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On May 6, 2009 I called the above business that had sold me a wheelchair (approx. $15, 000.00 from Medicare/medicad) informing them that it needed repair. That the chair had moved without my efforts crashing into a closet and refrigerator door causing extensive damage to both. That the chair, moving without my controlling it, move without my body sitting in it and that I wanted it repaired or replace as it is/was only 15 months new.
I was informed that they was/were only able to give me an earliest appointment in two (2) weeks from the above date to get it repaired or looked at in my home in Rockford. I informed them that this is not a case of flat tire and is my only form of transportation and/or mobility and that I did not care for it to cause me serious injury if I waited and it went wild out in the traffic/road and cause me or someone else life or limb. They told me that they were NOT able to drop every other repair order to attend to my needs.
I informed them that this is not acceptable and that they will/can be held responsible for any injury or death that it may cause if it is not attended in an immediate fashion to remedy the problem with the chair. (If I had been in the chair last night when it took off, I could have received major leg injuries.)
She did NOT like the way I was “yelling” at her (which was not true, just a way for her to get out of talking to me about this any longer.) and I told her to let me talk to Jason Melms, the man that sold the wheelchair initially and told me their service was really good for repair work and if I had any problems, to call him.
I left Jason Melms a message that I needed him to call me and a little of what the problem was.
A short time later, within an hour, Jason Melms called. He informed me that the Governments had cutbacks and that they were short staffed because of it. That I could get into the car he knew I did NOT own and come up and get the repair job done like immediately if I came to Madison, WI. I told him that he knew that was impossible and that I needed this fix. He made some comment that compared my wheelchair to a car (luxurary or necessity, daa..) and that “we” all have to bear the blunt of this so called recession. I told him in the meantime; send me a date and time of when they will be here via mail. He said ok….
This wheelchair is not a car that I can just take to any garage to get fixed. It is my ability to get around from one place to another. I feel Jason Melms is out of reality when he thinks we, the disabled that he sells wheelchairs to can just stay in bed without any means of life support. I feel he needs to STOP selling his wheelchairs in this state/area if they have NO intentions of repairing the equipment they sell in a reasonable manor!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
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I agree. I own Invacares "Best", flagship model. It is now legally a lemon. 4-5 motor replacements and a handful of continually breaking parts all within 9 months of purchase, FYI, mine was $18, 000+. Manufacturers blame the retail outlets, the outlets blame the Manfctr, then the insurance Co's or Medicare/aid blame the durable home equip. Industry while the industry blames the Ins. Co's and/or the Gov. programs. These chairs are our "LIVES", our livlihood. All that we expect is that we get what we payed for, as advertised, within "factory specifications...lol, joke", and be secure in knowing their products are note only reliable and supported, but SAFE. I've been stranded in a dead chair blocks from home. I was helpless for 4 hours until someone could figure out a way to literally rescue me. I feel your frustration. I too am tired of the finger pointing. Noboby can understand what it is really like to be stuck in/dependent upon an electric wheelchair until you've had to be. I hope you have resolved things with your chair, your lifeline, which is just about as much a luxury as a person's legs. What audacity to even imply such an idea! Goodluck!
-I have got the WORST customer service from of any business in my LIFE from National Seating & Mobility in San Jose. The service people are great, if you can get in to see them, but to try and get anything done by the front office is truly maddening, you'd think they were only selling vacume cleaners or some other totally non-essential goods. Everything's a "Catch 22, " "Headquarters won't let us do that" is a favorite response.
To say why I'm trapped dealing with them has to do with my Insurance Company (I won't even start with them!) but anymore info will reveal my ID and get me further blacklisted.
I too have been getting the WORST Customer service from NSM in Lombard, IL. I have a 4yr. old boy with quadraplegic Cerebal Palsy and had to wait 14 months to get his wheelchair! Thats just unheard of and i basically had to stalk the guy to get a returned phone call. MArcie who is supposed to be the CS rep in Lombard, il office YELLED at me when i called asking to come in to pick up a missing piece of the chair. I have NEVER experienced such horrible customer service before and i sure hope Marcie gets the proper punishment.
