Pump manufactures care about one thing

The bottom line, they could care less about the customer, they will kill you for a nickel

tandem

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Iā€™d hazard a guess this is a supply line issue from COVID more than anything. They canā€™t save money if you donā€™t 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 isnā€™t 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 didā€”that itā€™s 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 donā€™t care if the site connecters donā€™t 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 theyā€™re 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. Thereā€™s no financial incentive for them, and there arenā€™t enough of us to make a difference.

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Occamā€™s razor

Exactly

Iā€™m curious what is the difference between xc and the autosoft 90? Hard to tell from the website.

This doesnā€™t help much, but Iā€™ve 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 ā€œsmall 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. Iā€™ve 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 Iā€™m concerned about skin/tissue reactions when switching to a new product. Iā€™ve been through hell with that with other ā€œcomparableā€ products, as Iā€™m 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. Andā€”THEY DONā€™T 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 isnā€™t 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 canā€™t connect sites on the back half of my body, where I canā€™t 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.

Iā€™m not very familiar with Medtronic sets, but I believe the Autosoft 90 is identical to one of Medtronicā€™s 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 thatā€™s used by both companies is the one theyā€™ll continue makingā€¦ the Autosoft 90.

I also suspect it has to do with them starting to produce t:sport consumables. Since theyā€™re 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 wasnā€™t 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 phoneā€™s words, not mine), and i didnā€™t mention any other types of infusion sets at allā€¦ Just defaulted to the Autosoft 90s. Well, they were called T:90 then. Iā€™m 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 donā€™t know better, yet the numbers will win, even if thereā€™s a better choice.

Funny thing is, twice recently Iā€™ve 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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Thatā€™s funny! Iā€™ve 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 didnā€™t like it at all. Getting dressed and undressed seems especially inconvenient. I guess itā€™s 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. Iā€™ve now asked 3 timesā€”they 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 donā€™t like when options are taken away from us, or when we canā€™t get straight answers. I did ask if I could get a few sample sets now to make sure they will work for me, before Iā€™m stuck with them. Iā€™ll 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 iā€™d 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.

Iā€™ve never used the xc so canā€™t 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 ā€œtake-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 Iā€™m 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. Thatā€™s 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, itā€™s not going to stress them out. :man_shrugging:

@irrational_John
And they know that you can walk only after 4 or 5 years, depending upon when your ā€œwarrantyā€ expires. And that ā€œwarrantyā€ is not really a true warranty unless you paid out of pocket for that pump or CGM. What the ā€œwarrantyā€ 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, Iā€™m one of those ā€œold 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, itā€™s not cost effective to make 2 lengthsšŸ™

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I donā€™t 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. Iā€™m assuming all of these sets are manufactured by the same company. So it is not just Tandem users having this issue.