Stairlift buying advice

MrSossidge

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My stepmum has been told by Occupational Health that she requires a stairlift. I have been tasked with this job and I'm looking for advice from any members who have had one installed for an older family member.

I had a salesman visit the house and I was told £3000 ish for a new one and about half that for a reconditioned one.

I assume there are annual service plans for these. I've heard of Stannah stairlifts and I assume (rightly or wrongly) that these are like the Safestyle of Stairlifts and if I sign today I can get a massive reduction in price.

If anyone has a recommendation for a good honest reliable firm I'd welcome it.
 
Hi, I had my stairlift fitted about 18 years ago and have never had it serviced, I feel that the money I save by not having it serviced will pay for any problems I may have and I will still have made a saving.

I had two quotes and chose the one that suited me.

Dave
 
Eden mobility fitted ours, and in the end gave a good service. I wasn't present when the salesman called and my wife thought she had done a good job haggling till I pointed out they had sold an extra my in laws didn't need (they live in a seperate part of our house). I rang and they said it was needed for health and safety reasons I said we didn't need it and the occupational therapist agreed. We paid £1200 for a reconditioned one in the end but it looked brand new and even the fitter said they are made to measure (think it's just a sale ploy).
All these companies employ sales people so they use all the sales techniques employed in many similar home sales (I was involved in double glazing years ago but hated ripping old or vulnerable people off so made loads of sales but hardly any commission haha). Haggle haggle and haggle again. It annoys me that they don't just say a price straight off but hey ho.
 
My father bought one from stannah for his partner when she was terminally ill. Sadly she only used it once before she died sooner than expected. Stannah did take it back but my dad lost a fair bit on it. I'm guessing that it would have been sold on as reconditioned.
 
Hi, I had my stairlift fitted about 18 years ago and have never had it serviced, I feel that the money I save by not having it serviced will pay for any problems I may have and I will still have made a saving.

I had two quotes and chose the one that suited me.

Dave

Whilst I understand your rationale, it's not always about saving money though is it? Have you considered your safety? You are dealing with an electro-mechanical machine designed for lifting and there are presumably parts or safety features that can wear over time and potentially endanger the people using it.

18 Years of daily use and associated wear and tear is a long time to be trusting your personal safety, over saving a few quid to cover future repair costs IMHO, speaking as an engineer myself.
 
Hi,

I looked into these in some detail at the time for my mum but the salesperson was honest enough to say it would not be suitable for the layout we had.

The prices are can vary extremely & I agree with a previous poster about the selling tactics - some companies really take advantage of the elderly health care market so it pays to take your time & research heavily as one can find huge variations on prices.

You may be able to pick up a bargain in the used market - look out for re-conditioned ones & also ask your council if they have removed any from properties recently that they might want to sell.

Be mindful, they can take up a lot of room & certain systems can have the rails protrude well into the landing - all depends on the layout.

Suave!
 
Whilst I understand your rationale, it's not always about saving money though is it? Have you considered your safety? You are dealing with an electro-mechanical machine designed for lifting and there are presumably parts or safety features that can wear over time and potentially endanger the people using it.

18 Years of daily use and associated wear and tear is a long time to be trusting your personal safety, over saving a few quid to cover future repair costs IMHO, speaking as an engineer myself.

Its not the cost that stops me from having it serviced but the fact that my lift is working perfectly, it's like my gas fire, that is serviced but I know if something is going wrong and I call the fitter in before it breaksdown, the lift has safety devices so if something goes wrong I'll then get it fixed by a local engineer.
Dave
 
we urgently need to install a stairlift for my mother in law who is currently in hospital but could be discharged soon. Today we had a guy from Acorn stairlifts, quoted £4500 for new or £3700 for reconditioned. I also sensed 'hard' sell tactics ... sign today for this price, which we ignored and told him that we are going to get few quotes.

I have seen eden mobility in post above so will call them tomorrow.

Would welcome any recommendations. thanks
 
They couldn't when I had mine but were happy to supply the name of a local company. I ended up getting a stanah which still works fine.
 
Hi,The prices are can vary extremely & I agree with a previous poster about the selling tactics - some companies really take advantage of the elderly health care market so it pays to take your time & research heavily as one can find huge variations on prices.

Totally agree, how these companies get away with their pricing structure is a mystery, I have had to buy much for my partner because of medical issues and dodgy tactics, putting it kindly, is so obvious many even happen to forget that much is zero Vat rated saving you 20%.
So do as much research as you can though I am at a loss as to why haggling should be necessary though as others have said sales folk are on commission so the higher the price the better the rewards.
 
Depending on her financial situation she might not have to pay much towards it. When my dad had one fitted it was done through a company that the council recommended and because of his finances he only had to make a small contribution to get it.

Mind you when we sold it, we only got £150 for it as companies just don't want to pay much for these things and it was a 'distinctive shape' to match the staircase.
 
thanks
will get in touch with soc services, though i doubt if she would qualify, but at least will get some advice.
we are getting two more quotes this week so will update how they fare
 
Hi - thread bump due to situation with my old man ...

Been staying with my parents back in my home town for a week (first time with them since Sept, we're all double-dose jabbed and a support bubble, but have been extra cautious) and my dad is in seriously poor shape, taking a funny turn just the day before I got there. He's almost 86 with various health issues, though active and not particularly dependent on physical assistance, so it's been a shock to just see how downhill he has suddenly gone. He's also got into the mindset that he's not got long left.

