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Permalink Reply by Les Fernie on May 3, 2013 at 18:53

Hello Ian,    Tour Videos Walking Tours on Wheels

It's very disappointing to hear that suppliers at NAIDEX were not prepared to accept monthly payments.

In today's economy buying a wheelchair @ £5,000 and other mobility equipment is the biggest expenses we make.  every pound counts!

I wonder what their sales would have been if they had taken some kind of payment system.

Take care,

Les

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Permalink Reply by bespoken Team on May 17, 2013 at 9:55

Hi Ian, thanks for the post. Do you think there would be market for leasing wheelchairs with servicing and recovery as an option?

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Permalink Reply by Ian Pugh on May 17, 2013 at 13:35

Possibly. Or a scheme simila to Motability but for manual chairs. Ive seen one that would solve all my problems, and its "only" £1,600. People can choose cars, ashing machines etc, but we can't pick the wheelchair we want. Whatever the solution, theres a gap in the market for affordable manual chair payment schemes

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Permalink Reply by George Perfect on May 24, 2013 at 16:30

Hi Ian,

This is part of a general discussion we could usefully have here - ie; the exorbitant price companies charge for products aimed at the "disabled market". While it may be true that some very small companies providing a niche product can expect a small market (though I suspect - and observe - that that's as often down to poor business planning and poor marketing as any shortfall in the size of the market itself) the market for wheelchairs worldwide is HUGE

At NAIDEX, one salesperson (I won't name the company ... for now ... but if they're reading this they know who they are) put on his best serious face and quoted me £6,000 FOR A PAIR OF BATTERY OPERATED WHEELS ... to which would have to be added the price of a lightweight manual wheelchair ... something like the £1,000 plus you are talking about. For £7,000 I can go out and buy a complex, crash-tested, legislation compliant product called a "car" brand new! These people maintain they "have to" charge the same for a pair of wheels, a couple of batteries and motors and twenty quids-worth of electronics that any university student could put together in a spare afternoon!

It's hardly "equal" access if the government hands out £57 a week to help with mobility costs when the reality is that someone needs £'000s cash to get mobile in the first place. What are you expected to do? Save up your DLA until you have the funds in your pocket?

Ggrrrr!! Hhhhiiisssss!   [that's the sound of the steam coming out of my ears]

Leaving the outrageous costs to one side for a moment, let me throw out a few suggestions that might help your predicament:

1. Manufacturers (who occupy the stands at exhibitions like NAIDEX) are the wrong people to provide finance (staged payments of the kind you are talking about). They won't even sell you one chair - as an individual .. they work through dealer networks. You are more likely to find success talking with dealers who actually sell to the public who may have finance arrangements already in place. That said, these may be akin to the hire purchase loan deals offered by the motor trade so, as ever, buyer beware.

2. Several charities can help with mobility costs - if there's a charity concerned with your condition, ask them. Your OT may also be able to point you at sources of help.

3. Don't be afraid of second-hand sites like Ebay, Gumtree and Preloved. The value (Ie; price) of disability equipment plummets as soon as it leaves the (very happy looking) shopkeeper. I recently acquired a mobility scooter for my mother-in-law, from several advertised locally on Gumtree - all practically new. The one I bought had been purchased just a few months ago and the gent who'd bought it had been persuaded to pay £1,200 for it. When time came to sell it, he discovered (like all the other advertisers) that its second-hand value was less than £300. I paid £250 which he was very happy to receive - the previous two "buyers" who'd offered to take it off his hands having led him a merry dance!

4. Take a look at sites like WheelchairDriver.com - I know you are looking for a manual chair and this site is specifically about powerchairs but take inspiration from the fact that the site owner is in the habit of buying the powerchairs on which he bases his "super-designs" for £50 (yes, fifty quid!) on Ebay or Gumtree as well used examples ... then strips down the components he needs, replaces others with new and - hey presto - a MUCH better chair than anything I saw at NAIDEX for a fraction of the price. If you or a friend are in any way handy with a spanner and an Allen-key you could well consider this route.

Good luck - I hope one of these ideas may contain the germ of your solution.

George

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