Stannah stairlifts and similar
Discussion
My parents have decided to have a stairlift installed and have done the obvious thing and had a Stannah rep round. Is it a good company to use, and is there anything we need to know about stairlifts in general?
Based on nothing at all I was wondering whether Stannah is anything like those windows firms where they quote a ridiculous price and there’s a lot of room for negotiation.
Based on nothing at all I was wondering whether Stannah is anything like those windows firms where they quote a ridiculous price and there’s a lot of room for negotiation.
Voldemort said:
I had to remove the one my Aunt had installed in her house after she died and before we sold the property. It cost the same as a small car to install and I got £20 quid for it.
I had the same issue, no one wanted it. Ended up removing it myself and got the local scrap man to collect it.They work and the service call out is good ( but they have had to come back a few times having not fixed the issue.
The main issue my parents have had is batteries which only last a few years.
A straight run is simple anything curved is " custom ".
If you need a straight run you can likely find it on eBay but maintainance is vital as if it goes wrong they can't get up / down stairs
The main issue my parents have had is batteries which only last a few years.
A straight run is simple anything curved is " custom ".
If you need a straight run you can likely find it on eBay but maintainance is vital as if it goes wrong they can't get up / down stairs
We went with a local company https://prioritystairlifts.co.uk/ for my dad. Can't recommend them enough, bought a reconditioned one at a fraction of the cost of Stannah.
Had it for about 10 years now and only had one minor problem and they came out the same day to solve it.
Had it for about 10 years now and only had one minor problem and they came out the same day to solve it.
oblio said:
We used a local indie for one for us and also for my FiL. He is based in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
OP It might help if you say where your parents live so you may get some personal recommendations.
Good point. They’re on the Greater Manchester/Cheshire border. OP It might help if you say where your parents live so you may get some personal recommendations.
Many thanks for all the replies it’s useful stuff. I’m looking into local companies as I get the impression they’re less expensive.
I have been in the business (in UK and North America) for a long time.
There are pros and cons to dealing with the manufacturer versus a retailer.
Pros for manufacturer are price flexibility, widespread geographic coverage, unlimited access to parts and product familiarity. Cons are - not all manufacturers look after their customers well, once they've got your money. Stannah, in my experience have more integrity than all of the others. Some will harass customers to purchase worthless service contracts and extended warranty.
Pros for retailer are local service availability and general willingness to help in a crisis. Cons are - more expensive, reliant on manufacturers (who they compete with) to supply tech support and parts back-up and sometimes patchy expertise and quality of work.
I have no connection or particular affinity to Stannah, but in the UK, they are probably the safest (but not cheapest) option.
Is this for a straight staircase, or does it change direction at any point?
There are pros and cons to dealing with the manufacturer versus a retailer.
Pros for manufacturer are price flexibility, widespread geographic coverage, unlimited access to parts and product familiarity. Cons are - not all manufacturers look after their customers well, once they've got your money. Stannah, in my experience have more integrity than all of the others. Some will harass customers to purchase worthless service contracts and extended warranty.
Pros for retailer are local service availability and general willingness to help in a crisis. Cons are - more expensive, reliant on manufacturers (who they compete with) to supply tech support and parts back-up and sometimes patchy expertise and quality of work.
I have no connection or particular affinity to Stannah, but in the UK, they are probably the safest (but not cheapest) option.
Is this for a straight staircase, or does it change direction at any point?
Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area said:
There’s at least one change of direction. The quote from Stannah is £7k which my parents are fine with, but as a layman it seems to be a lot.
So is the recommendation a curved rail lift, or two straight ones, with the user transferring from one to the other at the turn?GBP7k sounds too cheap for a curve....
Had a reconditioned Acorn stairlift installed and purchased for my mother 2 years ago. £1700. A year and a half later she's in a nursing home and they are coming to remove it and take it away tomorrow. For this they will give me £340. So total cost for 1.5 years everyday usage was £1360. Bit of a bargain I reckon.
Matt Harper said:
So is the recommendation a curved rail lift, or two straight ones, with the user transferring from one to the other at the turn?
GBP7k sounds too cheap for a curve....
I don’t know the details but I’ll find out when I visit them on Wednesday. They didn’t mention having to transfer though and as my dad has only the one leg these days doing so would make life a bit difficult for him GBP7k sounds too cheap for a curve....
Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area said:
I don’t know the details but I’ll find out when I visit them on Wednesday. They didn’t mention having to transfer though and as my dad has only the one leg these days doing so would make life a bit difficult for him
More than happy to offer unbiased advice - but a custom curve - even a basic L-shape 90 degree bend is typically in region of GBP11,500. Stannah's curved unit is a twin rail system, called a 260. It is an older design, but is reliable, quiet and aesthetically inoffensive. Acorn's is a modular system that is cheaper - but being made up from lots of small rail parts, the ride is less reassuring and their after sale performance is shockingly awful. Companion/Handicare offers 2 curved lifts H4000 - a Stannah 260 knock-off and Freecurve, which is a very elegant single tube system. Thyssen also offer a single tube system in UK, which looks to be a good product also.If it's a straight rail system - they're all pretty good these days. A straight without any fancy add-ons, shouldn't cost more than GBP3,750.
Pre-owned/reconditioned lifts are not typically offered by manufacturers - and only modular lifts are possible for a staircase that changes direction.
Be mindful that there is a LOT of profit opportunity in this business - particularly in the used sector - so negotiate aggressively and research your suppliers thoroughly. There are a lot of people in the business who absolutely should not be....
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