[pylon]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Lot of worst case scenarios in this post.


I booked an appointment, had a sleep test then had a loaner machine all in less than a week, that was with RANA.

I booked, was cancelled 2 times, the day of the appointment within a month. I was "lucky" enough to get in on the third scheduled appointment which I booked my entire day around all three times. The lack of respect for my time and schedule was pretty annoying.

Originally Posted by Jacks

Great that you managed to lose a lot of weight quick but it's foolish to advise others to ignore the problem in hopes that they will also be successful in dropping a lot of weight in a short time.

I never advised anyone of that. I said it is what I did. I was so annoyed with the bad service and delays of this place, that I opted to take matters into my own hands. From the time I made my first call, to actually getting a device to try, it was 4 months. Which in my opinion, is unacceptable.

Originally Posted by Jacks

They definitely should have given you a new test but I think you are a rare exception that they aren't used to.

As their patient, when I tell them bluntly, without anecdotal, but actual evidence, "My situation has changed dramatically, and I think it's smart we re-do the initial study."

- It is obvious things are dramatically different, as even the respiratory therapist double takes when he sees my weight change.

- I walked in there with multiple recordings of my snoring and deep sleep state, as we thought that would be good for them to hear. They were totally disinterested in hearing this.

- As a patient I am telling them, "I know my body, and my energy levels. I know the signals when I've had a bad night. Sore/swollen throat, dry mouth, headache in the morning etc.... I am feeling that with less and less frequency. Should we maybe re-assess where I am at considering I was initially tested in the worst shape of my life?"

Originally Posted by Jacks

This is just dumb, these clinics usually do their work for no charge or way less then it would cost to stay in business, they make money off of selling the equipment, nothing wrong with that. I can buy floor mats, undercoating or a box spray from a 3rd party at a huge discount, does that make you a scammer as a dealership?

This is fair. However, I even asked them, would it not make more sense, as a business, for you to offer a consult appointment at a charge say $5-600 with no machine, and a package price where you offer the machine. This is the problem, the only time they win and make money, is when they run you down the buy a CPAP machine funnel. So how many machines are being prescribed to people that do not necessarily require them? Don't kid yourself, they have only an interest to getting you on a CPAP, if they don't they make nothing.

As to your second point, my customers are perfectly free to get their add-ons elsewhere. As a dealership we stay very competitive, and make sure we are priced competitive to the aftermarket. I charge a bit more for a 3M job on a car, but it's nowhere near 3 X the price, maybe 15% - 20% more.

Originally Posted by Jacks

Horrible advice, maybe you had a bad experience but this is just wrong. By all means people should look at losing weight, if that is the cause of their apnea, but they should also look at a CPAP solution in the meantime since most people never reach their fitness goals.

I never told anyone to just only lose weight. I did say to give it a shot, before you commit to this for the rest of your life. Of course use the machine in the mean time. My problem was, I was never given an opportunity to use a machine that matched my condition. The best analogy was I was over prescribed. Losing weight took me from choking and gasping, to regular old log sawing. And the irony is, if it wasn't for the bad service I received, and how annoyed I got with waiting and cancelled appointments, I probably wouldn't have just jumped back on the get fit horse, and just took matters into my own hands.

Originally Posted by Jacks

Edit: And after giving them a little slice you can get way better prices online but if you never buy anything from the sleep clinics they will either go out of business or just start charging a lot for appointments, nothing is free in life.

I agree 100%. But when you make this a straight up for profit business, you are now in chiropractor territory, which is dubious at best. Chiropractors want you on the hook, for life. They want those monthly visits to keep their doors open. The biggest failure in my opinion, is the fact this isn't controlled and prescribed by AHS. I have no issues compensating them for their work, however their business model doesn't assure anyone of the right treatment. It's CPAP = profit. No CPAP is nothing. The only incentive for them as a business is to get you on the machine and I would bet there is a lot of people using these things, from clinics prescribing them to "Stay in business." Over treatment and over billing is why the American system is where it's at.

I would have zero issue if it went:

Consult appointment/sleep study: $600, $800 whatever a fair cost is.

Machine: At a fair market rate.

That way you are not tying selling the machine solely to the clinics profitability, and therefore forcing them to gouge you for it.

This is what struck me as odd was this. There is 4 people at work on a CPAP, and I have a couple friends on them, and every single person was told "You have a severe case of sleep Apnea, one of the worst we've ever seen!" It's actually a meme here. I have worse sleep apnea! No I do!

I am wondering if this hyperbole is used to make sure you get on the machine.

In closing, if you have Sleep Apnea, please, visit your doctor, I am not suggesting otherwise. However, in the time you are waiting to get your appointment, it may be prudent to try and lose some weight and see if it helps. In the 4 months I had to wait, to actually try one of the machines, I managed to get rid of the 'major' symptoms of it, and went from choking and gasping, to general log sawing by dropping 40ish pounds.

So if I have anything to be thankful to the sleep clinic for, it's drawing things out so long, I decided to take steps on my own to improve my situation as I didn't feel the service I was offered was adequate.