Anyway, been trying to shake him off such thoughts and helping as much as I can, such that he has improved in recent days, but I can see things are very different now. Googled stairlift companies then sent off for their brochures (including firms mentioned here) using an alternative email address and phone number to avoid aggressive sales calls. They've got a single straight staircase which should be a relatively easier/cheaper situation I understand - my very brief research leads me to believe it's from around £2K.

Already great hints and advice in this thread, but newer insights and experience from last three years would be much appreciated - the latest good guys, hard-sellers, etc.

Cheers! 🙏
 
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Sorry, I can't help with current advice as my stannah is still going strong after 25 odd years, but, the other week I was having serious problems and realised I needed professional help to ensure I could stay at home.

I managed to find a department which is run by the local Somerset Partnership NHS foundation trust who sent a Physio and I'm booked for a visit from an O.T.

Maybe the county your Father lives in has one of these that can give impartial advise as they're set up to keep people at their own homes rather than going into care homes.

If nothing else it may be worth a phone call as they may be able to offer other help as well, anyway good luck.
 
We got a reconditioned one last September for MIL it cost just under £3k but it was not straight as the stairs had a 90 degree bend at the bottom which makes them cost a lot more (£4k+ new).

It did come with a 12 month warranty, although shortly after I found a guy on ebay




There are plenty others on e-bay so you will be spoilt for choice.

I think the top one and maybe others offer for sale or rent.

If you think the person needing it will only need it for maybe 1 yr or less due to passing on or going into a home, rental is worth considering as they charge an installation fee around £300 and a monthly charge and it's maintenance is covered by them. Once you no longer need it they will come and take it out and you don't pay any more.

When you buy it you get a 12 or maybe 18 month warranty and when the warranty is over any repairs you have to pay for and call out's can be costly so think which way is best for you to go.

These are the guys that we got ours from, well they installed it and maintain it under warranty but we ordered from a local source and they got it from them. Had we gone direct we would have saved some money I am sure.
 
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We got a reconditioned one last September for MIL it cost just under £3k but it was not straight as the stairs had a 90 degree bend at the bottom which makes them cost a lot more (£4k+ new).

It did come with a 12 month warranty, although shortly after I found a guy on ebay




There are plenty others on e-bay so you will be spoilt for choice.

I think the top one and maybe others offer for sale or rent.

If you think the person needing it will only need it for maybe 1 yr or less due to passing on or going into a home, rental is worth considering as they charge an installation fee around £300 and a monthly charge and it's maintenance is covered by them. Once you no longer need it they will come and take it out and you don't pay any more.

When you buy it you get a 12 or maybe 18 month warranty and when the warranty is over any repairs you have to pay for and call out's can be costly so think which way is best for you to go.

These are the guys that we got ours from, well they installed it and maintain it under warranty but we ordered from a local source and they got it from them. Had we gone direct we would have saved some money I am sure.
I refer you to my post #2 re servicing, still never had it serviced and it still solders on, used every day. That is my decision though and others may feel differently.
 
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No problem @krish, you never know what's available till you need it. I was very lucky, my local council put me on to these people and the lady I spoke to was so helpful it was great.

I've now got a 4 wheeled walker with a seat so I can try to walk more and they let me have a new pair of sticks for in the house. I certainly can't fault them.

That video says it all, though I self referred as I needed help quickly which they were quite happy about, especially as the Physio could see the problem for herself when she visited.
 
No problem @krish, you never know what's available till you need it. I was very lucky, my local council put me on to these people and the lady I spoke to was so helpful it was great.
I just called them directly, spoke to another such helpful lady, and they'll be sorting out a visit to assess him. Didn't need a GP referral after all. Thanks again!
 
I just called them directly, spoke to another such helpful lady, and they'll be sorting out a visit to assess him. Didn't need a GP referral after all. Thanks again!
That's great, I hope he gets the help he needs and advice on a stair lift.

At least he'll be on their books and you or he can call on extra support as and when needed, the bonus is he should be able to stay in his own home for longer.:thumbsup:

Don't worry if his needs vary from day to day, take the worst case scenario and go from there.
 
That's great, I hope he gets the help he needs and advice on a stair lift.
Things have moved quickly since I called them. Called on Monday by a nice triage woman, then early yesterday by the amazing OT woman, and by the afternoon had various bits and pieces for toilets and their bed from the Medequip guys and an assessment visit from the team's physio who also delivered a couple of wheeled indoor walking frames for upstairs and downstairs. More gear/assistance to come and the OT and others have me as the main contact, essentially speaking for dad over many of the issues - and I'm back home today (90 miles away, but will be back regularly for several days stay overs).

He's picked up a bit in recent days. Certainly without your advice on Saturday, we wouldn't have got to where we are so quickly! :smashin:

EDIT ... the OT really is amazing, she just called me at 8pm to check on the situation with dad after those aids were delivered and feedback from the physio, and that she'll try and visit them at home tomorrow or Monday for a full assessment.
 
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That's absolutely fantastic, it shows that there is help out there and it can spring into action rapidly when needed.

Very good luck to your Father in the future, now he's getting the help he needs his life should get better and with you as contact you can voice concerns that your parents wouldn't.

On a personal point, my Wife can speak for me with my various medical teams and will which is good as she notices things I'm taking for normal.

Good luck in the future:thumbsup:
 

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