The Scooter Store LIARS, INSURANCE FRAUD New Braunsfels, TX Texas

I used to work out of their distribution center and ended up resigning for not feeling comfortable with their aggressive business model.  They do have a well deserved reputation of being the "McDonalds" of the medical equipment industry and labeled a wheelchair factory, having the spreadsheets make near all their decisions for them, as I've witnessed their level of customer service go from great to not so great in certain regards. And I agree with the previous commenter that the papers get thoroughly investigated by many departments before being approved for a delivery.  And I've handled many Medicare audits at a local level and everything they're looking for has always been in order.  BUT...if Medicare was to do some random customer visits, I have no doubt they would find some people with powerchairs who don't need them b/c all the employees are pressured to deliver and the sales dept will always push back aggressively if a field employee denies a delivery b/c he sees first hand how well the person is walking around.  I've personally denied delivery to some customers b/c I found there are a few who will see if they can get one b/c they don't have a car and only want to use it to get around their neighborhood (their admission after my extensive drilling of questions about their walking abilities).  When my manager told me to re-deliver b/c sales stated they spoke with the customer and the customer said they do truly need the powerchair (what do you think they're going to say??), I told them I didn't feel comfortable doing it b/c of what I saw and heard on my original visit.  Well, the manager would get another employee to do the delivery and I would be marked as someone with a poor attitude.  All managers and now even the field employees are pressured for productivity numbers, referrals, and customer phones and doctor offices are called and asked many times by multiple employees for referrals and upsales.  Does bad service happen from every location?  I don't believe so - it all depends on the location manager, his management and training style, and the quality of hiring they do for each location.  Corporate office is mainly concerned with good spreadsheets and will only question a location manager if an escalated issue comes up.  Is the Scooter Store a good company with good employees?  For the most part, yes.  I only fault upper management for encouraging a high pressure environment, supporting people with big egos, title envy, and personal agendas that leads some individuals to do the wrong thing and could eventually get the entire company in hot water if Medicare decided to do some aggressive customer audits at their homes.

I am a nurse and used to review the files to be sure they complied with Medicare guidelines, AND that the doctor had documented everything according to Medicare guidelines, AND that the submitted documentation indicated that the client did actually need the unit. In actuality, Medicare DOES have the right to know if you can manage a manual wheelchair. If you expect them to pay for a device you and your doctor say you need, then they have the right to determine that you actually DO need it. If you can use a manual wheelchair, you DON'T need a power wheelchair. It would be nice, but "want" is a lot different than "need". In the second place, Medicare only pays for power wheel chairs if they are NEEDED INSIDE THE HOME TO HELP WITH ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (making meals/eating, getting to the bathroom, being able to access clothing, etc.) Shopping, housecleaning, laundry are NOT "activities of daily living" as defined by the medical community & Medicare - that is, you won't die if you can't do laundry or clean your house. You CAN die if you can't eat, or if you can't keep yourself clean & keep yourself properly clothed for the seasons. Therefore, if you don't need it inside the house, Medicare won't pay for it. It is NEED vs WANT. There are people who NEED those chairs to be able to get to the kitchen to feed themselves, get to the bathroom, etc. I for one am GLAD that Medicare has those guidelines, I am paying too much money in taxes for programs for people who really don't NEED help anyway. And I am FAST not being able to afford that anymore. That being said, I know for a fact that if the Scooter Store can push the limit & sell Medicare a power wheelchair instead of a power scooter, they're going to do it. If it's a question of "maybe", they'll side with the power wheelchair every time. Just makes good business sense. BUT, I also know that some people will be extremely unsafe in a scooter. It only has 3 wheels instead of 4, which makes it a bit less steady, and if someone has lower body issues, getting off and on around that fixed tiller steering system is almost impossible. People have tipped it over just trying to get on! And there are LOTS of other scenarios that just make a scooter less safe and inappropriate for some. But just reading your story, I'm guessing your doctor said you need it for inside - what you do with it AFTER you get it is your business. It was MADE for indoor use, and that's that. I was fired from the Scooter Store, by the way, I wasn't told why - but I think I asked too may questions & dug a little too deep for the "medical necessity" documentation.....they have a sort-of "don't ask, don't tell" kind of attitude. I liked the job itself, just didn't like somebody higher up making a "business decision" to override the medical one. Kinda glad I'm gone now....

Obviously there is another side to this story that you are not telling. Did you abuse the chair by only using it outside? If so, Medicare will not pay for the repair. The Scooter Store went out of their way to help friends of mine get power wheelchairs even when I didn't think they would qualify. When their chair needed repair, they even loaned them a chair at no charge until they could get the needed repair parts. Another friend has a chair from another company that requires you to bring the chair to them for repair. If they could do that they wouldn't need the chair!! The scooter store sends repairmen right to your home to fix the chair. If you did have a problem with your local store, don't knock the entire company. Again, there is something to your story that you are not telling, or that you don't understand.

I am so sorry to hear about your sad dealings with the scooter store. I own a medical equipment store and I get so angry everytime I hear how the scooter store doesn't take care of their customers.

I keep looking, but I cannot find the authority anywhere in the US Constitution for using my tax dollars to purchase anything for you. If your self paid Insurance wants to supply you with something, fine. Medicare has been a disaster since it's inception,d when these chairs came into being, it just s****.>

I own my own sort of scooter store but I do not sell their chaies because they are the junkiest on the market. You are entitled to a new chair from Medicare every 5 years if you need one. Also you can contact medicare with complaints and they will MAKE Scooter store fix it or replace it. Good Luck

A couple of years ago I went thru the same issue with our local scooter store, once ordered they then said medicare refused to pay even though they did not. So my surgery was put on hold and I had to begin at another store. It cost me several months of pain and frustration! i know how difficlt it is to find out something you need so badly is not working. They charge a fortune for them, so you might want to see if you can find a used one, or a good manual one. Good luck.

Cat