NxStage Disappointment

[Meinuk]

 
Why is it that I can be trained, I can cannulate myself every night, I can trouble shoot my problems, I can chart my progress and the big problem that I have with Nxstage is their inability to get a SINGLE supply order right?  I have been at home since November - here is a synopsis of my delivery issues:

November - Delivery was 90 minutes early and delivered to my next door neighbors.  (all 59 boxes) (ok, maybe I'll blame the delivery service for this one)

December - didn't have me on the proper delivery schedule, I ran out of supplies and had to carry my sac from the clinic to work and then home.  (I walk and take the train)

January - my ordering schedule was changed and they never told me.  When I called in my order, it was too late - Someone had already decided to makeup my inventory.  (I now have 5 purepacks in a TINY NYC apartment)

February/March - Again, my order schedule was changed, (this time, I was on to them, and I kept calling) Once again, when I called to verify, my order isn't what I had asked for and the delivery service dropped the boxes off a day early in the rain on a NYC sidewalk - all while I am miles away oblivious to all of the screw ups.

What the Hell?  We go through all of our medical issues only to have this ineptness strike us down?  Why can't this company get a single order or delivery right?  Frustrating is an understatement.  I have now abandoned all hope, I'm stuck with them as long as I am a home dialyzor.  No one told me that the most painful part of home dialysis would be bad/incompetent customer service...

UPDATE:  Monday, March 10, 2008

This is still a rant.  But now there are a few more players involved.  NxStage reads IHD, and someone read my post.  And, rather than contact me (the consumer) they called my unit and spoke to my nurse to complain about what  I posted on IHD (they even e-mailed her a copy.)  So, I suppose that this is a case of biting the hand that feeds you.  (or cleans your blood) My nurse started the conversation with "the pen is mightier than the sword".  She was horrified that I called NxStage out publicly and out of respect for her - I removed the offending line from the original post.  Keep in mind that I have heard NOTHING from NxStage.  (point for being marginalized) 

Well, here it is, I have nothing to lose.  I'll wake up tomorrow morning and my kidneys still won't work.  So, let the chips fall where they may.  IHD is a public forum.  I am actually a strong advocate for home dialysis on NxStage.  But the facts remain the same, and I am horrified that I call them all day on Wednesday (when I heard of the order screw up) and I hear NOTHING, NOTHING on Thursday, NOTHING on Friday and I STILL haven't heard from them. 

But once they have been publicly called out, my nurse gets the phone call.  Of course my unit is trying to grow their home hemodialysis unit, and they need NxStage to be able to do that.  And let's face it NYC is a huge market.  I am aware of what happened to other home hemo companies.  I actually want NxStage to succeed.  But I want my cake an to be able to eat it too.  I want my deliveries to be as arranged.  I am not asking for anything extraordinary.  I am not asking for anything special.  I want NxStage to man up and call me when they have an issue with me - not my nurse.  She had nothing to do with the orders.  I did call to complain to her that there were screw ups (so, yes, she was in the loop)

This should be an interesting week.

FYI - After I spoke to the shipping company on Wednesday, I assume that they were able to telephone their driver as the delivery was finally made as scheduled on Thursday.  (Of course it wasn't everything that I had ordered)  Still, no call from either NxStage or the delivery company, I just sat at home on Thursday and hoped for the best.

[paris]

What a mess! Wouldn't you think the supply delivery would be the simple part of the whole thing?  It gets so frustrating fighting so many battles when you are already fighting for your health.  It seems like everyday there is another problem to solve and some days I just want to throw my hands up and quit.     Hope the delivery schedule gets better. 

[okarol]

I would write a letter or make a call:

Jeffrey H. Burbank
President & Chief Executive Officer
NxStage Medical, Inc.
439 South Union Street
5th Floor
Lawrence, MA 01843

Toll Free Telephone: 866-697-8243
Fax: 978-687-4809

[Meinuk]

Thanks Karol, already done.  I was hoping to find his e-mail address earlier but had to settle for snail mail.  They have a monopoly though.  We are stuck.  My only option for mitigation is to stop home dialysis.  I have no recourse in this case, I can yell and complain and nothing is done.  Each month, another screw up.  It really is a case of having to suck it up and put up with them.  (and I usually don't have a defeatist attitude)  All I can say is that each time they screw up, I'll post about it so other consumers will know that when they have delivery/order problems, they are not alone. 

