Ju S.
Far too costly; poor service; but the product is a good idea
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.