Cancelling a Mobility Car

jasmin10

Last year my DD (4 yrs) was awarded a mobility car which has been a godsend.

We have been told that she can have an operation in August which should allow her to walk (fingers crossed). Obviously with this (I will wait a couple of weeks after the op to make sure all is well) I will be contacting DLA and mobility to let them know of the change and she will no longer be entitled to the DLA or Mobility Car.

We will of had the car for just over a year and wondered where we stand when the car is returned in terms of any fees or charges. The car is in her name and I am her nominated driver. I am hoping and praying that it won't incurr any charges for cancelling the car early as I had to give up work to care for her and now being pg with twins fees are the last thing that I need.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Deleted User]

Dont be in too big a hurry to inform dla make sure the op is a success before you do(do hope it is)
as for car not 100% sure but i know my son enquired about changing there motability car before the 3 years was up and the charge for that is only £100

nannytone_2

my daughter returned her mobility car in early june (her 3 1/2 year old son,who the car was for, died suddenly) theyd only had the car for 6 months but had needed to pay £800 extra to get the type of car they needed. motability let them keep the car for an additional 2 weeks, until they could get another vehicle for themselves, and also refunded £600 of the £800 extra theyd had to pay.

sox8369

I would also hang on for a bit and see how the operation goes - because there will also be a recovery period while she builds up her strength etc. You may find that she will keep her HRM ongoing or atleast for a while. Good luck and sending you my best wishes x x

cazpost

You shouldn't have to pay anything,and they will refund you a proportion of the deposit that you paid. Don't be in a hurry to inform them of the operation,ask the Consultant to tell you when he thinks its a definite success first. They will give you a bit of time to find a new car. I don't know if its the same in this situation,but when my partner died I was given the option to purchase the car outright,at a reduced price and so got a 6 month old car for a lot less than I'd have had to pay if I went shopping.

jasmin10

Thank you for your replies, it does make me feel a little better in the hope that some of you haven't been given charges.

Cazpost - even if they gave us the option to buy the car we wouldn't be able to afford it at the moment so I will probably have to borrow my mums for a bit.

Thanks again folk your advice is really appreciated.

KittyBoo_2

I have just returned my car back to Motability after only having it since March, and I have been charged £250.
The interesting thing is that I didn't have to return it to the garage I got it from.
Motability looked up my nearest Motability dealer and said I could take it there.
The car was a VW and the garage is Ford.
Saved me alot of trouble.
I'd keep hold of it until you are sure it won't be needed.

Indie_Kid

sox8369 wrote: »

I would also hang on for a bit and see how the operation goes - because there will also be a recovery period while she builds up her strength etc. You may find that she will keep her HRM ongoing or atleast for a while. Good luck and sending you my best wishes x x

I agree. It does say to inform DWP as soon as the change happens - but what if the OP's daughter has a good day and for the rest of the week, is unable to walk?

In the first post it says that the operation will allow her to walk - but do they know how far? Would it be the differenc between needing someone to support her, to having someone hold her hand to walk?

southantrim3

woodbine wrote: »

Dont be in too big a hurry to inform dla make sure the op is a success before you do(do hope it is)
as for car not 100% sure but i know my son enquired about changing there motability car before the 3 years was up and the charge for that is only £100

Just curious, how long before the 3 years was up did your son change the car?

doelani

My mum gave up her Mobility car about 1.5 years into the 3 years. I moved 25 miles away so she had no " nominated" driver close to her so was a waste just sitting at her door. They did not charge for returning it under the circumstances. We had to write to them explaining why we wanted to end contract early and then they wrote back saying that was ok.

jasmin10

My daughter will be keeping her wheelchair for a while still as if we were to go out for a day or even half a day she wouldn't be able to do it, especially in the the first 2 months.

After the op she will need the wheelchair to be able to get to school as she wouldn't be able to walk the distance (15min walk, just under half a mile I guess). When walking she will need to be holding a hand and she won't have full balance.

We have been advised by the consultant to get her walking as soon as possible to build up the muscle as there is quite a bit of muscle waste.

We got the car August last year. fingers crossed for a good recovery in her young little life, although we found out today that she will need a full hip replacement when she's 40 and then another at 60 - theres was me thinking that it would all be over for her.