Persistent Holes in Coloplast Bags - Anyone Else?

So every month I find holes in my bag. This is just an example of two; on most bags, I will find anywhere from 2-4 holes. I contact them every month for replacements, and the replacements will have holes. Is anyone else finding this issue? Switching is not an option for me. I have tried every bag they have, and I am allergic to all except Coloplast. It's been going on for over a year, and Coloplast will not take it seriously. So if any of you find holes in your bag, call and tell them; maybe they will start listening.

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No, I use Coloplast; holes are extremely rare, almost zero for this brand. Is your cat, dog, or bird jumping on you or your bag supply?

I'm rather new to Coloplast. I'm using the 2-piece open-ended Sensura Mio and haven't found any holes yet.

I did think to ask if anyone having nuts over the holidays ever gets a shard to pierce the bag. They seem very tough!

Nuts come out in chunks for sure but I doubt any are sharp enough to puncture an ostomy bag without help from someone pressing them into the bag like when folding the end up. 

Is it actually a hole, as in you fill the bag and see water come out, or just an imperfection in the bag? I’ve never even looked at a bag before putting one on and I’ve never had a leak from something like that. Could someone or something be tampering with your products?

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Not regularly, only on rare occasions... keep on telling them!

If you don't notice holes until you have the bag on, put a piece of sellotape over them; it saves changing. I've done that a good few times when dog/cat nails have gone through mine, and it lasted until my next bag change.

AlexT, it is actually holes that go all the way through. They will range in size from big ones like in the pictures to also pinhole sizes, and the spots vary. Some will be right around where the stoma is; they will be at the bottom of the bag where all output sits in the middle of the bag. And no, there's no one to be messing with my products. I do know that they switched and changed from where our products used to come from.

Hey Ben, I do this every single month, sometimes up to three times a month. This has been going on for over a year. I send them pictures and return the product as well. I have spoken to supervisors and managers; they honestly don't care. Which I told the manager, in that case, I will be calling to get replacements and replacements for my replacements. They have also tried sending the replacements from different locations. I've tried other bags and gotten samples, and the same issue occurs: holes. I do tape the spots that I can and spot where my output isn't as heavy, but when the bag has 4-5 holes, it doesn't work. I also find slash marks and ones that look like they went through a chomper.

I've been using Milo click for several years, but in the last few months, I've been having issues with my pouches developing leakage spots. I have a colostomy but have to use a high output ileostomy pouch. The leaks seem to be coming from around the tap area. It seems as though the seams, where they are sealed together, is where the small leaks are appearing. I called a rep; all they did was send me out replacement pouches, which I appreciated, but they also said they would contact me in a couple of weeks and never did. I was wondering if they were using a different manufacturer.

Hey there. Yeah, they always say they will call you back and they never do, and also say to have a manager or supervisor call you back, and that doesn't happen either. You have to call them back and refuse to get off the phone until you talk to someone. Coloplast is the manufacturer. They used to make the bags overseas and it was shipped to the US by boat, then brought to the distribution companies, but now they have set up shop in Costa Rica, which, putting two and two together, is when the bags seemed to have gone downhill.

I have also noticed issues with the seams. How many of your pouches have been like that? Or have they all been that way?

For a long time, I resisted using Coloplast because the bags looked to be low quality. I gave in to the Sensura Mio Convex Flip because it allowed me to keep my barrier on problem-free for 7+ days. Their adhesive works better for my skin than any of the others. I would love to have Coloplast's barrier and ConvaTec's pouch!

I have not seen any holes. Perhaps it is taking a while to implement the quality control at the Costa Rican facility and you will begin to see improvements.

That's what really sucks and is frustrating about having this issue. I have always loved the bags, all of it from top to bottom and the durability. I like how they don't have a tape border as well. And I think if it was the first couple of months, then I can see them working out kinks, but well past a year, going on a year and a half, and it's getting worse, not better. Along with the plastic thickness has changed dramatically, the Velcro on the bottom doesn't match up, and I've been having faulty bottoms where it won't open right. The first year and a half I had them, none of these issues or problems occurred, and the plastic was thicker. The last year and a half has gone downhill and is beyond frustrating, especially when I end up getting left with no bag to wear.

😔😢

Beth, have you tried putting the onus on your supplier? They have much more clout when dealing with Coloplast than we do. When you get your supplies, go through them and find enough to make one good box to keep so you don't run out. Then, with any remaining boxes, ensure some defective ones are in each box. Return the box(es) as having defective pouches. If this doesn't get results, change suppliers.

Hey there,

I have literally done everything to try and find answers and a fix. I do already go through all bags when I get them and I keep what I can, and the rest go to Coloplast, but most of the time the bags are so bad I can't keep any. Like this month, there is literally not one bag that can work. And no, it's not the distribution company. I have had to have three different ones in the past year and the same problem persists. This problem is coming from Coloplast themselves and is a manufacturer problem. It is happening when they make the bags. And actually, the distribution company isn't any help once it's not their issue, so it's not their responsibility; it's Coloplast's. And I have found it is much easier and faster dealing directly with Coloplast themselves, which I do call and return the defective bags to Coloplast, and they also get emailed pictures. And not just one picture; they get about 10 pictures proving there are holes. I just sent 80 bags this month back to Coloplast, and the replacement bags have holes, which I call again, and it's the same process all over. When it comes to the distribution company, they are liable for certain damages, and they have to replace them, and Coloplast has other problems they are liable for that they have to replace. Lol, unfortunately and fortunately, I know very well how each works.

