Omnipod PDM - $150 replacement fee when broken???

[Lorraine]

Hello,

Let me start by saying I love the Omnipod - am thankful for it every day and would be very sad if someone took it away from us.

After over a year, our meter in the PDM stopped working. Sent it back, got a new one - no problem. Within a week, my son dropped it (he's 5 so it didn't fall very far and he was standing still so there wasn't a lot of force and it was in the case, so not completely unprotected). The screen cracked.

Called today and I am told that under the circumstances (since it didn't "just happen") I would be subject to $150 replacement fee.

I called with confidence that it would be replaced under warranty after reading other threads here. Has anyone ever had this problem? I'm irritated that they don't have any recommendations nor are trying to develop a better case or something. I saw the thread on pod cases and will explore those options.

Just hoping to hear no one has ever had this problem so I can explain that to Insulet. A "waiver" has been requested, and I'm supposed to get a call in the next day or two.

Lorraine

[taximom]

Lorraine,

We haven't had to replace a PDM yet. But I did ask our pod trainer (clinician, not sales rep) if we should buy a second one for $300....just in case. She said "no way don't bother"...."just call me if you need a new one". We haven't needed another one, so I didn't really ask her what she meant. She does carry around a whole bunch of them. My DH thinks she would just give us a new one. Maybe it's worth contacting your local pod trainer :confused:.

Good luck!

[Shannon's Mom]

I am very interested to follow this and see the responses and find out what happens as this is the one we are looking at and leaning towards! And, DD is 11 and I can visualize this exact thing happening with her!

[CC'sMom]

Same thing happened to us. My daughter dropped it. It was in the case and the screen still cracked. Fortunately it still worked fine. This was a Saturday and I got the person on call. He said because it was in the case it shouldn't have cracked. So they sent out a new one at no charge. It was still working so they didn't overnight it and we got the replacement on a Tuesday.

I've been extremely happy with Insulets customer service, but sometime it think it depend on who you get.

Best of luck. Let us know if you can get it under warranty.

[saxmaniac]

Our screen cracked. But I don't remember dropping it, just one day it was cracked. Still, the screen was readable, and the thing worked, so getting replaced was not really needed. They replaced it for free, but we did have to send the old one back. If they made me pay $$$ I would keep the old one as a backup!

[Lorraine]

Our screen is still readable. She didn't even ask if it was which I found surprising, and the fee was not mentioned until I was just about off the phone, which again I was surprised about. It's not like I was given an option, so up until that point I assumed it was not an issue.

And I really do think the Customer Service lacks consistency. They are usually quite nice and helpful - overly so, but the woman I got this morning was not quite as friendly. I also discussed the errored pods I've accumulated over the last few months. I was told to call immediately when there is a pod failure - not to wait. I've been accumulating and calling for the past year and no one ever said anything before, but I was given the impression this morning that it seriously impedes quality control to wait. I was also told to call for all occlusions after I said I don't send back occlusions or any that error if my son did something - like fall or bang it. To me those have nothing to do with the quality of the pod - but I was told with the occlusions that they want them. I have the impression from other threads that people have been told otherwise.

I was also a little irritated when the CS rep told me my son was active - implying that the PDM broke due to negligence - she doesn't know my son, or how he treats the controller, so frankly I thought that was out of line. He is rarely carrying it and the poor kid was standing still when it happened. She also told me that it could have cracked because of prior drops and thus the PDM was compromised - I told her we had only had it a week and it had not been dropped before.

Again - i still love Omnipod and this is a little bump in the road. I do think if the cracking issue is somewhat prevailing, they should design a better case. The woman this morning told me to go to Walmart and get a CD case to put the Omnipod case in. I still really cannot believe it broke based upon what happened. And this CS experience is not the norm for us, so maybe this person won't be there that long! I have absolutely no intention to pay for the replacement, and frankly I did not get the impression that getting it waived would be an issue. I'm glad to know that someone was told by Insulet that since it was in the case it should not have cracked. Perhaps this is just their way of "encouraging" people to be more careful or something. I'll let you know what happens!

If anyone else has experiences to offer, I'd still love to hear them!!

[Lizzy731]

Well...they don't replace parts of the PDM...they replace the whole thing. This I know because I used alcohol to clean the screen and it damaged the screen. I asked if the screen could be replaced and they said they don't do that. I had to buy a new pdm ($300)...I kept the old because I can still read it in a pinch but I was a little pissed that they can't replace the screen...it seems easy enough??

Accidental damage to the PDM is not covered under the warranty. I am actually suprised that they only charged you $150. Maybe they should design a case to protect the PDM's screen...that's a good feedback suggestion for them.

[Lorraine]

It makes sense to me that accidental damage would not be covered and I would be fine paying if I had the impression they consistently applied this theory. Maybe I've misinterpreted the other threads but it sounded like other kids had problems with cracked screens and were getting replacements without questions asked.

