I'm wondering if people have good experiences with Animas customer service.
The reason I ask is because I'm likely going to get a pump soon and recently emailed Animas (asking if they have any indication of when the Vibe will receive FDA approval). I got an auto-response that they would respond within 72 hours (which even seems like a long time to me). Well, it's been 164 hours since then and they still haven't responded. That gives me some pause in going with one of their pumps.
Hopefully, they are better with actual customers and through phone support.
I think they are better at phone than online communication in general. I have had all good experiences when I've called but when I order from the online website it sometimes gets stalled and I have to follow up with a phonecall. I would go ahead and call, but I don't think you will get a clear indication of the FDA approval of the Vibe since the FDA works in their own sweet time. (Translation....slooooooooooow! (I'm probably the only Ping owner that doesn't want a Vibe, but I do feel sorry for those waiting!)
Actually, in 2010 they contacted me and said if I upgraded to the Ping for $600 I could get the Vibe cheap when it was approved in 1st quarter of 2011. Needless to say it is still not approved and I have been without warranty since. They use to have great customer service but in the past several years they have been total crap! The customer service reps can be nasty, and the order to delivery timing completely unreliable. Look at the Tandem pump that is the one I am trying to get now.
I agree with the others Customer Service is not what it used to be, saying that doesn't mean I have lost confidence in them, Couple Months back I had an issue with my ping meter, and they handled it better than I thought. Now when reordering supplies it used to take only 3 days and now its a week before it ships!
I've had good service with Animas for the 7 years I have had my Ping. My only beef (and this is more politics than anything else) is that their billing - and probably their internet service - appears to be conducted in India. I'm just one of those people who think that American companies should have jobs for Americas.
Customer Service is not good, but is only a symptom of the attitude of the corporation. If you have a real issue with your pump it will be extremely difficult to get them to help you and even harder to get them to admit there is a problem. Look closer at other pumps before you make up your mind about Animas. I have almost 3 years to go until I can go with another pump company and am looking forward to that day.
I've had great customer service with Animas for the last four years. My pump goes out of warranty next week and we are in the process of ordering another one. I looked at other pumps, but didn't like them as well and since I've not had any problems with either my pump or Animas, it was an easy decision to stick with what I've got. Good luck.
Zoe, I'm with you on not wanting the Vibe. I use my meter remote 99% of the time and will probably keep my Dexcom and pump separate.
I have been an Animas customer for 7-1/2 years. During that time I feel the customer service has generally been outstanding. My pump order was processed quickly and efficiently. I had my pump in less than two week from the time my doctor sent them the script.
I've had three instances where I needed to contact technical support. Once was after normal business hours and I had to leave a message. I had a return call from a support person in less than 30 minutes. The most recent contact with technical support was this past Friday. The screen on my Animas Ping has dimmed a bit and is getting a little difficult to read. I called and was speaking with someone in just a couple minutes. She determined my pump was still under warranty and within 15 minutes had processed to send me a replacement pump overnight.
About a year ago Animas had instituted a new supplies processing system. That did create major headaches for both Animas and customers causing poor response times, late or incorrect shipments, etc. My last couple orders have gone through quickly and with no problems.
Basically, Animas is not perfect but no one is. I believe they do an excellent job.
One thing I forgot to mention is your request asked about the release of the Animas Vibe in the United States. You can absolutely forget about getting any type of answer to that specific question. The release of the Vibe product is contingent on FDA approval. The FDA has been dragging its feet on this issue for years; asking for more information, etc.
I have even written to my congressman and senators about the ridiculous delays the FDA causes. I mentioned how the Vibe is a combination of two existing products that have been available for at least a couple years in other countries. They don't want to hear it and truly believe the FDA is trying to protect the health and safety of U.S. citizens. I guess they never heard of all the drug recalls due to causing deaths, etc. which the FDA approved.
2011 switched to MM due to poor service. I have heard it is getting better, but outsourced so I dont know how that can be better. I had a rep side with a medical supplier and try to tell me none of us needed to have any spare supplies in our homes. I was also told that the government was limiting the number of boxes we could have. That was ridiculously untrue, and other pump companies had no earthly idea what they were saying. It took a month to two months to get my supplies, which I ordered online. They suggested I not use the online store, which prompted me to ask why it was even there if it didnt work?
I have had about four Animas pumps in 14 years pumping and I like the product a lot. I just wish the CS had been much better, and I worry to hear that it is being sent out of the country. IMHO they were better before J and J came along. Best rep I ever had was back when they had the IR 1000 on the market. She was a gem. Now I’ve heard they pulled the rep in my state. Very odd.
Btw, they do not know when these things will be approved by the FDA.
Thanks for all the replies! Those are definitely some mixed reviews.
I agree that they probably don't know exactly when the Vibe will be approved, but have read a few people saying that Animas did tell them various time frames (most of them have passed, though).
My email to them was also kind of a test to see how timely and helpful they would be. With no response in 8+ days, they failed!
I have very good service from Animas CS. I highly recommend their pump. I wouldn't email. Just call their toll free number first.
They might never have read your received email due to security and other filter settings.
I call, I get help and receive equipment (if needed) over night.
I've been an Animas customer for over 12 years without ever having a customer service problem. Maybe it is a question of learning to communicate by voice instead of email/texting.
Touche. I prefer talking to a real person - but then I also still write thank you notes! All of my dealings with Animas have ben by telephone. Except for a screw up I n the billing dept - all has been great. The screw up was that they sent my bill, to an old address.
Top notch service, don't hesitate. We went 2 1/2 years with our original Ping before it failed, replacement was at our door a Cpl hours later. Screen went dark and was unreadable. Seems to be common as the screens went dark on two more replacements over the next 2 months (one just 2 weeks apart), Once when we were in the U.S. for a tournament. Replacement was fast even there. I also found cheaper prices online for supplies at a third party deliver, complained that it was ridiculous for the actual manufacturer of the pump to charge more for their own supplies than I could get them for elsewhere and they matched the price with a lifetime discount on the supplies I needed without hesitation. Now I can buy from animas directly. Great service.
