ResMed Attacks Internet Suppliers

Being new to this cpap business I have been reading a lot recently. Being Scottish, I treat every penny as a prisoner and cost is important to me.
I emailed cpap.com asking if they shipped overseas. They replied and said they did except for resmed products. I then checked the resmed website in the UK and compared the prices to resmed cpap machines on cpap.com. Basically the prices are the same in pounds as they are in dollars. That makes the same resmed cpap machine 1 and a half times the price in the UK compared to the U.S. The internet is a great leveller for retailers. It makes obvious profiteering, like resmed in this instance, clear for all to see.

The fact of the matter is that ResMed corporate culture is such that people are paid to lie and masquerace.

Remember Mr. Gil Ben-Dov, and ResMed markeing VP who came here as "guest" to tout the supposed benefits of one of their new masks?

viewtopic/p492402/viewtopic.php?p=442302#p442302

By the way, they are no doubt tracking this frorum, since Mr. Ben Dov, or someone from his office, quite recently also posted an interesting tech support reply under the name of "erirod"

viewtopic/p492402/viewtopic.php?p=470142#p470142
O.

Bob3000 wrote: It's laughable when the xPAP manufacturers suggest that they are looking out for the patient's best interest by directing customers to brick-and-mortar DME's where they can "get the personal level of care that they need".

Oh really??? I wonder when this "personal level of care" is going to start. The only time I get "personal level of care" is when I demand it, and then I have to tell them what it is I want, and strong arm force them to provide it. Insurance is buying (at least until the divorce is final) so why do they fight so hard -- they get their $$$.....Amazamundo!!!!!

I find the whole xPAP manufacturing industry are a greedy bunch of charlatans, thieves, and frauds.
We the end user of their products are treated as pariahs because the DME is supposed to be the interface to the customer.....Great Resmed. When's it going to happen????

They're looking after the patients best interest?? I think not. They only thing they're looking after is the bottom line and the quarterly report to the investors. Patients best interest my ass!!!!!
AND since money talks and BS walks, the greedheads prevail.....

Ya make decent stuff, but you screw your end user (I know. I'm not your customer, but I can, by word of mouth, give you sh*t advertising and a bad rep, and do the same for your "Customer(s)")....

Like I said above -- Here we go again!!!!
We the "end user" can bitch, cry, whine, scream, yell, pound our fists on the table, jump up and down, and throw hissy fits, but the bottom line is the Manufacturer could care less!!!
(Sure wish I could find a mask as good as the Activa LT )
Oh well......
goose

PS -- as usual, me gots da feelin' that Resmed is only at the leading edge.....wanna bet they all follow suit in the next 12 months or so???

Huh? Big corporate businesses are immoral and don't play fair even though it is allowed by the law ... whooda thunk such a thing?

goose wrote: .... snip ...
Like I said above -- Here we go again!!!!

Ok but on this site we are speaking to the converted, basically chasing our tail. WE are the final consumers and WE need to take our concerns public - viral if necessary - else where. Like on Facebook and youtube.

Check out the effect of |"United broke my guitar" on their bottom line.

You mean like ResMed broke my AHI?

or

ResMed broke my favorite online vendor?

or

ResMed broke my trust in the "free-market"?

or

ResMed broke my wallet?

Its like Roger B Smith. He would rather sell 100 cars at $1,000,000 each than 1,000,000 cars at $100 each.

WOW....what a conundrum....
I like to believe in and have a loyalty to products that I use.
That is probably old school these days.
The multi-national companies have plenty of customers
and are interested in max profit....
could care less about individual customers.

I keep trying to convince myself I need an S9.
You know all the reasons.....but with the attitude Resmed
has towards their "real" customers, I just can't do it.

On the other hand, I have my family of S8s.
They provide excellent therapy for me.
They give me my life.
I trust them.....w/my life.

....you know what I'm say'n??

I am so grateful for the education I have received from this group
and through that education was proactive to assemble my little family
and all their supporting equipment. I have therapy, under my control,
for years to come.
With the direction alleged health care and provider business
practice it headed, I think I'll just stick w/my S8s and
see how it shakes out.

DreamStalker wrote:You mean like ResMed broke my AHI?

or

ResMed broke my favorite online vendor?

or

ResMed broke my trust in the "free-market"?

or

ResMed broke my wallet?

How about "Resmed hoses customers"
(that's correct, whether you consider their customer to be a DME or an apnea patient. Internet sellers ARE their customers!)

PST wrote:I feel very confident that whether one considers it a good thing or a bad thing, U.S. law does not forbid a manufacturer from enforcing a minimum advertised price (MAP) policy like that of ResMed and the other manufactures, so long as the manufacturer and not the resellers establishes the policy, and so long as the manufacturer does not have anything like a monopoly. A manufacturer can enforce a pricing policy as long as it is not based on an agreement among its customers, the resellers. The antitrust slang for this is a "vertical" price constraint, which is legal. "Horizontal" price constraints normally are not. If ResMed, Respironics, and the others agreed to a pricing policy, that would probably be illegal. Similarly, if a group of DMEs agreed among them themselves to fix a price or establish a MAP, it would probably be illegal. The DMEs can't get together and ask ResMed to fix a policy and pretend that it is ResMed's idea either. But as long as ResMed establishes and enforces the policy unilaterally, it's probably okay. There are many, many businesses in which this is done.

