# Freestyle Libre use by date



## Bloden (Mar 21, 2017)

That's the last time I order 10 sensors from Abbott! I received my sensors in Feb and the use by date, as I've already mentioned on another thread, is June 30th 2017 which doesn't give me time to use all the sensors. I've spoken to Abbott twice now and they can't offer me an adequate solution. So, to cut a long story short, I can't get my money back  and I hate to see good sensors going to waste - there must be two deserving people here who would like them...buy me a (very big) coffee if I ever make it to a forum meet. Or make a donation to Diabetes UK.


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## CosmicHedgehog (Mar 21, 2017)

Surely they are not fit for purpose if they will go out of date before you can use them, I would demand a refund or return the short date ones and credit my account with x amount of sensors.. Just because it's medical equipment doesn't mean they aren't under the same rules and regulations as any other retailer. I only ever order 4 at a time now, for the same reasons. The last 4 i ordered i would only just be able to use within the date. Also i only ever pay with pay pal now, because when things like this happen you have a pay pal guarantee so if the company wont refund you pay pal will. Its too expensive to not have protection on your orders/goods .


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## Bloden (Mar 21, 2017)

CosmicHedgehog said:


> Surely they are not fit for purpose if they will go out of date before you can use them, I would demand a refund or return the short date ones and credit my account with x amount of sensors.. Just because it's medical equipment doesn't mean they aren't under the same rules and regulations as any other retailer. I only ever order 4 at a time now, for the same reasons. The last 4 i ordered i would only just be able to use within the date. Also i only ever pay with pay pal now, because when things like this happen you have a pay pal guarantee so if the company wont refund you pay pal will. Its too expensive to not have protection on your orders/goods .


You're right, CosmicHedgehog - you live and learn! I'll only be ordering 2 or 3 at a time from now on.


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## Sally71 (Mar 21, 2017)

Has anyone ever tried to actually use one past its use by date?  Will it definitely not work, or is that just a guideline that they can't guarantee that the battery will stay fresh (in which case you might be lucky and still be able to use them)?
Obviously I'm not going to volunteer to deliberately let one go out of date to see what happens, but if I found one in my cupboard that had, I'd still try to use it and see!


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## Bloden (Mar 21, 2017)

Sally71 said:


> Has anyone ever tried to actually use one past its use by date?  Will it definitely not work, or is that just a guideline that they can't guarantee that the battery will stay fresh (in which case you might be lucky and still be able to use them)?
> Obviously I'm not going to volunteer to deliberately let one go out of date to see what happens, but if I found one in my cupboard that had, I'd still try to use it and see!


Good idea!


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## Steff (Mar 21, 2017)

Right hands up which one of you  is going to volunteer


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## Lilian (Mar 21, 2017)

Yes, I have heard about this before.    In fact I did warn people this might happen in another thread earlier this year.    They do not seem to be well organised because some people get earlier dates and others get later dates when ordering at the same time.    When I went to order several I was told that they could not guarantee they would all be in date by the time I got to use them and advised not to get more than four at a time - which I have been doing.    Even then I have been a bit wary.    I now order as soon as I put my last one on.    If yours are out of date and you are not going to get you money back from them then you have lost nothing if you try and use an out of date one.    Just keep some strips handy to check to see if it loses any accuracy.


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## Robin (Mar 21, 2017)

In the days when strips had a chip which you had to insert into the meter, they wouldn't work if they were past their date, unless you reset the date on the meter to a time previous to the expiry date.
I wonder if you'll find the Libre reader is the same, ie the sensor will only work if you reset the date for a time previous to the end of June.


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## grovesy (Mar 21, 2017)

This is not good for customer relations. I am presuming they are part of Abbott drug company, which is a multi national. They should not have these sorts of problems.


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## SB2015 (Mar 21, 2017)

Bloden said:


> That's the last time I order 10 sensors from Abbott! I received my sensors in Feb and the use by date, as I've already mentioned on another thread, is June 30th 2017 which doesn't give me time to use all the sensors. I've spoken to Abbott twice now and they can't offer me an adequate solution. So, to cut a long story short, I can't get my money back  and I hate to see good sensors going to waste - there must be two deserving people here who would like them...buy me a (very big) coffee if I ever make it to a forum meet. Or make a donation to Diabetes UK.


I think it might be worth another phonecall to Abbott and see if someone else offers to refund the cost.  I was given a refund on four that I sent back because of not being able to use the sensors by the end date. They did have a bit of a stock control situation at the time.


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## Bloden (Mar 21, 2017)

Steff said:


> Right hands up which one of you  is going to volunteer


Thanks, Steff. Me and him indoors are having a sh***y time at the mo and I just want to do something positive and cheer myself up a bit. PM me if you want one of these sensors folks.