I know how you feel, my daughter is a cerebral palsy quadraplegic and it took over a year to get her new chair. I have called this company, and they told me they had more patients to take care of besides her. Her chair is now 3 to 4 months old and the foot plates have broked off and the seating system is horrible. She falls down in this chair and has to be pulled up all the time, the only thing that keeps her in is the abductor wedge. She has never had skin breakdown and now both her hips are terrible, they bleed and the skin is peeling off, but they don't care, they don't have to sit in it. The more you call, the less you get heard. A man from Lexington came down and wrote up a repair paper on it and then they called and said they couldn't fix it because the company in Louisville made it. That don't make sense to me because they are the same company! I agree with you all, you don't get good customer service with this company, and I wouldn't recommend it to any one.
Hi,
I am from San Antonio, Texas and every thing I have read is so true...
My doctor sent a Rx saying, I needed side support and slip n puff. I have been waiting for over 7 mos, I then get a call to go in only to be told, I have to wait more because my ins saying I need a refer to see if the ins will aprov it.. who cares that I rested my time and gas... There must be something we can do? but what?
Conservatives keep saying we have the best health care system in the world. If that's true I feel sorry for the world. As I type this I'm waiting for the repair guy who is so far 15 minutes orverdue.
Hello, Massachusetts
I'm waiting for my $20, 000 sip and puff electric wheelchair. It was brought to national seating and mobility March 16, 2010. When I spoke to the receptionist she said she'll call me back I waited until March 22 too at least hear something about the chair. I finally called and spoke to the receptionist she then put me on hold now I'm worried. When she came back on the line I was told she didn't know why the paperwork was never submitted I then proceeded to ask about a loaner chair they don't offer in electric sip and puff wheelchair so I settled for a manual tilt wheelchair that I have too wait until next week due to insurance reasons.
I have been a T-7 para for 21 1/2 years... NSM is by far one of the worst company I have worked with for my manual wheelchairs. I have a Ti Lite ZR that has had bald tires since Febuary. I have called NSM 10 times since March 19th 2010. They receptionist tried to tell me they were waiting on insruance approval which I do not require pre-approval so I called my insruance company & they had NOTHING submitted from NSM. I proceeded to call them back to inform them that they didn't know what they were doing per my insurance can't approve something if they don't receive something to improve. I was told they would make an acception & get me the tires before sending to insurance, it's now been a week since that. I called today & I was told that the tires came in April 7th and the person that open packages has been out of the office they will call me today when they unwrap them. I'm willing to open my own box for the tires if need be because I am now to the point that my tires have punctures and have been lucky enough to not have the intertubes poped. I can't imagine what would happen if I had a flat tire and couldn't get around. I'm not sure how this company is stilling running what they call a business.
Hi Massachusetts,
NSM did it to me again! They finally received the pre-approved part and what was thought to be broken was not even remotely close to what was actually broken. Come to my knowledge National Seating & Mobility never needed prior approval from my insurance they just had to order a part that's covered under a five-year warranty by Invacare. I mustn't leave out the fact that the technician said to my face "I don't know what I'm doing" I've literally had it up to the tip of my head with NSM or should I say national seating & immobility.
My question for all these people is - Has anybody tried a law suite against the NSM or any of the providers that made the equipment? It seems like there aught to be some kind of relief to be gained from the inappropriate providers
NATIONAL SEATING AND MOBILITY HAS A 10 MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM BECAUSE A MAN WAS INJURED DURING A WHEELCHAIR REPAIR AND DIED. PEOPLEE FROM NATIONAL SEATING AND MOBILITY DIDN'T CALL 911 RIGHT AFTER THE MAN WAS IMJURED. FOX NEWS AND OTHER WEB SITES HAVE INFO ABOUT THE LAWSUIT.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/17/activists-family-sues-weelchair-death/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/03/18/activists_family_sues_over_wheelchair_death/
I purchased a Permobile power wheelchair from National Seating and Mobility over a year ago. When sizing me for the wheelchair it was agreed that a 14 inch wide seat would be appropriate for me. We knew there was a problem with the style of armrests that Permobile offered but NSM promised that they would provide me with the equipment to convert the armrests to the style used on the Quickie wheelchairs. To this date no armrests. I've called and left messages but they say they don't get them. Sent an e-mail to corporate headquarters but they only relayed the information back to the local office where they don't return your calls. I've been a quadriplegic for 21 years. This is my third power chair and I've purchased three manual chairs. Due to insurance reasons I have always had to purchase my wheelchairs from other vendors. However, the salesperson from NSM has proven in the past to be the best person in the area to purchase a wheelchair from. I guess the word got out and she's gotten so busy that she can no longer keep her customers satisfied. The biggest problem with the wheelchair Permobile does not offer a seat smaller than 17 inches. She failed to inform me of this before ordering the chair. Because the chair was custom-built there is no returning. Her reply was "what difference does it make sense you're having custom seating built for the chair anyhow." Here is what difference it makes - take an extra wide lazy boy recliner can slap a standard size lazy boy recliner question on that chair and see how comfortable that chair is for you. No armrests are in no man's land so you feel like you're swimming around in the chair. I would strongly recommend you purchase your medical supplies from some company other than NSM
