GRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGHHHH

[avevale_intelligencer]

I have just sent a stinking email to Accu-Chek, who make blood glucose monitors. The Countess's is broken in a couple of places, and she is apt to vent at length about how hard it is to see an LCD screen in a dark blue case with grey buttons. So, when I saw that they were doing one in silver with mid-blue trim, I ordered one for her.

Imagine our surprise (and other interesting emotions) when we discovered that they'd changed the design again. The new Accu-Chek Compact Plus is ALL BLACK. The buttons are black. The case is black. The pen thingy you stab yourself with is black. The slider you use to unfasten it from the case is black. The bit the lancet goes into is black. Jan was in tears by the time we'd managed to try it out, and I had to do half of it for her, which is completely unacceptable: she needs to be able to do it for herself, and there is no damn reason why she shouldn't be able to do it for herself. Clearly someone in the design department at Accu-Chek really wanted to be making mobile phones. Certainly they have no idea of the needs of a partially sighted person.

We'll carry on with the old broken one till we run out of the drums and lancets it uses (which was why I went for that model in the first place), and then, unless I get a lavish apology from Accu-Chek and they go back to a more visually useful design, we'll be looking at other manufacturers.

Comments

[raphil.livejournal.com]

You are correct, there is no reason why she shouldn't be able to do it for herself with the right equipment.

We use ( http://www.pharmacydirect.co.nz/default.aspx?t=749&g=748&p=3131 )at work, which suits us just fine.

I hope you get it sorted out soon, Zander.

*hugs*

[aunty_marion]

That is indeed a little ...shall we say 'short-sighted'? ... of them. Singularly clueless, like most 'designers', alas. I mean, even I would have problems with that!

*hugs* to you both, and I hope you manage to get this sorted out ASAP.

[gingicat]

Oy! Best wishes finding a properly designed monitor!

[howeird]

Yikes. I've been using One Touch (Lifescan) for eons. I find the meters easy to use & read, and they have pretty good software ($40 US) for downloading to a PC and creating reports which my doctor just adores.

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

Ah, I know the chorus to that song. It has a verse that goes, "I took my partially-sighted mother-in-law bowling, and halfway through her game, you decided to turn off all the lights and put on blacklights and disco-flashing lights so that not only could she not see the lane, she couldn't actually see us anymore either and got very frightened and disorientated. When questioned about this and asked to put the lights back over our lane, you said it looked "prettier" this way, so it would be staying. Arghghghghghgh!!!!"

My MIL is also diabetic, but I think her sight is at the point where no monitor can help, so she just gets my Pa-in-Law to do it. Honestly - haven't these manufacturers come across the concept of "independent living"?

I echo your Arrrgh!

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Stupid is the new black.

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Your ARRRRGGGGGHH! Echoed and approved. How stupid can manufacturers get?