Very upset with Medtronic!

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

So this evening I get the not-so-promising “No Delivery” message on my pump:

and after two attempts to correct it by changing the infusion set, I decided to call Medtronic customer service.

Until today, in spite of my two previous pump scares, I could say Medtronic’s customer service was good (actually, now that I think of it, I was the only person I knew of that spoke well about their customer service experiences with them)… Not any more.

After suggesting (actually, a great tip!) to prime the reservoir with the plunger, we established that the issue was with the reservoir (the plunger wouldn’t move when you pressed it hard). So I switched reservoirs and it I was able to prime the pump…

However, when I asked the person on the phone how did I go about getting the reservoir that failed returned for a functional one was when it happened: “Sir! You need to follow instructions, for me to help you…” I said: “True! Sorry I put in the reservoir in the pump before you were done speaking to me, but still that doesn’t give you the right to be so rude to me.”

“I apologize, sir. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just need to be methodical so we can troubleshoot and you can return that reservoir. Can you follow instructions?”

I basically said: "Listen. I have had to call you guys three times in the course of a year. The previous two times it was due to a hardware failure, that required that you send me a replacement pump. Today it is due to a malfunctioning supply… not the most stellar record, if you ask me.

Next year, I am due to change my pump, since this one is out of warranty. With this kind of customer service that talks rudely and in a condescending way to patients, I am now sure I don’t want to have another Medtronic!"

Do you think he cared? Do you think he apologized again? Sorry about the venting… I just felt frustrated…

2

Hi Manny,
I would ask to speak with someone else. I love MM customer service compared and don’t have issue’s. BUT…
I was raised in the hospital I have no issues telling a doctor it is not gonna work out between us nor do I have any issue right away on the phone if there is any bad vibe with saying “I want to talk to someone else please.” So it never gets to a point of issues. So it may be easy for me to talk with medical peeps and such compared to others. I would call them back though and tell a supervisor what happened. The person you talked to needs some more training no matter what.

Be loved

3

I find it frustrating when some one is who is “trained” to help callers is unable to respect callers. You are a capable adult who could improvise if you did not get your pump working. What happens to the customers who cannot articulate their needs and end up hanging up without resolving their issue. Not everyone has a back up plan if their pump fails.

4

I hate to hear that about Medtronics. Since my pump is only about 3 or 4 months old. So far it works perfect. I’ve called MM several times and the people there, so far, have been just as nice as they can be. Right now I can’t complain. Hope you get it corrected.
Peace Out,
Bobby

5

I only had trouble once,call the local regional person for medtronic–she fixed it pronto. I got 30 sensors that had gotten too hot in transit (my oinsruance requires 3 months of supplies at a time)—after inserting two that were bad–the dope on the phone wanted me to try a third–they were all from the same lot and the same shipment that I had called them about the day I got them…the regional rep got them all replaced–overnight…

All the other times I have called (inclduding a defective sensor transmitter) I have not had a problem…I get tired of malfunctioning stuff–but hear falure rates as bad elsewhere. Try to get your regional reps name and number and see if they can sort it out for you.

6

Manny,
You definitely are not the only one who has had trouble with MM customer service. I had 8 years of nightmares with MM. So far no trouble at all with Omnipod, the device itself and definitely not customer service. They have been perfectly nice and professional every time I have called them. Hope you find a company that you can be happy with. Good luck!!!

7

I have had a MM pump for 7 years and never had an experience with them the way you explained above. Maybe you were misinterpreting how he was saying it because you were frustrated with your pump situation? I really don’t know the tone of the guys voice or anything. But, You have to realize these are pieces of machinery they aren’t perfect and it is something that is going 24/7…it can happen at every pump companies customers service maybe the guy just had an off day.

8

I know that every conversation is recorded so maybe one of his managers will talk to him or he’ll receive further training?? Sorry it was a bad experience … I’m no longer on the MM pump either. Durint the 4 years I had two pump failures and multiple infusion set problems. I’m not saying it was a horrible pump I just had some problems with it and the infusion things were mostly my fault.

9

I agree they are pieces of machinery: in fact, with the first two times I had a hardware failure and ended up having to wait for new pumps to be sent overnight, which I didn’t mind waiting for.

It was the tone he had, honestly… but anyway, I feel better now… which doesn’t mean I will upgrade to a new Medtronic, though! :wink:

10

They’ve always been great to me and I like the security of having a pump that I feel like I can count on to be dependable almost all of the time. I hear about SO many frustrating issues with other systems like OmniPod. I’ve had my MM Paradigm 515 for 3 years now and it HAS failed twice. HOWEVER, both times it failed, the machine recognized that it had failed immediately and the company got a replacement out to me in under 24 hours, with no questions asked. Those are the only two times I have had to call MiniMed since placing my order, which I think is amazing and wonderful, considering that I have been using this machine 24/7 for over 3 years and have been kind of rough with it. So personally, I have to say that I have no complaints. My own personal experience has been as good as anything I could think to hope for. You should keep in mind that MM pumps may be more common than other systems, so with the same rate of complaints, you should expect to hear about a higher number of them. (Sorry, that’s the statistician in me talking.)