We're in OC Southern California and ditto everything above. Never, NEVER buy a chair from National Seating and Mobility. My son is quad and has a $24, k chair powerchair and our life has been hell with NSM. Everytime we need a repair it takes months for approval and we have a Premium PPO with 100% DME coverage and DOES NOT need preautherizations. Still his tires go bald to the inner tread, they take mnths to fix seating problems and then order the wrong parts leading to more wks of his discomfort. And, if I drive his chair across the county to them and waite hrs to have it fixed it still falls apart and I have to fix it myself. Last, they replaced the main control module that operates everything, of course they said it will takes wks for approval and ordering the part. Not even possible as this means my son has to lie in bed and also miss school, they could care less about thier clients. I flipped my credit card as back-up, got my insurance to tell it's covered in a recorded phone call all to get NSM to overnight the part. Well they screwed that up and sent it out in 3 days even though I payed for overnight. We just got the chair back supposedly fixed after my son's been out of school 4 days, mainly laying in bed and the new electrical cable that attaches to the motor just fell off leaving us stranded on a Saturday many miles from home. I got the chair home and looked at the new cable connection to the motor and the techs had over tightened the scews until the snapped off broken. They just left them that way and gave it to us supposedly fixed. The new controller is now useless, the screws are broke off in the motor which will now have to be replaced or sent out to have drilled and retapped. Now how long will is that going to take to get another controller mailed in and motor fixed? Believe me this is just one story of many I can tell of how they take wks -mnths to fix the chair and just break it worse. NEVER EVER EVER BUY a chair from this company they are the worst! Makes our lives even more difficult and they could care less!
Hi I am from MA and thought gee how nice the chair I am getting is from NSM right here in my own town, and I should have great service since they are just ten minutes away! Boy was I ever wrong! My chair died at just 4 mos of owning it, which cost almost 25, 000.00! They came 0ut and checked it and said it was a bad battery and put in a loaner. Weeks later they returned and put in a new battery. Two months later my chair died about two blocks from my home. I called and called for weeks and left messages, no one returned my call. Finally I went over there and they sent someone out a week later he stated that I still had a loaner that the battery wasn't new and they would call me when the new battery was in. I was like WHAT? Just how many months does it take to get a battery and why don't you have something as simple as a battery in your shop? Weeks go by no call and here I sit with a dead chair. Finally I called National headquarters down south, two hours later they were here took my chair and fixed a bad cable and put in a new battery! I was like wow all of a sudden you have a battery and cable after six months!
Last week I get a letter from the company saying unless I pay the balance of 4500.00 in full in the next 10 days they would take me to court! I called them an said we had an arrangement that I would pay $100 a month until paid in full and she said well we've been waiting for the past 2 months payments you didn't send any! I said well that must be upsetting or frustrating for you, and she said well we had an agreement. I said yes we did, so how does it feel to have to wait for something that is so important to you? She didn't like that question. She then tried to tell me I only made two payments, I told her I have my cancelled checks and that I had made 4 payments and stopped and wasn't paying until my chair was fixed. I made my payments to the local company and the National company bill only credited me for making one payment. Thank goodness I have proof to send. This was last month and I am now just getting around to sending them the proof and to resume my monthly payments. My trying to teach them a lesson by being as slow as them probably will do no good at all and I'm sure I'll get another threatening letter but at least I'm not making them wait six months for a neccesity as I'm sure they can survive and get around without my one hundred dollar payment!
The chair sucks, it's nothing like the prototype they had me in when selecting the chair and it is NOT worth 25, 000.00!
So much for going with a local company, service with them still sucks! And you are right they care not one bit about how difficult they make life for us when we are all already in a difficult situation. Shame on them!
