The bottom line, they could care less about the customer, they will kill you for a nickel
Iād hazard a guess this is a supply line issue from COVID more than anything. They canāt save money if you donāt buy it.
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I also received this email from CCS tonight. I am angry that no one from CCS or Tandem reached out individually to address concerns. I have also seen on the Tandem Facebook groups that other suppliers (Edgepark and Solara) have told their customers that this isnāt just a backorder situation, but that the XC is no longer being manufactured at all and that they will be switching everyone over to the Autosoft 90. I had the exact same thought as you didāthat itās about the money. Why would there be a Covid-related supply chain issue now? They made it through the worse parts of the pandemic just fine. This is about cost savings for Unomedical and/or Tandem. They donāt care if the site connecters donāt work as well for us, or if the sites are made out of different glue/tape/cannula materials. Why would they care about that if theyāre saving themselves time and money? Just like anything else for type 1sā¦they know we are forced to do business with them and must buy supplies from them one way or another, even if our preferred supply is no longer being made. They have zero incentive to provide us with more or better options, or to try to even provide us with decent customer service. Thereās no financial incentive for them, and there arenāt enough of us to make a difference.
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Occamās razor
Exactly
Iām curious what is the difference between xc and the autosoft 90? Hard to tell from the website.
This doesnāt help much, but Iāve already written Tandem an email, and this was their response:
Hi Holly,
So sorry for the trouble here. We are working diligently with our infusion set supplier to increase AutoSoft XC manufacturing capacity to continue to match the increasing demand. Right now, we expect AutoSoft XC constraints through the remainder of 2021.
Our AutoSoft 90 is the most similar infusion set to the AutoSoft XC. You can find a detailed comparison of the two sets below:
Our team is standing by to assist you with any questions you may have further about this. Please call (877) 801-6901, option 3, Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 5 PM PT.
The graphic Tandem emailed me (see my last post) shows it, although not too clearly. The Autosoft 90 has larger grip ridges, and āsmall base ridges,ā whatever that means. From my social media/internet sleuthing, I gather that the Autosoft 90 is more difficult to disconnect/reconnect the tubing. Iāve also asked Tandem to please confirm that the 90 is manufactured with the exact same materials for the tape, glue, and cannula as the XC, as Iām concerned about skin/tissue reactions when switching to a new product. Iāve been through hell with that with other ācomparableā products, as Iām sure many of you have as well, so it would be a big problem if the actual manufacturing materials are different.
EDIT: Tandem customer service has already responded to my question about whether or not all manufacturing materials are the same. AndāTHEY DONāT KNOW. Supposedly my concerns have been forwarded to a different team at Tandem.
The XCs are my favorite, too. I was automatically shipped the Autosoft 90s, without anyone talking to be about options, when I first started. Switched to the XCs at the recommendation of others, and just love them.
Maybe @hollymateluber will fix the photo issue, since the image posted isnāt showing.
In the meantimeā¦ Yes, they are similar. The UFO-looking inserter is identical. The difference being that I find the XCs much easier to connect/disconnect, especially one handed. The Autosoft 90s have to be lined up just perfectly, and I canāt connect sites on the back half of my body, where I canāt see, without assistance. On the other hand, the XCs just slide home easily, without any struggle.
I think it comes down to the absurdity of producing two different, but nearly identical, sets. I always wondered why they made both. If course, we all hope our preferred one will be the one that wins in the end, if/when they downsize to just one of them.
Iām not very familiar with Medtronic sets, but I believe the Autosoft 90 is identical to one of Medtronicās current sets, while the Autosoft XC is a patent obtained from one of the now-defunct manufacturers. It might just be Unomedical refusing to run two nearly identical lines, and the more common one thatās used by both companies is the one theyāll continue makingā¦ the Autosoft 90.
I also suspect it has to do with them starting to produce t:sport consumables. Since theyāre going to offer new, really short tube lengths (2-4 inches), they might need to par down other less popular options.
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I have a shipment that should deliver tomorrowā¦ wonder which one I will get? I did get message about XC supply issues, but wasnāt specific to say that current order is impacted.
I meant 4 years ago, when I first got the pump. They basically told me 23 inches was the most common tubing length, nobody uses the longer ones except a free old-timers who keep the pump in their boots (the guy I talked to on the phoneās words, not mine), and i didnāt mention any other types of infusion sets at allā¦ Just defaulted to the Autosoft 90s. Well, they were called T:90 then. Iām assuming that there are lots of other people, possibly the majority of them, who also just got defaulted to the Autosoft:90s without ever actually CHOOSING them. They probably donāt know better, yet the numbers will win, even if thereās a better choice.
