GrumbleSmiles

(Click on “UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE” in the TAG CLOUD for other posts in this series).

Just had another follow-up phone call that I did not ask for from “Fred” who is from “Companion Stairlifts” that I did not contact.

It turns out they are the sales company for “Minivator” who are now called “Handicare” who do all the work for “Age UK”.  Still with me?  I looked up their website which appeared familiar, although I had not seen it before, and again there were no prices to be found anywhere.  Unusual for a sales site – wouldn’t you say? 

One small interesting fact deep in the Companion website, was a news item saying that in 2009 they had sponsored a charity ball for Help the Aged which aimed to raise £20,000 for the charity.  How nice of them?  I guess that must have been the start of the much more profitable relationship that has now blossomed into £900,000 commission from “Handicare”.

After only 40 minutes of conversation and friendly chat, Fred did tell me that a curved lift would cost around £3,500 but a surveyor would need to do a site visit to confirm the price and I may want some extras, so the cost could be higher.  The lift comes with a two-year guarantee and thereafter a £200 a year maintenance charge.  Although Fred said he may be able to extend the guarantee at no extra cost.

Fred said that Companion / Minivator / Handicare were one of only three manufacturers in the UK.  The other two were Stannah and Acorn, but one of them had some bad press recently.  Also it is best to deal with a manufacturer because there are some shady practices amongst some suppliers, e.g. “discounts that are only offered for a quick sale”.

Now I am feeling really confident about this market :-(.  I had better look up a few more of the 1.5 million Google results.

Maybe I can find some independent advice about stairlift suppliers?  My search continues.

(Click on “UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE” in the TAG CLOUD for other posts in this series).

I next decided to look for something more familiar and number 3 on Google was Age UK Stairlifts, which must be open and up-front.  The Age UK logo is prominent on the website and so is a note saying that “Handicare” (whoever they are ????) will raise a minimum of £900,000 for Age UK in 2012 from the sale and promotion of Independent Living products.  In smaller print it explains that “Handicare works with Age UK Trading Limited which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Age UK, which donates all its net profits to Age UK”.

It sounds good but the sceptic in me wonders if that donation to Age UK is just a commission for referrals.  If so, at say 10% commission, that is 90,000 products sold and the cost would just be passed on to the customer.  So you have still to worry are you getting the best deal :-(.  However, to reassure you, the website tells you that you are buying an “Age UK Stairlift” and that there is a price promise that they will “match any lower price for the same or a similar product” :-).  Sounds good ???

So I emailed a request for a brochure in the box provided but deliberately did not tick the box for a phone call.   Nonetheless, within an hour I got a phone call from “Stephen” at Handicare who told me that I had called them two years ago ???   That surprised me because I had never heard of Handicare before.   He tells me that Handicare used to be called Minivator and that reminded me that I enquired through Age UK about a mobility scooter for a friend.   I told Stephen I would wait until I received the brochure.   I got the distinct impression he thought I was time-wasting.

I looked through the entire Age UK stairlifts website and I could find no indication of price anywhere.   It makes you think they have something to hide.   I accept that every stairlift is different but you hear so much about high pressure salesmen and discounts being offered as an incentive to buy these days :-(.  You would think Age UK would want to be reassuringly up front about cost from the start.

It is surprising that Age UK closely endorses this approach.  But of course the £900,000 commission (oops sorry, donation) must eliminate any concerns they have about high pressure sales.

It’s easy to see how Handicare benefits from a close association with a reputable elderly organisation like Age UK.  But just how sure can you be that Age UK stands fully behind Handicare.  Will any of their £900,000 donation be used to guarantee the services they recommend?

My search for a value for money stairlift continues.

I had a conversation recently about the difficulties some older people have getting up and down stairs as they become less mobile.  It was in the context of the older people who live in two storey houses with bedrooms upstairs and also those who live in first and second floor flats with no lift.  There must be thousands of people who live in this situation, who may in the long-term be forced to move.  In spite of the fact that the majority of older people wish to remain in their own homes.

So it prompted me to look on the internet for information about stairlifts.  Google gives you 1,460,000 results to look at .  Where to start is the first problem:-

Lots of different suppliers.  Some of them manufacturers who also install.  Some are just referral agents.  Some are people who install other manufacturer’s products.  But it is far from clear who’s who.

I started with a comparison website, Which Stairlift.  They are masquarading as if they are related to “Which Magazine” which lends them credibility.  I doubt in fact they are.  There are no prices and when you ask for a quote, it immediately pops up with a box for more information but still no price.  However, they turn out to be an agent :-(.  They promise to send me brochures from all the manufacturers, which seems helpful :-).  Nothing on the website tells me anything about cost, which is not so helpful :-(.  I apply for the brochures by email and within an hour I get a follow-up phone call which I did not ask for or want.

The saleslady was chatty but not very informative.  She said she did not know prices but strongly recommended I bought direct from the manufacturer.  So it turns out she is not the comparison website at all.  She tells me that referral agents just add on commission but when I asked her how much this was, she again said she didn’t know prices.  When I persisted asking questions about cost she consulted her boss and told me that a straight lift would be in the order of £1,500 to £3,000 and a curved lift would be between £4,000 and £6,000.  Not exactly cheap then.  I then asked her about maintenance charges and after a little coaxing, she told me that straight lifts were £595 for 5 years and curved lifts were £1,495.  No doubt this is a little extra that will be added to the price.

She promised to email me the brochure, which was full of nice pictures but again no indicative costs :-(.

It is difficult to imagine that many older people would have found out even this amount of information.  It is obvious that the primary purpose of the website is to set up home visits when the sales pitch can continue.

Not a very encouraging start on my search for value for money in the stairlift market.  My enquiry will continue with other suppliers.

I will continue this thread in a series of subsequent blogs.