I live in New Orleans, La. My son has a really nice wheelchair, recently we have had problems with the battery, or other mechanical issues. And to have to continue to bring this wheelchair in for repairs, almost every other week is mind boggling. Do they know what they are doing over there? My son has no other means of getting around, he is14 has C.P, has a school bag full of books, hard to even operate the wheelchair, I don't know what to do anymore. He is on Medicaid due to his handicap, I just don't understand why every other week something is going on. It's the same ole song and dance, have to send it off for repairs, well it's been almost a month now, and haven't heard from anyone, regarding the status. I call, know return calls. So frustrated with this company, they are rude, and unprofessional customer care. This location is on Pepsi St, in Harahan, La. thanks
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If you think this company is bad. You should see what Shoppers Home Health Care has done to me in Canada. Ihave lost at least 50 pounds in weight and i have just had my third tilt put in, in 8 months. i have bean bed ridden for over a year in the last three years. i wish we had a site like this to get the message out in the open. You should see the three pressure sores that i have from this Arrow storm chair from Shoppers, if anyone knows of a site in Canada please let me know. Sincerely Chris Kenny. good day eh ! lol
I am a person who knows this ccompany well. I have had to deal with this company for awhile. I was going to the Gulfport, MS/ Mobile, Al offices. All I can Say is that this company is crappy now. The Rts that i was working with retired and the tech left. The women at the gulfport office was always nice. But i called on a problem i had with the chair in september and all 3 of them left the company. I had to speak with a girl at the mobile, al office and she was rude. She acted like she didnt even care about me problem. Then I get a call back 3 days later from the suppose expert ATP as he called himself. I had to bring the chair to mobile, al and this man didnt know what he was doing. He said and I quote " I dont do this type of chair and i will have to call the manufactor to figure what to do" ! Come on a supposed expert didnt know how to fix it. The old tech use to come to my house and listen and get the problem fixed. I never had this much problems until this new guy came. NSM needs to get the old people back and get id of this new guy. I will be takeing my chair somewhere else with better customer service and with a ATP that knows what they are doing.. He gave me his card and said he would get back with me havent head from him or that rude office worker in 2 months. STAY AWAY FROM NSM IN MOBILE, AL AND IN MISSISSIPPI. IF COILIN SPETH CALLS YOU FROM NSM HE DOES NOT HAVE THE EXPERIENCE. GO TO ANOTHER COMPANY..HE SUCKS!
Nayional Seating and Mobikity of Lombard truly is not customer focussed .. my wife was supposed to get her wheelchair within 2 months of ordering (non-motorized) .. it is now going on 4 months do to NSM not scheduling with the patient, then they said they wouldn't come to the rehab center she was working with .. Dave has called and rescheduled a few times.. and we are hoping to get it next week. My wife is starting to use a walker and we have to wonder why there was no sense of urgency to get her the chair she had a copay of $700 to pay? Also for all the hoopla of them being customer focused I find them less than reasonable in even attempting to go the extra mile. If I had to say anything I would duggest finding another source for your mobility needs!
I have same problems with NSM of Madison, WI. The receptionist is a real piece of work and bald face liar. The arrogance of this company is unmatched. The problem is they are about the only game in town.
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I have the same problems with n, s&m in Lombard, il. I have a manual wheelchair that the front coaster wheels would come off the rims when you hit a bump. It took 1 month to get the new wheels and the same thing happened to the replacements, now they tell me they will call me back and they never did.
The one bad thing about these complaint boards are you only hear one side of the story. I cannot not say who is not telling the whole truth but one of the complaintains is really stretching the truth. Some clients are very forgetful, combative, untruthful and of course we cannot call them on it because they are a client. We do not have to stand for all the abuse, they will be hung up on if they get loud or abusive on the phone. NSM keeps very good notes of every phone call and visit where the client has a compaint. This is to cover their ###. They are there to help people. The people i used to work with are very compasionate, loved doing what they do. Anyone reading these compaints have no idea what the company has to go through to get the insurance to pay for something the client needs. Every piece of equipement has to be justified before any insurace will pay for it. They get denials every day. Not the comapies fault, it's the fault of money hungry insurance companies.
So please, before you take sides you have to remember, there are 2 sides to every story.
Since we talk my status has change thank to you it now moving forward my status is in step 3 where the insurance is looking at no problem at this present time but will keep you posted if needed thank you tammy howze