Stairlift servicing in Sheffield - costs?

[GoGo_dancer]

Hi

 

My Grandparents had a stair lift fitted last March by Brooks and the 12 month warranty is about to expire. Brooks are calling them all the time trying to push their extended warranty. £300 for 12 months including a service and call out charge and repair costs if it breaks.

 

I'm just wondering if they might be better getting an annual service rather than paying for an extended warranty they may not need. Does anyone have any experience with stair lift servicing / costs?

 

Or, if you have a stair lift that has broken down unexpectedly, have you been able to get it fixed quickly?

 

Thanks!

[Kidorry]

I always think with the extended warranties, they offer you them because there is not much chance of them going wrong.

[fatrajah]

My late mother-in-law had one fitted by Acorn Stairlifts a couple of years ago & yes they do go wrong. There was a problem with the overspeed controller which prevents the stairlift going downstairs too quickly. The first couple of times the problem was cleared with the help of Acorn's helpdesk but all that amounted to was a power-down, power-up type of thing. The fault was finally cleared by a visit by an Acorn technician who managed to change the controller after a bit of a struggle. No doubt it would have been very costly had the stairlift still not been under warranty. We did not renew the warranty with Acorn but there are other firms out there who will offer a cheaper service. Even with a manufacter's warranty they will avoid sending a technician if they can. Sykes Mobility Specialists at Woodseats did a years warranty on the stairlift for £120 per year excluding parts.

Edited January 20, 2016 by fatrajah

[GoGo_dancer]

It's actually broken once already...stopped halfway up the stairs, something to do with an electronic panel, and the track needed adjusting as well as it started jolting around when it got near the bottom of the stairs. I think it was actually a refurbished one rather than a new one which is why it's had problems.

 

If it had been brand new then I would have told them not to worry but I'm just not confident enough to forgo some kind of service cover altogether. I did some ringing around and it looks like one-off services range from £60 to £90.