NOT happy about the way the ping holds up

by TyAnn Walters
(South Carolina)

My son (age 14) has had the Ping for three years. As far as the way it works, we have been overall satisified. No problems with that. However, the wear and tear is nothing to brag about. We have had several replacements...the cosmetics of the pump are in need of great improvement, in our opinion. The white markings that indicate the up/down arrows as well as the OK button wear off. If someone had to help you with your pump in the case of an emergency, for example, they wouldn't know what button was what. Also the rubbery areas around all the buttons wears thin and cracks open, revealing the metal underneath, and yet it is suppose to be waterproof. The silver color of the pump wears/scratches off and the face stays scratched. Animas calls these problems cosmetic and will only do one cosmetic replacement. My son's cell phone is a similar comparison and it still looks new but is just as old as his pump and is touched each day as often or more often. This pump is around $6000 and we are not happy! Is there anyone out there that has experienced similar issues? I'd love to know...email wwlandman@aol.com, please!!