Certain rules for selecting a dealer apply for people who:
        
 Know nothing about their needs and requirements.
        
 Know nothing about and have no intention of doing their own
           repairs.
        
 Are dependent on the equipment and can't afford to be
           without the equipment for any length of time.
This section is written for anyone who falls into one or more of the 3
items listed above.

Like all companies doing business, there are qualified, competent
dealers, and there are "bums".  Some companies who sell wheelchairs
and/or scooters may be very highly qualified in some other area
(an example perhaps might be a pharmacy), but have no real experience
in mobility equipment.  To compound the problem, there is a general
feeling that wheelchairs are nothing but "bicycles with 4 wheels"-
simple to repair and very basic.  This is not true about bicycles, and
is certainly not true about wheelchairs.

So I assume that if you are reading this particular section, you are
not into your own repairs, the chair is not going to be a "spare" or
"toy", and you really need it- every day.

Do not expect a dealer to have every chair made in every size (and
certainly not in every color).  That is just impossible.

But the dealer should have enough of a selection to determine what
"feels" right (both in size and ability to propel) and what =does not=
"feel" right.

The dealer should be able to suggest things to make the chair more
appropriate for your needs.  This includes anything from cushions, to
special seating, to adjustments (many chairs have adjustments that can
be made), etc.  The dealer should not be afraid to tell you (and be
qualified to tell you why) if a chair is not appropriate for you.

This does not mean that s/he will be "pushing" you into a more
expensive chair.  Often a less expensive model of a particular
manufacturer, AND THEY WILL MAKE THE SAME PROFIT AS THE MORE EXPENSIVE MODEL!
(see section on SELECTING A WHEELCHAIR).

The dealer should have made a full commitment to service.  The more
expensive the chair is, the more important this is.  Power equipment
is more important still.  By full commitment I mean an "on site"
service department stocked with parts and operated by qualified,
trained technicians (not delivery people who may know less than you
about the equipment).  "On-site" means that the dealer is not sub-
contracting the repair work out to another company.  The problem with
sub-contractors is that if they haven't been paid, they may not be
doing repair work for that company much longer.

And if the dealer hasn't made the commitment for parts and training,
the dealer hasn't committed to being in the wheelchair business.  S/he
could leave the business as soon as they get rid of their inventory.
That is NOT commitment!

The dealer may or may not offer "in home" repairs.  That is a decision
that you, the consumer, must determine is important.  Some dealers
simply do not do work in the home anymore (kind of like Doctors not
doing house calls).  As equipment, parts, and tools become more and
more sophisticated, more of it has to be done "in shop".  If the
dealership is around the corner, it may not be important to have in-
home service or pick-up and delivery.  It is more important that the
dealer have a repair facility "on site" than sub-contracting service
to someone who comes to your home- but may take the chair away for
several weeks (or not show up to do the repairs at all).

The dealer may or may not offer "after hours" repair service.  Again,
this a decision that you, the consumer, must make- how important that
feature is to you given your circumstances.  Wheelchairs just don't
break down M-F  9 to 5.

The dealer may offer free labor on warranty repairs.  The following is
important to understand:  the manufacturers of most wheelchairs and
scooters do not compensate dealers for work they do- only the parts
they replace-and only after examining the "defective" parts.  The
warranty book that comes with most chairs makes this clear:  that the
end user is responsible for all labor and transportation costs (or
words to that effect).  Many dealers think that is unfair to their
customers and "give" the labor and shipping costs free to the
customer.  I have a section on WARRANTIES that explains this 
in greater detail.

Many companies do not make a commitment to service.  The reason they
don't is simple: most well run service departments lose $$$.  Fact is,
a well run (from the user's perspective) wheelchair service department
is NOT that efficient.  They can't do one part of their service area
one day, and another part the next.  The end user (you), won't stand
for it.  Nor can they wait until they have 5 service calls in an area,
or 5 chairs in the shop, before they start working "assembly line"
style.  And most service departments charge significantly less for
labor than comparable skilled work in other industries (example: air
conditioning or computer repair).

The dealer should sell many different brands- including most (if not
all) major brands.  Any dealer who does not deal with a variety of
companies is not giving =you= the option of choice.  Of course, no
dealer can stock every manufacturer and every model.  And if you want
to "bargain", being able to have 2 competing dealers "bid" on the
equipment will probably get you a better price.  But remember, if one
dealer put a lot of time and effort into measuring and suggesting,
that must also be put into the "equation".  It certainly wouldn't be
fair to have one dealer put hours into a project and then go elsewhere
for a few dollars less if the other dealer had put no time into the
"project".

Some major brands are "exclusive" to one dealer in an area.  I  feel that limits
the purchaser's choices both during and after the sale.  Prices tend to be higher with no
competition, and service is much harder to get- particularly if the
exclusive selling dealer knows you can't go elsewhere.  And in case of
a dispute, one guess who is going to win...

DEALER VS "FACTORY DIRECT",
"Usually, local medical supply houses 
are the best source of electric scooters, 
not door-to-door salesmen," -Joe Scinto of the United Seniors Health Cooperative, 
a not-for-profit Washington, D.C. consumer organization.
Obviously, by being a dealer, I'm biased, but the "factory-to-you" 
problem is so great that two independent organizations have written "warning" 
articles due to the number of complaints they have received- just 
regarding "in-home, factory-direct" sales!,

Links to those articles are:
 The National Council on the Aging. and: ConsumerAffairs.Com 
A new browser window will open.

FAQ's RE DEALER SELECTION AND CATALOG COMPANIES:

Q: I can save a lot of $$$ purchasing from a catalog instead of a
   dealer.  Why shouldn't I?  Doesn't any dealer have to fix it under
   warranty anyway (car dealers have to...)

A:  You may not be aware of it, or it may not be important to your
    particular circumstance, but unlike automobiles, wheelchair
    dealers are not paid by the manufacturer to do warranty repairs on
    the wheelchairs.  Further, most good dealers operate their service
    departments at a substantial loss for "goodwill" (read future
    sales).

    What this is leading to is: if you buy it from a catalog company,
    don't expect a dealer to service it for free under warranty.  And
    it certainly is not fair to use all the dealers facilities to
    check out, test drive, and get information on a wheelchair; then
    turn around and purchase from a catalog.

    Catalog companies have their place- I purchase from them
    regularly, though obviously not wheelchairs .  If you know
    exactly what you want, don't mind shipping the chair back to the
    catalog company for repairs (or doing them yourself- many people
    do), and keep the local dealer "out of the loop", that is fine.
    But don't expect dealers to remain in business to show you the
    equipment if you don't purchase from them.

    Most dealers with a lot of chairs on their floor (we have over
    100), sell those particular chairs retail- not to VA, Medicare,
    etc.  They are there for retail customers.  And most dealers will
    "bargain" if you make your point that the catalog company is
    cheaper.

    But don't expect to have them match a catalog company's price-
    they probably won't be able to do it because of the service
    department they must maintain (remember, most service departments
    operate at a significant loss).

All the information provided herein is Copyright © 1993 1994 1995
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 & 2001 Stuart L. Portner.  All rights reserved.  
May be printed and reproduced for individual use, but may not be distributed without the
permission of the author.