Dissatisfied with my clinic and DME vendor in Brooklyn NY

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:47 pm

Now, I am hot,

to stay until midnight waiting on somepne who stood you up for tight clips is ludicrous. There is being polite but then there is being off the deep end too. Go home to your child, I travel for a living, I have missed many a night at home, that is a part of life in the business world.

guest · Post by **guest** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:53 pm

rock n roll,

Im sure in your infinite age (thus wisdom) your heart cannot allow you to disparage every DME company in the world based on your particular experience...

I went to mcdonald today, told the lady FIVE times I didnt want pickles in my quarter pounder, they give me hives. Guess what I got in my quarter pounder. Am I to lambast mcdonalds across the world for this fallacy?

Chrisp,

May you are STILL avoiding the question. Whats so hard in revealing a plane exactly as you rent costs new? Why cant you allow everyone that has been persuaded into thinking all DME companies are raping insurance companies to see my comparision that you are afraid of? Come on, you know I made my point, at least be man enough to admit it.

I specifically want to know, if your used plane that you rent for $83 wet an hour WERE BRAND NEW. How much would it cost? Then we are just going to compare that price to what your rental amounts to over 15 months, like a cpap ok?

Doesnt anyone else want to see how EVIL DME companies are?

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:15 pm

No guest I don't. I am a businessman, I look at percentages. When almost every person in a concensus group has a negative opinion concerning a product or service then I have to stay clear of that product. I seems to be the concensus of this forum and two others that are very popular on then internet concerning cpap, SA ans DME's, the consensus is overwhelmingly negative as to DME experiences. Now, you may be one of the better ones, but the majority are not if the percentages hold true to the SA population in general. Thus rather than be defensive and argueing and getting belligerent with us, it would seem that you would be working within your industy to fix it. IMHO all you have done with this thread is further anger forum members and have further made the image of DME's as negative. I was staying out of this until the tone of your messages got to such a pitch that I feel compelled to get involved. Now, as I figure it if cpap.com can sell a machine for $299.00 and an average mask for $100.00 and they manage to stay in business thus requiring a profit, then the real cost must be around $300.00. OK so for doing insurance forms and for waiting 2 months for your money and for the "average" service a DME renders then I see no need for the charges to insurance exceeding a 100% markup so would be $599.00. How in the world do you justify $2400? I wish I could make that kind of markup but in my business gross margins are around 28% average with a net of 5% and my costs are high as I have to travel to China, and Europe, run vehicles 70,000 miles each a year, have an office and equipment and computers etc.

I guess what I am driving at is if you are going to make obscene margins then service should be top shelf. MOST ARE BOTTOM SHELF AT BEST!
And I know what your costs are for the equipment as I have a supplier/wholesaler mailing me catalogs and price sheets every month.

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:31 pm

HEY GUEST ,

A cpap doesn't have 50 hr oil changes, 100 hr inspections, use $3.50+ a gallon fuel @ 10 gallons an hour and cost $400+ a month to insure for rental. A CPAP also doesnt need a bianual IFR certification, $2000 annual inspections, Transponder check, lots of tires, brakes, radio repairs , batterys and cost $200 a month to hanger. And thats BEFORE it even flys a 1 hour revenue flight with a student learning to fly.....Not to mention the weather. If it sucks for a month my bills still add up. I don't get a break on the annual. And its tough on the plane to sit in the hanger. They are made to fly. If a student turns the wrong switch and he blows a jug off the engine I loose big time. ... Also WHAT does this have to do with the cash price of a cpap ? Remember I don't have insurance. I pay cash.

But since you asked A new aircraft costs around $200000 to $400000. Depending on options.. If you can even get insurance on a new aircraft.

Also. I only charge Hobbs time. Thats by the hour of operation. So if you were to rent at 7 am and fly to the coast for the day and return at 7 PM That would take about 3 hours of actual flight time. That is what you would pay for. 3 hrs of rental. Not 12 hours. If you flew to NY for a week that would take about 35 Hrs of flying. Thats what you would be charged. 35 hrs rental. Not 7 X24.

Or you could buy the plane for $200,000 + and pay for insurance, maintenance , hanger yourself. Suddenly $83 an hr looks pretty good huh.

So what is the cash price of a GK420E with intigrated humidifier and ultra mirage mask ?

Like I said way back. If you aren't an EVIL DME this isn't aiimed at you. We do have some nice DMEs here. Right Christine RRT.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, mirage, CPAP, DME

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, mirage, CPAP, DME

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 10:02 pm

R&R,

Talk chrisp into flying you two to WI an I'll buy you both a big juicy steak dinner.

