Looking to hire a mobility scooter to test out - has anyone used these companies?

earthmother

As the title says, I'm wanting to hire a mobility scooter to test out before purchase - it's a specific one, the Luggie, as it's the only one that seems to meet all my needs. It's quite an expensive one to purchase, but I have found two online companies who hire them out short term.

Can anyone give me any feedback on either http://www.mobilityhire.com/ or http://www.nationalmobilityhire.com/.

Even though its hire, by the time the delivery/collection charges and (refundable) damage deposit are taken into account, I'm still looking at a layout of around £300 just to get the scooter for the first week, so don't want to hand my money over to someone who won't complete their side of the bargain.

Cyclamen

have you thought about booking a demo? http://www.luggiescooters.com/bookademo

you'd be able to tell straight away if it was a definite NO.. you could then look into hire afterwards? Although I know nothing about the sales team so it would depend how well you cope with potential pushy sales.

The other option is to see if there is anyone local who owns one and would let you have a look.. this sounds ridiculous i know but i have had people from my local group examining my wheelchair and even one ladies husband taking it apart to 'see how heavy it was' . Wheels are such an expensive purchase i think people understand.

I hope you get your anwers and the freedom 'wheels' brings

earthmother

I think I'd still prefer being able to have full use of one for a week or two before a final purchase though - it's one thing folding it up etc in your living room with someone to help, another trying to do it at alone a bus stop in the rain (which will be nearer my reality), but a demo might be a good start.

Sadly, I don't know anyone in my position or who has one already, so thanks for the link. I had seen that company, but hadn't seen that they did demos, though I did come across one or two news reports about them and some slightly dodgy trading practices, so I hadn't looked too closely at their website. To be fair on them though, the reports are a few years old, so I'll take another look.

zaksmum

Can't see any company letting you take it for a week free of charge.

You may be able to find one that will give you something like a 28 day money back guarantee but you will have to cough up first I'm afraid.

earthmother

I wasn't looking for a free week - I'm happy to pay rental, was just a little wary of dealing with an online company, especially one who uses third party couriers rather than their own staff to deliver the product, who I'd not heard of before when I'm dealing in sums in the hundreds.

Cyclamen - I bit the bullet and emailed for the free demo - amazingly fast response, they're apparently coming this afternoon, so hopefully by the end of the day I'll know more about it and at least won't be wasting rental money if it's an absolute non-starter (if it's ok, will still rent, from somewhere, for a short term before buying if I can though).

Cyclamen

Popped back in..

I am now worrying as that was the first company that came up when i googled the model and demo.. I didn't check anything out about them..i'm always nosey about new wheels incase someone has found a solution i haven't.

It does seem very expensive for the type of scooter it is but then its the folding trick that is very clever. So i think a longer trial is a good plan.

I don't mean to pry but have you used a scooter before..? it's where is started and i found it quite hard on my arms and a pain as you cant pull up to cafe tables, or shelves in shops very easily..also far harder in disabled loo's etc.. so i switched to a powercahir..but it depends on your needs and some peopel feel less conspicuos/disabled/uncomfortable (cant find the word) on a scooter thanin a chair.

I would hope a bus driver would not insist on it being folded.. you can usually get a 'scooter pass' that states your variety is ok to travel..just phone your bus company but then if its busy who knows.. i can't use buses much so I know the theory but not the practice.

I'd be interested to know how you get on

earthmother

Well, I've had the Luggie test ride. I'm pretty impressed with it, but I'm not 100% whether it's the right one for me - I have long legs, and the foot area isn't huge, but the turning circle was good, and it felt pretty stable for a scooter of its size, though I didn't really have to handle any cambers etc.

In answer to your questions Cyclamen, no, I've never used a scooter before. I could see how it would get to my arms too, though with the Luggie, the tiller is fully height adjustable - I set it so I could rest my arms on my legs almost, so wasn't having to hold them up, and I've seen a youtube video where the tiller was collapsed all the way down to allow someone to sit at a desk as normal, so that wouldn't be too much of a factor.

I'd not considered a scooter pass, I'll have to speak to my local bus company to check their rules on scooters, but I'd still expect the occasional need to collapse it, hence looking for the best one.

I did speak to someone at MobilityHire (the first link in my original post) and was actually quite impressed with them. Not only did they explain everything to me, they even suggested another model (Amigo Travelmate) that is very similar and which they thought might suit me better, and yet is cheaper.

On the strength of that, I did a bit more internet hunting, and spoke to a couple of local mobility dealers on the offchance their web catalogues weren't complete, and have found one who can offer the Luggie, and another called a TGA Minimo. The TGA looks even better than the Luggie on Youtube, it appears a bit sturdier, the fold mechanism is simpler, and it can be done through Motability.

I hadn't considered using Motability as I assumed the scheme would only be for the larger scooters, but it would remove the whole lump sum payment issue, so I will admit I'm rethinking sightly and am awaiting a call back for when I can test one out before making a final decision.

I'll update as I get more news.

sueturnersmith

I'm on my second scooter. My first one, a pride gogo ultra, had all sorts of problems, and kept breaking down. It was a real pain in the neck!

As a result of this, I decided not to buy my next scooter, and now hire a shopmobility paris, which is fine, and has given me no problems.

I would either hire or go with motability if you can, because if anything goes wrong (and they are not the most reliable of vehicles) then you are covered. Also the batteries will be replaced free of charge, which is good, as they can be quite expensive.

Whatever you go for, make sure that it's a stable as possible. Some of the lighter scooters with smaller wheels can tip over!

earthmother

Thanks Sue - long term hire seemed a little expensive until I realised Motability could apply ... if the TGA is ok, then I'm 99% that's the way I'll go - as you say, there are no worries bout breakdowns etc then.

SailorSam

Earthmover you were talking about delivery, how far away are they ?
I've been thinking about getting an electric bike. The one i want is froma place in London and i'm up here near to Liverpool, i can go down and take one for a ride around the park or have free delivery. But it's nearly £2k so i don't want to buy unseen. The thing that's putting me off though is ......... What if anything goes wrong, or even it needed a service, i'm looking at a 200ml trip.
Your scooter is there anywhere local to you that will look after it if anything needs doing.

earthmother

SailorSam - The dealer who can do the scooter on Motability is a local one - that was another factor in my initial uncertainty.

Funny you should mention electric bikes, as I've also been looking at an electric powered tricycle myself (for around the village as it would have more shopping capacity etc, and the scooter for out of village journeys where buses etc are needed). It might be worth another look around the net for the bike you're looking for - until I really started to look, I thought I'd have a similar issue to the one you mention (either buying untested, or a long journey), but I've since found three suppliers in the nearby city, one of whom do test rides and full maintenance packages. (try the scooter/moped sellers as well as the pushbike sellers). There's also a thriving market for electric bikes on eBay, if you're lucky enough to find a seller near you.