Breast pump--where to buy

[PAfirsttimemom]

Has anyone ever bought a pump from bestbuybaby.com? The prices they quoted me for the Pump in Style Advanced seemed very good compared with retailers like BabiesRUs.

Does anyone have suggestions on the best online retailers for good deals on pumps? I also saw some good deals on eBay for pumps New in Box.

[PAfirsttimemom]

So no one out there has purchased anything from bestbuybaby.com? I would love to know what your experiences are, as I am thinking of buying a breast pump at this site. Thanks.

Diana
DS Owen 3/13/06

[Sillygirl]

I don't have experience with that website but I recall Medela about a year and half ago limiting the number of online retailers that could carry their products, which made it much harder to find a deal. So if their price is really that much lower I woudl be a little worried that it was an old model, or that the warranty wouldn't be good as they aren't authorized resellers. You might email Medela to see what they say.

[jgriffin]

I bought my PISA from Hackley (http://www.hackleyhme.com/). At the time (about a year ago) it was the best price I could find online.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Thanks for the info. How do you like the Advanced model? Is it the backback or regular style?

Re Bestbuybaby.com, the Web site says they are an authorized Medela dealer and that the pumps are 2006 models. I may give it a go. I also e-mailed hackleyhme to request their pricing.

If anyone else has good links for pump purchases, let me know. Thanks!

[jgriffin]

I used the regular style, and I thought it was fine. I found the PISA to work well for me; I used it 3 times a day at work for many months, and it was going strong when I stopped. Some women prefer the PIS over the PISA, since it apparently gives you more control over speed and suction. The PISA has a "let down" mode, which was kind of nice in the beginning when I didn't know what I was doing, but I later found unnecessary. There is a yahoo group called PumpMoms, lots of very knowledgeable, pumping moms there. (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PumpMoms/)

HTH!

Jen

[GlindaGoodWitch]

I bought mine from Hackley as well. Lowest price and super customer service...

[PAfirsttimemom]

Hackley never got back to me with e-mail pricing. Maybe I'll try again.

[jgriffin]

Try again, it is an automated system. Maybe your email server flagged it as spam? Try the "plain text" option instead of HTML (that should help with a spam flag).

eta:
Just tried it with both text options and got emails back immediately. Here's the text:

***********
Thank you for inquiring about our Medela Breast Pump pricing. The following is our breast pump pricing for Medela. We offer free shipping with any order over $50.00.

Pump in Style Advanced (Backpack) - $225.00
Pump in Style Advanced (Shoulder Bag) - $225.00
Pump in Style Original - $195.00

All Medela Breast Pumps must be ordered by telephone. Please call 1.866.299.0071 to place your order today.

[PAfirsttimemom]

I did try and heard right back. I'm not sure why it didn't work before. Thank you for taking the time to look into this for me!

[ShanaMama]

I got mine free through my health insurance. Don't know if you're replacing or what, but my plan allows for one per mother (I think it's once a lifetime! or something like that.) I've heard that a bunch of insurance companies are now offering this.

ETA: Ok, just read your other post, so here's some more info. I basically called my insurance company (Guardian HealthNet) from the hospital room (!) & requested a pump. I knew this was a service they offer. They gave me the phone number of their vendor, and all I had to do was call the vendor. I got a Medela PIS Advanced delivered to my door, & I got to choose Backpack or Shoulder style. Finally makes me feel all those premiums were worth it!

[ShanaMama]

not that one is needed in this thread!

On the note of my last post, I always find it so fascinating when companies make financial decisions transparently based on health data. I mean their ONLY agenda is to save/make $$, & obviously in their financial calculation, paying for a breast pump saves $$ in the long run: less sick days for mom taking care of baby, less doctor visits, less meds, etc....
Similar idea with life insurance & smoking. Can't argue with that!

[tylersmama]

A little late, but I wanted to add that I got my PISA backpack from lactationcare.com. They had it for $220 (I think $5 less than Hackley) with free shipping and no tax. A nice bonus is that they have several lactation consultants on staff and encourage you to call at any time if you have any questions.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Thanks for all of the replies. I ended up going with bestbuybaby.com and got the PISA backpack for $220 with no tax and free shipping. Customer service seemed very efficient, repeating back all the order info. And it was very quick. I'm supposed to receive the pump by tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it works out. It amazes me how much BabiesRUs and other retail stores mark these breast pumps up. Order online, and save $$$!

Diana

[PAfirsttimemom]

Quick update: Actually received the pump a day ahead of when the company told me it would arrive. The box arrived well packed and intact with factory seal. I would definitely recommend bestbuybaby.com. I think I may order DS's convertible car seat from them, too. Great prices on Britax and again, no tax and free shipping.