Acorn Stairlifts Reviews
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About Acorn Stairlifts
Acorn Stairlifts offers several stair lift models to fit different staircases and needs. The company’s FastTrack installation process gets your stair lift installed in a few hours, and its comprehensive warranty helps keep it running when you need it. Stair lifts from Acorn are available nationwide and in 80 countries around the world.
- Several models to fit different needs
- Modular rail system enables quick installation
- No structural changes required for installation
- Comprehensive extended warranty
- Nationwide availability
- Some complaints of product malfunctions
- A few reports of slow or delayed service
Acorn Stairlifts Reviews
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Reviewed Sept. 7, 2018
Each time the stairlift starts, there is a loud, high-pitched whistle which can be heard for about 20 feet away. This lasts for 2 seconds, which is enough to waken anyone trying to sleep. This partially negates the benefits of this stairlift. We did contact Acorn, and they did send a technician. He said there was nothing he could do to silence the whistle. My feeling is that there is some connection that needs to be cut to cancel the whistle.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2018
We installed an Acorn stairlift in July, 2017. Just before the one year warranty was up, the lift stopped halfway up the stairs with my son on it. We were able to get it restarted, and called for service right away. A technician came out and checked the parts and told us our unit was in good shape. In the last few weeks this has happened twice more. The warranty has expired and the company is trying to sell us a one year extended warranty for $800. This is ridiculous. The unit cost $7,000. I would think it should last longer than a year. We will not be buying the warranty and would like to sell it back to the company. The quality of this product is a major disappointment. Frustrated in PA.
Updated review: Aug. 31, 2018
At 9:00 am this morning (Friday) a repair person showed up at my mom's house. During the visit, I received a call from a supervisor at Acorn. He told me that he had reviewed the phone conversation I had with their customer service representative and told me that it was unacceptable. He apologized and provided me with his direct number. After a three-hour visit, the Chairlift is working well. Upon concluding my conversation with the supervisor, I do believe that my experience was with Acorn was reflective of a poorly trained employee and not the company as a whole.
Original Review: Aug. 31, 2018
Do not buy a chair from this company. We paid them $11,000 for a lift for my 87 year old mother so she could stay in her house. Her bedroom is upstairs. Her kitchen and living space are downstairs. The lift is about 6 months old and today, Thursday her lift completely stopped working while she was upstairs in her bedroom. We called Acorn and they told us they could not send anyone out until Thursday. We explained that our 87 year old mom was stuck upstairs in her bedroom with her kitchen being downstairs. Their answer was that they are not an emergency service and that our mom will have to wait upstairs for 5 days until they can get to her house.
Really? They serve a disabled customer base and they are not an emergency Service? The really disturbing thing is that they could not care less that an 87 year old woman will be stuck in her room. Acorn does not care about the people who keep them in business. There are a lot of stair lift companies out there. Stay away from Acorn and look a company that cares more about its customers than it does the money it pumps out of them for a product and Service that clearly is unreliable and uncaring.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2018
I paid $800 for their PREMIUM maintenance agreement. This guarantees me 24-48 hr to get a tech to the house. NOT! It's Thursday today and they said someone will be out in 8 days. Are they crazy?! I had to remind them I bought the highest level of service agreement. "Ok, we can have someone out on Tuesday". What?! That is 5 days from now. You can plead, argue, beg and it won't do a darn bit of good. They told me today there is a disclosure in the agreement that says "or soonest availability". Shame on your Acorn Stairlift. Shame on you!
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018
As a health care provider, I have referred 6 people to Acorn. All 6 people have gotten an Acorn Stairlift and could not be happier. I also had an Acorn 180 installed for my husband who is suffering with M.S. My parents had an Acorn Stairlift installed about 20 years ago. They have since passed, however, the stairlift remains in their home and functional as I know the new owners. As I read some of these reviews, I am wondering how many are factual. I have been dealing with Acorn for a very long time and I have never had an issue whatsoever. I remember my parents having a service issue, but was resolved within a day and a half. I highly recommend this company.
Reviewed July 21, 2018
This is NOT a company you want to buy a stairlift from. From the moment it was installed we had to modify the staircase (at our expense) and the company wanted the entire cost immediately. They will service the unit after one year for $0, BUT wait when they are done they'll do their best to sell you an annual service agreement. This agreement will run you $595.00 per year for a $0 unscheduled call out and includes very little. Their customer service is great, if you're giving them money, but otherwise this company could care less if your loved one can get up and down the steps. Please read some of the other reviews. There are other companies out there that can and will install a chairlift.
