Stairlift Warranty

Purchasing a stairlift is a big investment for most people and it certainly pays to ensure that you’re getting the right level of after-sales support. At Shire Mobility, we can help you every step of the way to assist you with getting the best stairlift for you, your home and your budget. Of course, it is fair to say that modern stairlifts are extremely well-engineered but it is definitely worth understanding how you are covered should there be an issue with your stairlift.

When you’re choosing a stairlift it is advisable to determine what cover the manufacturer will provide once it has been installed. It can be worth noting that many stairlift manufacturers offer a 12-month warranty as standard. However, you may also find certain manufacturers may offer a 24 month warranty for certain models so it is well worth checking this. When you’re close to a shortlist of say two stairlifts it is advisable to ask to see what these warranties actually cover.

A warranty as such is a guarantee by the manufacturer that its stairlift and its components will be manufactured and operate to specified standards. If they fail or are deemed “not fit for purpose” within the warranty period they should be replaced or repaired free of charge. However, this is where checking the small print can be useful. For instance, what items aren’t covered under the ‘wear and tear’, and is there a charge to have a part refitted? Particular attention should be paid to the high-ticket components that can cost a lot to replace. Examples of these include the motor gearbox and rechargeable batteries.

Finally, it is worth checking what stipulations the manufacturer places on who can install their product. It is well worth checking that the company or engineers that you are purchasing the stairlift from are approved by the manufacturer to install the stairlift. Failure to use an approved installer could very likely void your manufacturer’s warranty.

Extended Warranty Cover vs Stairlift Maintenance Agreement

When you come to the end of your warranty you will need to consider what course of action you wish to take next. You frequently will have choices. You can consider what the manufacturer will offer – an extended stairlift warranty. You may also have the option of considering what the supplier who installed the stairlift can provide – a stairlift maintenance contract or agreement.

A stairlift extended warranty will frequently be offered by the manufacturer at a point close to when your standard warranty is about to expire and the length will often be about 3-5 years. It is well worth checking what is included in the stairlift warranty quote provided. You may find that these manufacturer warranties have an implicit level of servicing that has to be undertaken by a certified servicer. So if you don’t have a service plan with them, you will need this to be in place for the warranty cover not to be voided.

You may also wish to scrutinise the callout cover that is provided. You may want to clarify what happens in an out-of-hours emergency. Are there any minimum service level response times that they adhere to?

Maintenance Contracts

As mentioned, this is cover provided by the installer of your stairlift and will frequently have different levels of cover based on what is covered in the contract, the level of on-going planned maintenance calls and call out response times for reactive work in the event of an emergency.

‘What is best for me?’

So the decision is very much yours. We would recommend that prospective or existing clients conduct their own research and reach their own decisions as to what after-sales cover they are comfortable with and who provides it for them.

Different people will have different attitudes to the level of risk that they are happy to be exposed to and thus the level of cover they feel they wish to pay. However, we’ll be more than happy to explain how we can be of assistance in greater detail if you wish by just calling us, visiting one of our branches or contacting us on our contact form.