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

Thanks for posting the outcome report, plr.

I have to say I'm sorely disappointed with respect to Resmed's suggestion at the end, and personally.

I've been using the LT since December, and I love it. I was due for a new mask a few weeks ago, and I ordered the LT for Her this time. (I like the headgear on the "For Her" better than the regular LT's headgear.) So I tried the For Her last night for the first time, and I went nuts for about 10 minutes, trying to seat these new pillows properly. I couldn't stop them from leaking, listening to them hiss the entire time, no matter how I adjusted them. Drove me crazy. I've never had a problem with my LT leaking, but these new pillows were NOT working for me. They were so flimsy, they were IN my nose, instead of butting up against my nostrils like the old LT pillows did/do.

I ripped the LT for Her off my face and put on my trusty LT (with the "old" pillows) and went right to sleep. Normal leak rate on my data, as usual. I don't know how long my "old" pillows will hold out, but I sure hope they last a long time. I'm going to put them in the For Her mask tonight, since I do like the headgear better.

As to Resmed's insistence that we go through the DME for new "old" pillows? My DME has been so cooperative in the past ( cough-cough) that I already know I won't get any satisfaction from them with a request like that. As Dana Carvey (doing George Bush, Sr.) would say, "Naaa gaaaa dahhhht."

Feh.

If ResMed is interested in supplying new good pillows to replace the old bad ones, they could pulish an open letter that patients could download and show their DME's. With the info in hand, a DME assured of not losing money will probably be more cooperative.

Of course, this pillow issue means someone is going to loose money, the only question is who:
ResMed
DME's?
Patients?
...

What about the ResMed employee who didn't ensure the right kind of quality control? How far up in the corporate ladder does a decision to take back older pillows have to go? Who in ResMed knows about the situation now? Won't a open letter to DME's make someone higher up ask some unpleasant questions ? Didi you actually get anything in writing with the compay logo?

O.

I just started using the Swift LT three weeks ago so I have no reference point.

Does anyone have a way to tell an old one from the newer problem ones without having seen both of them?

JeffH wrote:And there you have it. They took care of you and feel they've done their job. Screw everybody else. I couldn't even get my former DME to send me the right Swift pillows, much less replace a specific one...LOL.

I think I'm using one of the bad ones now....it's chewing up the inside of my nose a bit. It seems less sturdy than the one before.
JeffH

Jeff, Bleeping Beauty, (and anyone else experiencing & saying the same thing), I guess I would have to say that in that case, it's time to go to the source. I spent about 6 months collecting one pillow at a time, making trips about once a month to my former sleep lab to look at their incoming stock--all in the quest of matching my original effective pillow. After all that, I resorted to calling the company and posting this poll. The DME tried, but could not help me.

I'm guessing that in these economic times, no company is going to be delighted with the prospect of 1000 people calling for replacement of possibly inferior product. I am certain that I will not be appreciated by the good folks at ResMed for suggesting this, but IMO there will only be hope of a concerted effort on their part to planfully develop a process for such replacements, if the company is directly contacted by all those having found no help from their DME in resolving this. I think I understood them to have said last week that it will take some time before the inferior stock can be replaced at the DME stock level. (Which begs the question of why Jennifer is instructing folks to handle this "exchange" with their DME).

Ozij, you make such good points. I do know that ResMed folks are following this thread, so one can hope that they might respond.

plr66 wrote: Jeff, Bleeping Beauty, (and anyone else experiencing & saying the same thing), I guess I would have to say that in that case, it's time to go to the source. I spent about 6 months collecting one pillow at a time, making trips about once a month to my former sleep lab to look at their incoming stock--all in the quest of matching my original effective pillow. After all that, I resorted to calling the company and posting this poll. The DME tried, but could not help me.

I'm going to contact Resmed directly, then. I did ask my DME about a replacement pillow for the LT For Her that I just got, but they are shipped the mask with the three sets of pillows, and they don't keep any extras around. In the case of the For Her mask, the pillows are XS, S, and M. If this mask came with a Large pillow, I'd be trying it.

I think I understood them to have said last week that it will take some time before the inferior stock can be replaced at the DME stock level. (Which begs the question of why Jennifer is instructing folks to handle this "exchange" with their DME).

Very good question.

Ozij, you make such good points. I do know that ResMed folks are following this thread, so one can hope that they might respond.

Agreed.

One last question for you, plr: Was it ever determined which number lots were good and which were bad? I know I had a hard time reading the tiny raised number on the bottom of my old pillow, but I was able to with the help of a bright light in the background.