The guy who wrote the letter Rooster quoted says that "ResMed wishes to position themselves as the premium manufacturer of sleep equipment." It is common practice to work at making the public perceive one's brand as the luxury choice, not the discount choice. Think Rolex watches, for example, another business in which MAP is enforced.

I'm not so sure the poster's theory is right. I suspect ResMed understands that in most cases the DME chooses what brand a patient gets, so it is in ResMed's interest to see that DMEs enjoy a healthy markup so they will continue to push ResMed. But, whatever the reason, and whether it is wise or moral, it is legal in the U.S. and always has been.

That's all well and good, but the OP linked to a link that deals largely with how Resmed is trying to enforce prescription requirements. Since when is that Resmed's responsibility? Isn't that a job for FDA or whichever arm of government requires that air blowers require a prescription?

That's why I bought a Respironics System One , not that Respironics is withe like snow but at least Resmed had one less S9 sold on their statistics. I'm changing changing to another mask brand too.

I believe on the power of boycott and bad publicity! It opens the ears of the deaf ones. I'm sure things will get worse and one day (sadly) Resmed will finish cutting the supplies to all the online sellers if we do nothing else that complaining in a forum; and who knows what the other companies will do

I'm for a facebook page or some kind of pressure against Resmed from us the final buyers. Yes, there is a lot of new cpap users not informed who will still buy from Resmed but if we don't do anything because of that we will deserve the end results of all this situation. That's my opinion.

Maybe if we bailed them out ... they would be nice to us like the banks are now.

ozij wrote:The fact of the matter is that ResMed corporate culture is such that people are paid to lie and masquerace.

Remember Mr. Gil Ben-Dov, and ResMed markeing VP who came here as "guest" to tout the supposed benefits of one of their new masks?

viewtopic/p492402/viewtopic.php?p=442302#p442302

By the way, they are no doubt tracking this frorum, since Mr. Ben Dov, or someone from his office, quite recently also posted an interesting tech support reply under the name of "erirod"

viewtopic/p492402/viewtopic.php?p=470142#p470142
O.

I wonder why they feel the need to try to guest post under other names (which obviously doesn't work) after they've already registered.
I tried to welcome him to the forum when he originally posted.

viewtopic/p492402/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4 ... il#p405862

At least DeVilbiss is up-front with their posting and I commend them for that.

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=39642

I suspect the fact that the ResMed staff who can't post under their real identities runs parallel to their sneaky tactics as posted in the link in the first post in this thread. It's their corporate culture.


Den

Hosehead is right -- where is it that Resmed is the responsible entity to enforce the Rx requirement???
I don't even think that it's FDA's responsibility. The FDA sets the rules - they have more to do than try to enforce them (they must, it takes them forever to do anything in the name of saving us from ourselves ).
I would think that would be the responsibility of the DME since they're the ones that need to have it on file and be able to prove to the powers that be each of their end customers is "legal".
Resmed smoke screen??? I would think the answer is obvious.

Understanding that the only thing these greedheads understand is pulling green from their wallets, I'd really like to "boycott" Resmed products, but after a lengthy search and trying many products I have yet to find a mask that works for me as well as the Activa LT. Sad, but that's just the way it is -- ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I do have to say it's the only Resmed product I use or have used (well, the Quattro for full face, but I went through the same agony trying to find an allergy mask and it just sits waiting for a clogged nasal system so it won't be a continuous acquisition like the Activa).
As I said in my previous post, they make respectable products. I don't think that anyone would argue that point, but their corporate attitude, marketing strategy and corporate culture of lies and deceit is incredibly abhorrent as well as arrogant!!

I'm not sure they would care about a Facebook campaign, but why not?? If someone wants to set one up I'll sign on - I just don't have the time to create and monitor. Any "public forum" where Resmed is provided with bad press can't be all bad, but it has to be on the up-n-up....no unsubstantiated emotional outbursts and name calling that cannot be backed by facts because those kinds of arguments can be used against the effort, but don't forget my last post -- Don't be real surprised that within 12 months or so the other major players are in the game - It seems that Resmed sets the screw, and the others fall in line to tighten it down.....
All remains to be seen -- If you set up a Facebook page, let us all know. I'm in....
cheers
goose

I'm not absolutely, positively sure the others WILL follow along this time. Since the last go-round of MAP, Respironics has been acquired by Philips and the previous CEO is gone. Hopefully Philips is a more end-user friendly company. Fisher & Paykel is sort of "ho hum" in my opinion. They probably do a better job of making large appliances. They were very late to the game as far as data-capable machines go.


Time will tell.


Den