personal finance

I paid £740 for a mobility scooter, but now it won't work


I bought a £740 mobility scooter online from mobilityscootersplus.com, for my mother. She was only able to use it when I visited her every three weeks (I live 200 miles away). It worked fine on the first three short journeys. But on my fourth visit, the battery, which I’d recharged at the end each outing, was dead. I tried recharging it, but it stayed dead.

The company told me that by leaving the battery for three weeks without recharging it, I had broken it and thus invalidated my warranty.

It directed me to page 14 of the brochure which stated: “If you do not use your vehicle for a prolonged period, place it on charge once a week, overnight.” He said it was not his fault if I didn’t read the manual.

I questioned what length of time counted as “prolonged” and why this issue was not prominently highlighted with the warning that not charging for three weeks would result in it self destructing. He clearly couldn’t care less.

My local mobility scooter hire centre says it was rubbish that a battery would die in this way, otherwise you’d have to get someone in to charge it when you went on holiday! I’ve paid £740 for an unusable scooter.

JD, London

To start with, some retrospective advice. Always try to buy mobility aids from a shop rather than online so you can talk through the options and have somewhere to go if there’s a problem.

Mobilityscootersplus had just sent out a replacement charger when I contacted them, but it was adamant that you were at fault for not charging the scooter once a week.

The replacement charger failed to revive the battery so, after involvement from the Observer it agreed to send a technician “as a goodwill gesture”.

Eventually, the battery was replaced and the scooter is working.

Alas, too late for your mother who’s health has deteriorated to the point that she can no longer use it. You are holding out for a refund as your mother was unable to make use of the scooter while her health allowed.

However, under the Consumer Rights Directive you have 30 days to reject an item, and you discovered the fault outside that timescale. After 30 days, the trader has the right to repair or replace rather than make a refund.

Crucially, it’s up to the trader to prove that the fault wasn’t there when you bought it, if it arises in the first six months.

Mobilityscootersplus’s initial response was disappointing since it relied on advice buried deep in the instruction booklet to put the blame squarely on you, and only began offering solutions several weeks after your complaint.

Unfortunately, however, the only option for recouping some of your money is to sell the scooter.

If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions



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