MIRAGE SWIFT LT QUALITY POLL--THE RESMED CHARADE???

Hawthorne · Post by **Hawthorne** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:57 am

I don't know how many did this but, I sent an email to Resmed as a result of this thread.

I received NO response.

twokatmew · Post by **twokatmew** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:37 am

plr66 wrote:And I am stunned enough to say that USA Product Manager Jennifer Baum's reportedly discounting, devaluing, and desparaging comment to twokatmew about my now being "just a patient" has launched me to the place of believing this company was in fact carrying on a charade of pretended customer responsiveness for the sole purpose of publicity here.

I went back and read my post re this again, and I see I said:

twokatmew wrote:When I mentioned this thread, she responded that "it was written by a patient," stressing that the info didn't come from ResMed and going so far as to imply that you misinterpreted their information.

I think Jennifer was trying to stress that the info came from "a patient" and "not from ResMed," not necessarily "just a patient." Still, when I queried further re the information from ResMed posted in this thread, that's when Jennifer made it clear there was no problem with the pillows and thus the information presented here was incorrect. So my point may be moot, but I did want to clarify. Nevertheless ... it's still a matter of ResMed/Jennifer talking out of both sides of their/her mouth. The letter Ozij quoted clearly admits there's a problem with the pillows even though they may all be "in spec." Too bad Jennifer didn't take the time to make sure I received the corrected pillows instead of stock on hand. And too bad these "corrected" pillows that plr66 received aren't the same as the firmer pillows and seem to deteriorate more quickly.

My guess is they figure there's not that many of us complaining, so even if we all abandon the Swift LT, ResMed will still sell plenty of these masks. It seems to be the most popular pillows mask out there. If this is the case, however, it's a pretty common attitude of businesses today. Pretty sad if you ask me.

Perhaps ResMed's not even reading this thread. After all, they have far more important things to worry about than a handful of malcontents. I've thought about sending Jennifer another email detailing my experience with her replacement pillows being no different than the new floppy pillows I have -- as well as my disappointment with ResMed's unwillingness to readily replace our floppy pillows with corrected pillows. Even though they're not the same as our initial pillows, it seems they're somewhat better than the unusable ones I have. It seems to me though, that it's going to take more than a few of us rattling cages before ResMed is really going to take this issue seriously....

plr66 · Post by **plr66** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:40 pm

plr66 wrote:
plr66 wrote:Edit: Sydney Team....Phil, Menduh, Sue Lynch.....what do you say?
Nearly 24 hours later: Complete silence from ResMed.

If any of our readers are not interested in this thread, please skip by it from now on.

Nearly 48 hours later: Complete silence continues from ResMed.
And I am stunned enough to say that USA Product Manager Jennifer Baum's reportedly discounting, devaluing, and desparaging comment to twokatmew about my now being "just a patient" has launched me to the place of believing this company was in fact carrying on a charade of pretended customer responsiveness for the sole purpose of publicity here. I hope that will end. It is disgusting to me, and unbelievable that ResMed thinks we are all so completely brain-dead or passive that we will accept their refusal to respond to an admitted issue on the part of their manufacturing quality control.

plr66 · Post by **plr66** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:40 pm

john5757 wrote:I am not sure that I miss your point. Are you saying to compare a one year old pillow to a new pillow or are you saying to visualize one of my old pillows
might have look like when new with the new?

John, This thread was asking folks to compare for any differences experienced between their pillow purchased a year ago (when new and over time) with newly purchased pillows (when new and over time). Clear?

If you have had no problem, then good for you! Your opinion will be registered.

twokatmew · Post by **twokatmew** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:54 pm

john5757 wrote:I am not sure that I miss your point. Are you saying to compare a one year old pillow to a new pillow or are you saying to visualize one of my old pillows
might have look like when new with the new? With the last point it would be hard to make a comparison since the old pillow has changed quite a bit.

I obtained seven pillows within the same month. One is of the firmer type which results in lower AHI and leak rate. The other six are supposedly the less common softer pillow that results in higher AHI and higher leak rates. If you read through this thread, I believe you'll find a number of Swift LT users saying the same thing.

