Hmmm...Is this common?

[me50]

Personally, I would not deal with a DME that did not allow me to try out masks. It's like the Chevy dealer letting you look at the cars but not test drive any.

I completely agree with you but my hands are tied to a certain extent as there are very little DME's available to me

[PsychoMike]

Personally, I would not deal with a DME that did not allow me to try out masks. It's like the Chevy dealer letting you look at the cars but not test drive any.

In my case, local DME #1 will let you test drive....but they break out their #1 pick, you try it, you take it home and try it, if it is a "no" you bring it back and they open #2 and the cycle repeats.

What local DME #2 has going seems to work pretty dang good....I eliminated several weeks of trying, driving back-and-forth, paying for parking etc. by being able to go for an hour and get at least a rudimentary testing of the masks done (sitting in the driver's seat and taking them for "a little drive around the lot" to keep the car analogy going) before taking the first preference for a full test drive.

Me50. it does certainly suck that you don't have a DME close and that they don't "test drive" the masks better. Do they at least have a return policy so if it isn't the right one, you are in the same sort of boat as my local DME #1?

[Peter_C]

Personally, I would not deal with a DME that did not allow me to try out masks. It's like the Chevy dealer letting you look at the cars but not test drive any.

In my case, local DME #1 will let you test drive....but they break out their #1 pick, you try it, you take it home and try it, if it is a "no" you bring it back and they open #2 and the cycle repeats.

What local DME #2 has going seems to work pretty dang good....I eliminated several weeks of trying, driving back-and-forth, paying for parking etc. by being able to go for an hour and get at least a rudimentary testing of the masks done (sitting in the driver's seat and taking them for "a little drive around the lot" to keep the car analogy going) before taking the first preference for a full test drive.

Me50. it does certainly suck that you don't have a DME close and that they don't "test drive" the masks better. Do they at least have a return policy so if it isn't the right one, you are in the same sort of boat as my local DME #1?

My DME was like #1 above - 30 days to return *any* mask (no refund) but full credit towards a new mask (but the original 30 day clock is still ticking) - could not try on any mask willi-nilly, had to land on one based on what you and they said, and go from there.

Plus, the pricing for cash was *higher* than what they charged insurance - roughly double what a given mask goes for online (but they won't give you the service we will) - what service?

In some 14+ years I never met a DME I didn't dislike for some reason or another - and I love Amazon and a listed vendor too...

[me50]

Personally, I would not deal with a DME that did not allow me to try out masks. It's like the Chevy dealer letting you look at the cars but not test drive any.

Me50. it does certainly suck that you don't have a DME close and that they don't "test drive" the masks better. Do they at least have a return policy so if it isn't the right one, you are in the same sort of boat as my local DME #1?

You can return one mask at no charge and pick another one. I don't know what happens after that if the 2nd mask doesn't work. They also billed my insurance company for a mask I never got as I sent it back in the same box it came in and the box and packaging was unopened. I was told they would not bill my insurance company but they did. That is what happens when they know that the DME pickings are slim

[archangle]

Be sure to complain to your congressmen every time you get screwed by medicare. Nothing will change unless enough voters complain.

[PsychoMike]

Ok...update time. Got a statement from my insurance saying that they had paid out DME1 for a full face...just before I pulled the trigger at DME2 on a Quattro Air. So, I decided to chat with the owner at DME1.

Turns out a chunk of my frustration was communication related...right now, there is a Quattro Air and Simplus coming for me to try. The QA should be here in the next day or two (it was ordered, but timelines hadn't been conveyed) and the Simplus shortly after...I'll get to try the next size up QA (I'm in between sizes) and the Simplus before making my final choice.

Still nice to have DME2 in the back pocket, though