11

I love my 522 and i love that it connects to my CGM even more…haha

12

Hello Manny , I am a bit confused …I replied about 11/2 hours to this and do not see my message ; I may have done something incorrect , so be it ???.
Secondly I have seen this on my medtronic pump at least two times ( pumping since 2001 ) , called the help staff and was eventually satsified : I recall suggesting to change the reservoir at one occasion ; the person went through the process slowly with me ( am not a young pumper ) and always will send some replacement malfunction supplies .
I always get a bit uptight when I have to solve problems of this kind and yet I know, things DO NOT always go perfect .
I am sure glad I ordered a travel loaner for my World Disney , USA trip with Team Diabetes Canada , Jan . 2009 .

13

Manny, I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience. I have had to call the MM Customer Service for my 722 3 maybe 4 times since I had it and I’ve been lucky. The reps have been friendly or at least understanding (I can tend to lose my temper when stressed, and how can you not be stressed when the Pump reads NO DELIVERY). I agree with the comments below. See if you can call a supervisor (did you get the reps name?) and talk it out with them. If like you say, they record the calls maybe the rep at fault has already been dealt with.

Anyway, good luck with whatever unit you end up with (and the corresponding Customer Service Reps).

14

I’ve only dealt with MM regarding my CGMS, but I’ve been less satisfied with their customer service compared to Animas, whose customer service has been very good every time I’ve dealt with them in the 4 1/2 years I’ve been using their pumps. I know a lot of people choose MM because they’re a bigger company that’s been around longer, but I think that being a larger organization is one of the contributing factors to their customer service issues. Just my opinion, really, and I haven’t had issues so bad that I’m ready to trade my MM CGMS for a Dexcom, but it’s been annoying enough that I’m glad to have an Animas pump, not a MM.

Of course, I think for every pump company, there are people who’ve had unsatisfactory experiences with customer service. It’s unfortunate that that’s the case. As if diabetes isn’t frustrating enough…

15

I suppose from the customer service rep’s perspective you interrupted him and had not followed instructions. It seems to me that they have a series of questions they are required to ask, and steps they are required to take. These always sound pretty stupid and condescending. I have called a few times and haven’t had this sort of trouble with a rep, but each time I have called I am already frustrated and annoyed before even speaking to someone. So of course things could start off on the wrong foot. First thing they ask is what my last bg reading was, then I have to answer more silly questions before I can even ask for a solution to my problem. Oh yeah, then once it is working they have asked me to test my blood. For some reason that ticks me off, but I try not to take it personally. In retrospect my experience with MM customer service has been positive.
It is like when you call customer support for a PC or software, and they ask, “Is the computer plugged in?” I guess there are the 5% of callers out there who are that stupid, so this is the first question they ask everyone. (Please, tell me they aren’t just asking me that question.)

16

I have a heart condition and to most customer service folks that means I’m 50 years older than I am, feeble minded, and incapable of being spoken to like an adult. They do deal with people who have little knowledge of technical gadgets on a daily basis, so they may get testy if you don’t follow along with their script. I grit my teeth, take a deep breath, realize I have an incompetent ninny or someone who is just having a bad day and I ask for someone else. Good for you for calling him out on being rude. Many people will suffer in silence because they feel the other person knows more than they do. We all deserve excellent customer service and should let the company involved know when we don’t get it. They can’t fix what they don’t realize isn’t working and he clearly wasn’t working properly. Give them a call and ask for a supervisor, let them know what you experienced.

17

So sorry to hear about your problems with MM customer service…I haven’t had a problem with them as of yet, but when I was first on a pump in 2000, I had Medi-Cal and the customer service treated me like a piece of **** and I was pissed then…this go around I haven’t had problems…The rep I dealt with on Thanksgiving was so nice and listened to me when I was crying because of the thought of having to find a new spot for my CGM…I had it in a good spot was on the 6th day with it there and changed my infusion set then it went nuts…was on the phone with MM for 2 hours trying to find the problem without havin to change my sensor(those things cost $35 a piece) so I was knot wanting to take it out…By that Monday I had a new senor from them and it’s been fine since…I do have a complaint about calling to order supplies over the phone though…was on hold for 30 minutes and still didn’t get someone…that made me mad…I hope you can get some satisfaction with them and making sure that others don’t have to go through this…

18

I suspect he is a poorly paid operative in India who is working entirely off scripts and who, perhaps, was having problems understanding you because English is not his native language either.

Companies do things with their phone numbers to make them look like they are in the U.S. when in fact they are in Bangalore. The conditions people work in there are brutal and they can be replaced in an instant by thousands of people yearning for their jobs. Companies save a lot of money exploiting these people, but the trade off is extremely poor customer service.

19

Hi Manny
I am so sorry you are having trouble with your pump and customer service people. I am afraid i would have lost it on the first “can you follow instructions”. There is absolutely no excuse for that no matter what. Unfortunately I have a tendency to hang up until I can get my temper under control. When I think I can handle the frustration I call back and if I get the same person I ask for someone else. If this doesn’t work out I ask for a supervisor. If that doesn’t work ( and sometimes it doesn’t ) then I will start to change my company as soon as possible. Since this is something you have to have to live each day, this makes for a very bad situation. I send you my strength to be with you. If nothing else i hope MDIs can get you through until this gets worked out. Love and hugs to you.

20

Manny, I am sure everyone here us sick if hearing me complain, but I called Medtronic once to ask if I could reapply for a pump without going through Diabetic Care and Education, and the girl from customer service asked if I was type 1 or 2. When I told her “2”, she was super short with me and put me off. Of course I took this as her saying, “Die you dreaded type 2 trash!” I WILL TRY
ANIMAS NEXT.