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Subject:
From:
Fritz & Sara Reuning <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 28 Aug 1996 17:41:42 -0400
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Deborah,
  I would be interested in knowing what kind of problems the pumps have had.
No one has reported a "real" problem with any I have sold.  However, I have
wondered if the little white suction adjustment "knob" on the front of the
pump is likely to wear out or break off if the mom is constantly turning it
back and forth.
  I remember a post of a few months back in which a mom returned a P in S
because her husband protested about the cost.  Could that be a problem here?
  What's the chance the women needed a pump for short term use, and are now
finished with the pumps and want their money back?  That sounds so
suspicious and judgmental, but I have some friends who are in the retail
clothing business.  They have told me stories of customers who buy dresses
or shoes, wear them to a party and then want to return them for a refund,
saying that they didn't fit, weren't the right color after all--you get the
idea!
  I try to examine products carefully and trouble-shoot before I call any
supplier.  Sometimes it is what I call a "user" problem rather than product
failure.  I have found Medela to be quite receptive if a problem actually
exists with a product.
  One client who bought a Mini-Electric reported intermittent power problems
when she was using batteries.  She put in new, good quality batteries as I
asked, but the problem persisted.  There was never a problem when using the
AC adapter.  Medela sent me a complete, new pump for her and asked me to
send hers back to them for evaluation.  It turned out to be bad contacts in
the battery compartment, and I have never seen the problem again.
  Another mom called and said that her Mini-Electric no longer had suction
even though the motor still sounded ok.  I had her check connections, asked
about moisture getting into the battery compartment, etc.  I finally told
her to bring the pump back to me so I could check it out myself before
replacing it.  The little white silicone membrane was missing, hence no
suction.  Another mom called with the same problem, only she still had the
white membrane.  In a month of use, despite my having shown her how to take
the pump apart for washing, she had never once removed the yellow membrane
valve assembly to wash it.  It took quite a bit of soaking to get it
unstuck, but that solved the problem.
  I had one mom call & tell me she wanted to return her P in S because she
said it didn't work well on a consistent basis.  She was working part time,
and when she worked, the pump was great.  On her days at home, however, she
could get "almost no milk" (1-2 oz only) at a pumping, and felt the pump was
not working properly.  When I asked her to tell me more about the days at
home, I learned that her baby was nursing EVERY 2 HRS and she was getting
"ONLY" 1-2 oz between his nursings!
  If all your returned pumps were from the same shipment, I'd wonder about
QA with that whole lot, especially if the problems are the same with all of
them.  Please share your experience with us.
Sara Reuning in Bristol, TN

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