Acorn stairlift hard sell warranty

wild666 · 14 March 2015 at 1:10AM

The item must be fit for purpose for at least 6 years (England) & 5 years (Scotland) I bought a freezer and had a call saying what if it broke one day outside warranty so I said 6 years and a day then I'd buy another one to which they replied no a year and one day to which I replied then I would contact the seller and hold them responsible for the fault, end of call.
But a stair lift may only be used twice a day if all facilities are on the ground floor and I'm sure they test them to withstand been used a lot more than twice a day as old people do forget things like walking sticks and have to go back up or down to get them.

These company's that use hard sell tactics don't deserve to keep in business but somehow they do. Once they are told it must be fit for purpose for 5 or 6 years they should leave people alone.
I often pull the wool over cold callers eyes by saying XXX call monitoring service please state your full name and the number you are calling from if you are on the persons approved list you will be connected to them if not the call will be disconnected, works every time.

Sarah717 · 19 March 2015 at 12:58AM

My mother had Acorn Stairlifts calling her for months offering extended cover and used hard sale by telling her if she does not take cover she will miss out on offer and pay more in parts if has breakdowns!! Eventually my mother gave up as she did have a fault and so paid for a 5 year cover as they told her it would be cheaper even though she is 91!!! I was fuming when I found out and when I rung to cancel they said sorry no refund as out of 14days and because they attended to look at the fault which was a faulty fuse!!! I researched all over internet and found a company through a forum like this who would be happy to re claim the money back as the cover was mis-sold, after 3 weeks we got a cheque of £595 as Acorn agreed to refund and the company referred us to a different company who gave us a 2 year cover for a very good price!! The claims company who won us the money back was called Streamline Claims from Leeds, so speak with them and you might get some money back too? Also does anyone know any companies who sell walk in baths or showers at a good price?? Thanks

ChrisCD · 20 March 2015 at 2:53PM

ChrisCD wrote: »

I think as well as the phone calls, the most irritating thing about these warranties is their insistence you can only take out 4-5 year contracts with one payment with no opportunity to spread the payments. £500 is a lot of money for a single payment,particularly for an elderly person of limited means.

Does anyone know if there are any reputable companies out there that offer alternative cover with better payment options?

Interestingly enough, the form they emailed me offers a Bronze, Silver and Gold cover. Both Bronze and Silver cover actually do 12 month covers for around £250, which is far more manageable if your the sort of person who prefers to stagger payments. But of course, they don't tell you that when they phone.

Terry_Coleman · 16 September 2015 at 4:35PM

I too have had the hard sell. It would be less irritating if I wasn`t having a battle with Brooks about the noise my lift makes. After only 3 days use the ride has become noisy and harsh with significant vibration from the gears engaging on the track. It also has a lurch when starting as if the motor is moving in the frame. An "engineer" and I use the term loosely, was sent and the first thing he stated was "they all make that noise" which is strange as my old Brooks lift most certainly did not ,and neither does my neighbours which is the same model! A "senior" engineer is being sent in a couple of weeks to "have a look" If he says the same, then Brooks can take their goods away and give me a total refund. The "hard sell" agent was told after the 3rd call, to, in no uncertain language to take their service deal and shove it...it`s way to expensive for what they are offering

stevesouthend · 19 October 2015 at 8:14PM

My father , in his 80's bought an Acorn stair lift. After install he was constantly bombarded with calls about the extended warranty.
After 4 years of minimal use the chair started making a beeping noise. He phoned Acorn to request an engineer to come and check the chair over. He was quoted £340.00 call out fee then a figure in excess of £30 per hour. Feeling he had no option my father booked the repair. The fault was obvious. The batteries had reached a stage where they no longer held a charge.
Cost for two new batteries was £50 each. On the internet I found a site supplying official batteries for Acorn stair lifts at £17.00 each.
After paying out well over £400 he was then bombarded with calls about buying a warranty for £500. They offered to help him by taking £250.00 now and £250.00 in a month.
This company is exploiting the elderly and the office of fair trading should look in to the way it trades.:mad:

Marktheshark · 19 October 2015 at 8:19PM

Sounds like a rouge company worth avoiding.

cattermole · 20 October 2015 at 2:34AM

Sounds a nightmare!!

I know my Dad rented one when my Step-Mum became terminally ill.

I don't know how this works out cost wise over a long period, but I would imagine it eliminates the worries of maintenance as it's included in the rental. Plus they take it out again very quickly if needed.

Engineer_Fanta · 19 May 2017 at 10:50AM

Some time ago, I worked as a repair and service engineer for Acorn Stairlifts and I can sympathise with many of the complaints I have read here. I used to hear it first hand from many an angry Acorn customer or relative several times each week. Of course I personally could not get involved in the financial side, and I had to distance myself from it. But I was very aware of the Acorn hard sell tactics and quite frankly I was disgusted. I can't really add any more.
As for the reliability of the product...There are two main types of stairlifts.
The straight lift, originally made by Brooks but now marketed as an Acorn can, and has been, an excellent workhorse for many years. Service and repair, if needed, is fairly simple and straightforward. Overall, it is good value for what you get, but being the cheaper option (if it can be fitted) Acorn will try and guide you away from it if they can. Thats business I guess, but sharp practice in my opinion.
The curved lift is a very different proposition. Although having been sold for many years, in my opinion these stairlifts had many inherent design faults that caused stupid and very annoying breakdowns. Most of these problems could have easily been remedied if Acorn had only listened to the service engineers, but when I left the company there appeared to be no research into these constant problems. To sum up this product. .. If you got a good one, it was OK i guess. If you got a bad one, it could be a little horror and I saw quite a few of those I can tell you!
One tip (which they don't tell you) NEVER go away for a few days and leave it switched off with the key at the front. This will flatten the batteries due to a ridiculously stupid battery charging system. Whether or not they have done anything about this since I left the company, I know not.
To be honest, I have advised people not to touch this particular stairlift with a bargepole. The Stannah , although more expensive, is far more reliable in my opinion. Also, they back off from the hard sell tactics and, I'm told, are much more pleasant to deal with.
If you're wondering....yes, Acorn can make life hell for the service engineers too, but that's another story!

BlondeHeadOn · 19 May 2017 at 11:05AM

wild666 wrote: »

The item must be fit for purpose for at least 6 years (England) & 5 years (Scotland) I bought a freezer and had a call saying what if it broke one day outside warranty so I said 6 years and a day then I'd buy another one to which they replied no a year and one day to which I replied then I would contact the seller and hold them responsible for the fault, end of call.
But a stair lift may only be used twice a day if all facilities are on the ground floor and I'm sure they test them to withstand been used a lot more than twice a day as old people do forget things like walking sticks and have to go back up or down to get them.

These company's that use hard sell tactics don't deserve to keep in business but somehow they do. Once they are told it must be fit for purpose for 5 or 6 years they should leave people alone.
I often pull the wool over cold callers eyes by saying XXX call monitoring service please state your full name and the number you are calling from if you are on the persons approved list you will be connected to them if not the call will be disconnected, works every time.

^^^ This ^^^^

Contact CAB or the Consumer Helpline if you need more info or help with this.

Littlebarney · 22 July 2018 at 10:44AM

Just block their number

Acorn stairlift hard sell warranty

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