Obtaining repairs and service on wheelchairs and mobility scooters seems to be an ever increasing problem. This is especially true when it comes to powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

We receive loads of wheelchair reviews and emails on the USA TechGuide side of the works. A very large number of these reviews include comments regarding slow or no service from wheelchair dealers and manufacturers.

• Won’t repair because wheelchair was not purchased from there.
• Repair service will not honor warranty because wheelchair was not purchased there.
• Parts can take weeks to get.
• Repair did not solve problem.
• Parts and repairs extremely expensive.
• Multiple repairs for the same problem.
• New problems arise immediately after a repair.
• Repair services are difficult to find.
• Wheelchair is tied up for long periods of time.
• Technicians do not appear to be competent.

Many people are aware of the problems in getting a wheelchair these days. They are very expensive. Most good manual wheelchairs will cost thousands of dollars over the counter. Sophisticated powered wheelchairs can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Medicare and Medicaid may not be an option and even if they are a wheelchair user may not get the wheelchair they really need.

The kicker in all of this is in the reality- Obtaining a new wheelchair is only part of the problem. Once it has been obtained, by whatever means, the user may spend a number of weeks per year without use of the chair due to repair problems or waiting for parts. To add to this they may also spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a yearly basis for repairs and service.

It’s a bad combination- hard to get and hard to keep rolling. There may be a solution to all of this but I haven’t heard it yet.