Resmed Price Increase

coreyg wrote:There is no lower phone price any more.

What about for the PR System One?

I guess we'll find out how important ResMed feels the Online business is to their success. Presumably DME's have exerted great pressure on them to make the change. Respironics and others should benefit unless this is the beginning of a trend.


Nord

Wow did we ever get lucky.

Reckon they saw all the posts about how wonderful the S9 Auto was and decided since they had made a " wonder " machine they would jack up the price.

M series Pro with Aflex is a perfectly acceptable alternative if you can find one.
Not sure about the new one Respironics put out.

jnk wrote:

coreyg wrote:There is no lower phone price any more.

What about for the PR System One?

I didn't check but I believe this is only Resmed.

-Corey

Just talked to our host. Yes the prices have gone up today. Lucky for me, I placed my order Friday and it will be shipping today at Friday's price.

Sleep Well

Steve

coreyg wrote:

unadog wrote: Yes, I just called. There is no lower phone price any more.

S swear word #1, F swear word #2 ....

Thanks Corey!

Too bad, too. The S9 **looked** like a nice machine. I really liked the data that it provides. Which, ironically, is probably a driver for a lot of those folks who make their own decision, and who would buy online ...

We will have to see if this is legal in the end! With Canon cameras, for example, there is a "minimum advertised price" that they have enforced for years. But they can't enforce a minimum selling price! It is illegal, restraint of trade, and against anti-trust regulations. At least it was! In the past, the line was: "Companies actually cannot **set** a price at all! They can only "suggest" a MSRP, and they can enforce a MAP." But, I am not up on the latest legislation or rulings ....

My next new machine will probably come through a DME, so it won't affect the final price anyway. But I will insist on a Respironics in protest! I was just looking at a used ResMed yesterday .... Don't want to buy into the system now.

Michael

As a company, when you don't have enough supply on hand to meet the demand for your product, you raise the price. So I assume the best thing we can do to support ResMed's efforts to meet demand is to do our part to lower the demand so the price can come back down.

This is an older article, I think from December 30, 2009. This was my understanding of the law prior to today:

*******************************************************

http://ezinearticles.com/?CPAP-Price-Co ... id=1833025

It's a dirty little secret of Respironics, ResMed and other CPAP manufacturers..... vendors of CPAP equipment aren't allowed to advertise CPAPs below a certain price that the CPAP manufacturers dictate.

.... but it's perfectly legal. Here's why: The Sherman Act, a fixture of U.S. Antitrust law, prohibits price fixing as an illegal restraint on competition. The manufacturers go right up to this line, but get away with their policies because vendors are free to sell CPAPs at whatever price they choose; they just can't advertise the CPAPs below whatever price the manufacturers determine. In practice, this leads to the same result for certain vendors --- those who sell over the internet, which is where the plot really gets juicy...
*******************************************************

Edit:

Apparently the ruling below changed the law as stated above. Although the author above is a corporate attorney, and this case was from 2006?

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/06-480.pdf

*********************************************************

unadog wrote:
My next new machine will probably come through a DME, so it won't affect the final price anyway. But I will insist on a Respironics in protest! I was just looking at a used ResMed yesterday .... Don't want to buy into the system now.

Michael

It's a good idea not to buy ResMed anyway because any filters or parts you will need in future will have to be purchased at their inflated prices.

Wow i see cpap.com have posted the S9 Auto with Hi5 and climate tubing at $1123 Thats $364 more than i paid for it at cpap.com. Looks like timed a purchasing decision at the right time for a change

I'm hoping this price is inflated just because its a new machine and that once the wow factor wears off it will need to be bought in line with the competition.
I hate it that Resmed are trying to mandate the DME channels for there stuff. Personally i think it should all be on the shelf at Walmart, better still costco

Even the mask prices have gone up, i bought a Swift LX from cpap.com for $99 a week ago, now its $127. I see that replacement pillows and air filter prices have not been increased.

This is worrying as increases in equipment costs can go above certain insurance allowable values. I remember at my DME i had to sign a form stating that if i wanted a "premium" mask I would be charged $40, they said its because the insurance won't pay enough.

Well I for one will be looking at other machines. I was tempted to get the S9, but will definitely not do so now. Will see how Fisher Paykel's "Icon" fares when it comes out in a few weeks. It is supposed to have a heated hose as well.

While it is not as pretty as the S9 (still think it looks like a toaster with clock radio and mp3 player.. ), may consider it if the reviews are good.

Like Jim (Goofproof) said.......vote with your wallet/checkbook/credit card......

I'm not even sure which "big" DME chains peddle ResMed machines. I thought Apria and Lincare were both predominantly Respironics.

I made up my mind about 5 years ago that I would never own a ResMed machine. (and they won't get any more of my money for masks, either)


Den

Well! I guess I'd better be glad that I ordered my Ultra Mirage ffm before ResMed decided to get crazy.....I think I may have gotten my order in for my replacement cushion just under the wire. Guess I'd better not count on getting another ResMed machine when I do eventually have to replace the one I have, which I hope is a long time from now!

unadog wrote:
Apparently the ruling below changed the law as stated above. Although the author above is a corporate attorney, and this case was from 2006?

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/06-480.pdf

*********************************************************

This is a bit easier to read but I think it's talking about the same case:

http://www.fvldlaw.com/?t=40&an=923&format=xml

-Corey

Yes, thanks! Nice discussion. I had linked to the "raw" case decision.

The Supreme Court recently overruled the longstanding rule that a manufacturer can never directly agree with a distributor to set a minimum price that the distributor can charge for the manufacturer's products. In Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc., the Supreme Court ordered lower courts to evaluate these minimum pricing agreements (or vertical price restraints) according to the "rule of reason" rather than strictly prohibiting such agreements. Under the new ruling, agreements that courts decide serve a pro-competitive purpose do not violate federal antitrust law. The Court's 5-4 decision, intended to bring the law into step with the thinking of today's economists, clears up years of seemingly contradictory precedent and confusing legal loopholes. Still, it remains to be seen how lower courts will determine when minimum pricing agreements will be permitted.