Thanks for sharing your story. I remember having an issue with my screen - I don't remember what I got on it, but I thought it was ruined - it was all cloudy and water or windex only made it better for a few seconds and then the cloudiness came back. I was able to clean it off though with "Remove/Unisolve" so I guess it was not alcohol which I have heard other's say they have had problems with too.

Lo

[Lizzy731]

Thanks for sharing your story. I remember having an issue with my screen - I don't remember what I got on it, but I thought it was ruined - it was all cloudy and water or windex only made it better for a few seconds and then the cloudiness came back. I was able to clean it off though with "Remove/Unisolve" so I guess it was not alcohol which I have heard other's say they have had problems with too.

Lo

This is interesting...I will try that.

[Lee]

Well - if my daughter drops her pump - which happens - and it cracks or breaks - the entire pump is replaced free of charge - so next time I talked to your CS I might mention that the competition replaces it free of charge and these items should be more durable.

I would also call and ask to speak to a different representative about he entire thing becuase it does sound like you got a dud! I think that a different rep will give you a different answer - or even her supervisor!

A small drop like what you described should not damage the equipment because it happens everyday! I can't tell you the # of times my kids have dropped cell phones, ipods, and DS's and guess what - they work great still! And they are not a piece of durable medical equipment that people rely on for health and safety!

That is what I would argue when talking to CS

[evinsmom]

My suggestion is to call again and get another customer service rep to see what they say. If they say the same thing, ask to speak to a supervisor. I would tell them that you know of others who have gotten the PDM replaced after accidental falls for free. This includes me – twice. I seem to have a habit of sending things flying through the air. I have broken two PDA phones this way and two PDMs (or PD as we affectionately call him). Insulet replaced both of them without hassle.

I do know that Insult has opened a new call center on the west coast and now has live customer support 24 hours a day. I have also had some less than supportive customer support people since then – and not very knowledgeable ones. In fact, once I did hang up and call back again at a time when I hoped the old center would get the call. I know this is just growing pains the company is going through, but its beginning to make me a bit mad (we are still having lots of pod errors).

As for accumulating pods…I do the same thing. In fact I have 4 right now that I should call in, so don’t sweat that. I’m sure they have lots of error prone pods for the quality control people to look at. They have 20 from me in just the last 2 months.

So keep making waves until you get a free PDM.

[CatiesDad]

definately call back to speak with someone else. We had the issue of a cracked window and "foggy" screen. The fog came before the crack. We also don;t know how it cracked. It's always in the case and may have been dropped while at school. Anyway I called to report the issue and there were really no questions asked. Was asked to send back the old PDM when I get the chance after the new one arrived. New PDM arrived a couple of days later. This was about 3 weeks ago.

BTW...I did ask the CS rep about the poor case. He took my suggestion that they really need to produce something more substantial. Even commented that he has received this feedback from many others. Hopefully management is listening.

[CC'sMom]

Lorraine, there are enough of us here that got the PDM's replaced, so if I were you, I'd call back and try to get another rep. And if that didn't work, I'd ask for a supervisor like someone suggested.

I never call on occlusions anymore. They replaced them in the beginning, but haven't in a long time. Interesting how some are getting those replaced. Maybe we're not because we've had it almost a year now, I don't know. Luckily we don't get too many occlusions (knock-wood!).

[Lorraine]

This is exactly the sanity check I needed to see if I had reasonable expectations. I didn't know about the West Coast CS expansion - that fits as I called at 8AM and was surprised to get a live person. I will happily wait next time for the 9 to 5ers if it means I'll get someone with more of a clue.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond! I think I have my ducks in a row. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Lorraine

[badshoe]

Well if the call to suctomer service doesn't work line call the main office ask for Duane DeSisto.

From the last earning call:
Duane DeSisto
It is. I would tell you it takes a lot of time and effort to get the patients, so we will do whatever it takes to keep the patient.

http://ydmv.blogspot.com/2008/05/from-news-wire-omni-pod-earnings-call.html

[moco89]

I could pretty much smash my animas 2020 pump with a sledgehammer, and animas would still give me another pump. I thought "warranties" protected you from being subjected from extra charges, especially with pumps. We already pay a lot for them.

I guess the other pump companies don't charge for replacements because pumpers are generally active, healthy people. The pump should not limit what activities a person chooses to do, even if the pump can break. One time at diabetes camp, one of the male campers was playing roller hockey, and he fell. The pump screen cracked in half, and animas gave him a new pump-no questions asked!!!! I sometimes drop my pump from time to time, and I'll play sports with it. I've had replacements-and yes, I've broken pumps before................

I think insulet is making an irresponsible decision, because it interferes with the active lifestyles of many. The PDM may be a little different than a typical pump, but the $150 replacement fee is ridiculous. The PDM will be dropped from time to time. I mean, when I go out and play with friends, I'm not going to worry at all about my pump/PDM or a possible $150 bill-all I want is to have FUN!!!!

