Has anyone had problems with the Pod failing and going into alarm mode at various times? We just received a supply of pods in the mail, and 3 were alarming in the box before we even opened them! We have had 8 failures in less than 2 weeks. Omnipod “support” says they dont know why they are failing and will replace the pod on the next order. They dont even bother to figure out what the alarm code is anymore. When I ask to speak to a manager or someone in engineering, I’m told that no one can talk to me as they are researching all problems and the turnaround time can be 2-3 months. Scary. This is not a good sign, Omnipod.
That is frustrating. I think there is some sort of issue they are working to correct, based on what I’ve read on other boards. We just started our Omnipod trial. In spite of hearing these types of comments, I still think it is the right system for my child. We’ve had issues with Minimed as well. Hang in there, I do think they will get it sorted out, and fortunately they are good about sending replacements.
Our trainer describes the pods as little computers. If you crack one open, they do look like mini computers. I think they are susceptible to damage from bouncing around by shippers etc. I think a quick fix would be to package them differently but it’s easy to say that when I don’t work there! Our trainer is also a type 1 and she said the only ones she personally has lost are the ones she carries in her purse and they get bounced around a bit.
I hear so many problems about the omnipod system. I’m concernd about my fellow diabetic peers and this specific type of insulin pump. I can understand that all insulin pump companies can have their problems but Omnipod is the only one that has constant issues in which they have not solved. Yes the omnipod is tubeless which is awesome but I think having tubing is worth it instead of dealing with the issues and putting your health in danger. You would think if customers were having so many problems they would have fixed it by now! I wish you the best! I have Medtronic Minimed and I love it! but for Omnipod customers I recomend the Animas Onetouch Ping since it has the meter remote.
Good Luck!
I question how reliable Pods are from all the discussions I’ve read about problems & failures. Eight failures in a week is unacceptable. Something that’s engineered to be disposable seems questionable on sturdiness. Hope they get their act together. People’s lives are depending on it.
Any chance you live in hot or cold weather and the boxes are left outside for a bit? I’ve heard that its best to have them delivered to you personally, whether at work or at home, when you are able to accept the package to avoid leaving them in heat/cold until you can get to them.
I haven’t had any of these issues but have had four bad pods in a year. I think it’s a cost of being on the pods. All depends on if it’s worth it to you.
Hehe so true
Is Omnipod owned by Micro Soft? We know there are problems, here’s a critical update while we work on it.
I don’t think the pod problem is putting his health in danger. It’s inconvenient, yes, but not a health emergency assuming he has another pod available.
LOL! Well, Omnipod is a great Idea but its system isnt worth anything. I hope Omnipod works out their issues so our T1D and T2D peers wont put their health in danger because of failed pods and crashing PDMs.
Agree! Great in theory, not so great in practice.
Yes, very true, maybe I was being a little too dramatic there hehe. But I guess my concern is if I get a box of pods and all 10 of them fail! 8 pod failures is cutting it way too close. Its not worth it, the tubeless idea is nice but I’d much rather have tubing and a working unit than no tubing and praying that my unit wont fail. Omnipod is clearly not the best insulin pump when it comes to realiability… I hope Omnipod works it out, I’d like to see them make it! They have the best Idea when it comes to diabetes management.
True, it shouldn’t affect them once you have them. I wonder if they are left out in the cold before they get to you. This of course is not something you can control so would be incredibly annoying. Just musing.
I don’t use Omnipod and never have. This is a pretty well-documented problem and has been for years. This is why I never even considered using Omnipod. It’s not worth the hassle or headache, IMHO.
LOL. All joking aside though, many of us love it. It has helped me improve my A1c dramatically. But I agree that it’s not for everyone for a variety of reasons.
A bit on the side and for the Canadian Audience : Omnipod will be available in Canada April/May 2011 . My Pump Nurse will be trained on the Omnipod in April ; she will have 2 events in the Interior of BC , mid March . I will post more info as it becomes available from her in the Canadian Group …maybe someone out there has info for the other provinces ??
PS " going down the Tube " …only Alan could come up with this line 
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I recently had a box that had one alarming when it came. Then, 3 from that box wouldn’t communicate with the PDM as soon as they were attached to me. Another two alarmed while they were priming. I agree that I LOVE the pod–my A1Cs are so much better and I don’t think I could live with a pump that had a tube attached. I waited 24 years for the pod to go from needles to pumping! I hope they get their act together…otherwise…as soon as the Solo comes out, I am trading in my Omnipods!
What was the lot # on your box? The last time I had pod issues, it seemed that everyone with the same lot numbers had the same issues… Maybe it’s a bad batch. Here’s the info on my bad box: L30453, Expires 2012-12.
I have noticed that a box may have a few bad ones, it’s almost like it’s a run where there’s a weakness, but you just call and they ship you replacements. They ask for the failing pods back so that they can investigate and I’m sure trying to fix the problem. I’ve always had plenty to cover so there was never an issue with running out. I’ve also heard a lot of people complaining about sight issues, tubes kinking or being torn out, air bubbles, etc. in the other pumps so it doesn’t sound like they’re free of issues. I’d never even consider moving from my pod to a tubed pump hanging off me 24/7! Can hardly wait for the Solo but I don’t think it’s going to be anytime soon.
I have a love-hate relationship with my Omnipod. The failures seem to come in batches. I started the Omnipod in July and didn’t have any problem until my Nov-Dec batch came in and I had so many failures I wanted to run over it with my car. The worse was when I went back to Canada for a quick trip, had 3 pods fail in a row and had to contact my old pharmacist to get me a box of Lantas ($112 out of pocket for me) as back up b/c I couldn’t get them to ship replacement pods to me in Canada. I was pretty peeved.
Now, the latest batch seems fine but my test strips had to be replaced by Abbott because my pharmacy had started sending me the new butterfly strips which are not meant for the Omnipod (no one told me!!!) and have a 40-60 point variance (My A1C went from 6.0 to 7.0 in 3 months)…all my hard work in maintaining what I thought was the best good control I’ve had in years when in reality I was running 160-200!!! Thank you Abbott for creating for me a new headache as I now need readjust all my basal, I:C & Correction Factors and order my strips from another online pharmacy.
I wonder where the accountability is in all this drama? Sorry to vent but this really bugs me.
I was a pod user until last July 2010. In February of last year I had 3 pods out of one box fail, one after another, and only after I had filled them with insulin. It was on a Sunday so I thought no one would be around at their tech support number to help. Oddly enough when I called them there was someone available and they took down the lot number etc. They also told me that during a production run in the mfg process - they pick pods from different lines so that this type of thing doesn’t happen. Two days later I had two more pods from that box fail. I’m not a math genius but when 50% of a mfg product “fails” before you even get to use it and you’ve wasted one entire vial of insulin - that is too high of a failure rate.
I’m sorry you’re having issues with the pod. I think it is a good idea, but Insulet needs to work a LOT harder on solving these issues as here it is a year later and you folks are still having the same problems I had. I wonder if they are still being made in China?
When you have an immediate failure pull the insulin out of the dead pod and add back into your vial before filling another pod.