I regret ever using this company and at least I have a relative who know how to fix it. Part only $120.00 I need... btw this part that broke after less than 23 months is the arm rest. Completely broke off when getting into chair almost throwing me (72 years old) down the staircase. This chairlift is suppose to be for 300 pounds plus and I weigh 264 pounds.
Reviewed July 2, 2018
Do you want to experience the worst customer service? Use Acorn! Acorn doesn't provide service and "customer service" is not something they believe in. I signed up for a promotion and was assured 5 times I qualified and would receive my promotional bonus and two months later they state I am not eligible and will do nothing to work with me. They reiterate their policy, which states it isn't guaranteed, but had not communicated anything to me and I am beyond unsatisfied with the company.
Reviewed June 30, 2018
Acorn Stairlifts can install a new chairlift tomorrow! But when it breaks, they can't fix it for a week. PLEASE! Do yourself and your loved ones a favor - DON'T BUY AN ACORN STAIRLIFT! It is not at all the solution it was promised to be. The company will tell you that they are the largest supplier of stairlifts in the country. That may be true, but all that means is that there are a LOT of suckers out there with stairlifts that may or may not work. Because of our situation, we settle for what we are told is "the best". The "best" is so far below "acceptable" that I can't even believe that this company is still in business. I guess we will settle for anything when it comes to our loved ones. But it is so frustrating to be the sucker who fell for this scam - at my age. I am just a family caregiver, and I want the "best" for my loved one. Acorn Stairlifts professes to provide an essential service for which there is no substitution, and when service is required, they do not provide it.
We are a family of engineers. We can pretty much fix anything around the house that breaks. So when the brand new stairlift failed with my father sitting on it, we assumed we could look in the manual for help. If I have room here, I will paste a copy of the "Troubleshooting" page of the manual. For a good, albeit very frustrating, laugh. The manual lists some possible malfunctions then recommends a specific corrective action. If you take the time to look at all the problems, they all have basically the same remedy. Unplug the machine for 30 seconds. If that doesn't work, call their service department. Which we did.
The service department told us that they would not have a technician available for at least a week. Assuming my loved one could drag his 200 lb. body up 2 flights of stairs, this is what they would have us do. If we could do that, we wouldn't have bought the "top-of-the-line" largest selling model they offer. I guess that is why I have to wait a week to get a technician over here. There are a LOT of crappy Acorn stairlifts that need to be fixed. We all wished we had just sold this house and purchased a single story house instead of buying the stairlift. What good is this stairlift if we can't use it? Save yourselves money and peace-of-mind and find a 1 story house. Even if you rent, you are still in better shape.
Reviewed June 25, 2018
It will be 1 year since we had the straight stairlift installed (July 4, 2017) and already I have had at least 2 annoying phone calls from what sounded like a hard-selling car salesperson - selling us to buy service/maintenance service for the stair lift. We clean the railings periodically regularly, it is used once a day - going up at night and going down in the morning. I was 'warned' that if I do not buy into the service (not clearly identified as an annual service maintenance fee) we will lose warranty on all of its parts! The woman salesperson tried to impress me that there are ** number of moving parts comprising a stairlift and was really giving me a very hard sell (she reminded me of car salespersons) to buy the service contract. Eventually, I blocked her from my landline and my cellphone... as I cannot deal with the pressure of her sales talk.
Am giving it 2 stars. The chair works fine... and with the 'frequency' with which it is being used currently, I doubt if it will conk out or need repairs a year after it was installed? Otherwise, it must be a lemon? A friend recommended Acorn as he had one installed for his wife who needed to tackle 2 sets of stairs. We have one with 12 steps... If not for the hard sell on the service which the saleslady would not quote to me... I would have given it a passing grade. I will NOT recommend to my friends.
Reviewed June 15, 2018
First off don't ever buy when they come to your home, they will call you the next day and offer you the same product for thousands less. If you don't buy they will call you constantly for years!! How is this legal? Even when you ask them to stop, they keep calling. The "warranty" is a joke. It's only lifetime if you pay for a $250 annual inspection plus labor, and other charges. Very deceptive business practices, stay away.
Reviewed May 11, 2018
Worst decision ever, installing an Acorn Stairlift! Unless you pay for the YEARLY $750 maintenance plan, you will pay $250 up front for them just to come over, and then I think $250 hourly after that. We are on our third set of batteries in three years - They should last at least that long to begin with! We just had new ones installed in December, and here we are five months later with dead batteries again and my 93 year old deaf/blind mother stuck upstairs!
Of course, most people who purchase a stairlift in the first place are elderly, disabled, on fixed incomes, and don't necessarily just have this cash in their back pockets. I don't know if the other chairlift companies are this crooked, and I sure wish we'd done our homework first. We only went Acorn because of their "sweet" commercials and the only ones we'd ever heard of anyway. So shame on us for not looking into them on websites like this for reviews, but hopefully this can save someone else a few headaches.
