Guest wrote:robysue wrote:
So I now invite all of y'all to a new guessing game: How much will the estimate for the repairs be?
I am resolutely certain this repair would be more than I want to pay. I remember for the M series the card module was available separately.
So I would render this unit unusable the way it is so the DME would have to "replace" the machine. I know how to disable the machine but if you are not technically inclined that may not be an option. Today most insurers will not replace the machine until it no longer works
The problem with this scam (and that is what you are proposing) is threefold:
- It's a scam: It's an attempt to get someone other than me to pay the entire replacement cost for something you want me to intentionally break. And that's a scam. And I don't do scams.
- Should the report come back that the machine is not repairable, the fact that it is over a year out warranty means that it is highly unlikely that PR will volunteer to replace the machine gratis due to a "manufacturing problem". And if PR sees no need to simply replace the machine, I'll have a whopping 50% copay on a new machine. The first time around, my DME billed my insurance company and myself the exact amount of money cpap.com listed as the price for a PR System One Auto + humidifier. In other words, my DME does not "bill" ridiculous amounts above and beyond the cost a high quality machine. The new Series 60 PR BiPAP + heated humidifier lists at $1868 at CPAP.com. So should the machine be deemed unrepairable, I'll be paying 50% of roughly $1900, or $950 if my insurance is willing to pay its 50% since the machine is out of warranty.
- But my insurance is niggardly about cpap supplies and replacements. Should a report come back from PR that it looks as though the damage is from possible user abuse and that the machine is not repairable, my insurance company may say that I have to pick up 100% of the cost of the new machine since it is less than 5 years old. (Heck my insurance may say that even if the report says "normal wear and tear" on the machine as the reason it needs to be replaced.) And even at a place like CPAP.com, a brand new PR BiPAP Auto + humidifier is going to set me back at least $1868.
So even if I were willing to participate in something that I regard as a scam, the risks are HIGH if I were to get caught and the BENEFITS are (marginally speaking) not that great.
Here's the thing: I don't mind paying a reasonable amount of $$ for having the machine repaired. And a properly repaired machine is acceptable to me. The only thing my hubby's brand new Series 60 APAP has that I wish mine had is a 1-day AHI display on the LCD. Yes, he could get a heated hose if he wanted one. But I really don't need or want a heated hose: Rainout problems are non-existent to me; the only time I've had rainout was on a titration test done on (older) PR titration equipment with the old style humidifier. And I just don't see the need to breathe in prewarmed air since I dislike sleeping in a swamp anyway.
Finally, I know that "reasonable amount of $$" is in the eye of the beholder. And hubby and I are both at the high end of what "reasonable amount of $$ for repair" in terms of repairing vs replacing decisions go.