No one said this was a scientific study, and apparently not everyone has trouble with the softer pillows. I guess you're one of those who doesn't. This doesn't mean there isn't a problem, however.

john5757 · Post by **john5757** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:01 am

I am not sure that I miss your point. Are you saying to compare a one year old pillow to a new pillow or are you saying to visualize one of my old pillows
might have look like when new with the new? With the last point it would be hard to make a comparison since the old pillow has changed quite a bit.

plr66 wrote:
john5757 wrote:First the poll that was setup makes no sense to begin with.
John, this is in no way intended to dispute your opinions or experience with this mask. However, I think you may have missed one of the points of this thread, which I guess would require reading the posts from the beginning. The "poll" was used as a tool to get some feedback for ResMed, as much as anything. And I had specifically asked folks to compare pillows bought new recently as compared with those bought new approx. a year or more ago (see my first post).

The Texan · Post by **The Texan** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:40 am

jzm97 wrote:I really didn't have a clue what you were talking about until i got my replacement cushion the other day. It's awful. Completely different from the first one. I have a horrible time exhaling with the new one... it's like the much flimsier material collapses when I exhale... I'm not sure that's exactly what's happening, but it sure feels like it's a lot of effort to breathe out, and I can't think of another reason. This is very vexing... I loved this mask. But thanks for pushing this with resmed, even if their response reads like boilerplate marketing jargon.

I'm sorry now that I threw one of my pillows into the trash, as it was exactly as you described. Way back in the beginning I posted about the same scenario about it collapsing on exhale and leaking like a sieve. I'm hoping to be part of the new challenge, so I can evaluate the two, now that I have used the LT for a few months.

plr66 · Post by **plr66** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:25 am

john5757 wrote:First the poll that was setup makes no sense to begin with.

John, this is in no way intended to dispute your opinions or experience with this mask. However, I think you may have missed one of the points of this thread, which I guess would require reading the posts from the beginning. The "poll" was used as a tool to get some feedback for ResMed, as much as anything. And I had specifically asked folks to compare pillows bought new recently as compared with those bought new approx. a year or more ago (see my first post).

jzm97 · Post by **jzm97** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:35 am

I really didn't have a clue what you were talking about until i got my replacement cushion the other day. It's awful. Completely different from the first one. I have a horrible time exhaling with the new one... it's like the much flimsier material collapses when I exhale... I'm not sure that's exactly what's happening, but it sure feels like it's a lot of effort to breathe out, and I can't think of another reason. This is very vexing... I loved this mask. But thanks for pushing this with resmed, even if their response reads like boilerplate marketing jargon.

Pendragon · Post by **Pendragon** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:28 am

I hope you don't mind my 2 cents here, on a different ResMed mask, but I have noticed the same thing with the Ultra Mirage II nasal. On the trial unit I had for 2 months, the skirt was milky and quite heavier than the skirt on the one I bought a month ago, the new one is clearer, and flimsy compared with the original one, resulting in a few more leaks, nothing major, but I am worried while cleaning that I might rip the skirt. I believe there's something here with manufacturing quality of materials.

Just my 2C.

john5757 · Post by **john5757** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:54 pm

The issue with the Swift LT quality control I am not even sure that there even a problem in the first place. First the poll that was setup makes no sense to begin with. The first question states: Yes--Newer ones look clearer & seem thinner--older ones are milkier in appearance & feel sturdier That is true with most masks that ResMed makes that I ever tried but that does not mean there is a problem. The full mask, the swift, swift II and the LT all new cushions or pillows are softer and more transparent when new. They will get milky in appearance and stiffer with time. When the pillows gets too stiff that is the time for a replacement and too much tension on the straps are needed to maintain a seal and that seems to hold up with the other makes of masks that I have tried during the years on CPAP. The second question is the new pillows softer when new, I hope so. The third question is the only one that states a problem and the last, fourth question are the pillows the same. So from the poll it can be read that only 29% is having a problem with the softness of the pillows. You cannot have a clear picture with that kind of a poll. I want the new pillows to be softer that the old ones which are much stiffer with age and do not seal as well and require more tension on the straps. The new softer pillows I have to readjust the tension on the straps for the softer pillows and it makes for better seal and much more comfortable to wear. I find that letting the short hose hang free instead of attaching with the clip on the top strap gives better results with the new pillows and it is far more comfortable than the old pillow that is milky and stiffer with age. The one time that I found that the new pillow were the same was NOS (New Old Stock) I just got a new large pillow from CPAPauction and it is more transparent and softer than the old pillow that I am replacing with and it has been working well and it is starting to turn milky. It is hard for me to see a issue in the tread nor do I see a smoking gun fact in this thread. The truth is out there, somewhere.

twokatmew · Post by **twokatmew** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:43 pm

plr66 wrote:Nearly 24 hours later: Complete silence from ResMed.

