1st impression w/MiniMed Rep

[kel4han]

Minimed contacted us a month ago and was very pushy without providing any information on what their pump has to offer. The Rep rescheduled a Saturday appt becuase when he called I missed the phone, I called him right back and he said he could not keep the appointment as he was across town. We rescheduled to today at 1pm.....it is now 2:27 and no call or anything! I am very irritated. I guess EVERY aspect of this "D" is frustrating! Cant even get the dang pump guy to be dependable! :mad:

[Emmasmommy]

I am so sorry! you must be so frustrated! I was very lucky our mini med rep was awesome! she was always on time always called me back and not pushy at all! Could you call medtronic and get a new rep? they must have more then one that does your area?? Call medtronics and tell them whats going on and yell maybe you will get somewhere and maybe even a discount for all the problems!!

Good luck

[kel4han]

4:30 now, he never called or anything! I will be calling MiniMed tomorrow to complain. I set aside all plans on this Sunday for this guy, AGAIN!
ERRRRR. :mad:

[selketine]

We were lucky that the pump reps were very good (MM and Animas we talked to - Cozmo wasnt an option for us). The biggest concern I'd have about their rep is that what happens down the road if you have a pump problem. It is nice to have a rep that you can get a loaner from.

[sammysmom]

Oh that really stinks!! One of our deciding reasons for the cozmo for sam was the pump rep. He assured us that if we needed him for any emergency, he would be there for us. He has not let us down once. He covers most of Michigan but does not hesitate to call us back or stop by the house when needed.....I love our rep!!. I met with minimed and animas and they both were fine, but in the end, cozmo won. I think that you probably just got the unlucky draw of a bad company rep. There are many minimed users on this board that have had great service. If you are still interested in minimed, I would call the company, ask for another rep and see what happens....

shannon

[bethdou]

Kelly,
Call Wanda LeTourneau, the local (AZ) Cozmo rep and have her come out if you aren't set on MM. She was wonderful, and really helped us get through a big nightmare we had with our insurance.....her email is wanda.letourneau@smiths-medical.com. I can't find her phone # at the moment, sorry....

I was very turned off of one of the companies - can't remember if it was Animas or MM - at the JDRF Family Walk kickoff last summer. The guy didn't tell me anything about HIS pump company - it was all about how bad the other guys were and how their technology wasn't as great as they wanted me to think it was. I think he was the MM rep for the valley....if Charlize is using Animas, then it was definitely MM. The rep that helped Chandra get Charlize pumping was there that day; I think her name is Jan/Janice/something with a J? She was good too; Meghan just wanted to go with Cozmo, so we did.

Sorry you've had such a frustrating time - customer service with a pump is so important, especially in the beginning, that is stinks you are being treated like this. I'm guessing he must not work on commission!!! :)

[bkfkmc]

I am sorry you have had such trouble with this rep. There is no excuse for this behavior in any field of business, but in the medical field with such big decisions about expensive equipment that our children's lives depend on is unacceptable. I would have great concern because that would be a bad indicator of what service would be like after you became their customer. That being said, I would encourage you to contact Minimed and let them know. This is a bad seed that needs to be weeded out.

My son uses Minimed and we have been well pleased. I am not particularly a brand loyal person (except with toilet paper!) and think all the major companies offer excellent products for our children. I would guess that we would have been pleased with any of the major three- just glad to be pumping. Minimed needs to know of this no matter which company you go with. Good luck with your shopping- I really don't think you can make a bad decision (if you ever get the opportunity to meet with someone:rolleyes: )..

[Twinklet]

The Minimed Rep here wasn't ever available to us. Never contacted us or returned calls! The CozMore and Animas Reps bent over backwards to help us with questions we had, and offered to go way out of their way to help us.

[Mama Belle]

The Minimed Rep here wasn't ever available to us. Never contacted us or returned calls! The CozMore and Animas Reps bent over backwards to help us with questions we had, and offered to go way out of their way to help us.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience kel. The mini-med reps seemed pretty available during planned events, but weren't much on the follow up. And they were all about the hard sell. But there was one amazing rep from minimed that really got my daughter over the fear of the pump, which I am so thankful for. The Cozmore rep was much more low key (which is one major way to win my business) but very informative, available and approachable. I was actually planning on minimed until I met the Cozmore rep and realized that the Cozmore features were exactly what we needed and the CGMS was not necessarily a selling point for the minimed because of the cost/insurance. Hopefully Cozmore will live up to their reputation for good customer service.

