New Mobility Scooter Doesn't Work Properly - What are my rights?

FionaHamilton

Hi all,

I bought a new unused mobility scooter from Betterlife just before last Christmas. I haven't had the chance to use it until now because of medical reasons. However I have tried it and it goes fairly well but then the battery cuts out. It will then restart several seconds later but it is always stopping and starting. In other words it doesn't work correctly.

I have tried it with two different fully charged batteries and it is the same every time. Of course this could be very dangerous if I was crossing a road and it cut out.

What I would like to know is am I entitled to a refund? I bought it off the internet and threw away the original packaging because I only tried it for a small distance and it worked. If I needed to send it back how would I do it and would I be liable to pay the transport costs?

Also I bought a second battery for about £200 to keep as a spare. Would I be entitled to a refund on this also as it is of no use to me if I send the scooter back

Who could I contact for help about this? Would the CAB be of any use?

Many thanks for any help.

Fiona

arcon5

No you are not entitled to a refund.

If the fault is inherent then you are entitled to one of the following remedies: repair, replacement or refund -- the choice is the retailers.

However, after the first 6 months the burden of prove is on you as the customer. You should contact the retailer and see what they say, but if they do not offer to look at it you would need to obtain your own independant report.

Nor would you be entitled to the cost of the battery back. You chose to purchase this accessory.

If the fault is inherent then the courier costs would be covered by the retailer.

Your first point of call would be the retailer. See what their procedure is.
Or the manufacture if you have a warranty?

martinthebandit

Refund? Nope, but they should repair it under warranty

paddyrg

Cutting out altogether but restarting after a while is unlikely to be the battery, more likely the motor overheating.

Nilrem

paddyrg wrote: »

Cutting out altogether but restarting after a while is unlikely to be the battery, more likely the motor overheating.

Or a bad connection somewhere.
IIRC the thermal cutout on most mobility scooters requires the user to actually press the button to reset it.

I would get the seller on it ASAP, as scooter problems if not fixed in warranty can be very expensive to deal with (a new control board can cost a good chunk of the price of the scooter as a replacement part).