Reviewed May 8, 2018
I purchased the Acorn Stairlift approximately two years ago. We asked the installer that we wanted it installed on the other side of the stairs, but installer insisted that it would not work on that side of the stairs which it was a straight stairs with no turns, this did not make sense to me but had to accept his position. About a month ago, the seat cracked and I called Acorn and wanted to order a replacement seat due to this one was cracked on the edge. Acorn advised that they could not sell me a seat directly due to a liability problem they would have if it was not replaced by an Acorn installer. I asked what liability problem they have had. I did not get an answer, but Acorn would not sell me a replacement seat that has five screws holding it to the frame. I can't see paying Acorn $150.00 for a service call and the cost of the seat, that would take approximately 5 minutes to change. Very sad Company.
Reviewed April 18, 2018
After 4 months, the stairlift installed in my friend's home is still not approved by the inspector. Appointments are constantly changed and delayed. The price was substantially higher than what was advertised. Because there were two turns in the staircase, I thought the price was probably ok. I could have lived with the overcharge on the price if the installation had been accomplished and my friend could use it. The sales person came out in mid-December. I got a call at the beginning of January to set up the installation, but installation wasn't scheduled until February. I was told that we had to wait for the inspector, but the first inspection appointment was scheduled out almost 5 weeks. Then it was cancelled 5 minutes before the inspector was supposed to be there. Acorn blamed the state inspector, but when the inspection was rescheduled 3 weeks later, the inspector actually had no record of a prior service call.
When the inspector finally came, it seems that the Acorn tech broke the electronic remote system by putting too much weight on the seat. He couldn't get it to work and told me that I needed to call and make another appointment. I did within 30 minutes of the inspector and him leaving. I read the repair order written by the Acorn tech. After much browbeating, I got an appointment 3 days later. That was rescheduled for more than a week later. Then the new appointment was rescheduled 3 times during the day. The person Acorn sent out hadn't been told what the issues were, so he was unprepared. He did what he could, but told me the tech that was there on the day of inspection was the only one who could fix the remote and should have done so. So the tech who was there 10 days ago is coming to fix what he broke. Run the other way.
Reviewed April 6, 2018
I bought a lift for my mom. First the price is unreal, way too high. Talked me into buying a extended warranty. Was told it would only take 2-3 hours to install. They sent an guy from sales to install. It took him 7 hours to install. Less then two months after it was installed it stopped working. I called Acorn, was told I had to pay $500 out of pocket up front before the would sent out someone to look at the chair. He would look at the lift and order parts. Then I would have to pay another $500 for him to come back out and fix the chair lift. That the warranty just paid for parts. The $500 service fee plus the fee to work on the chair lift was not covered. And had to be paid up front.
Reviewed March 29, 2018
Last January I referred a friend of mine to buy Acorn stairlift, after she bought it, I called for my referral check of $200 and was told it would take 4 to 7 weeks. It has been over 2 months, so I called again and they are giving me the runaround telling me they tried to contact the person I recommended, but are unable to reach her to confirm my referral. I doubt they ever intended to pay me.
Reviewed March 28, 2018
My husband was having ankle surgery and had a heart attack a couple years ago so we decided to have a stairlift installed so he would eventually be able to get to his office downstairs. A lady from Acorn Stair Lifts came and measured and led us to believe the track would be not flush but close to the wall so others could walk up and down the stairs without concern. We had to put five hundred dollars down for this and did while trusting this woman's evaluation for us. A guy came to install it and informed us it would have to come further out practically to the middle of the stair. No way!!! So we did not let him install it and told him we wanted our five hundred dollars back.
It has been exhausting trying to communicate with this business who misled us in the initial assessment of how it would be installed. Today one of their representatives argued and argued about why they would not refund us but then said they would minus what they paid for a permit. People - PLEASE do not get caught in this web of deceit as we did. It was NOT our fault that the woman who came first did not let us know the track would end up nearly in the middle of our stairs. Not only is this not safe for adults but certainly not for ten grandchildren that are up and down this stairs. I hope everyone who is thinking of getting a stair lift will read our story. It is SO wrong that we have had to fight to get our five hundred back when it was the woman's fault it did not work out.
Reviewed March 26, 2018
These guys are sweetest salespeople before they sell you the chairlift which is generally priced minimum twice (They claim they are the best and therefore sell the most). Don't get taken for that sales jargon. Once you bought it forget about everything. Be prepared to open your wallet for everything. Carefully evaluate the contract before you purchase and if you do end up paying anything more than $3K even for 2 90 degree bends in your chair rail make sure you ask them to provide PM contract for minimum 5 years preferably 10 years (for both parts and labor) otherwise be prepared to fork out as much as 10%+ purchase price for annual maintenance contract.
