I'm sick, sick and double sick!!!

Hi,

I'm just fed up, things are just plodding along, I'm seeing light at the end of a long tunnel then wham!!!

A few days ago I went out to the next village on my scooter, on the way back it started to slow down and the battery indicator started to drop. I though, "oh it mustn't be charged up all the way" anyway it got me back home and just back to my back door. So all weekend and yesterday I had it on charge, only doing short trips with Blackie. This morning I hade to go and get some groceries, which are cheaper at the Coop in the next village. Off I go in my scooter, same thing happened again, but this time much worse but this time nearly didn't get home, I had to use my stick to help push me along! So I have called the bloke who I bought it off, he is coming to pick it up around five, but he doesn't think that he has a one I can have a loan off. So it means I'm going to be stuck in the house all week, maybe more and to top it off the lad that walks Blackie is going into hospital on Thursday for a couple of days, so Blackie won't get out at all if I don't get a scooter on loan. I am going to have to try and get out in my wheelchair, but where I live we have some nasty inclines to get up and down.

Oh god, i'm sick, could do with a nice lottery win!

But at least I have got my carer back! She came back last night, and this morning she brought me a keyring and a lovely fridge magnet, very kind of her I thought, apparently she has brough all her client's something back.

Ian

I've been thinking, the amount that I have had to pay out for this scooter, I could have had a new one.

I bought it for £500.00
Got it serviced and puncture repair £45.00
Electro magnetic brake renewed £148.00
Two batteries replaced (1 yr Gaur) £188.00

Makes a grand total of - £881.00

And on top of that I will have another bill when I get it back this time too!

Ian

Oh dear sorry to hear this. Its a real pain in the wotzit when something so important goes wrong isnt it. Hope you get it fixed and back soon x

hi ian
what a pain in the a***. wish we were nearer as i would loan you o/hs that is sitting in the cupboard till at least you could get it sorted. i would talk to trading standards to see if you had grounds not to pay any more repair bills. espicially if it is the batteries that were new.

hope you get it sorted out asap and you can get out and about again. i know exactly what you mean about being stuck in but not to the same degree, as we have been car less for nearly 3 wks and am now getting bored with local parks and stuff.

take care ian

sue

Wheelchairs are ridiculously expensive, whether motorised or not! I was looking for one on the Net, with a view to funding it myself - the best I found was £1400 PLUS (self-propelled).

I've been very lucky with the powered one: it was donated to Social Services a while back, and nobody knew what to do with it. Fortunately, my care manager got his paws on it for me: I could never have funded it - it retails at over £5000!!!!!
(Yep, that's THOUSAND, not a typo.)

It's huge - it looks more like a bit of Russian military hardware than a wheelchair. All it's missing is a set of rocket launchers . Top speed is 6 mph, and it has a claimed range of 30 miles (but probably less). Now, I'll have to use the Mobility Service bus, as there's no way it will go in the car!

Snorri

Here's a photo of my scooter (Not mine, a new one)

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It is a nice big one, but if it is unreliable it makes you think twice before going out on it.

Ian

It's such a shame that things for the disabled are so expensive. It's a major grumble of mine as I think they bump up the price as they know you NEED it.
Round here we kind of do a trade-in for old equipment as its amazing how many scooters, rise and recline chairs, wheelchairs etc, end up dumped or in house clearance just because someone dies or goes into a home and their relatives don't know what to do with the equipment, and can't hold on to it until someone wants it. So we often know someone who we can put the relatives in touch with.

Yes things are way too expensive for the disabled, they know you need it and it is a cornered market, even without VAT they are shocking prices.

Trading in is a good way to get rid of what you don't want. I am going to ask him for some info about buying a new one, if I can work out the repayments it might be worth it as some are gauranteed for upto three year, which the way this thing is going I would have been better off buying a new one from day one!

Or the other option is to lease one on a long term, although it may be too expensive. Just have to wait and see.

Ian

The good thing is people like Argos are starting to sell things like mobility aids. This makes it less specialised.
The bad news is there is no one to suggest if the equipment is actually right for you and there are many unscrupulous dealers who will sell people anything.
Our main one round here though is very good and tests people to see if they can actually cope with mobility scooters etc, if they can't he won't sell them one.

Bit of good news, the man has been and taking my scooter, and left me a 3 wheeler, it looks nice but they have a tendency to tip over if you are not carefull. He says it sounds as though one of the batteries has gone bad. I told him there is enough bad in me, don't need a bad battery as well

So I will try it out in the morning, fingers crossed I don't tip out of it.

Ian