When it comes to buying a stairlift you may think that it doesn’t matter which one you buy or which company you buy it from, but that is not the case.
Whilst it is true that most stairlifts have the same basic function – to get the user from A up to B and from B back down to A, there are a wide range of different stairlifts out there, and people need to be careful when deciding which company to deal with.
So what are the dangers? Well, as with all industries, there are people out there who want to make a ‘quick buck’, and will therefore go for the ‘hard sell’ approach, forcing people to make a decision there and then rather than allowing time to find out what is the best option for the person using the stairlift. If they are taking this approach then they will probably be trying to sell you a more expensive stairlift than you actually need, allowing them to make money over and above what is necessary, and are likely to be the sort of companies you hear about on programmes like ‘Watchdog’. Although these companies are a minority they do exist and give a bad reputation to the majority of good companies in the industry. So, what do you need to watch out for?
Well, alarm bells should ring if a stairlift company fails to carry out a proper survey first before advising you on which stairlift best suits your needs. A reputable company will arrange to come to your home first and carry out a comprehensive survey before recommending any product. If they don’t do this, they won’t know all of the issues and the full situation and therefore cannot possibly advise you as to which stairlift is right for you. A stairlift is not “one size fits all”.
Once all the facts are known, the engineers need to have a huge amount of technical and product knowledge so that they can match your needs with the right stairlift. Choosing the right stairlift for you, your family and your home is crucial. You need to get it right the first time, as it will play a very important role in your life, so it needs to make things easier for you and you need to be comfortable when using it, and if you are spending money on it you want it to be right. If it is not right and you are unhappy with what you have bought and need to get rid of it, nobody is going to remove it without a charge, so you will end up paying out again just to resolve the situation. Better to look around a bit more and get it right the first time.
Stairlifts are supposed to make your life easier and so you need a high quality product that doesn’t break down on you when you are half way up the stairs or that is unsafe and results in you falling out of the stairlift whilst using it.
It is also incredibly important that you find a stairlift company that offers high quality service and after care, for whom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year really does mean that. So, if you have an issue with your stairlift at 3am, you should be able to pick up the phone and someone should be able to come out to you there and then. It should not be the case that all you can do at 3am is leave a message on a voicemail, with someone getting back to you the next morning and someone coming out to you in a couple of days time.
Imagine if you couldn’t sleep and so wanted to go downstairs in the middle of the night, only for your stairlift to stop working halfway down the stairs. In this scenario, you would want to be able to call a number which would divert to the mobile number of the engineer on call, who would come out to you if needed, even if it was Christmas Eve. Imagine being stuck downstairs for 3 days or more if your only bathroom was upstairs. Imagine being stuck upstairs for a week if you kitchen was downstairs. If something isn’t right and it is the fault of the stairlift provider then they should be prepared to come out immediately and fix it, no questions asked. It is therefore critical that you choose a company whose service and after care is second to none.
Therefore, when choosing a stairlift company make sure they have a lot of knowledge and experience of the products they are selling in order to find the right solution for you, have the best interest of the customer at heart and want to find the best solution for them. They should have competitive pricing and offer you the chance to come to their show room to see the different options, to make things very clear and simple for you. To speak to Obam’s experienced and friendly staff about your stairlift needs, please call 01427 787532, email info@obam.co.uk or visit https://obam.co.uk/
