I lost my Dexcom G7 receiver & can’t get a replacement without giving them the serial #. I’ve been complaining to Dexcom for months & months-ever since I started with the G7 re the alarm sounds aren’t loud enough & often don’t alarm at all . The last conversation I had with a tech supervisor said that he’d send me a newer version of the G7 that supposedly IT had reworked to solve the alarm issue which has been widely, repeatedly reported. So, the catch 22 got me. Since that conversation I lost the receiver so I can’t give the serial # to them. Never mind that in the numerous times in previous calls I’ve supplied them with that #. So----has anyone else struggled with this issue?
Can you really get one from a local pharmacy with Single Care @ half the cost? How can you tell if a “new” receiver you get is the newer, improved version or just another one of the older version? Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated.
So Dexcom has operational issues??? If Abbott doesn’t get the freestyle 3 into Ontario Canada soon. I was going to change to Dexcom but if they have issues like hanging you out to dry I’m not sure they are a good choice. What other small sensor monitoring system is there to go to
BRILLIANT!!! Got it! WOW! Never would have been able to without your help. Can’t thank you enough. Really, really appreciate your help. Hoping this is the last hoop I have to jump through.
Dexcom has issues - for sure! But not everybody experiences the same or all issues. I’ve been on Omnipod since 2006 & that product has issues as well. For me the help from these products far outweighs the bugs that have yet to be worked out. Not to say that the bugs aren’t annoying & frustrating-they are very annoying & very frustrating. See what others have to say on this site about tech problems with other systems. My guess is that they all are imperfect. You just need to find the one that has the features that are most important to you & don’t expect perfect performance from the technology-not yet anyway. For example, I chose & will continue to choose a CGM that has alarms to wake me in the middle of the night with a concerning high or low. Lastly, I will say having a CGM is right next to having a guardian angel. In spite of the Dexcom problems, their customer support is MOSTLY excellent & the G7 is MOSTLY excellent. Best of luck to you.
Update: With or without the serial # Dexcom won’t replace a lost receiver. You have to have the actual receiver in front of you since they will ask you to go into the menu & provide certain info. You can buy one @ about 1/2 the cost @ many pharmacies with a Single Care coupon- still comes in about $221. I’ve got to find a solution for keeping it from falling out of my pockets. So frustrating!!!
When contacting any customer service of an organisation do not use the telephone. This isn’t something specific to diabetes; they will record your conversation but you won’t (you can, but it’s a lot of work).
Instead always include pertinent details (like the serial number) in email (they don’t typically accept texts). So every time they ask for some say, “Oh, ok, I have that somewhere I’ll send it in email, what’s your email?”
They’re customer service reps, they’re paid minimum, they like you and they hate their employer so they will work with you. It’s just difficult sometimes to remember that. Well I certainly find it is. My wife does it all the time; I listen to the conversations (and learn) then she comes back to me and spends 30 minutes venting.
Dexcom customer service reps will work with you but they aren’t allowed to tell you what to do; what is going on. Think “The Matrix”, or if you are my age, “Der Prozess”.
Hey John, Thanks for that info. I think it’s very valuable in general. From now on I plan to keep notes of all conversations. Problem with Dexcom is that they won’t accept emails. After my last call with them I got an email saying I could reply to that with any further details that would be need to resolve the issue. I was thrilled & happily composed a lengthy & wonderfully complete story as a reply. Shortly thereafter I got another email saying they didn’t monitor that mailbox. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a Laurel & Hardy episode.
I secure my pump with an elastic lanyard and my lights and bicycle computer on the bike. Good thing, last Saturday I had my bike computer come loose from the mount, but it was hanging by the lanyard.
Here’s the tail of what Dexcom said in that message:
If you’d like to add more details about this Service Request, please simply reply to this email.
Thank you again for contacting Dexcom Global Technical Support.
Sincerely,
Dexcom Global Technical Support
6310 Sequence Drive, San Diego, CA 92121
There’s also a “return-path” in the header of the email; this is used for bounce messages to the message dexcom originally sent. Someone may be able to decode it to something useful if Dexcom itself does a bounce:
All of this is garbage but the point is to document everything; the bounce messages are weak attempts to avoid legal responsibility. It won’t fix anything until the US legal system stops playing with itself in it’s dark crypts, but there is nothing else we can do.
Annecy,
Another option is wearing a runner’s belt, (pouch). It has a zipper, so it won’t fall out. My brother wears one underneath his shirt and keeps his pump in it. You really can’t tell it’s there.
Also, have you thought about using the G7 app on a smart phone as a backup?
@annecy@Looking_for_Answers post reminded me that I have a couple of Spibelt running belts, one barely used the other new. The receiver fits nicely in the pouch.
I messaged you about them and If you want them message back with your mailing address if you want them.
I have a receiver that I cannot use but is required by Medicare. I would send you that, but there is a possibility that it will have to be returned.
The Medicare requirement is because the receiver is the Durable Medical Equipment so that the sensors are under Part B and not Part D.
Dexcom has 2 Bluetooth channels, 1 for receiver or pump and one for smart phone. Since I have a pump and an iPhone there is no channel for the receiver.
I have a dex 6 and a dex 7 receiver. Never opened.
I only used a g7 receiver one time to see if I could get 2 sessions going as an experiment to extend the sensor.
But my insurance company sends me a new receiver every 2 years and I never use them. I gave one away and like I said I have a 6 and a 7 sitting around not ever opened
Timothy,
Thanks for your response!! Can I Paypal you some shipping $$ for the G7 receiver? I’d love to give that a try. Is there a way to PM my info on this site? Really, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post & offer to help!!!
Anncey
More frustration! I do use an iphone but the app is still way too buggy-at least with the Apple iphone. Recently, a tech supervisor spent an endless amount of time helping to completely re-install the app with all sorts of supposed corrections & improvements. Still the alarms are random, intermittent, & basically unreliable. Maybe there are other smartphones with a better interface with Dexcom…
However, I so appreciate your taking the time & effort to read & respond to my post.
Hi annecy. I have this problem with my G7 receiver too. If you go online to Amazon and search for “tracking tag” you’ll see a bunch of options for a thingy you can attach to the receiver (I used electrical tape, though I wish I’d gone with the flat credit card-like kind so it would fit into the receiver’s case). When I lose it, I can signal it to sing it’s little song, and the app tells me if it’s near or far and if I’m getting closer or farther. I went with “Tile” brand, but they aggressively hound me to buy other products and services which I hate, so if that bugs you maybe try a different brand.
Thank you for your ideas. I will look into the tile thing & try to figure out if I can make that work. I didn’t think it could go directly on the receiver since it would block info & would fall off with repeated movements in & out of pockets.
BUT, I did find a new hack that might help many of us yesterday. I cut narrow strips of highly textured peel & stick strips used to make steps less slippery & put them on the back of the receiver. The very rough texture clings to fabric & makes it far more difficult for it to slip out of a pocket as you move about. Wish I’d thought of that earlier!!! This 1 of the brands available: Gorilla Anti-slip Tread Tape.