Unless there is competition in the marketplace, we are just numbers on a spreadsheet.  We have no buying power.  When you read about people being marginalized - this is a prime example.  We are sick, dependent on numerous corporations to survive, and we are at their mercy.  We are not people to them, we are revenue (or loss in most cases) on a balance sheet.  Worse yet, our stories are marketing tools.  Look at the happy dialysis patients.  I am all for marketing home dialysis therapy.  I am just reluctant when my orders are screwed up and the deliver company tells me that the are just doing me a favor and no one seems to be available to speak to me when I call.

Nxstage just sees this as an administrative error - not what it is to me, the consumer - lost wages, physical stress and potential for injury if I get home, find the wet/soggy boxes on the sidewalk (if they are still there) and then have to carry them up the stairs into the house one by one, and then set up my machine for my nightly dialysis session.  Insult to injury, I believed their delivery schedule and cleared my calender for Thursday (the scheduled day).

I often self-check, wondering if I am being too demanding, in this case, no.  All I want is for my supply orders to be taken accurately and for them to be delivered as arranged.  This is a common business practice.  Why can't they get it right?

[okarol]

I know it must be frustrating. It doesn't seem like it should be so difficult. I hope you keep pushing for change - and I hope they listen, even if they are the only game in town!
I found this too: NxStage's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Winifred L. Swan, Esq., contact by email (wswan@nxstage.com) - maybe she wouldn't mind forwarding a complaint. 

[Joe Paul]

Sucks when we have to deal with crap like this to survive. I hope Nxstage soon gets it right for you, good luck 

[tamara]

Maybe when you send them an email send them a link to this page as well . Just an idea.............they will then see it's a few consumers and it may be interesting to send them a link to our site may be good for them too.

[Sluff]

Hope they start to get things right. 

[charee]

It seems its not just Nxstage here in Aus , I live in the country 5 hours away from my suppliers and we have the same problems , every month there is some sort of drama the worst was last month when we ordered but someone thought we had enough left and wouldn't need any but they didn't realize that we do 8 hours every second day and go through more than the average after lots of phone calls an emergency order was done and  it arrived the day before it was needed , to close for me . We are learning to keep a back up supply that they don't know about. Hope you get a good result with your letter

[tamara]

It seems its not just Nxstage here in Aus , I live in the country 5 hours away from my suppliers and we have the same problems , every month there is some sort of drama the worst was last month when we ordered but someone thought we had enough left and wouldn't need any but they didn't realize that we do 8 hours every second day and go through more than the average after lots of phone calls an emergency order was done and  it arrived the day before it was needed , to close for me . We are learning to keep a back up supply that they don't know about. Hope you get a good result with your letter

Yep, whenever I gave my supplier a stocktake I would always give them dodgy numbers in my favour sssssh don't tell them our lil secrets ok 

[petey]

Meinuk,
Marvin and I would opt for calling or emailing one of the "higher ups" that were listed here (Karol -- you are a wealth of info -- what would we do without you?).  We think writing a letter won't get it because a letter is easily placed in "File 13."  Also, it sounds like some of your problems are with the delivery service, but, then again, NxStage is the one who picks the delivery service.  We would make sure that NxStage knew we were NOT happy with the delivery service they chose!  We would yell and scream, complain and fuss DAILY until somebody got it RIGHT.  Good luck to you!

[petey]

Marvin just reminded me...the first couple of months we were on NxStage, UPS brought our supplies (and the guy brought them in our house and all the way down the hall to Marvin's "clinic").  After about three months, though, NxStage switched to a local delivery carrier.  This service has been okay for us, too -- and this guy will carry the boxes down to Marvin's bedroom/clinic if I ask him.

Our delivery carrier also calls ahead (a couple of hours) on the day of delivery to double check and make sure we're home.  Could they do that for you? 

[Meinuk]

Thanks Petey and everyone,

I have no doubt that my voice was heard today, as it was when I posted my training diary.  People from NxStage and Davita read IHD.  Like I said in my earlier post, I know that there is no recourse, and honestly, I am sick of hearing "I'm Sorry".  I've just decided to go public with my disappointment.  The deliveries are supposed to be scheduled and attended.  The ball has just been dropped yet again, and I'm calling them out on it.

