Getting My Hospital Bed Repaired

A number of weeks ago, my Home Health Aide told me that it looked like one side of my bed was lower than the other side.  Sure enough when I studied my bed one side was lower.  However, I wasn’t able to figure out what was causing this.

Then last week I noticed that the head area of my bed was not rising as high as it use to and that the bed was making a lot of creaking noise.  On Sunday June, 16 our daughter and son in-law came over to celebrate Fathers Day, I asked my son in-law to check to see if my bed frame was OK.  After he checked he told me that the bed frame had a huge break in the tubing that went from one side to the other side.  He told me that this tube was connected to the motor which raised and lowered the head of the bed.

The next day I called the company who supplied not only my bed but also my two ventilators and many other expensive pieces of durable medical equipment.  I think the company makes a lot of money from me by either selling or renting me the equipment.  Because of this I didn’t expect any problems getting a repairman out to repair my bed.

When I called the person I talked to told me that someone from their Dispatch would be calling me back either that same or the next day.  When I didn’t receive any phone call I called the company back and spoke to the same person who took my information when I first called.  I was put on hold and after a short wait, the person came back on the line to tell me that “Yes Dispatch had my information on their desk but they were away from their desk at the moment.”  I was assured that I would be receiving a call back from Dispatch.

However when that didn’t happen, I sent the following email to the branch manager.

D,

On Monday 6/17/2013 at 9:00 AM, I called and talked to A about my Hospital bed that I received from you.  I told her that the tubing/bar that is connected to the motor that raises and lowers the front of the bed has a crack that goes almost the entire way around tube.  I asked that someone be sent out to either inspect or repair my bed.  She said that she would forward my information and request to your Dispatch and that they would be calling me.  I have yet to hear from your dispatch.

Because I hadn't heard from you dispatch telling me the status of my request, I called A back on Tuesday 6/18/2013 at 10:45 AM asking if Dispatch would be calling me.  A offered to go and ask your Dispatch and when she came back to the phone she told me that the Dispatch was away from his desk but that all of my information was on his desk.

I've checked on the bed manufacture’s website and my bed frame should be covered by their warranty.  So I don't think this delay can be caused by any request about insurance payment.  Would you look into the status of my request to have my hospital bed repaired? 

I must say that once again I am disappointed by the people who work for you.

Looking forward to hearing from you about the status of my bed repair.

PM

Later the same morning I sent my email to the branch manager, their Dispatch called me back.  He was not a pleasant person to talk to but I didn’t care.  I basically told him that either he sent a repair man with the correct parts or his branch manager would be receiving a second email from me.  So the Dispatcher asked me a number of questions about the nature of my problem and after I explained what I had done to come to the conclusion that the bed frame needed repair he promised to send a repairman out the next morning.

So yesterday morning a van pulled up and I finally have a repaired bed.  It dawned on me that this coming Tuesday the company would be here filling my two oxygen tanks.  I think that the Dispatch wanted to wait on my request and have the person who filled the oxygen tanks examine my bed and then at a later date send a repairman.  It is my feeling that the tubing would have  broken completely through leaving me in a broken bed over the weekend.

Unfortunately this company is the only one in the area who will accept me as their patient.  My wife P. has called around and asked the other Durable Medical Supply companies and non would accept me as a patient.  So I think that I will have to continue to write emails when I am in need of a repair man from this company.