Does anyone actually like there DME?

Funny you should ask..........
I am new to CPAP TAlk but not to Sleep Apnea. I was Diagnosed in 1999 when I was in my 40's. There were no online support sites ..heck THERE WERE NO SUPPORT GROUPS at all!. I am self taught by trial error. I have seen DME's come and go at the local level. My first one was Hospital owned. I knew everyone there of the 4 total staff! They were Resp Therapist I worked with at the hospital where I was an RN! So I had my own support group of sorts.......friends at the Sleep Lab at the hospital where my study was done and I worked.
Fast forward to today. I have used several DME's for supplies. machines etc. I am only on my 3rd machine in all that time and am replacing my old faithful Respironics Duet LX Bilevel as it is trying to die as its worn out and tired. The only reason I know about CPAP.com and others sites is because I Had to to do research about new equipment and found their online DME. I also found another good online board for sleep apnea users duiriing this times. Why? Because I have Obamacare and my deductible is high, not met, of course I have to pay out of pocket and I refused to pay $2300 just for ANY device. oh and the Kicker is they wanted me to RENT one for 10 months THEN purchase it......go figure! Like many of you I have had to get a script from my MD, which i now have a copy of for future use, and dont even know who my local DME is as i am still waiting on the insurance company. So being the pro-active person I am ...went out and got my own device at a much reduced price!

Seriously folks my story is not that unique, I am sure many of you can relate. The biggest problem I see is the DME companies hire cheap labor who cant relate to the folks they are serving or dont care, cusotomer service is poor at best, really non existant. But its not just the DME industry. Healthcare providers see their patients maybe for 5 min, dont really know them cant really know them, the office staff mostly there for a paycheck , dont feel a need to serve. Doesn't this sound like many companies today, not just in healthcare?

One way to get changes is fill out comment cards, praising when service is good and pointing out when service is bad. Send an email to the feedback if a rep is really outstanding. Promote a DME when they do a good job, recommend them by word of mouth! The cream will rise to the top. And let your insurance company know how you feel. A bad company will continue to be a lauded, promoted DME provider if no one knows about them! Ask to be changed to new provider and give a solid reason. Let insurance know you have informed the DME provider of your issues and tried to get them to correct them. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but a smart squeaky wheel can get a DME provider that works!

Back in the day, I used to defend Apria because even in those days it had its detractors. A few years ago they went nationwide and eliminated their local office in my area which was staffed by friendly helpful people. After that things when downhill fast and I finally just dropped them. Most of the mom and pops have been consumed or driven out so there's not much in the way of alternative DMEs unless you managed to find a survivor.

People who don't have problems will tend not to seek out support boards. So, yeah, you'll hear more about complaints than not.

Both my brother and I have now had a year of experience with Lincare. I'm happy with my local Lincare office (Minneapolis). I have had some problems with the warehouse and my Lincare office just told me if I have any problems, just call the office and they will get me what I want. I get it. They are just order takers. Most of them likely don't use xpap and don't have a clue. He tells me that his clients that have the most problems are like me who switch between two or more masks on a regular basis.

I don't know if I just lucked out to get a pretty good office or if Lincare cleaned up their act after all the complaints 3-4 years ago. I have had ZERO billing problems - the couple of problems I had were on my end, not theirs. For my brother, he has had zero problems.