After being diagnosed with sleep apnea some time ago my sleep study people advised a procedure called Continuous positive airway pressure (cpap for short). Initially after having trouble with my first cpap mask I was advised to switch headgear and masks and they recommended a new model that was supposedly much more tolerable than the old model.
So far so good.
The nature of durable medical equipment constitutes a new headgear and mask at every three month interval. For the past 6 orders (18 months) I have consistently been sent the incorrect mask on each subsequent reorder which turns out to be the original older model that I had originally ordered but have since changed. When I called to plead with them to please take the old mask out of their computer to avoid any further shipping errors each time they agreed but the old incorrect mask kept coming. Yesterday I had a conversation with a lady named Rochelle and here is the exact transcript from the call.
Apria: Hello my name is Rochelle how may I help you today?
Me: Hello may I begin with your employee ID please?
Rochelle: Silence permeates the receiver
Me: Hello?
Rochelle: How may I help you?
Me: Yes may I please have your employee ID please?
Rochelle: I'm not going to give that to you it's private.
Me: Alright then Rochelle let me have your supervisor please?
Rochelle: And what is this regarding
Me: I'll explain that to your supervisor
Rochelle: Hold on
60 seconds goes by
Rochelle: Hello my supervisor would like to know what this is regarding?
Me: Put her on and I will explain it to her
30 seconds elapses.
Rochelle: My supervisor is not at her desk can I take a message?
Me: No thank you I will contact the corporate office.
Rochelle: Fine I could care less
Me: That's obvious
Call disconnects
So there you have it folks another prime example of stellar customer service from a company too long on business and too short on empathy.
Apria Health Care - Phoenix Arizona.
I agree... terrible service! However our employee ID is personal. We are not allowed to give that out. You see Rochelle there on the other line was not aware that you had 6 masks that were wrong and you were calling in with preconceived notions.
If you were to call my branch I certainly would have NEVER let you get off the phone that way!
Two cents from Customer Service on the Central Coast of Cali.
It can be very upsetting to feel as if your voice is not being heard by the company your must do business with, however, the patient/customer must also take some responsibilty in their home care.
Calling and being rude or angry will not get you the results you feel you should receive. If you had taken the time to calmly speak to the CS person you would have gotten alot further. You can't treat some as if they are your servent and expect them to roll over.
Apria is a big company and may have issues that must be corrected but you as the patient must also be as respectful to the voice on the other end of the phone as you expect them to be to you. Being an adult also means attempting to resolve your problem without reducing the conversion to threats.
Apria has been double billing, charging my credit card as well as my insurance. My insurance has paid all of the montly amounts. I contacted Apria a number of times and after numerous on hold calls, in January, I was assured that I should be receiving a refund. Now it is april and I have spent another 45 minutes attempting to resolve this issue. It appears that my only solution might be to follow up through legal chanels.
I just wonder, how many other people have been double billed. Some form of discovery procedure might be interesting.
I have not had even marginal service from the service people who answer when I call from Phoenix Arizona. I wish I had never switched companies. I have had many bad experiences with these guys. However today I called to inquire where my mask and tubing were after automatically ordering it from a phone call. It never came so I called and Sean answered the phoenix he was polite understood I needed it today since the tubing broke he set it up so I could go get it. I was satisfied with that but my old company Pacific Pulmonary would have delivered it to me today. So better but not good.
I am very upset I cannot get c-pap supplies already paid. I stop breathing at night when I'm asleep. I need sterile hoses and face .masks for my machine. I need expedited shipping 2nd day UPS or FedEx. They did not have a supervisor in the Ocala, FL office. WHY ? I spoke to Mel A. and he treated me like I was an idiot.
I usually get changed $9 monthly, why is it that you debited my account for more $55.00, please send me an explanation ASAP!
Told by my insurance that my wife's breast pump was bought and paid for but Apria says otherwise, told Apria contact my insurance company but they still insist on calling me
After 4 phone calls finally spoke to therapist. She said to call an 800 number to set up appointment so my machine can be evaluated. I called to set up appt at local office in south san francisco. No appointments available until may 12. Cannot at that time..will be on vacation so appt set for may 17.
This is unacceptable to have to wait this long.
I was charged on Sept.15th for supplies...hoses, masks, filters etc. My insurance company was billed as well. I cannot get expedited shipping and they would not connect me with a supervisor.
It is unacceptable what the wait times are waiting for assistance with Apria Healthcare. I do not recommend working with this company. I waited 1 1/2 hours and was so upset by the time someone answered. It ruined my whole day.
i was refered to Apria by my insures Kaiser for a cpap machine for my snoring sleep disorder i asked apria to send me a bill so i could pay them and after i asked 4 times i was told no we will not send you a bill you must pay by credit card now over the phone before we will send it out to you
I bought a CPAP Z2 auto #hd60-6010 and does not work as it was supposed to and they will not let me return it for a refund as it is past 30 days. I bought the unit on Nov 1 This is not what the sales person lead me to belive when they sold it to me! It is travel Z2 auto by breas and it caused 6 Bloody noses.
Called twice to inquire about an order status. Both people that answered were rude.