The HDM Z1

[SuperSleeper]

To me, it's surprising that a manufacturer of such an important product leaves customer support and warranty issues to outside vendors.

Don't get me wrong, I understand your frustration... but this is not out of the norm, it's the way nearly all of CPAP warranty work is done.

If your brand new automobile quits running, you don't call up the Ford Manufacturing plant for service or warranty work and expect them to know all the answers of how to get your car fixed under the warranty - rather, you go to the dealer you bought the car from - they handle all the warranty work. Same with CPAP machines.

Just ask anyone around here, I'm far from a CPAP manufacturer apologist - I have plenty of complaints about how they treat patients. However, on this issue, I don't think there's much reason to complain about having to go to the 'dealer' to start up a warranty claim - unless the dealer (DME) refuses to help you, of course.

[zonk]

ResMed don,t deal directly with customers either and if machine purchased from overseas supplier .... you have to ship the machine to that supplier for any warranty issues

[Bama Rambler]

If your brand new automobile quits running, you don't call up the Ford Manufacturing plant for service or warranty work and expect them to know all the answers of how to get your car fixed under the warranty - rather, you go to the dealer you bought the car from - they handle all the warranty work.

We would all be better off if all warranty work was handled like the auto industry handled there's. You wouldn't take your Chevy to a Ford dealer but you can take to ANY Chevy or GM dealer, just as you can take your Ford to ANY Ford dealer.

Now wouldn't it be nice to be able to contact the nearest ResMed, etc. dealer and have them handle the warranty issues.

[johnnyashe]

Dealing with DME issues is definitely a learning experience...
And to repeat what I have previously said, I really want to like the Z1

If your brand new automobile quits running, you don't call up the Ford Manufacturing plant for service or warranty work and expect them to know all the answers of how to get your car fixed under the warranty - rather, you go to the dealer you bought the car from - they handle all the warranty work. Same with CPAP machines

Your point is valid and I have no issue with working with the vendor (and am doing so).
However, mchad also makes a valid point.

it's kind of like Sony tech support telling me to call Amazon about a problem with one of their DVD players...

Shortly after purchasing the product, I received an email from HDM. This is copied from that email;
"If you experience problems with your unit, a great first step is to consult the Frequently Asked Questions section on the HDM website. If you find no resolution there, please give us a call toll-free at 1-855-HDMUSA9"

When I contact Customer Service for a given company (HDM e.g.), I expected to be communicating with someone from that company, not someone who represents a whole host of competing products. When they tell me talk to the folks I bought it from & not them, I can't help but wonder where their allegiance lies.

I've seen Mr. Moore's posts on here and I hope he's paying attention. His product has the potential of providing great things for those of us who use cpap. But it doesn't matter how great a product may be. If there is the appearance of "seemingly uninterested" customer service, current customers become former customers and potential customer become the competitions customers

[johnnyashe]

We would all be better off if all warranty work was handled like the auto industry handled there's. You wouldn't take your Chevy to a Ford dealer but you can take to ANY Chevy or GM dealer, just as you can take your Ford to ANY Ford dealer.

Now wouldn't it be nice to be able to contact the nearest ResMed, etc. dealer and have them handle the warranty issues.

There's a thought!!!

[SuperSleeper]

Oh, I do see your point. Definitely. I'm just pointing out how the system currently works with regard to warranties.

I greatly value excellent customer service and support. And it appears from the posts in this thread that HDM needs to start addressing these issues or risk alienating their customer base. It doesn't make sense to point someone on their website to a toll-free resource and then have that resource point you to someone else. They at least need to tell folks visiting the website that the toll free number is not for warranty issues, and that patients need to contact their DME for that.

Part of the problem here, as I've expressed in other posts here [regarding who actually is the "customer base"?] is that CPAP manufacturers don't see us (the patient or end-user) as "their customer"... rather, they see the DMEs as "their customer".

Apnea Board stands for "patient empowerment", and most of us here don't like to be pushed aside or ignored when we have legitimate issues or problems with the products we pay for out of our own pocket (either outright or via insurance premiums). A lot of us here on Apnea Board have pushed CPAP manufacturers to view THE PATIENTS as their true customers. We have seen progress toward that goal, but not the 180 turn in viewpoint that we patients would like to see.

I've had initial hope when a Vice President of ResMed (Gil BenDov) came here and posted, only to find that he basically abandoned the thread once folks starting asking hard questions. Likewise, I have initial hope that when Steve Moore came here from HDM, he (or another HDM rep) would take a more active role in discussing his product here. I would hope that he doesn't follow in the footsteps of ResMed's representative.

