RASCAL POWER WHEELCHAIR

We were taken in by the TV and magazine ads for the Rascal wheel chairs. My husband's doctor approved one and Medicare paid for it. For a year now we've been fighting with Electric Mobility about the defective tires on the chair. We've had to replace the tires and tubes on the chair - some of the tubes were sent by the company after many phone calls - but they all proved to be defective, too. After writing the BBB in New Jersey, they sent
out a new set of tires - the same kind we had. These were shipped back at our expense and they sent foam-filled tires - these were 10" tires and the chair takes 12 1/2" ones. More phone calls and they sent another set of foam-filled tires - these are 14" - neither of these will fit the chair. Phone calls to them got nasty and a technician hung up on my husband, who has become very agitated over this. Another customer service person - Carol - told me we were not to have any further contact with them over the phone, as we had contacted the BBB and I said I was writing the Attorney General in NJ. We have asked them to just take the chair back and refund Medicare the $5300 they received for it. They said they would not do this.

My husband is disabled and neither he nor I are capable of always putting on new tires and tubes on this chair. To get their 1 service person in this area to come out is $45.00 each time. The battery charger went out on the chair several months ago and had to be replaced - they paid for that, but we still had to pay the service man for coming out. The tire problem began right after we got the chair - once it blew out in the carport in the early morning hours. Now that the chair is a year old, and the warranty is over, they won't even talk to us.
But this problem began during the warranty period, and if they can't satisfy us, we would be happy if they just took the chair back.

I need to say that we live in a senior mobile home park and the chair has never been anywhere except on new asphalt streets and sidewalks. It has not been over any rough terrain.

I would suggest to anyone that they don't deal with TV ads and
out of state firms - deal with someone locally who can be of service to you.

We are holding 2 sets of tires now that don't fit the chair - if
we don't return them they will be billing us for $400 each set.
They don't reimburse for UPS shipping, either, and they said they would - I sent the receipt for the 1st incorrect set they shipped and did not receive payment as promised.

We just want this miserable piece of equipment out of our lives and feel it is a shame that Medicare is being taken advantage of the way this company is doing. Medicare should be reimbursed for defective equipment sent to disabled and handicapped people like my husband. He can't handle the stress this has caused him.

Thank you - can you help?


Henre Ette Draper