Great comments from both of you.

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:43 pm

That would be cool!

Ionizer · Post by **Ionizer** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 6:01 pm

Yikes Chris, Only $83 an hour. Thats a great price ! When I was in U.K. they were getting 110 GBP per hr . Plus Landing fees of 12 GBP . Each landing ! 110 GBP = .....$195 !!!! What a steal at only $83.

Take no notice of Guest... What an IDIOT..

Ready , Aim , ZAP

Ionizer

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 6:38 pm

Hey you three! Let me know which airport and I'll pick you up in my van!!!

- JB

(I live just a few miles from Mitchell International)

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 6:46 pm

My usefull load is only 835 pounds so 3 is a crowd.

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 10:26 pm

GUEST..........GUEST>>>>>>>>>>> Still waiting for YOUR reply.

So what is the cash price of a GK420E with intigrated humidifier and mask ?

Guess hes had enough.

ANSWER: As much as they can

:twis ted:

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:44 pm

chrisp,

ive been tied up taking care of my patients.

you acknowledge that a plane costs $200,000 to $400,000 and yet you charge $83 for the use of said plane an hour.

so based on your pricing, if i wanted to rent your plane for a week i pay $13,944.

if i rented your plane for the same amount of time, say a cpap rents for through insurance, you would receive $557,760, way more than what the plane is worth.....hmmmmmmm

So, my question was, how much does YOUR plane cost to purchase, not what a several hundred thousand range is between planes, which you declined to answer.

The point being, just as you can pay $50 a day to rent a hyundai elantra from hertz, and they receive $1500 a month in revenue, is it evil for them when they only pay $200 a month for that car?

As you mentioned, arent there associated fees and expenses that a business has to cover to provide services?

So what makes what you do (by the way, i think is beyond crooked) any better, different or moral compared to a dme company?

How about I demand that you provide, for the $83 an hour fee you charge, the latest 2006 model plane? Would you just cough it up? ignorant

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:51 pm

Guest, READ... my post from 17 June. Do the math ! Yes the plane costs $200,000 + new depending on equipment. . To rent a new plane would cost about $150+ per hour. Thats why there aren't many new planes for rent .

Ignorant AND Arrogant . What a combination. I feel for your customers..

If you don't like your job get another..

Cheers,

:twis ted:

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:47 pm

Mikebomb,

This thread sure deteriorated.

As I said in another thread
viewtopic.php?t=3728

I'm just beginning the process of getting my first machine in the NYC area, but so far have been impressed with the DME, American Oxygen, which is based on LI and serves the city as well. 800-286-0062

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:56 pm

Guest,

Using your logic, I have a great deal for you. I have a nice visco elastic pillow that I have a cost of $28.00 that I sell to the stores for $38.00. Name brand top of the line. My stores would sell it to you for between $59.00 and 69.00. But as it is covered by insurance companies for your health problems, I will sell it to your insurance company for $800.00. What a deal. Hey maybe we can bypass the insurance company and you can have it for a cool $580.00.

Or you could be smart like those of us on the list burnt by DMEs and buy it a a store or direct for a fair price.

Boomer · Post by **Boomer** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:56 pm

Sorry, I had to reply on this so it would be bumped back up. I just love a good flame war!!

DME Wrote...

I could not believe boomers comments about a DME. He actually never even dealt with one and calls them evil.

On the contrary, clueless DME, I did try to deal with Apria, the only DME that is contracted with my insurance, that handles (or at least makes a feeble attempt, to handle) CPAP machines. They have several facilities in the Phoenix area, and even one in Casa Grande, but only 1 facility near downtown Phoenix, that deals with CPAP. This I discovered, after numerous calls and misdirects through their system. I spent a week trying to get someone on the phone that actually knew a little more about CPAP machines and related equipment, than I had learned reading on-line. Just when I thought I had found "the CPAP expert, of Apria", he was clueless, or BS-ing his answers to my questions.

At that point, my thought was, if this is the way they operate/treat me before I'm actually a customer, when you would think they would put the best foot forward, what is it going to be like after they have mine and my ins. co. money? No thanks, cpap.com, here I come. So, in a sense, I avoided the evil DME's all together, but had enough of a taste to make, what I think, was the right choice.

I also spoke with a much smaller, yet out of network DME, just down the street. They seemed much more customer service oriented than Apria was, but, turns out, their CPAP person, is only in the office once a week and no one else in the office could do anything but rent/sell wheelchairs and canes.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!

Boomer, the "unbelievable commenter"

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): cpap.com, CPAP, DME

Mask	Humidifier