Stairlift

Biggles

Has anyone any experiences - good or bad - with any stairlift companies that they would care to relate?

Mrs Biggles is going to need one and I'm grasping at straws!

Mojisola

Has she had an assessment by an OT yet? They will look at her needs and tell you whether there are any specific things she needs on a stairlift, eg my Mum needs, among other things, a big "paddle" control, not a small stick. Also see if you can get to a centre where they have models for you to look at and try. The first two salesmen we had were selling from pictures so there was no way of knowing the quality of the materials.

Search the internet to get an idea of prices and models and specifications. Do the usual thing of getting several quotes and be prepared for some very hard selling by the salesmen.

We asked three firms to give quotes. The first one wanted the papers signed there and then and would have resulted in my Mum getting a stairlift that didn't fit her needs and would have cost loads more than the one we bought. He also gave advice that would have resulted in the machine being damaged by us and needing repair. He had a temper trantram when we wouldn't sign and stormed out, slamming the front door!

The second one didn't have a model that fitted the OT's advice but kept insisting that "this one would be alright" and they would have installed an unsuitable machine - I checked the specifications on the web. They kept phoning until it got so bad one day - about six calls in half an hour - that I had to unplug my phone.

We were lucky with the third company who sent the engineer who would install the stairlift. There was only one model which complied with the OT's recommendations so he didn't bother showing us anything else. He had some samples of the parts of the chair and the rail that goes on the stairs so we could see what we were buying. It was also a lot cheaper than the other two. This was a Minivator. It's been in about two years now and is working well. Mum doesn't know how she managed without it.

Mrs Biggles may be entitled to get a grant for the stairlift though there's usually a long wait. Ask your OT about that as well.

If you decide to go for a second-hand machine from the small ads, make sure it was made to go up the same side of the stairs as you will use because the sensors which stop the machine if something gets trapped are only on one side.

Biggles

Interestingly, I did a bit of googling and came across a local firm, and found they were agents for none other than Minivator.

I spoke to them this morning and the guy came for a look and is coming back to me with a quote. As with your man, he was an engineer, not a salesman.

Patr100

Looking to fit a stairlift for a curved staircase for my mother - she's in the Essex/Hertfordshire area. She won't be entitled to any external financial assistance etc -
had one quote in for Help the Aged for around £4000 ( 2 year warranty I believe)
Can anyone recommend anyone else?

totebag

I have used acorn lifts in the past" 0800 0730984502 pm me if you want to know any more.

Savvy_Sue

I've merged this into another recent thread, but even if she's not entitled to financial help it may still be worth getting an assessment / advice from an OT, to avoid fitting something which doesn't safely meet her needs.

It would also be worth doing a search for stairlifts on the Disability and Dosh board.

nearlyrich

We got one for my Mum via the local social services, they use Stannah and they have a range of options to suit individual needs, like Mojisola we met a range of companies with different levels of service and courtesy. I think some sales people for stair lifts and other aids for elderly people are pretty desperate and find that using aggressive techniques with vulnerable old people is a good way to hit their target.

As others have said get an OT recommendation and make sure that someone who can say no is on hand whilst getting quotes and testing kit.

anneliza

Hi

I had a stair lift fitted recently and was quite upset at how aggressive one particular company was. They quoted one figure and then badgered us for several weeks offering to reduce the amount they had originally quoted. On principle I did not choose them as they were so prepared to rip me off.

Be very careful about not signing anything on the spot, this particular company did the typical double-glazing trick and 'phoned' their manager to see if they could 'do a deal'.

anneliza

Patr100

totebag wrote: »

I have used acorn lifts in the past" 0800 0730984502 pm me if you want to know any more.

I pmed you a couple of days ago.
Check your inbox.