bridge too far Posted 28 March, 2009 Share Posted 28 March, 2009 A few weeks ago we had quite a lively discussion on here about stair lifts and I said I'd let you know how I got on if I tried to sell ours. Sadly, I have now had to try to find a home for the one we had installed for when my mother visited. Firstly, I phoned the manufacturer. They don't buy back stair lifts. They do offer to manage the sale of a second hand one, by placing adverts in the local press (for which we paid) and fielding telephone calls if required. We asked them to take calls for us because of shift work / me often being in meetings. There was not one single enquiry. We then put it on eBay, asking for £350 - the charge the manufacturer makes to decommission it and reinstall it elsewhere. Not one single enquiry - there were hundreds on there and it looked like none of them were sold. We also put cards in local shop windows - no joy. I then contacted Social Services to see if they wanted it for free. Apparently, the way it works is this. If someone needs any sort of mobility aid they are given the money to manage themselves, rather than Social Services paying for and installing such an aid. This is because, these days, people are encouraged to manage their own needs with the money provided to do this. So Social Services didn't want it either. (The NHS do not install / pay for the installation of mobility aids. It is always Social Services). So we've dismantled it ourselves and will try to sell it for scrap. Without wishing to actually say 'told you so' - well, um, told you so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weston Super Saint Posted 28 March, 2009 Share Posted 28 March, 2009 Did you break your version of Google - fourth one down... http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=buying+your+old+stairlift&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 28 March, 2009 Author Share Posted 28 March, 2009 (edited) Did you break your version of Google - fourth one down... http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=buying+your+old+stairlift&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a Ours was an Acorn. As I've already indicated, they will try to help you sell a second-hand one. They won't buy it off you to sell on themselves. When I spoke to them they told me it was very rare to find a buyer for a second-hand one, in their experience. But I suppose they would say that, wouldn't they We've exhausted every possibility without success (along with hundreds of others on eBay it would seem). I suppose people who are given grants from Soc.Servs to buy one would rather buy a new one. There is also the issue of the track - it's purpose made for each property. The chances of one of my neighbours (with the same staircase as me) needing one must be fairly low I would have thought. If so, they would have seen our adverts in the local paper / shops. But thanks for the link - I'll look into it. I did look into it. They only cover Leicestershire and Warwickshire The other companies 'seeking second hand stair lifts' only buy back their own brands - Acorn don't. Edited 28 March, 2009 by bridge too far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weston Super Saint Posted 28 March, 2009 Share Posted 28 March, 2009 Ours was an Acorn. As I've already indicated, they will try to help you sell a second-hand one. They won't buy it off you to sell on themselves. When I spoke to them they told me it was very rare to find a buyer for a second-hand one, in their experience. But I suppose they would say that, wouldn't they We've exhausted every possibility without success (along with hundreds of others on eBay it would seem). I suppose people who are given grants from Soc.Servs to buy one would rather buy a new one. There is also the issue of the track - it's purpose made for each property. The chances of one of my neighbours (with the same staircase as me) needing one must be fairly low I would have thought. If so, they would have seen our adverts in the local paper / shops. But thanks for the link - I'll look into it. I did look into it. They only cover Leicestershire and Warwickshire The other companies 'seeking second hand stair lifts' only buy back their own brands - Acorn don't. There's a moral to this tale in there somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 28 March, 2009 Author Share Posted 28 March, 2009 There's a moral to this tale in there somewhere Yeah - hindsight is a wonderful thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillyanne Posted 28 March, 2009 Share Posted 28 March, 2009 R - how long did your mum stay for, was it a complete necessity to get the stait lift hun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 28 March, 2009 Author Share Posted 28 March, 2009 R - how long did your mum stay for, was it a complete necessity to get the stait lift hun? Absolutely necessary Jill. We got it about 3 years ago. She lived in a bungalow and just couldn't use stairs at all. Before we got it we tried the old pull and push but she got so distressed that we had to do something more practical. Also, it was causing us some back strain! I'm not actually worried about recouping the cost, or even part of it. I just thought someone might be able to make use of it for a comparitively cheap price. It was worth the cost to us just to have her visit and see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who all live near to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillyanne Posted 28 March, 2009 Share Posted 28 March, 2009 Absolutely necessary Jill. We got it about 3 years ago. She lived in a bungalow and just couldn't use stairs at all. Before we got it we tried the old pull and push but she got so distressed that we had to do something more practical. Also, it was causing us some back strain! I'm not actually worried about recouping the cost, or even part of it. I just thought someone might be able to make use of it for a comparitively cheap price. It was worth the cost to us just to have her visit and see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who all live near to us. Totally understand, it reminds me of when I called Oxfam to 'give' them some furniture that we no longer needed (3 piece suite which was only 2 years old) and they said that as the fireproof label was missing, they weren't interested. Bloody stupid imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 29 March, 2009 Share Posted 29 March, 2009 When you need one due to your old age in a year or so you will regret getting rid of it :D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlehead Posted 29 March, 2009 Share Posted 29 March, 2009 Absolutely necessary Jill. We got it about 3 years ago. She lived in a bungalow and just couldn't use stairs at all. A bungalow with stairs? Sounds like a conventional 'house' to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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