Thanks again, for doing all the hard work for the rest of us. I hope a resolution is forthcoming sooner, rather than later. I'd hate to have to abandon my Swift pillow masks...

BleepingBeauty wrote:One last question for you, plr: Was it ever determined which number lots were good and which were bad? I know I had a hard time reading the tiny raised number on the bottom of my old pillow, but I was able to with the help of a bright light in the background.

Thanks again, for doing all the hard work for the rest of us. I hope a resolution is forthcoming sooner, rather than later. I'd hate to have to abandon my Swift pillow masks...

BB, I was never informed of which of the tiny numbers on the pillows were found to be problematic. (Edit: jdm2857 is entirely correct in his next post--I mis-spoke earlier. The number refers to the mold the pillow came from). I'm actually guessing that this was irrelevant, since the conclusion the engineers described was a problem with needing to eliminate the initial pillows coming out of any production.

Thanks for your remarks, BB. I really did no "hard work." Just persistent and OCD with detail, and very happy to have been taken seriously in this quest for an investigation. I'm also hoping for a more effective response from Jennifer ASAP.

Jennifer --

Don't minimize your role in making this happen. You have helped a great deal of people all over the world.

And as for those looking for lot numbers, I have to believe that the single-digit numbers which mold in a machine the pillow was made in, and not an actual lot number. Know which part came from which mold can help in resolving manufacturing problems.

JeffH wrote:
I think I'm using one of the bad ones now....it's chewing up the inside of my nose a bit. It seems less sturdy than the one before.

JeffH

x2

I actually use the Swift II ( not the LT) so I don't have a horse in this race. (My DME considers the LT a "special order") I have worked in the plastics molding arena though.
After reading this thread, I think Resmed has done about all they can to help with the QC problem. They are a manufacturing firm selling a wholesale product to DME's. Any letters or postings on this issue by Resmed would be grounds for some ambulance chaser to initiate a lawsuit (at least in the USA). Without specific serial numbers or lot numbers, there is no practical way to run down which masks are "good". They can only address manufacturing -- if they actually do it themselves. The rest is out of their control. How old is the stock at the DME? How is it stored? How many masks came from the "gray" market (EBAY)? How many "bad" masks are there to begin with? How many are actually counterfeit products? All unknowns.

Many people here struggle with finding the right mask, the right doctor, the right machine settings, the right DME -- all issues that seem more personally relevant and controllable. I commend PLR66 for initiating this study. I'm even more amazed that ResMed actually looked into it and responded. I think the outcome is better than I would have expected.

I did notice that according to the paperwork that came with my Swift LT, while the mask is made in Australia, the pillows are made in China.

So where does this leave those of us who are not current users of the Swift LT? I had been planning to buy one at my next mask-replacement cycle.

Should I buy a Swift LT, or not? How will I know whether the DME is selling me a newer pillow (with closer manufacturing tolerances) or old stock? How long should I wait for the DME to cycle out that old stock?

The Swift LT is still a great mask choice for anyone considering it. I still must have the "older" pillows as I am not having any of the problems with them so far. I had the SWIFT LT and then I got the "for her" version a few months ago when I was due a new mask. LOVE IT. When I looked at the Nasal Masks that I used to use like the F & P 407--I cannot imagine going back to using something like that again that is so big and covers your entire nose. The Swift LT is still the best thing going right now IMHO. I also have the Opti Life which is a good nasal mask too --I used it before I got the Swift LT---

jdm2857 wrote:I did notice that according to the paperwork that came with my Swift LT, while the mask is made in Australia, the pillows are made in China.

Mine is the same as yours, jdm2857. I have a friend whose Swift LT for Her is almost a year old, and that one says the mask is made in Singapore. Interesting, eh?

If there are "admitted defects" in the manufacture of these pillows, wouldn't it be in Resmeds best interest, in terms of preserving their image, to do a voulentary recall of all the affected pillows, before a class action is initiated? We shouldn't have to pay for their mistake, need our LT Pillows, and most will probably do anything to get them!

Georgio

jdm2857 wrote:I did notice that according to the paperwork that came with my Swift LT, while the mask is made in Australia, the pillows are made in China.

I just checked the paperwork for both of my LT masks.

LT (rec'd 12/08): "Made in Australia. Bag and pillows made in China."

LT For Her (rec'd 6/09): "Made in Singapore by ResMed Asia Operations Pty Ltd (Singapore Branch). Bag, pillows, tube retainer and soft wraps made in China."

Take a hint, ResMed, and replace these problematic pillows if you want to keep loyal customers!