Has anyone actually found out where these bags are manufactured?

I live in England and don't have to pay for my 'supplies' - as my ileostomy is non-reversible. I have only had a stoma for 7 months due to a very aggressive cancer on my large bowel - now removed. I have amazing stoma nurses, who are always there for me!

In the USA, I believe you have to pay for all of this - insurance - no wonder we get so many people coming here, free health, housing, etc.!

Mindy

Hi B,

  What I'd do is go to Coloplast's website and scroll down to the bottom where they have their links for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (now X).  Then go to each site and comment on their most current posts mentioning the trouble you're having with their bags.  They can't delete your posts and comments, so I bet they contact you pretty quickly.  Squeeky wheel gets the grease........and all that.  You might also end up encouraging others having the same issue to speak up and finally get it fixed.  

;O)

That's a good idea, Bob. Maybe then they will actually fix the issue and take it seriously. Right now, no matter who I talk to at Coloplast, they aren't taking it seriously. I've talked to supervisors and managers for well over a year. I also asked them if there was a way I could talk to the CEO, but of course, they denied that one. So I searched, and I think I found an email. I sent an email, so hopefully, it is the right one.

From what I was told by a manager, as of a year ago, they moved from overseas to Costa Rica. And I have seen free healthcare for all, and I wouldn't want that. I like being able to go and see my doctor and not be on a waiting list anywhere from 6 months to a year to get anything done. A lot happens in that time. But having holes in the bag has nothing to do with insurance; this is a manufacturer problem.

For them to take action more than one person would have to complain about holes in their bags. Have you checked with your supplier for complaints from other customers about Coloplast? Post on other ostomy sites and see if anyone else is experiencing the same problem. From Coloplast's point of view only one person with this issue is suspect.

I have tried asking on here before, but no one replies, and that's what Coloplast has said. The problem is when others have problems, they don't call and tell them; they just switch bag companies. I have seen on here others have yet Coloplast still tries to say I am the only one, but I know it's not true. I have read about some others on this site having issues with Coloplast and on another site. Plus, there is no reason to suspect when I send them all the bags back to them, and they get pictures emailed, not just one picture either, but 10 or more pictures. The managers and supervisors get the pictures too, and it's not just this bag in particular either. They have tried sending samples out of another bag, and the samples have holes in them, and I even return the samples.

I’ve never tried a 2 piece system but can you mix wafers/bags from different companies so you get the adhesive that’s good for your skin and get bags that don’t have holes? It’s hard for me to believe that every order you get is defective and if it’s that big of an issue that the company isn’t getting a huge amount of complaints. 

Why doesn't it surprise me that it's hard for you to believe? Whether you believe me or not, it's true, which I don't need you to believe. My post was to let others be aware of what is happening if they use Coloplast. And I wear a one-piece.

I've used coloplast since 2009 and never had an issue with holes

Do the holes look like they are made from the inside out or inside out?

Hey there, as I have said above, I didn't have issues with them the first year and a half. The last year, well over a year, I have had this issue. And the holes go all the way through.

My point was it’s hard to believe that you have constant issues but others don’t seem to. A person would think if the quality of bag is bad for you, then it would be bad for most. If everyone is having quality issues, there would be way more complaints overall, not just from the same person. 

Maybe I am the only one that complains because I will actually try to get the problem fixed and bring it to the attention it needs, and I won't stop until I find a way. Also, I can't switch brands, or I would have a long time ago. As an ostomate, none of us should be having issues with our bags, not just with Coloplast, but I have also seen issues with Hollister and some with ConvaTec. I have also seen the quality of the products go downhill, and cheaper materials are being used. And who else is going to try and make a difference if it's not us? You and I both don't know how many people actually complain about the products; only the manufacturer would, and they aren't going to tell others that others are having the same issue. There are a lot more ostomates in the world than just this site, and not everyone who is on here will share what problems they might be having with the bags. I didn't for a year until now have I said anything.

Who do you buy your products from?

Sending back 80 bags with holes/defective and then Coloplast sending you replacements with holes too... Is that what you are saying? If so, find another supplier.

Defective bags in large volume is strange. Many years ago, over 25, I received a bad batch from Hollister. Since then, manufacturers have gotten really good at providing a secure product for me.

It's not a distribution/supplier issue. It's a manufacturing issue. Holes in the bag have nothing to do with your distribution company. The holes in the bag occur during the manufacturing process—two completely different things. The distribution company is just the company you use that finds one of their warehouses closest to you to ship your bags out of. The bags are made in Costa Rica; then, after being made, they get delivered to the distribution company warehouse, and from the distribution company warehouse, they get shipped to you. Now, melted bags fall within the distribution company's responsibility, while faulty bags are your manufacturer's error. And I have already been down the road of having them shipped from different warehouses, as I have already said in a last post, along with having used 3 different distribution companies. It's a manufacturer error. And I have spoken with managers and supervisors and tried different bags within the same company, and the samples had holes. Which all the bags get shipped back to Coloplast along with loads of pictures. It might sound strange to some, but when you're in my position and it keeps happening and the company won't fix it, it's frustrating. And it shouldn't be this way. Along with holes in the bag, I have bags that look like they have been dragged on the ground, I have found hard particles that got into the wafer during the making process, and I have gotten more than one where the entire top of the bag was ripped open. I have also gotten literally someone's fingerprints that got set in my wafer.