<sigh> I sent my three "dud" pillows back to Jennifer today with a note enclosed that the new ones she sent me are no different. I'll give it a week, and if I don't hear anything I may email Jennifer again....

I'm off to bed now, and I won't be wearing my Swift LT.

plr66 · Post by **plr66** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:32 pm

plr66 wrote:Edit: Sydney Team....Phil, Menduh, Sue Lynch.....what do you say?

Nearly 24 hours later: Complete silence from ResMed.

If any of our readers are not interested in this thread, please skip by it from now on.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:30 am

posting.php?mode=quote&f=1&p=376283

plr66 wrote:So after all that, here is the outcome statement from ResMed, copied in full:

"We understand your complaint is that the replacement cushions are softer than the original

· People prefer a range of pillow stiffness for their individual preference. Some replies to ResMed indicates that some customers find the pillows too flexible, but others are finding the pillows should be more flexible. ResMed has balanced the stiffness range for all population where the majority of our customers are happy with the current design.
· The Swift LT is designed using double wall pillows that require lower headgear force than the original Swift and should not be over tightened to seal and stabilize as indicated on our user guide and related section of the Flexible Active Seal Technology (F.A.S.T) section on our web. This improves comfort and is a strong selling point for the Swift LT.
· Swift LT pillows are made from silicone which has a natural variation of stiffness from batch to batch and the material characteristics of the silicone will change during use according to user conditions such as skin type, cleaning regime, usage of any facial cream, etc.
· Added to this we have several multi-cavity moulds making each size of pillows
· The result is that the stiffness of pillows varies between samples but all pillows including return samples are within the design specification range.
Thus, we hear the concerns of our customers and have established a program to reduce the variability of the pillows in early production cycle. This program will further help to minimize the difference noted by our customers when moving to a new pillow. This program will take some time to complete and for parts to replace stocks in the field. However, when any new pillow is used, the mask will require headgear readjustment to optimize the fit to suit the new pillow to prevent over tightening as indicated in user guide.

Thank you for your patience and I hope this has helped alleviate your concern.

Jennifer Baum
Product Manager- Masks
ResMed Corp.

Edit: Had trouble with updating the subject line, but it did work after all.

plr66 · Post by **plr66** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:52 pm

twokatmew wrote: I left this info out of my initial post re replacement pillows, and I still hesitated to post it here, because I didn't want to make you feel bad, plr66.

twokatmew, I promise that I have no ego involved in this. It's actually been a little embarrassing to me to keep this thread bumping to the top; but I earnestly wanted to follow it through to hoped-for corrections. And so I guess I do feel the need to keep it in front of people at this point.

twokatmew wrote:But then I realized I was protecting ResMed, which has done nothing to resolve their quality problem. I was really struck by how Jennifer contradicted herself during our conversation, and I'm not entirely surprised that the replacement pillows are no better than the defective ones I already had.

Clearly we patients don't know what we're talking about, don't have the know-how to adjust our own machines, and can't tell the difference between a good pillow and a dud....
It's unfortunate that ResMed cares more about their bottom line than providing quality products to patients. They forget that without us, they would have no bottom line.

You've got that right, twokatmew. And with intense feelings of disgust, I must question the conscience and ethics and integrity of ResMed for their apparent charade here. Not sure whether it is Jennifer, or whether it is the company calling the shots. But "it ain't right." And the charade is over.

Edit: Sydney Team....Phil, Menduh, Sue Lynch.....what do you say?

MIRAGE SWIFT LT QUALITY POLL--THE RESMED CHARADE???

Have you found a decrease in quality of the Swift LT pillows over the past year?

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Re: MIRAGE SWIFT LT QUALITY POLL--OUTCOME REPORT 7/1/09

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