I just don't know what to do next. I can tend to have bad luck sometimes, but jeez... So my wheelchair saga. Dreamt of getting a TiLite, but since Medicaid pays only for powerchairs, I bought a Colours Razorblade out of pocket when it was an Abilities Expo special. I rely on help to fit me correctly, and they did it. Poorly. I'm Spina Bifida, so I don't tuck my legs, and the wheelbase was so short, I did constant endos. The chair eventually had a massive break in the frame from the stress. Through a good friend with big social media pull, they convinced TiLite to donate a chair to me. Loved the chair, it was a huge improvement, and I was, (and am) grateful. But it wasn't really the right fit, either, and I soon discovered a huge issue with the casters, if they get at all wet. Which of course, is hard to avoid at all costs. Grit gets in, and they freeze up. Like bad. Then it would work itself out, but eventually that wallowed the bearing area, and I had a chair that randomly threw me out, with caster freezes. Many emails and heartaches and headaches, being offered a new version at a discount (took a whole year, and it was out of pocket...)
I get a chair that I had a few concerning things, but not big enough to bitch, due to the circumstances. Some things were wrong, cosmetically, and I swear it's the exact same configuration as my previous chair. Neck and neck, they're the identical everything, even though I wanted an extended frame. I still have to strap my feet in. The footrest is about an inch too low (can't adjust higher). Worst, the casters ALWAYS fluttered, especially on the left side. No amount of tightening helped. So, I sucked it up, and use the Freewheel 99% of the time. Cuz I have a high velocity dog, that likes to not go at a snails pace. I reported this issue to the DME that took my money, and was the people I went through. They have no interest in it, really, being a go between. So I got brushed off.
Well, this place put a new bearing on it for me several months back, and the tech took four hours, where all I heard was loud banging. He told me a bearing was "frozen" on the stem, and he couldn't get it off. All I wanted was ONE bearing put on ONE caster fork. There were banged up marks on both of them. He told me that he couldn't get it off, but put the new one on anyway. Now the flutter was worse. When I got home, and was popping a wheelie down my ramp, when I landed, I flipped over on my face. The caster fork had fallen entirely off! Dafuq?? So I was grateful when I went to another DME for a cushion eval, and they fixed it properly, and the "frozen" bearing came right off. Have no idea what the other guy did. For four hours! I reported it, and a person there was apologetic, and said they would order me new forks asap. I wait. Nothing. I call, and the person in charge said he would be happy to sell them to me. That it "doesn't sound like" their guy to do what happened. We set up a time to meet, after an email to the local Ti rep, and he 'evaluated' the chair. The forks had been sent back, and after he did some checking, he didn't really say anything, but was going to give me all new forks. Derp! (Only? Now there's no green. They'll be black, and the chair has green on it...)
Meanwhile, the casters, again freeze up when dampness gets in, at all ! What is that? This can't just be me, if it's been two chairs in a row... With a new bearing even? And then the PT at the cushion eval proclaimed my chair to be "off center", just by looking at it, and that's why the flutter with no way to fix it. Sigh. WHAT should I do?? NOBODY will take responsibility for it, and I end up getting blamed, as if I did something, usually. So tired of it. I just want a chair that freaking works. I haven't for many years now, and it's getting old. It takes so long to get any repairs, with any place I've gone to. What can a person do, though, when they stand there and say they don't know what to tell ya ??
I really like TiLite chairs, though. But I did get turned on by the PT, to Ki Mobility, the Rogue. Which I love. But I'm still paying off the ZR heh.