DeVilbiss Reduces Warranty, Raises Prices

SOMERSET, Pa. — DeVilbiss Healthcare announced last week
that it is reducing the warranty on its 5-Liter Compact
Concentrator 525 Series (525DS) from five years to three on new
products sold on or after Jan. 4, 2011, in North America. The
company will also institute a 5 percent price increase on selected
service and repair parts used in its oxygen product line “to offset
component cost increases that have not been passed on to customers
over the last several years,” the company said in a release.

“The extreme changes in the oxygen industry over the last
several years are affecting providers and manufacturers alike. We
all have been forced to alter our businesses and processes,” stated
Craig Haba, vice president of sales and marketing for respiratory
solutions.

“We understand the pressures that are being placed on our oxygen
provider partners and we have done our best to absorb the steady
incremental price increases. Unfortunately, we can’t keep that up
if we want to maintain a sustainable business model in oxygen.”