Internet retailers concern ResMed

[greatunclebill]

in these times when money is fairly tight, i'm sure alot of out of pocket buyers opt for pr because of price. that said, i've had 3 different, very different dme's. every one of them pushes out pr machines and resmed masks. resmed could be digging a big corporate hole for themselves that they may not be able to climb out of, especially if the pr marketing department capitalizes on it. resmed apparently hasn't got the word that internet sales are here to stay and growing every day. even us older guys buy on the internet and check price for everything. companies don't stumble and fall overnight, but over time, alienating the public with bad publicity over a pricing monopoly scheme, who knows what the future holds.

[Netskier]

in these times when money is fairly tight, i'm sure alot of out of pocket buyers opt for pr because of price. that said, i've had 3 different, very different dme's. every one of them pushes out pr machines and resmed masks. resmed could be digging a big corporate hole for themselves that they may not be able to climb out of, especially if the pr marketing department capitalizes on it. resmed apparently hasn't got the word that internet sales are here to stay and growing every day. even us older guys buy on the internet and check price for everything. companies don't stumble and fall overnight, but over time, alienating the public with bad publicity over a pricing monopoly scheme, who knows what the future holds.

What do you mean by "pr"? Public Relations? Investigating I see that you use Respironics equipment. Do you mean "Phillips Respironics" when you write 'pr'? You must since now your post makes sense to me with that guess of what 'pr' means. It took me several minutes to figure this out.

[greatunclebill]

in these times when money is fairly tight, i'm sure alot of out of pocket buyers opt for pr because of price. that said, i've had 3 different, very different dme's. every one of them pushes out pr machines and resmed masks. resmed could be digging a big corporate hole for themselves that they may not be able to climb out of, especially if the pr marketing department capitalizes on it. resmed apparently hasn't got the word that internet sales are here to stay and growing every day. even us older guys buy on the internet and check price for everything. companies don't stumble and fall overnight, but over time, alienating the public with bad publicity over a pricing monopoly scheme, who knows what the future holds.

What do you mean by "pr"? Public Relations? Investigating I see that you use Respironics equipment. Do you mean "Phillips Respironics" when you write 'pr'? You must since now your post makes sense to me with that guess of what 'pr' means. It took me several minutes to figure this out.

sorry about any corn-fusion. pr = Phillips Respironics

[oldteddybear]

As having been, at various points in my life, at the R&D, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, sales and user levels of the marketing chain, I do not have a problem with products being marked up, nor profit being made on sales. BUT, I believe that the amount of profit MUST dictate the level of support being offered.

A mass marketed item that requires little to no support and has enough turnover should have the least markup and should expect the most competition from brick and mortar and internet suppliers. (this would include masks(possibly), parts and supplies.

A complicated device that requires ongoing support should have a reasonable markup to help pay for that support. (xPAP etc)

Now I believe that if RESMED really wanted to help customers then all that they have to do is mandate the level of support required with the sale of the product. While this could not be labeled as price fixing, it may cause an increase in price, especially for the internet sales, and it would also force both into providing satisfactory service.

[Lucy]

I just switched to a S9 Resmed Auoset. Compared to anything else, there's just no comparison. I have some reluctance to say this - but my new machine is good enough that to me it's worth the extra cost! I think that support should be charged separately.

[Wayner101]

Although the Rsmed rep makes some valid points as regards follow-up, I find it hard to believe that the sometimes large difference in price between the DMEs and internet providers is necessary to support the follow-up. I did use a local DME when I got my first machine and didn't get more than 1/2 hour of support. Now I buy my machines on the internet and use the forums for info. It's worked well for me. For those who need more support, a local therapist can be undeniably helpful. Had I needed more support initially, I probably would have stayed with the local DME. I see it as a case of "we're all different". Why should I have to pay the high prices for support I don't use or need?

I agree with you when I bought my first machine Resmed S8, and been new to this game .I was sucked in by my provider for a Service policy to cover follow ups , pressure checks as needed and would call me every year to go over my machine....this was supposed to last for 5 years. Got called the first two years and never heard from them again....They also charged me $100. for the card that goes into the machine to keep track of info that they can download . The first year they removed the card read it and when I was about to leave the girl hand me a new card. When I asked what it would cost she said nothing they were cheap I asked her why they charged me $100 for the first one, she said they wouldn't do that ..I happened to still have the receipt in my travel bag and showed it to her she seemed surprised , but her answer was oh well your insurance paid for it no money out of your pocket.
Know like you I shop around I have an Resmed S9 elite and found I could buy a heated hose on line for $53 dollars and $4 for shipping, I had prices from local CPAP suppliers from 90-160 dollars . I'm retired know and this comes out of my pocket. So like you said, shop around. If you want your pressure changed or checked and don't know how ...Most providers will charge a flat rate of about 5-10 dollars

[TheDreamer]

The solution is we boycott ResMed, and until somebody more reasonable buys them out.

My DME only does ResMed by special order....and since I now mainly shop around online for stuff....I don't use ResMed anymore... (plus they stopped making masks that would fit my wide nose....)

The Dreamer.

[Lucy]

The solution is we boycott ResMed, and until somebody more reasonable buys them out.

My DME only does ResMed by special order....and since I now mainly shop around online for stuff....I don't use ResMed anymore... (plus they stopped making masks that would fit my wide nose....)

The Dreamer.

I couldn't deal with the delay in adapting to my breathing rate and other noise from that popular less expensive brand. So I finally broke down and got Resmed s9 autoset and it is an awesome machine. For me, it's worth the extra $ despite the fact that I'm retired and self-pay because I don't want to jump through the hoops to get insurance to pay. I had a sleep study before I started therapy and have straightforward sleep apnea. Don't want another sleep study! I pinch pennies where it doesn't make a big difference to me. We're all different!

Lucy

[zonk]

The solution is we boycott ResMed, and until somebody more reasonable buys them out.

I thought about but they makes such awesome machines so I,m only boycotting paying Australian rip-off prices

[mjbearit]

If this were really about compliance and followup care, it would be reflected by a corporate program to ensure followup care was being managed. I received my first machine through my HMO, which is one of the largest HMOs in the country. There was no follow up care. No one has ever suggested I come into the sleep center, take another sleep study, etc and mine was done in 2004. So not selling to someone based on followup care obviously means, "we want to push the little guys out of business so we can control the market completely". I would hazard a guess that Supplier #2 that I bought my most recent machine from cares about my care far more than Respironics, even though I have always used their machines, and Resmed is no different! I use a Resmed mask in fact, but Resmed has never contacted me to see if I need assistance and since I received my mask through the proper channels, they could certainly find out I had it if they really did in fact care about patient care. It's all about the $$ no matter what they say. Furthermore, if they really did care about the patients, they would be trying to find a way to bring prices down on their products, not up! In this terrible global economy I would be willing to bet there are people who cannot afford new masks, filters, whatever, and if their machine breaks they are just out of luck. Sorry Resmed, I'm not buying the altruistic story!