[OSUMom]

Sorry for your frustration. I look back to my son getting the pump, and we never had reason to talk to the rep. Our situation was we always worked with the endocrinologist and mostly the diabetic educators. I have met our rep who seems nice, but it could be that in the future your dealings with this rep would be minimal - would be a good thing since it's so frustrating! Ugh - sorry! :(

[MrsBadshoe]

We went with Animas largely due to the reps. They were wonderful. We have not be disappointed with the company's service either.

[zimbie45]

Yes we use animas.. adn loved the rep.. adn love the customer service... we have been pumping now for 1 year.. adn mini-med keeps calling me and emailing me too !! even after i have told them i am already pumping with animas...

[EmmasMom]

Very frustrating!:mad: I think the rep is an important part of the experience, but it's not more important than getting the pump you want. Once you're pumping you may never have a lot of contact with them again, so try to choose based on what you want in your pumps.
I would definitely complain to MM and try to get a different rep out, they need to know that this person is completely unprofessional and that you don't want to deal with them.
I think the reps must vary a lot in every area, I love our MM rep who was amazing and totally bent over backward for us, and was stood up by the Animas rep twice. :rolleyes: I guess you just never know what you're gonna get!

[Momof4gr8kids]

We jumped the gun, and went looking at pumps before asking our endo. I wasn't sure what he'd say so I actually collected a lot of stuff about MDI vs pumping, and wanted to be ready as fat as knowing my choices, and having solid info on each one. Luckily he was pro pump so I didn't have to push it.

We didn't have a good MM rep either. Our animas rep was the best though. I think the rep, at least for me, played a big part in choosing the pump.

[gsmom]

My son just started pumping in Dec. and we've never met the rep in person, but over the phone I've not been impressed. I told them I teach so it was more convenient for them to reach me at certain times. So of course he called in the middle of a class. When he called me at home (after me attempting to reach him numerous times) he simply says "So do you know what you want?" I had NO IDEA except for the pump itself. Then he had misplaced our paperwork that I'd done with someone else (because he wasn't available) and wanted me to do it all over again! I share your frustration!!! I actually have to call to order more supplies & I'm dreading it.....

Jodi
Mom to Garrett (dx 07/03) 11, Genna 9 & Gillian 6

[hrermgr]

We've noticed that the Minimed Sales people are pushy but the customer service people and the trainers are much better. My husband won't even talk to Sales unless it is absolutely necessary! We are happy with the support we received through Minimed and the pump itself. Hopefully we won't need to deal with Sales much ever again!:D

[KellyH]

We actually had and have a wonderful experience with our Minimed rep. I met a rep from Animas and was turned off by his arrogance and lack of courtesy to another customer (this was at a diabetes conference). Our minimed rep was there the day Abby got hooked up and she called me the next day to see how we were doing. Anytime I have a question she gets right back to me. So I guess like everything it depends on the personality of whoever you get. I agree with Amy though...do pick the pump you want based on the features etc. and not the sales rep.

[Mom2rh]

I agree with others saying boot MM and pick another company if that is an option with your insurance!

Good luck!

[bkfkmc]

Wow! I mentioned in my earlier post that I am not particularly brand loyal, but I have been pleased with Minimed. The pump has been great. If you have any interest in the Minimed pump, then I encourage you to not let one lousy rep. (who I would like to give a swift kick for you) cause you to write off MM. This is a device that you will be using for several years and I would encourage you to pick the one YOU like best. I wouldn't want to deal with this rep. anymore, but MM should have another area rep. who could assist you.

As a side note, the rep. experience is different depending on where you live. I know some have mentioned that the Animas rep is at all their D functions. In my area, I have no idea who the Animas Rep is. I have seen the Cozmo Rep once and the Minimed Rep is at everything. We've all had different experiences but I studied all three companies before making our decision. I wish you good (better) luck in the pump selection process. Find some comfort in the fact that everyone loves the pump that they have chosen, so it must mean you really can't make a bad decision!