Every so often, the question of what make of stair-lift to buy comes up. The advice given usually includes looking for a local or semi-local supplier, with the object of getting good service. Let me relate what happened to me this evening …
The time is about 9.20. I am half way down when the chair stops dead. I release the direction switch and move it again - nothing. I reach under the seat and switch off, wait, switch on (should reset the machine), result - nothing. A call to the service number gets the response that no 24 hour service engineer is available, and I will be called tomorrow to say what time a service engineer will be able to attend. When I asked what they suggested I do, the response was that as it was not charging (this only happens at the ends of the track) I should just switch it off!
So there I am stuck between floors. A somewhat enthusiastic bladder does not fill me with confidence. Bed and shower are upstairs. Next door neighbour responds to a panic phonecall and comes round. Now I have a useless left leg and a severe foot drop. As I drag myself up, he follows behind lifting leg and foot. OK. so I am upstairs but will not be able to get down again - and I have an appointment for a blood test sample to be taken in the morning. This means a call to the surgery to cancel, and if they cannot send someone to take the sample here, the appointment with the GP to discuss the test results will have to be rescheduled as well.
The stairlift is less than 3.5 years old and the log of problems is now on page 4!
Here I am confined to the upper floor. My wife (over 80 with Parkinsons) can just about manage the stairs on foot with difficulty; but only just.
The make? Acorn. Be warned.
Geoff
That sounds “flipping” annoying, we really do not need such poor quality and care on top of everything else. I can only offer my irritated sympathy and hope you get a resolution to the problem with your lift very soon.
Fortunately my 2nd hand Sta**ah only failed once but responded to a 1970s style TV fixing slap
Good luck. mick
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Mick - yes the tv fixing slap - l remember it well. And when you managed to get a tv repair man out - the fault disappeared leaving you feeling a fool.
Now l have had a stair lift for nearly 30yrs. The first was a secondhand Stannah - and a local family firm [stannah trained] fitted it for me and came out every year to service it. lt lastest me 20yrs - with no breakdowns. Then we had the house extended which meant doorways being moved - and l had to have a new stairlift because the old ones rail was now too short. l have a Medi-tek - lt is more modern then the old Stannah - as it works on a battery -which means l can still use it if when have a power failure. The seat does look a bit more flimsy then the solid looking Stannah -but it is OK - and is fairly quiet. The phrase - ‘‘They are not made-like they use to be’’ comes to mind.
The Medi-tek cost me £1.200 -
Since the house was extended - l do have a ‘spot’ that would take a through the floor lift - just in case l get to need one.
And it’s an update …
Did anyone call me this morning? Ha Ha, ***ing Ha Ha.
At just turned noon I rang Acorn. Call was handled totally differently to last night.
“I will ring the engineer and find out when he will be with you” - and there was a bleep, and the line went dead.
I waited for a minute, and went to ring them back - got the dial tone that tells me i have voicemail.
Put in the number for voicemail and it is the chap from Acorn who had detected the cut off call, and left me a message.
Then he phoned about five minutes later to make sure that I had got the message.
Twenty past one, and the service engineer arrives and fixes the fault.
I am no longer confined to the upper floor.
Geoff
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Good result , in the end.
glad to hear that you have options, fingers crossed that the fix is permanent.
mick