PurewickReviews of purewick.com

My elderly mother with mobility issues bought one. The product itself is exactly what it claims which is excellent. With that said, every woman should be warned that after using this product, for even a very short time, will cause your body to lose all control of your bladder therefore, creating a bigger issue.

I ordered the unit for my husband who was coming home from a brain tumor operation in the hospital where he used a PureWick unit. It seemed to work in the hospital right after the operation. However, when my husband was not catatonic after a brain operation, the catheter unit was too easy to pull off. The adhesive lost all sticking power. I went through several catheter units in one night. It must have been uncomfortable or annoying because he removed it every time. I used the PureWick unit for two unsuccessful days. The company will not provide me any refund even for the catheter units which are still in their sealed plastic wrapper and totally unused! Very dissatisfied.

The PureWick Products are very well designed. We have a Patient in our home. Patient is very happy with ALL Products. I am giving 4 Stars due to Product Support Rep. Background: Patient wakes 2 or 3 times a week ~02 00 and is awake up to 3 or 4 hours. Since there is NOT a provision in their Products to make it easy for Patient to get up read, watch TV, etc. I Called Custom Support for assistance in for a solution. Support Rep answered: We do not have that because ALL Users are BedBound. (Did You notice the "absolute All" in his replying?) I questioned him on that. The User in Our Home is NOT BedBound but quite Mobile. He came back: Yes they are BedBound. I said that even if 1 User is Not BedBound, then Your statement is false. It went downhill from there. Other than the "absolute all", I respect the rest: Products and Customer Support. Thus, My Son and I designed a "working prototype" if any User is interested in being mobile. (Price has not been set.)

On the whole, the portable system works well. There are a number of much-needed improvements, however. Customer service is not available 9-9, 7 days a week. You may be able to reach a human being, but they cannot actually help you with any issues, so they are useless. They will walk you through how to do the thing you've been doing (e.g. applying the wick; charging the unit) for 9 months already; whether you need them to or not, They will require you to "do the thing" with them on the phone walking you through it before they will report the issue. If you have an issue with the unit not charging, they will tell you that first they are going to send a cord for you to try (even when it's very clear it's not the cord, since it runs fine plugged in). This is non-negotiable, which means you cannot use the unit in a portable manner for the 3 days it takes to get the cord, the one day to "try it out", the 3 MORE days to then get the replacement unit (so a week at the bare minimum). Basically, customer service doesn't care and can't actually help you. If the issue is the wicks aren't sticking, they will talk you through proper application and ask you if the area is dried, shaved, clean... seriously. They will then file a report to be reviewed by an ACTUAL agent who can address the matter (replacement or whatever), but you won't hear from THAT person for anywhere from 3-7 days. If you ask for escalation, they will file notice for a manager to get back to you. If you are LUCKY, you'll hear back in 3 days. Usually, though, no one actually responds. On to the actual product: EXTREMELY overpriced supplies. The wicks are $16 EACH - what senior/disabled individual can afford $480 a month on these? You cannot purchase just the hose (a single point of failure for the units). You must spend $86 every 3 months to replace the hose. They send a new reservoir as well, but as long as you clean it carefully, the reservoir will last much longer than 3 months (including the gasket around the top). The long hose, being removed daily from the wick, will not. But they won't sell just that. The wicks are a nightmare to apply (male system). They must lie flat against the skin. The scrotum is not smooth skin, making solid, smooth application extremely difficult. A simple change would be to have the plastic backing come in 3, not 2, pieces. The lower one should be cut in half to allow the person placing the wick the ability to smooth one side while placing, then switch to the other rather than trying to do the whole thing at once with an awkward angle as you get to the far side. Once the glue comes into contact with skin, that's it. If you didn't get it JUST right, you cannot move it, even if you haven't "pressed firmly" to attach. And god forbid the wick fold before placing - it's as bad a duct tape sticking to itself. At $16 a pop, losing even one of these is a pricey hit. It is not designed with a person who has any mobility in mind, despite being a portable unit. The tiniest bit of sweat, and the wick comes loose. Too much movement, and the hose disconnects. (I now duct tape the end of the hose that connects to the wick to avoid this issue.) If you jostle it even a little, the unit beeps as if it's full. Sometimes it will start up again, sometimes it will not and you have to empty the 1/4 inch of fluid that is in the reservoir. Where the charging cord connects to the unit is a design issue. First, there should be a "seal plug" for when the unit is not charging to prevent moisture from getting into the electronics. Second, despite careful handling, the "guts" of the plug have pulled out on two separate units and the whole thing has had to be replaced. Once the plug connector separates from the unit, it affects the unit's ability to charge properly. This is a known issue to the company, but they have not addressed it by redesigning how the plug connector is attached. Not the cord, not the charger - the actual little plug hole on the unit. Again, great idea and the hospital version is amazing, especially for female patients who previously had no real external catheter available to them. There is a LOT this company needs to do to improve customer service; and quite a few things it could do to make this more widely affordable/practical for the general public.

I spoke with Claire about my unit not working and she was NOT helpful at all. I've been a customer since 2024 and have been ordering from them since.... now, they don't stand by their product when a new replacement unit isn't working. Now I am without the service altogether. And, when I asked to speak with a manager, NOBODY is available. I used to recommend Purewick to friends.... not anymore! Extremely poor service, and ignoring loyal customers has made me decide to go with a different company that is actually at a better price too.

Customer service and support. The product when working well has been amazing but when the device stopped working the company said that I should wait 1-3 days for a new cord ant then 1-3 days for a replacement, Should I wait 2-6 days to urinate ????????

The company is predatory in it's customer service policies. It will NOT under any circumstances cancel an order. I called to cancel an order less than 15 minutes after ordering and was told I had to wait until the shipment arrived, send it back and then wait up to 60 days for a refund. They kept the card on file and tried to send out an auto shipment the following month. If I didn't want the item in the 1st place, why are you shipping me more? Again, "since the order has already been placed, you have to return the item, call and ask for a refund, than wait up to 60 days."

Great product, absolute worst customer service. When they’re trying to sell you something, they’re relentless with the phone calls. When you need something from them, God bless! Prepare to be put on hold, or disconnected, or promised a callback until you finally speak to someone that doesn’t have the knowledge, or interest, to help you. I’m at the point of (attempting to) returning 3 months of unused catheters, taking a hit on the $700 unit, and going with a competitor so that I can sever relations with this company. Couldn’t be more frustrated and disappointed. I’ll find someone who is empathetic to customer issues and wants to get into a committed partnership with me.