# Acorn stair lifts



## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

Have had several quotes for stair lifts and Acorn seems like a good deal. Does anyone have any experience of this company and products


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

I've recently had to arrange for a stairlift to be installed for my 93 year old mum. We had to get it installed at very short notice to enable her to come home from a spell in hospital.  We had three companies quote and ended up going with one who were able to install a second hand Acorn stairlift. 

It came with a full 12 month guarantee and, crucially in our case, they were able to install it within a couple of days. The lift does have a couple of small age related marks on it but works perfectly and worked out at around 1/2 of the cost of a new one!

In our case it was a straight staircase. If you need a lift for a staircase with turns in it then the rail will have to be shaped specifically for your stairs so a second hand one may not be possible. Although it may be worth asking whether a second hand "carriage" (the seat bit) could be supplied.


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## blondel (Jun 12, 2005)

We too managed to buy a 2nd hand stairlift from Acorn. That was in 2008 and it is still going strong! Can't now remember what we paid but it was about half of the price of a new one


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Ignore large National firms and speak to your local disabled shops who often have 2nd hand lifts


Two years ago I had the hard sell from Stannah and Acorn wanting 3 to 4 thousand for a simple straight lift, spoke to a local firm which resulted in a £750 supplied / fitted with 12 warranty
Saved 90 yr old mother in law a packet.:smile2:


tony


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Another approach is to speak to your local authority social services and/or housing dept.
Local authorities install lots of stairlifts into rented premises for tenants and often have to remove them again when the tenant goes into a care home. Usually they are returned to the installers and re-sold after refurbishing. They may be aware of one which is due for removal that will suit your home.

Acorn are a fairly well established maker and you shouldn't experience any problems from them.
Stannah are the market leaders but tend to be a bit more pricey.
As others have said, a great deal depends on the layout of your stairs, if they're a straight run then you should find a used or refurbished example easily, any other layout will probably mean that you have to buy a custom installation.


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## emmbeedee (Oct 31, 2008)

We had to have a stairlift installed last year for my wife, due to her ever increasing mobility problems from MS. We ended up with a new Stannah, as she decided she wanted new & not second hand. Second-hand ones are not difficult to find (plenty on e-bay) but if you don't have straight stairs you pretty well have to go new, as the chances of finding a matching staircase are slim. If you look for SH, make sure you get the correct hand as RH & LH are not interchangeable. 
We needed a hinged lower section so as not to block the hallway & that about doubled the price! As it happened, I found a second-hand Stannah (with a hinge) locally for £250, as opposed to near 2 grand for the new one. Never mind, OH wanted new so that's what we got.
It is quite possible to fit them yourself if you are good at DIY, the second-hand Stannah I found had been installed by the guy selling it.
We had ours installed by a company called Liftability who I can recommend. We got a list of recommended installers from the local OT dept. & they were on that, as well as having another recommendation for them from somewhere else.
We did contact Acorn & Stannah direct as well. Stannah were not a problem but Acorn proved to be a right PITA, once they had our number numerous calls followed. Fortunately our system of managing phone calls meant we weren't too bothered by them but they don't give up. Acorn also sell under another name, Companion, & they were a pain as well with repeated phone calls.
Another thing to mention with Acorn is that some years ago they had a problem with faulty welding of the seat frame, with a number of accidents following. They were having the frames welded in Taiwan & apparently not very well. This should not be a problem on new ones but if you go for a second hand one make sure the seat has been replaced. There was a recall at the time but just as well to be forewarned & check for yourself.


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