[sugarmonkey]

Phillip fell off his bike and damaged his pump. The damage didn't become obvious for a couple of days. Animas replaced it no problems. Our rep couldn't do enough to help us. She was great. I wish we could have had as much help with the hole he put in his knee in the fall!!

[Tripper]

As mentioned above, a close relationship with your trainer and territory manager can be very valuable. They carry a bunch of these around in their trunk. I have a spare PDM, with a cracked screen.

If the screen is cracked but still readable, you might want to wait a few months and see if they announce a new PDM, ;) then attempt a warranty claim on the one you have in hand.

[Lorraine]

Got the new controller and pods today - looks like all the other shipments I've gotten before - no invoice or mention of a fee included. They've got about 13 hours till the end of the 48 hours in which I'm supposed to hear about the "waiver". If I don't hear anything tomorrow, I will call on Monday to make sure there is no issue and let you all know.

Thanks again!

[Rick]

I’m sure they have lots of error prone pods for the quality control people to look at. They have 20 from me in just the last 2 months.

You're averaging one bad pod every three days? :eek: What's been wrong with them?

[Lorraine]

So you were all right and I clearly got a dud on the phone when I called on Friday.

Since I did not hear back within 24 to 48 hours, I called today. There was absolutely no record whatsoever about a charge on my file and the CS person I spoke to today seemed confused at the mention of a fee.

So I asked under what circumstances a fee would be imposed. The response I got was "water damage, or if you stepped on it". I clarified by saying, "So if I did something blatantly abusive to it?" and she said, "yes".

So accidents seem to be covered and I think the person I spoke to on Friday assumed because my son dropped it, as opposed to an adult, he was being careless with it - rather discriminatory to children if you ask me.

PS - I was told that if there were to be a fee, they would have requested credit card information. I feel like I was in the twilight zone for the "fee" part of the conversation I had on Friday.

Thanks again for all your help!

Lorraine

[CC'sMom]

Glad it worked out Lorraine! Thanks for the update!

[hawkeyegirl]

Hee! You just followed my first rule of dealing with a big company - If you don't get the answer you want the first time around, call back on a different day at a different time! Who you speak to makes all the difference in the world!

[saxmaniac]

And the second rule is get a speakerphone, so you can do other things when on hold!

[KTurner52]

I have learned A LOT reading this thread. We had a cracked screen too (don't know how it happened) and pretty much got a very polite "tough S**t" from customer service. Our screen was still readable if you squinted so we were told to keep using it till it gave out. Then a $300 replacement would apply:( My daughter ended up losing the cracked screen PDM so I had to buy a new one anyway for $300. I guess I must be getting the new (or dud) CS reps. Next time I am hanging up and calling back too!!!! BTW--for anyone who has ended up paying for replacements--did Omnipod send you a receipt? I didn't get one with the new PDM. I kinda wonder if our insurance would have covered the replacement if Insulet had tried to bill it. I would try myself but no receipt. Just seems strange.

[vettechmomof2]

no, we have never gotten an actual receipt.
Allene

[saxmaniac]

Out of habit, I automatically ask for receipts for all medical purchases so I can submit them to our flex plan. Some places don't unless you ask.

[vettechmomof2]

Out of habit, I automatically ask for receipts for all medical purchases so I can submit them to our flex plan. Some places don't unless you ask.

I tried asking for actual receipts and were told that is what we get.:confused:
Allene

[Ali]

I would call and ask them to send you a receipt or some sort of proof of purchase. Explain that you ned it for accounting records. They can give you something even if they do not have a standard form. They have something for their own bookkeeping. If the first person you are dealing with refuses, ask to be put through to their accounting dept. this is an easy thing for them to do. Someone in the chain of command can provide you with what you need. Good luck. Ali

[Barry]

new PDMs have replaceable screens

[Lizzy731]

new PDMs have replaceable screens


Is this so? Because I have an old one whose screen needs to be replaced because of alcohol wipe damage. Are they replacing the old PDM screens or they have completely new pdms that the screens are replaceable?

[CC'sMom]

new PDMs have replaceable screens

Define "new PDM's" please!! Is there something different out now?

[Barry]

new PDM...I believe they said 4th quarter...has screen that slides out and new one slides in

[Tripper]

and it's a color display. :D

[Jaredsmom]

We too damaged our screen by cleaning it with alchol wipes. I cleaned ours with toothpaste and it fixed the problem. Another thing that would probably work is cream silver polish. I have used the siver polish many times on my watch faces to clean and polish them. Might be worth a try. I would have used the silver polish this time too but I didn't have any.

[Lizzy731]

We too damaged our screen by cleaning it with alchol wipes. I cleaned ours with toothpaste and it fixed the problem. Another thing that would probably work is cream silver polish. I have used the siver polish many times on my watch faces to clean and polish them. Might be worth a try. I would have used the silver polish this time too but I didn't have any.

thanks much...I will try!

[etringali]

We just got a replacement PDM last month. No sliding screen, and no color display.... *sniff* I'd love a replaceable screen and color display......