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## Copepod (Mar 21, 2017)

Sounds to me that sensors are not fit for use, if some will be out of date before you can use them all. I'd check with consumer rights officer at local council and / or check consumer rights websites.


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## Robin (Mar 21, 2017)

Copepod said:


> Sounds to me that sensors are not fit for use, if some will be out of date before you can use them all. I'd check with consumer rights officer at local council and / or check consumer rights websites.


Hmm, tricky one, that. The sensors were in date if they'd been used continuously one after another, and not had a gap. Would Kellogs refund you for out of date cornflakes if you'd swapped to Weetabix for a few weeks in the middle?


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## Ljc (Mar 21, 2017)

Mike, I can hear your phone line sizzling from here.


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## mikeyB (Mar 21, 2017)

I've been in touch with Abbot about my last delivery of 10, all of which which expired on 30th of June, and they agreed to an exchange of four sensors. They sent me an email with a label to stick on the box.

Now here's the thing - my delivery came from France. The return address is Staufenburg in Germany. Is it any wonder things get cocked up? Though I have to say, its the first time I've had a problem. I've never seen a sensor out of date message, for sure.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Mar 21, 2017)

That's very poor customer service, I'd be p### off


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## mikeyB (Mar 21, 2017)

I don't see a problem with the customer service. They very readily admitted fault, sent me a free post label to send things back, there was no wait on the freephone number, and it was all sorted in 5 minutes. That's good customer service in my book, so I was only itrritated up to the point I phoned them. It's a regular comment actually - their customer service is very good, it's their foreign warehousemen and women that let them down.


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## mikeyB (Mar 21, 2017)

Which makes me wonder. What happens to prices after Brexit?


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## Ljc (Mar 21, 2017)

Glad you got it sorted Mike.


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## Copepod (Mar 21, 2017)

Robin said:


> Hmm, tricky one, that. The sensors were in date if they'd been used continuously one after another, and not had a gap. Would Kellogs refund you for out of date cornflakes if you'd swapped to Weetabix for a few weeks in the middle?


I agree that would be right in your cereals example, but I got the impression from Bloden's original post on this thread that she couldn't use all 10 before the expiry date in June. She didn't say anything about having sensor free periods.


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## Ginny03 (Mar 21, 2017)

This is no good if you ordered in February, but if this happens to anyone else, I'd have thought that you should be protected under the regulations which replaced the distance selling regulations so long as you act within 2 weeks. I haven't read the exemptions in detail, but can't immediately see any reason why these products shouldn't be covered.
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations


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## Robin (Mar 21, 2017)

Copepod said:


> I agree that would be right in your cereals example, but I got the impression from Bloden's original post on this thread that she couldn't use all 10 before the expiry date in June. She didn't say anything about having sensor free periods.


Ah, sorry for the confusion, I just realised I read about Bloden not wanting to use them continuously in another thread.
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...re-using-diabetes-monitors.65679/#post-697197


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## Ljc (Mar 22, 2017)

Just received some sensors , luckily I didn't order 10 as I was aware of the problems. Their expiry date is still end of June.


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## grovesy (Mar 22, 2017)

That still is not very long.


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## Ljc (Jul 19, 2017)

I received a couple yesterday. Expiry date is 31/01/18, hopefully they have now cleared the backlog.


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## Northerner (Sep 4, 2017)

I've just received 4 sensors - expiry date 31/10/2017. That's 8 weeks, cheers Abbott!  I know they should work beyond the date OK (thanks @mikeyB ) but that's not the point, there doesn't seem to be any logic to who gets what and when (looking at @Ljc's post above  At the very least each sensor ought to have 3-6 months to expiry.


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## Robin (Sep 4, 2017)

Northerner said:


> I've just received 4 sensors - expiry date 31/10/2017. That's 8 weeks, cheers Abbott!  I know they should work beyond the date OK (thanks @mikeyB ) but that's not the point, there doesn't seem to be any logic to who gets what and when (looking at @Ljc's post above  At the very least each sensor ought to have 3-6 months to expiry.


That's really bad. I took Lin's post as a sign that they were all now 31st Jan at least, and ordered four a couple of weeks ago...and they were all 31st Jan, as was the replacement sensor they sent me around the same time.


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## Greyhound Gal (Sep 4, 2017)

I've just checked the 4 I ordered last week, and same as you Northie - all expire 31/10. I wanted them to last until towards end Nov.


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## Ljc (Sep 4, 2017)

Greyhound Gal said:


> I've just checked the 4 I ordered last week, and same as you Northie - all expire 31/10. I wanted them to last until towards end Nov.


