Has anyone got a stairlift?

I have had an Acorn stair lift since April this year. They were very quick to install and I've had no complaints.

Suggest you contact with Occupational Therapy if you havnt done so already. They used to be involved with installing this type of equipment and will assess properly what might be needed. They can also advise and provide other aids which might assist your relative. Speak to GP or Social Services for further information.

I have one but did not buy from a large firm like Stannah. I strongly recommend that insurance is taken out because the cost of repairing is prohibitive.

I have a straight staircase so it is much cheaper to fit. The fitting from memory took around 2 hours, I have had mine since 2009.

Silver lining I thought they just did handrails and things like that.

No they do a lot more than that including building work If it's deemed necessary. Through the floor lifts etc. They will also maintain equipment. Suggest you check before buying privately. Obviously there may be more cutback now but worth a call.

Friends of mine had their lift installed and paid for by their local council. The council also maintain it.

As far as I am aware aids and adaptations provided by council are subject to strict means testing. My mother bought Acorn stairlift 4 years ago for around £5000. The maintenance contract annually is about £500, but more expensive to maintain if you don't have one. It breaks down fairly frequently but they do usually repair promptly as she is totally dependent on it. Important to take ongoing costs into account. Haven't any experience of costs of local suppliers, but I know Ableworld supply locally.

My friends were not means tested which I could not understand.

I'm having a stair lift put in soon. I have just got a bath lift too. I was in touch with SS and they did nothing. I was getting worse so I phoned back and now they are helping me so it is worth keeping on at them until someone does something. I can't wait for the stair lift to go in, it will make my life easier.

Our stairlift was installed in May 2012, by Acorn, it should have been £2,200, but they had a sale on, and it cost us £1,800. We had 3 firms around to assess and give us quotes, the first 2 refused immediately to give us a quote, saying our staircase was much too narrow to take a stairlift, but Acorn didn`t hesitate, they said they can fit one anywhere, and the did, in 45 minutes, just 3 days after we ordered. We took out a maintenance contract, £500 for 5 years, we thought it expensive, but changed our minds after the motor went and had to be replaced, the engineer said it would have cost £469 without the contract. It has broken down a couple of times, but they do aim to respond within 24 hours, we did once have to wait till the following day, because it was a bank holiday, and skeleton staff working. All in all, very satisfied.

I am surprised at the cost of an Acorn stairlift. Local man had a German made one at a much lower price. They have a repair service too.
Stairs are standard 13 stairs, straight.
We plan to contact OT anyway, as we need outside handrails. What about bathroom adaptations? We need to change the shower in the house we are moving to, but assumed we would pay for this ourselves.

Just seen second post re Acorn. It was the £5,000 which seemed expensive, but maybe for more stairs or more complicated installation.
Do all stairlifts break down frequently?

Pigglywiggly I decided that I would move my computer downstairs because I was up and down stairs using my stair lift like a yo-yo. I do not have to go up and down as often now provided I try to plan things. It has saved me money because my stair lift does not appear to break down so often now- famous last words.

Endless problems with my expensive one. Expensive as I had to go round 3 bends. It was installed I'm May/June and I'm still waiting for solutions

Our Acorn stairlift was installed a year ago and we have not any problems so far. I do urge you to haggle over the price. In my opinion it should not be necessary with aids for the disabled but I got the price reduced by almost £1000.

Thank you daffy. I was worried that well known companies might be like window companies and start with a high price and gradually reduce if they think they might lose the sale.

If you have one that is only a few years old and its not needed any longer, is there a way to sell it on privately? I know track systems may vary house to house, but the house where it is located has a fairly standard configuration for the staircase.

Thanks for any help on this.

My aunt ended up getting one after putting it off for quite a while, and looking back I think she wished she'd done it sooner. It didn't suddenly solve every mobility issue, but it made everyday life much less tiring and meant she could keep using the whole house instead of avoiding the upstairs.

One thing I'd suggest is not ruling out a professionally reconditioned stairlift if budget is a concern. There are plenty of people who only need them for a relatively short period, and a good refurbished unit with a warranty can be a sensible option.

It's also worth asking providers whether they buy stairlifts back or help with removal later on, as circumstances can change. A local company we came across, All-Star Lifts, offered both used options and buy-backs, but I'd still encourage comparing a few providers and asking plenty of questions before deciding.

The biggest thing for us was making sure there was someone available for servicing if anything went wrong, rather than focusing only on the purchase price.

My neighbour had a second hand stair lift which worked pretty well. It was from a mobility place, I think.

When he went in a home, they weren’t interested in buying it back, but his son sold it privately.

The buyers had to dismantle and remove, which they did.

Presumably after ten years the OP is now sorted out!