason for the additional 20% co-pay. My insurance covers supplies, CPAP masks etc.. 100%, but Apria adds a 20% co-pay every time I order supplies. It's very frustrating, sometimes I just pay out of pocket rather than deal with Apria. I even sent Apria an explanation of benefits from my insurance company but they still add on their 20% co-pay to each and every order.

What tipped me off was the fact they gave me 3 different co-pay amounts for one order. I authorized the 20% co-pay amount quoted by Apria to be charged to my credit card, when I got the bill they charged my credit card a different amount. I called Apria and canceled my order, three weeks later the order was delivered. I took the unopened box into my local branch, I was quoted a 20% co-pay amount which was yet a different amount. I asked them to explain how they arrived at three different co-pay amounts? They had no explanation. I phoned my insurance to check on my coverage they stated there had been no changes in my coverage. Supplies including masks were still covered 100%, they had already paid 100% for the items I had just returned to Apria.

Getting the money back from Apria is another long story, they also did not give my insurance credit for the items I returned.

My wife just completed a sleep study, she has sleep Apnea, Monday we meet with the sleep doc for the results, options etc.
I'm sure this will be a nightmare from past dealings with my local branch which I am not looking forward to.

When I got my current CPAP from Apria the RT gave me a unopened box, told me all I need to do is snap the cap onto the back for the filter. If I am not capable of doing this he would do it for me. The RT did not bother set the pressure from my doctors prescription. Took the RT 45 minutes to go get the sealed box.

[snoozeandlose1]

Isn't it amazing that Apria is horrible no matter which location you use? They never sent my order and then after I called again they sent the wrong hose. I have other vendors I can use so I will try a different one for any largers purchases. I purchased my last cpap from cpap.com and paid out of pocket. However, I can't afford to do that this time.