11-10-2021, 01:52 PM
DME Venting (And Potential Happy Ending?)
So, as I posted in another thread, it's time to replace my six year old machine. A week ago my doctor faxed my order to the local DME I've used in the past (their service has never been great, but at least they aren't Lincare). This morning, having still heard nothing from them, I decided to give them a call. I spent over an hour trying to get someone on the phone to talk about it. Twice they dropped my call after I'd been waiting on hold, once they sent me straight to an answering service. Finally I got someone on the line and she told me she'd have someone call me back. I said I'd rather wait to talk to someone, since it had been over a week and I was anxious to get it resolved. She placed me on hold, then came back to tell me they had my prescription and they would be calling me back. I said, again, that I really wanted to deal with it right then. After some back and forth, I asked if there was a manager or supervisor I could talk to. The woman actually huffed at me! But at least she put me through to a manager.
The "Head of CPAP" proceeded to tell me that they'd only received my prescription 7 days ago, that they would call me when they were read and that -- I quote -- "You're not a priority for us." This was bad service even by this company's usual standards, so after I'd hung up and calmed down enough to think, I did a little research and discovered that they had been purchased by -- you guessed it -- Lincare!
So I did started searching for a new DME, discovering along the way that nearly every supplier in the state has been bought up by Lincare. Finally I found a small chain with half a dozen locations here in New England. When I called their 800 number, it was two button presses and a five second wait to speak to a very friendly and helpful person who explained clearly my options, verified that they take my insurance, and told me exactly what I would need to have my doctor's office send to them. She said -- unprompted! -- that "CPAP patients are a priority for us, so you should expect a call within 24 hours after we receive your prescription." I called back later to check whether they had received my prescription and I again got a person in a few seconds. She said they had not received it yet. When I asked if I should just wait for a call back, she said, "No, call us back later today. It's no problem at all, and that way we can be sure nothing went wrong." It's almost as if it wasn't an inconvenience for them to talk to me.
This supplier's nearest office is over an hour away, but they said they would ship my equipment for free if I didn't want to or couldn't drive. And I swear at this point I'd drive to their headquarters three and a half hours away before I spent another dime with my old DME.
The "Head of CPAP" proceeded to tell me that they'd only received my prescription 7 days ago, that they would call me when they were read and that -- I quote -- "You're not a priority for us." This was bad service even by this company's usual standards, so after I'd hung up and calmed down enough to think, I did a little research and discovered that they had been purchased by -- you guessed it -- Lincare!
So I did started searching for a new DME, discovering along the way that nearly every supplier in the state has been bought up by Lincare. Finally I found a small chain with half a dozen locations here in New England. When I called their 800 number, it was two button presses and a five second wait to speak to a very friendly and helpful person who explained clearly my options, verified that they take my insurance, and told me exactly what I would need to have my doctor's office send to them. She said -- unprompted! -- that "CPAP patients are a priority for us, so you should expect a call within 24 hours after we receive your prescription." I called back later to check whether they had received my prescription and I again got a person in a few seconds. She said they had not received it yet. When I asked if I should just wait for a call back, she said, "No, call us back later today. It's no problem at all, and that way we can be sure nothing went wrong." It's almost as if it wasn't an inconvenience for them to talk to me.
This supplier's nearest office is over an hour away, but they said they would ship my equipment for free if I didn't want to or couldn't drive. And I swear at this point I'd drive to their headquarters three and a half hours away before I spent another dime with my old DME.
About to upgrade for the first time…
