Thread by @allylovespono

My next column is about the major lack of accessible housing, but the one after that is going to be about how absolutely ATROCIOUS and abusive durable medical equipment companies can be.

I started my chair order in JANUARY. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN DELIVERED.

It's a problem on the mainland but it's so much worse in Hawaii. The companies are all horrible. None of them seem to care and they all take their sweet-ass time..

I'm going to talk to clients from every DME company on Oahu. We all have stories. Time to name and shame.

DMs are open for Hawaii locals who have had issues with durable medical equipment companies.

This time I went with a ompany that is based in CA but has an office here. HUGE MISTAKE.

Got a text ten days ago saying my frame had been shipped and would be there within the week.

I followed up today. They never received it.

And part of this is @PermobilUSA fault for having monopolies and taking their time making manual chairs.

But that's where a good DME is supposed to step in. To steer the process, work the system, and get the person the equipment they need to LIVE THEIR LIFE.

@PermobilUSA Insurance doesn't care because they have to pay for a new chair every five years. Push the order for a new chair out six months or more, and that's a big chunk of time they don't have to pay for. The clock resets when you get the new chair. (I think?)

@PermobilUSA @PermobilUSA doesn't care, and they don't talk directly to customers who go through DME's. Which you have to do to get insurance to reimburse. (You can do it on your own but it is a MAJOR hassle.)
I emailed them a press request a while back to learn about their process. No reply

@PermobilUSA Permobil, btw, has (I think) bought out Tilite, Smartdrive, and a whole lot of otherwise independent companies.
There are other wheelchair and accessory companies. But very few people service their chairs. Especially in Hawaii.

@PermobilUSA What a horrible system.

@PermobilUSA I'm lucky that I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user. I need it on bad days and when I leave the house and will have to walk longer than a block or stand a while. Some people are literally stuck in their homes or beds for months or YEARS while DME companies crawl along.

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