I have a cheap supplementary meter I occasionally use. The strips are very cheap, and I can get them at the grocery store a few miles away instead of the better brand I buy online. For these reasons I use it sometimes.
The first 200 tests were very good. They always matched up with my better meters. I was happy with the cheap meter/strips I had. But the most recent batch was horrible, way off. I noticed an 800 number on the vial and thought I’d see if they would replace them.
The support tech on the phone was somewhat rude and abrupt. And he was arguing about what 20% meant (the tests were not within 20%).
And then he said this:
“I do this for a living.”
Without really thinking about my response or processing the meaning of his words, I angrily replied:
“I also do this for living.”
The support tech immediately changed his demeanor, became very apologetic:
“Oh, okay. I am sorry, I didn’t know that. Of course I can send you some replacement strips. I will overnight the strips! If those don’t work better, I will send you a replacement meter.”
As I was giving him my mailing address, I was laughing when I realized my “for living” didn’t mean the same thing as his.
I know everyone on this forum tests their BG “for living”. Nobody is doing it for fun or as a hobby.
But apparently, when it comes to BG meter support techs, “I also do this for living” are magic words.
Try it! 