Paging Mr. Moore..... paging Mr. Moore...

[SuperSleeper]

We would all be better off if all warranty work was handled like the auto industry handled there's. You wouldn't take your Chevy to a Ford dealer but you can take to ANY Chevy or GM dealer, just as you can take your Ford to ANY Ford dealer.

Now wouldn't it be nice to be able to contact the nearest ResMed, etc. dealer and have them handle the warranty issues.

I personally think that it's unrealistic for all DMEs to handle any and all warranty claims for any or all the CPAPs of the world, whether or not they were purchased from that DME, simply because they deal in that specific make of CPAP.

There's a reason as to why auto dealers must do warranty work on site, even when the customer hadn't purchased the car from their dealership: Sometimes the owners of cars drive away and aren't near the original dealer when the car breaks down... Customers then can't simply package up the car and ship it out to the original dealer like we can do with CPAP machines. There is no other reasonable alternative for the auto industry. For CPAP manufacturers to require you deal with the originating DME is more cost-effective, more efficient and it also allows for DME accountability - they sold it, therefore they must service it, in other words. Hundreds of thousands of products are handled in this way effectively when it comes to warranty work. Trying to make the CPAP industry work like the auto industry in the way of warranty work would be a disaster.

Just my personal opinion, of course.

[johnnyashe]

We would all be better off if all warranty work was handled like the auto industry handled there's. You wouldn't take your Chevy to a Ford dealer but you can take to ANY Chevy or GM dealer, just as you can take your Ford to ANY Ford dealer.

Now wouldn't it be nice to be able to contact the nearest ResMed, etc. dealer and have them handle the warranty issues.

I personally think that it's unrealistic for all DMEs to handle any and all warranty claims for any or all the CPAPs of the world, whether or not they were purchased from that DME, simply because they deal in that specific make of CPAP.

There's a reason as to why auto dealers must do warranty work on site, even when the customer hadn't purchased the car from their dealership: Sometimes the owners of cars drive away and aren't near the original dealer when the car breaks down... Customers then can't simply package up the car and ship it out to the original dealer like we can do with CPAP machines. There is no other reasonable alternative for the auto industry. For CPAP manufacturers to require you deal with the originating DME is more cost-effective, more efficient and it also allows for DME accountability - they sold it, therefore they must service it, in other words. Hundreds of thousands of products are handled in this way effectively when it comes to warranty work. Trying to make the CPAP industry work like the auto industry in the way of warranty work would be a disaster.

Just my personal opinion, of course.

You're right when it comes to making the CPAP industry work like the auto industry in the way of warranty work (although it would be nice that could be done ). But a workable solution could be to have any DME distributor that carries a given brand be able to handle an initial evaluation of the equipment and arrange shipment to the original dealer or to the manufacturer. Given the prices charged and the low failure rate of DME, this wouldn't put much of a dent in their profit

Just a thought.....

[Bama Rambler]

I personally think that it's unrealistic for all DMEs to handle any and all warranty claims for any or all the CPAPs of the world, whether or not they were purchased from that DME, simply because they deal in that specific make of CPAP.

There's a reason as to why auto dealers must do warranty work on site, even when the customer hadn't purchased the car from their dealership: Sometimes the owners of cars drive away and aren't near the original dealer when the car breaks down... Customers then can't simply package up the car and ship it out to the original dealer like we can do with CPAP machines. There is no other reasonable alternative for the auto industry. For CPAP manufacturers to require you deal with the originating DME is more cost-effective, more efficient and it also allows for DME accountability - they sold it, therefore they must service it, in other words. Hundreds of thousands of products are handled in this way effectively when it comes to warranty work. Trying to make the CPAP industry work like the auto industry in the way of warranty work would be a disaster.

Just my personal opinion, of course.

I understand that it will never work that way but it would sure be nice if it did.

[DaveP]

I bought the Z1 in January and just could not get to sleep with all that noise. I also bought the new Airfit (which is a joy!) but the cpap makes vacuum-like noise that's just too loud. The noise does not come from the machine itself, but from the end of the tube. I tried 2 masks with same results.

The inhale/exhale pressure was bothersome too but I'm sure I could get used to that.

The retailer I purchased it from verified the cpap and could not find anything wrong with it, so I think it's just not for me. Too bad, I really wanted it to work! Any advice would be appreciated. Would changing the small diameter tube to a standard one help?