wrongdog
08-06-2010, 08:21 PM
I have a pair of M12 e-motion wheels. The rubber coated push rims were several years old and were worn out. I decided to get them re-coated. I contacted a local dealer, with whom I had no previous relationship -- my regular dealer does not have a contract with Frank mobility.
The new shop picked up my wheels mid-April. The goal was to get rims coated with new, stickier rubber. The quote was $75 and two weeks to complete.
Two months passed. Despite numerous attempts to contact them via phone/email, they did not get back to me. Once I finally got them on the phone, they blamed the delay on the company who supplies the rubber coating.
I finally received the rims in June, but one of the wheels had a problem -- the push rim was sticking in the on position -- ie. I push (or pull) the wheel and it continues moving, unless I would stop it. Very dangerous if you are on a sidewalk and it pulls you off the edge, or are in a parking lot and it pulls you towards traffic... yes, these things happened.
I returned the wheels to have them adjusted.
They returned them to me a couple weeks later, but as far as I could tell no adjustment was made. Also, one wheel would no longer work at all. I tried inserting multiple batteries, would press the power button, attempt to move the wheel and the wheel would shut off, with a long beeping noise.
I returned the wheel to the shop, explained the problem, and a few more weeks passed. I called them at the end of last week and they told me that the circuit board was damaged and needed to be replaced and it would cost almost $700. I told them that the wheel worked great in April when I gave it to them, and asked what happened? They pled ignorance, but said it was not their fault.
I spoke with Frank Mobility and they said that it could have easily happened in transit, one of the several trips in their van to and from their shop (a 1 hour drive). All it would take to damage the circuit board is putting the batteries in too hard or banging into other equipment in the van. Frank Mobility also commented that it is unlikely that the dealer will admit fault, and it would be hard to prove.
Long story short, I am looking for advice. In addition to the $700 repair (plus push rims, delivery, and labor), I am due for new batteries, which run $1000/new pair. I require two pair per day, because of the short battery life.
The wheels were purchased in 2006 via Medicare (I paid 20%). Medicare has also covered one pair of batteries per year, since 2006.
I have been told that the M15 emotion wheels are superior to mine, especially the new battery technology, which enables you to need only one pair, because they last much longer on one charge -- I have been told 1.5 to 2 days. They also have other features that may be good for me, like the anti-rollback option, good for hills. That said, the new wheels are very expensive. Frank Mobility told me they would give me a "trade-in discount", because I have the old wheels. Out of pocket, it would still be over $5000. Compare this to the cost of the repair for the old wheels + batteries at nearly $3000.
I am not sure what to do here. We do not have money saved for any of this, so I will likely need to get a loan, regardless. I will try to go through Medicare, but it looks iffy, and have no way to get pre-authorizaion.
Anyone have any input/suggestions? What are my rights/options?
I'll look forward to hearing what people think. I'm broke and tired of getting pushed around--literally and figuratively.
The new shop picked up my wheels mid-April. The goal was to get rims coated with new, stickier rubber. The quote was $75 and two weeks to complete.
Two months passed. Despite numerous attempts to contact them via phone/email, they did not get back to me. Once I finally got them on the phone, they blamed the delay on the company who supplies the rubber coating.
I finally received the rims in June, but one of the wheels had a problem -- the push rim was sticking in the on position -- ie. I push (or pull) the wheel and it continues moving, unless I would stop it. Very dangerous if you are on a sidewalk and it pulls you off the edge, or are in a parking lot and it pulls you towards traffic... yes, these things happened.
I returned the wheels to have them adjusted.
They returned them to me a couple weeks later, but as far as I could tell no adjustment was made. Also, one wheel would no longer work at all. I tried inserting multiple batteries, would press the power button, attempt to move the wheel and the wheel would shut off, with a long beeping noise.
I returned the wheel to the shop, explained the problem, and a few more weeks passed. I called them at the end of last week and they told me that the circuit board was damaged and needed to be replaced and it would cost almost $700. I told them that the wheel worked great in April when I gave it to them, and asked what happened? They pled ignorance, but said it was not their fault.
I spoke with Frank Mobility and they said that it could have easily happened in transit, one of the several trips in their van to and from their shop (a 1 hour drive). All it would take to damage the circuit board is putting the batteries in too hard or banging into other equipment in the van. Frank Mobility also commented that it is unlikely that the dealer will admit fault, and it would be hard to prove.
Long story short, I am looking for advice. In addition to the $700 repair (plus push rims, delivery, and labor), I am due for new batteries, which run $1000/new pair. I require two pair per day, because of the short battery life.
The wheels were purchased in 2006 via Medicare (I paid 20%). Medicare has also covered one pair of batteries per year, since 2006.
I have been told that the M15 emotion wheels are superior to mine, especially the new battery technology, which enables you to need only one pair, because they last much longer on one charge -- I have been told 1.5 to 2 days. They also have other features that may be good for me, like the anti-rollback option, good for hills. That said, the new wheels are very expensive. Frank Mobility told me they would give me a "trade-in discount", because I have the old wheels. Out of pocket, it would still be over $5000. Compare this to the cost of the repair for the old wheels + batteries at nearly $3000.
I am not sure what to do here. We do not have money saved for any of this, so I will likely need to get a loan, regardless. I will try to go through Medicare, but it looks iffy, and have no way to get pre-authorizaion.
Anyone have any input/suggestions? What are my rights/options?
I'll look forward to hearing what people think. I'm broke and tired of getting pushed around--literally and figuratively.