Stairlift repair

downshifter98

Hi all - looking for a little advice. My parents rely on a stairlift that has broken down; it was fitted 4 years ago by a private company but paid for by the local council (Mum is severely disabled and little in way of savings), it came with a 5 year warranty plan which has covered servicing but council have now 'lost' all paperwork and are dragging their feet on paying for a repair - the company that they 'use' are quoting £700 for a new circuit board but as parents are desperate they are close to using what savings they have to pay for repair themselves - question is I'm thinking that the council company are probably bumping up the price (for council work) and wondering if £700 is a fair price - anyone out there with any experience of stairlift repairs......?

Regards downshifter.

DorsetGirl_2

I would go straight to your MP - I bet he might be able to get the council to 'find' the warranty. If not your MP then your local newspaper. Dont let your parents pay for this if its under warranty.

sunnyone

downshifter98 wrote: »

Hi all - looking for a little advice. My parents rely on a stairlift that has broken down; it was fitted 4 years ago by a private company but paid for by the local council (Mum is severely disabled and little in way of savings), it came with a 5 year warranty plan which has covered servicing but council have now 'lost' all paperwork and are dragging their feet on paying for a repair - the company that they 'use' are quoting £700 for a new circuit board but as parents are desperate they are close to using what savings they have to pay for repair themselves - question is I'm thinking that the council company are probably bumping up the price (for council work) and wondering if £700 is a fair price - anyone out there with any experience of stairlift repairs......?

Regards downshifter.

Im surprised you even got any warrenty apart from what is required legally, I didnt with the one the council provided me with.

I cant survive without a stairlift (and I mean survive) so I would need my stairlift fixed ASAP (Im on number three that I have bought and maintained myself) and IF it is the circuit board the price is fair but I wouldnt take their word for it but its a hard thing to get quotes for in the time it needs to be fixed in, like ASAP and Ive been lucky for the past 4 years in that my BIL has maintained mine for a duck dinner and he even built me a new battery charger.

If you mum can survive without it while you shop around for estimates, shop around, if she cant talk to the co. who have quoted and ask them what guarentee is included and negotiate a free service chucked in as a minimum I would snack their hand off if they do that as stair lift maintanance/repairs are expensive.

I am in my early forties now and I have two kids which is why I need a stairlift instead of a bungalow as bungalows cost so much more than family homes (we own outright) does your mum need a family home or would a single level home be better for her?

With my stair lift my home is fully wheelchair accessable apart from the down stair loo, when our kids have both flown the nest we will be changing to a single story home to eliminate the need for the extra expense of the stairlift and the ever present possibility that it might breakdown.

downshifter98

Thanks for advice - my Dad cares for my Mum and 'luckily' the stairlift failed when she was upstairs but the repair is pretty urgent (and the council don't seem to be in any rush...) - I'm not sure of precise details but they have had stairlifts for 20 plus years and all have been fitted and maintained by council services thus my parents surprise at the councils reluctance to pay (to be fair they are still 'looking into it') - I accept the point re contacting local MP but at the moment its just really urgent to get it fixed so I think my parents will make a decision tomorrow - I think their main source of anxiety is that although they can afford this cost it's going to be tough if no further council help is forthcoming (both are in their 70's and have relied on the council to pay for various home modifications); I guess they have been lucky up until now but this doesn't help when the future already seems quite scary. If they are going to have to pay I just don't want them to be ripped off too much but I do know that circuit boards are costly.

downshifter98

Quick update - Turns out that the company that fitted the stairlift and supplied the 5 year warranty is different to the one that has serviced it since (paid for by the council) - Dad has now spoken to the original company and they have visited and will be fixing the circuit board tomorrow - basically a case of miscommunication and a general lack of information all round. Fingers crossed all will soon be sorted.

Richie-from-the-Boro

downshifter98 wrote: »

Quick update - Turns out that the company that fitted the stairlift and supplied the 5 year warranty is different to the one that has serviced it since (paid for by the council) - Dad has now spoken to the original company and they have visited and will be fixing the circuit board tomorrow - basically a case of miscommunication and a general lack of information all round. Fingers crossed all will soon be sorted.

Good thanks for the update, people will now know to contact both the supplier and the Council just in case.

sunnyone

downshifter98 wrote: »

Quick update - Turns out that the company that fitted the stairlift and supplied the 5 year warranty is different to the one that has serviced it since (paid for by the council) - Dad has now spoken to the original company and they have visited and will be fixing the circuit board tomorrow - basically a case of miscommunication and a general lack of information all round. Fingers crossed all will soon be sorted.

Thats really good news, while its on your mind it might be a good idea to ask the council what happens after next year when the warrenty has expired and anything goes wrong?

It really knocks you down when something like your stair lift goes wrong, it something thats essential to daily living and its almost impossible to manage without it for even a day, it makes you realise just how dependant you are on aids just to do the normal things that other people take for granted.