NOTHING BUT AGGRAVATION!
In 12/2019, my own personal home oxygen unit failed and decided to rent one through the insurance / Medicare coverage plan I had.
My Pulmonary Doctor suggested a company, but I said there was one closer to where I live in Lynbrook, NY so lets give this little local guy a try and some business, my doctor said okay. THAT WAS MY BIG MISTAKE!
I called and spoke to Ed, one of the owners of PHOENIX MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, I told him I wanted to rent a home oxygen unit and wanted my monthly co-payment to be taken out AUTOMATICALLY every month, I would give them my credit card number to put on file. Ed said fine.
I set up my account with Janet, I gave her ALL the information she asked for, I received the home oxygen unit and everything was good to go, or so I thought!
4-5 months later not one payment was taken from my credit card? I called Ed to find out why? He said he would check and get back to me. That time Ed told me the company name given to my insurance, was not recognized by my insurance company, they go by a couple of different names? By the that was taken care of I got hit with a payment for 5 months back co-payments! That is what I DID NOT want to happen!
Since then it has been ONE EXCUSE AFTER THE OTHER, my longest stretch of monthly payments lasted for 2 months! All the rest of the time I was behind 3-4 months at a clip. I am constantly calling to find out WHY, my payment was not taken OUT on time?
The reason I get is, it's my insurance company's FAULT, they don't send Janet a certain paper she needs to bill me? My insurance PAYS THEM every month? That I see by my insurance statements! My co-payment DOES NOT CHANGE, it's the same every month. When I speak to my insurance company, they tell me, they hold NO PAPER WORK back and what ever paper work PME needs is sent to them.
In the past few months, when I call to speak to ED or Janet, I am told they will call you back, they don't or Janet will call back days later. She complains, of the Covid crises, and she is overwhelmed with work and short staffed? Simple, HIRE MORE HELP! If that is the case.
Since I started with PME, I am now on my 3rd, oxygen unit. Usually these machines are refurbished. My 2nd oxygen unit, I received in 12/2020, it was brand new, by March of 2021, 3 months later, the yellow warning light came on with a low whistle to alert me THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I called PME to tell them, the oxygen warning light came on. The woman I spoke to said OH, THAT'S JUST A MAINTENANCE LIGHT, shut off the machine for 10 minutes, and see if it goes away! Duh? This ts a machine to keep people alive, was anyone sent to maintain the unit? NO!
Last week the yellow light went on and stayed on, I called again and spoke to a maintenance man, I told him the light would NOT go off at all and has been like that OVERNIGHT! He told me he could get there some time today, I said I had a doctor's appointment at 1:30pm, He told me he would call first before he comes, and if I was not home, he would come the next morning. Because I thought it IMPORTANT to have my oxygen unit checked out sooner than later, I CANCELLED my doctor's appointment, HE NEVER CALLED ME THAT DAY! He came the next day and replaced that machine to make that # 3 machine!
Last week when I called for service on the oxygen unit, I was AGAIN BEHIND on my co-payments being taken out, again I asked to speak to Janet, again I was told she would call me back, my last conversation with her, SHE AGREED to take the monthly co-payment out EVERY month, and not wait for any paper work she claims she needed, finally GREAT NEWS! Wrong!!!
I was now 2 moths behind and counting! Janet called me back the next day at around 6:30pm, I believe because I complained to the service man when he came that day! We got into it again about WHY she was not taking the payments out as she agreed to? Now she says her computer or something did not allow her to do it AND she just got the paper work so she is taking out the 2 months I owe PME, that was last Friday, I looked today Wednesday morning, still NOTHING was taken?
I wrote this review weeks ago on another site. ALL still apply and the status is the same, sad to say. read more