Why are aids so expensive?

Totally agree - the words wedding or disabled seem to have an almost magical ability to triple the cost of anything they are added to

Luisa

Days Mobility,they sell crutches from £16-00 upwards I seen crutches for sale at Asda for £14-99,

There was a program on a few weeks ago about disability aides had shot up in price as they had become a very high sort after aides to have.Demand normaly brings prices down however aides for the disabled have gone up in price.

I wish I could remember what the program was called...

Ive also noted that wheelchairs both normal and electric the prices vairy so much yet they are exactly the same hardware.

What I have seen so far is to get an electric wheelchair if you cannot afford to buy one outright you have to give up your whole mobility DLA to hire one.That leaves no money for cabs that cater for electric wheelchair users.Am I right in beliving this or not?

Threshold ramps from DaysMobility start from £75-00 upto around £295-00.

What does make me cross - is all the aids that people are given when they are discharged from hospital after ops on hips/knees/ legs etc. Then they are never returned -  Crutches/wheelchairs/rollators and many more. l know for a fact that my neighbour has two rollators-toilet frame and a zimmer in her garage. They were given to her - now late husband - who could never use them as her house is so small [ and full of furniture]. l know the old dear has asked for them to be collected  - but nearly a year down the line they are still there.

l did see a rollator - with seat and shopping bag - for sale in Aldi for £39.99 yesterday.

My first stairlift - sadly l got from a friend whose husband [with motor-neurone] had had it installed by social-services - he struggled for years with the stairs [no downstairs loo] then just 6months after it was fitted he died. The social services refused to remove it - saying it was now my friends responsibility. We managed to get a Stannah fitter to move it to my house and fit it. l had been told l was entitled to one but the wait could be 2/3yrs. My friend was so pleased that it was helping me - but l always found myself thinking of her dear husband when l used it.

F.

This really struck a nerve for me.  I used a mobility centre i have used several times over the years for a scooter breakdown.  I queried the batteries, the charger and the manual/elec brake.  I assumed the brake had gone but since I know from what they said to me over the  years, if the charger light turns to green too rapidly it's  sign of battery problem.

They repaired the brake and binned the charger but I was told the batteries were fine.  They had the scooter for four weeks but I didnt use it regularly because of a trip away and then numerous hospital appointments but I kept it charged because I know the advice about charging. I was charged £185 for the repair and  I was rather surprised that the green light came on very quickly after a long trip out, at the end of which the light on the handlebar was flashing alarmingly.  But I was too preoccupied with a difficult upcoming procedure and I didnt ring them.  The third time of use it failed when I was out again.

I called them out and the engineer tested and said batteries completely gone. I told him I wasnt happy to pay the callout because it had been repaired so recently and no fault found with the batteries.

I came out of hospital to find a bill for £158!  £74 was the batteries tho' I wouldnt have been charged VAT if they had done it the first time as they were also repairing other things - go figure that one's down to government. I was whacked with £20 labour and £50 callout, even tho the first time it had been £40 and that was for collection and returning.

I am really unhappy about paying more than twice as much as I would have paid if they had found the batteries failing the first time - especially since as the charger was faulty and wouldn't have been charging properly.

So in total I would have paid them £343 altogether.

What do other people think?

Susi 

hi - thanks for your reply.

I think you are right about the TS.  I have some memory that it had been cut by these fools in government. Is it classed as a quango?  

I am seriously impressed with myself that I was able to assemble a semi-coherent post - very, very impressed really as I have just had a spinal cord implant to reduce pain. Maybe I am so furious about this invoice because the implant is there but hasnt worked, so am frustrated, in extreme pain and ready to bite someone's head off !

I haven't mastered this site so i hope you see my reply.

Susi x