I get asked this question a lot! Should I take out insurance cover on my stairlift. Should I try and get it covered on my home content insurance or find an insurance company that underwrites mobility products.

Should you take out any cover at all? Well some people seem to stroll along through life with no complications and never seem to have any bad luck with items they purchase. Unlike myself! No matter what I buy even if it’s the dearest item in the shop sure as day follows night I guarantee it will break. (Normally just out of the guarantee period) So if you are one of them people like me. I highly recommend some type of insurance policy be taken out.

Chairlift breakdowns can be costly as well as inconvenient: Most chairlift companies will offer you an annual stairlift maintenance contract once your warranty has elapsed. The initial train of thought on discovering the price of these annual service contracts is to wave them goodbye.

Lets take a quick look at the Pro’s & Con’s: The best solution would be to have a chairlift maintenance contract with the company you purchased the chairlift from. The plus side! Local Engineer on call, Van stocked with spare parts, In-house trained on the products they install service and repair. A quick simple phone call should have you up and running in no time.

The Downside: Tied into a 12 month contract, Expensive 350-500 per year (none refundable) Depending on the service contract you take out parts might not be covered or limited (Always read the small print)

Home Insurance: It’s down to You to locate a company that will be willing to attend. If it’s late at night not much chance of that happening unless you are on their books so to speak. You will still need to find the cash to pay for the repair and call-out charge and then claim this back through your insurance company (This could take Months)

C’mon when you need to use a stairlift you need to use it NOW. The last thing you need to be doing is scanning through the telephone book. Phoning company after company who all seem to use a telephone answering service. Ever made an appointment with a company that never turned up! I have many times, back to square one best get the phone book out again.

In a nutshell any type of cover is better than no cover. If you want hassle free service and don’t mind the hefty price tag your options are simple. If you are on a limited budget then home insurance could be better than no insurance. Insurance companies that insure mobility products should have a private contractor or stairlift company who attends emergency call-outs on their behalf etc.

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