discouraged01
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NJ
I received (purchased) a power wheelchair and beginning of 2006 from a medical supply company through my insurance company which is a result of an automobile accident (PIP insurance). The chair was faithful until November, 2008. At the time they had to replace a motor and then a computer (of the wheelchair which is essentially the brains for the joystick and the motors). After that I kept getting intermittent shorts in which the wheelchair would stop short and malfunction. I am a very active user and sometimes put 9-12 miles on a chair and one day.
I am a quadriplegic and depend heavily on the chair for mobility. The medical supply company in conjunction with the manufacturer try to troubleshoot the problem with the wheelchair. First they replace both motors, then they replaced the controller (computer). Next the error message was pointing to the joystick or the batteries, they replace both one at a time each involving a different trip to the shop with my insurance company paying the tab. Over the course of November 08 and July 09 the chair has been in and out of the shop at least six times.
It is a great inconvenience and not to mention several times the chair stopped in the middle of the road with traffic coming at me. I called the owner of the company last week and he responded with an answer "it's like a car that has a problem and chose a periodically, until it breaks we cannot diagnose it. Neither the medical company or the manufacturer want to step up to bat and try to figure out what is wrong with the chair.
I spoke to the director of the medical supply place and he kindly gave me the same answer that the owner did. I'm frustrated and at wits end up trying to resolve this matter. So as of now until I hear from them on Monday or Tuesday the chair remains operable but very unsafe. I'm afraid of getting stuck! Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Respectfully,
Larry Chaya