I got home tonight to find out that the delivery wasn't made.  No call, nothing.  (or maybe the boxes were left and subsequently stolen.  I have no idea, an no one has bothered to tell me.)

So, tomorrow morning, I'll wait for the pre-arranged delivery.  I already know that it is not what I asked for, so maybe I'll get some more pure packs  - I can build another wall in my little apartment.

[petey]

You go, Meinuk!  Don't let up on them one iota!    Stay after them until they get it right!

I get soooo tired of hearing "I'm Sorry," too, when I have a problem.  "Sorry doesn't get it -- what are you going to do to fix it?  Tell me that and then you won't have to be sorry!"

[Meinuk]

 

There has been a development.  I've updated my original post.

[Zach]

Apparently, NxStage is having a bad couple of months:

http://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NXTM
 

[okarol]

It's too bad the consumer division doesn't see this as an opportunity to publicly acknowledge and correct a problem. It would build so much goodwill, and would also provide a good training example for the future. I know you want them to succeed, but this delivery problem could be the reason they don't. Do they assume that you are a housebound patient, sitting at the window waiting for the delivery man to come by?
It's just downright RUDE for them to ignore your attempts to contact them.

[paris]

Meinuk, I learned first hand that NxStage reads the posts on IHD.  I met the East Coast rep when I was at a clinic meeting the regional NxStage representative. She asked how I had become so familiar with NxStage and I said because of IHD.  She immediately started talking about Epoman and Bill Peckham.   I mentioned I had a friend in NYC who does NxStage without a partner and she had heard of you.   It was a strange encounter!  Sometimes we forget HOW  public this forum is!  But if they don't like what is being said about their company and product, shouldn't they contact you and try to make you happy??  This site is one of their biggest supporters and you, especially, have said so many good things.  Epoman loved NxStage.   It will be interesting to see if they ever contact you personally.  Keep fighting Your battle will help those who will choose NxStage in the future.   

[KT0930]

As Karol said, it is so frustrating when things like this happen, and then you had to stay home from work for an entire day to wait for the shipment because it wasn't made correctly on your usual day. Don't they realize that you chose NxStage so you could continue to live a semi-normal life in spite of kidney disease? And that part of that normalness is attempting to hold down a job? How is it that people who screw up on their end continue to have jobs, but we have to constantly be in fear of losing ours just so we can get the supplies for a treatment that keeps us alive? Keep  , we're with you 100%!

[KR Cincy]

It's crazy how different experiences can be. I've had nothing but success with NxStage...all my stuff arrives on time (assuming I order on time, which I usually do!)...when I've had technical issues, they've handled it immediately...and I've met the local rep a few times and he's always wanting to know what's working and what's not so he can pass it along.

Meinuk, you KNOW I'm rooting for you and I hope you get this supply/delivery issue sorted out.

[petey]

We've always had only good experiences with NxStage, too, but if that ever changed, you better believe they would hear from me.  Stay on them, Meinuk!

[petey]

How's it going with the NxStage deliveries, Meinuk?  Any better?

[kitkatz]

Want to borrow a big stick?

[Meinuk]

Kit, thanks for the offer of the stick.  But I think that my posts and phone calls were pretty effective. (although I have still to receive a call back from last Wednesday)

I went to my unit to drop off my blood work this morning and my nurse just started laughing and called me a "naughty, naughty girl.."  Which is an endearment in my book!  I have to say that my nurse is amazing.  Everyone in my unit is buzzing about it and we are taking a "wait and see" attitude.  My next order is on the 26th.  I am going to ask for written confirmation when I place my order.  We'll see.

I blogged about my perspective on this whole situation on Bill's Blog http://www.billpeckham.com/from_the_sharp_end_of_the/2008/03/how-far-is-too.html  (and over there, I linked to this thread so that people read get the details)

I'm still annoyed, but the fact is, I love home dialysis, I feel amazing and maybe it is because I feel good that I am able to point out when I feel that things are not as they should be.

[kitkatz]

It seems ridiculous to me that these people who do not have kidney disease but are supposed to be assisting people who are ill cannot get the deliveries correctly done.  It is not like you can skip a treatment or just forget it because a delivery is wrong or late. "Sigh"  So people get your act together!