Same here, luckily I only ordered 3 my previous orders exp date was
31/01/18. They must have a serious stock control problem.


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## Greyhound Gal (Sep 4, 2017)

[QUOTE=" They must have a serious stick control problem.[/QUOTE]

I'll give them a 'stick control problem'

Fab avatar by the way


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## Ljc (Sep 4, 2017)

Greyhound Gal said:


> [QUOTE=" They must have a serious stick control problem.



I'll give them a 'stick control problem'

Fab avatar by the way[/QUOTE]
Oops lol. my iPad strikes again


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## mikeyB (Sep 4, 2017)

As I've said elsewhere, the sensors work just fine even a month out of date. The reader doesn't know the expiry date. I've checked out of date sensors with finger prick tests. I suspect they will work even after a month.


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## Northerner (Sep 4, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> As I've said elsewhere, the sensors work just fine even a month out of date. The reader doesn't know the expiry date. I've checked out of date sensors with finger prick tests. I suspect they will work even after a month.


If you had a problem with an 'expired' sensor though, where would you stand in terms of a replacement/complaint  I might call them and give them stick about their stock, stat!


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## Ljc (Oct 6, 2017)

Just receved 3 sensors with an exp date of 31/11/17 when In September I posted this below



Ljc said:


> I received a couple yesterday. Expiry date is 31/01/18, hopefully they have now cleared the backlog.


 .................................

I just hope that when the NHS does start to prescribe them, it will solve the problem.


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## Northerner (Oct 6, 2017)

Ljc said:


> Just receved 3 sensors with an exp date of 31/11/17 when In September I posted this below
> 
> 
> .................................
> ...


 And yet the replacement sensor I got the other day expires July 2018! Totally random system!


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## grovesy (Oct 6, 2017)

I don't think this good enough for a multi national.


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## Ljc (Oct 6, 2017)

If I’d have run our stock room like they seem to run there’s, I’d have been for the high jump


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## RFS (Oct 31, 2017)

I put in an order for enough to see me through the last two tournaments of the year. What I didn't bargain on was three sensors failing/falling off on the trot, and now my one to carry me through on my flight back to Blighty keeps chucking up sensor errors every other scan. The last two have reacted with my skin leaving some fetching blistery weals which at least guaranteed no-one wanting to sit next to me on a crowded MRT in Singapore! 

From what I gather in a FB I belong to for Libre users - a few of us have had issues with skin irritation if the expiry dates are close, and dodgy sensors with the same dates. I realise and appreciate this is a run of bad luck, and people only complain when things are going wrong, blah blah. But I am self-employed and making a fair few cuts elsewhere to afford these... so if you are of the happy-clappy unicorn and rainbow brigade that hate to see anything negative, I would avert your sensitive little peepers now!


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## grovesy (Oct 31, 2017)

I have read reports of skin irritation with these many time.
There have been many threads since the release of the Libre and not all good.


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## Northerner (Oct 31, 2017)

RFS said:


> I put in an order for enough to see me through the last two tournaments of the year. What I didn't bargain on was three sensors failing/falling off on the trot, and now my one to carry me through on my flight back to Blighty keeps chucking up sensor errors every other scan. The last two have reacted with my skin leaving some fetching blistery weals which at least guaranteed no-one wanting to sit next to me on a crowded MRT in Singapore!
> 
> From what I gather in a FB I belong to for Libre users - a few of us have had issues with skin irritation if the expiry dates are close, and dodgy sensors with the same dates. I realise and appreciate this is a run of bad luck, and people only complain when things are going wrong, blah blah. But I am self-employed and making a fair few cuts elsewhere to afford these... so if you are of the happy-clappy unicorn and rainbow brigade that hate to see anything negative, I would avert your sensitive little peepers now!


I have noticed that I still have red marks from the short-dated sensors I had on nearly two months ago now  Didn't happen with my earlier sensors (have used them since April)


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## RFS (Oct 31, 2017)

Northerner said:


> I have noticed that I still have red marks from the short-dated sensors I had on nearly two months ago now  Didn't happen with my earlier sensors (have used them since April)


Exactly - I have been using (oh dear... that sounds all kinds of shady!) since July and the initial ones were 2018 dates - had to prise the blighters off with lashings of baby oil. The last three have displayed alarming lemming like tendencies and all but leapt off my arms given half a chance.


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## Ljc (Nov 13, 2017)

Received some sensors today the expiry date is September 2018


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## Greyhound Gal (Nov 14, 2017)

And mine!


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## Robin (Nov 14, 2017)

I expect they're saving up the shorter dated ones for sending out with a month to go some time next year!


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