Funny thing is, twice recently Iāve had trouble getting the cartridges. They come a week or so later. (No big deal since I reuse cartridges a lot and have 6 or 7 spare boxes, but would suck if I were a new user without any reserve built up.)
However, my Autosoft XCs have arrived without fail.
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Thatās funny! Iāve been wearing an insulin pump for a long time and started out with the 43" tubing length and have just gotten used to it. I once ended up with some 23" sets and didnāt like it at all. Getting dressed and undressed seems especially inconvenient. I guess itās simply a matter of habit and muscle memory.
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I received another update directly from Tandem today. They did confirm that the 90s are manufactured with the same materials as the XC (I had asked specifically about glue, tape, and cannula materials). They admitted that the 90s are more difficult to connect and disconnect with. They will not confirm whether the switchover to the 90s is a permanent thing, or if this really is just a temporary backorder situation. Iāve now asked 3 timesāthey answer all of my other questions except for that one. Feels sketchy. Anyhow, I really hope the 90s work for me and anyone else affected. Even so, I donāt like when options are taken away from us, or when we canāt get straight answers. I did ask if I could get a few sample sets now to make sure they will work for me, before Iām stuck with them. Iāll be curious to know how they work for everyone.
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At my initial order (just over 1 year ago), the tandem rep specifically recommended the XC for me after telling him I had multiple hand surgeries (trigger fingers and carpal tunnel in both). They sent me samples of all the sets, and definitely will be disappointed to lose the XC. Ideally iād love to get the medtronic quick set again, but I think they may have now made that a self contained serter.
I use the autosoft 90 and from my experience they are not overly difficult to connect and disconnect. I can do it one handed.
Iāve never used the xc so canāt compare it to that version. But I do understand being concerned if you have hand issues.
Well, you DO have an option if you are willing to take that route. You always can change to a different pump entirely. YOU ARE IN CONTROL. If they no longer serve your needs, investigate something else. I have been on the OmniPod since 2009, and I love it. No infusion sets. No tubes to worry about. No controller that I have to constantly lug around with me. (Yes, there IS a controller, but it remains on my dresser in the bedroom unless I have to go somewhere in the car.) If Tandem wants to play the ātake-it-or-leave-itā game, you can always call their bluff and move on to something new.
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I want to point out that these are corporations. They are not charities. All corporations exist to make money for their shareholders. Their primary goal is to make money. They provide customer service only to smooth the skids. And this is primary in a capitalistic system. And if you think that a socialistic system would provide more, just look around and see how they do for their populations.
I guess Iām speaking to the title of the thread which does not really address the thread as it has evolved. Maybe the title should be changed?
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My opinion is that folk make the same mistake with pump (and CGM) manufacturers which they make with the social media companies. They assume that they are a customer.
Well, in a very technical sense, perhaps. But the real customer is the physician who writes the scripts or makes the recommendations for pumps or CGMs. Thatās the person whose good opinion the companies are concerned about cultivating.
Do they care about the opinion of person actually using the equipment. Sure. Somewhat. Kinda. But if you threaten to walk, itās not going to stress them out. 
@irrational_John
And they know that you can walk only after 4 or 5 years, depending upon when your āwarrantyā expires. And that āwarrantyā is not really a true warranty unless you paid out of pocket for that pump or CGM. What the āwarrantyā does is protects your insurance or Medicare from having to shell out for another until those 4 or 5 years are up.
Yup, you are not the customer. You are the pawn.
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Yeah, Iām one of those āold timersā who loved and desperately miss my 42 inch tubing! Wearing it on your leg and trying to get it up to your bra, is impossible! So when I switched to Tandem, they only make the shorter length TruSteel. So I am making due. I guess there are not enough of us longer tube people and as we are seeing, itās not cost effective to make 2 lengthsš
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I donāt use Tandem, I use Medtronic, but after Googling it looks like the Tandem Autosoft sets are the same as the Medtronic Mios. Medtronic came out with a next generation Mio not that long ago and it has been out of stock for awhile so they told all users they would have to go back to the original Mio. Iām assuming all of these sets are manufactured by the same company. So it is not just Tandem users having this issue.