Reviewed March 2, 2018
My mother originally scheduled an appointment with Acorn Stairlifts to install a stairlift system for my ailing father. The appointment was scheduled for 4:30PM so she had time to get home from work to meet with the consultant as my dad had been very unwell and not in a state to make financial decisions and she made it clear when scheduling the appointment that both of them would be there. The day of the appointment, she ran about 15 minutes behind because of a delay picking up a prescription for my dad from the pharmacy, and in the 15 minutes it took her to get home by 4:45PM the consultant Mike ** had already completed a contract with my dad and processed their credit card.
The day of the appointment, my dad had been having severe problems maintaining his blood sugar level, so he was very mentally out of it and nearly passed out earlier in the day - he was in no way of sound mind to be committing to a contract himself and this should have been evident to anyone coming into the home. When she arrived at 4:45PM and found that an order had already been processed, she asked Mike to put the order on hold so she could review everything first because of the mental state of my dad. He was immediately defensive questioning why she would want to review the purchase and said there was no way to cancel the order because it had already been processed. He was very rude and tried to pit my dad against my mom, who was becoming upset because she wanted to double check the order. Mike told her the only way to cancel the order was to call the corporate office the next day.
He did not explain to her the 3-day notice for cancellation and did not complete the form on the back of the contract - she asked about the notice of cancellation form as she has completed in-home purchases before and she knows it is her right. Mike said there was no form and again told her she could not cancel the order at that time. The next day when she called to cancel she had tell 2-3 people that she was not interested in the purchase, that the consultant made her uncomfortable and she needed a different kind of lift they did not offer. The final manager she spoke to basically told her she should take another couple of days to wait to cancel and my dad didn't need the equipment that they didn't offer - he wanted her to wait until past her 3-days so she could not get her deposit back.
Finally after threatening to get her lawyer involved, they canceled the order. They provided a confirmation number of the cancel, but did not issue the refund of the $1000 deposit on her credit card. My brother had to call 2 more times on her behalf to get them to actually process the refund even though she cancelled within 24 hours of the original purchase. It took almost a month to get the charge canceled even when she disputed the charge on her credit card. My dad passed away on 2/14/18, so we were dealing with this mess in the middle of trying to handle his death at the hospital.
This company took advantage of my very ill father the day of the sale, treated my mother rudely when she called them out on it trying to cancel and took over a month to process a refund on credit card transaction when the cancellation was called in within the legal time frame. Their complete lack of ethics is unacceptable and there are numerous complaints online relating the same problems, particularly in a population consisting of vulnerable elderly and sick people. I am in outside sales myself and this company is disgusting.
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2018
These people do a bait and switch. We told them we only needed the stairlift for a few months and were told they would be happy to buy it back. When the person needing the stairlift died BEFORE it was ever used they refused to take it back. They lied. We have a witness that was present when the salesman was in the house and said they would buy it back. BEWARE. These are dishonest people.
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2018
Bought an Acorn Stairlift Sept 2017. Cost $9000. Relative passed away in Oct 2017. Used 4 times. Tried to get a buyback, they don't do it. They know of someone that buys them very cheap to take it off hands. Told me to call other companies. But they won't give rights for other companies to fix it.
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2017
My elderly mother has dementia and is becoming housebound. She had a bit of a fall on the stairs and scared my stepfather into wanting a stairlift NOW. He called the first ad he saw, Acorn. BIG MISTAKE. My daughter is a doctor of physical therapy and recommended another company for us after we saw the horrible reviews. When Acorn came for the estimate, they were told we had another estimate scheduled and no decision would be made that day. My mother's caregiver was there and heard the rep agree to that.
Then after all said and done, the caregiver had to help my mother to the bathroom, at which time the rep coerced my 85 year old, hard of hearing, sweet stepfather into giving him a check for $1,000. Told him that if they didn't lock it in today, he'd have to start over and call on the phone (stepdad's worst fear) and also that he - the rep- would lose half his commission if he didn't get a down payment NOW. SLICK AND SLIMY describes this company and their practices. Now I see their product is no better than their morals. How can they still be in business???
Reviewed Dec. 1, 2017
We bought an Acorn Stairlift on Craigslist for $1,000, and hired Acorn to pick it up from the seller and deliver to us, the buyer, and install it. The installation charge of $400 included transportation within 30 miles. Our distance was 40 miles so they charged us an additional $250, and would charge us for any additional required parts. In fact what they did was say we needed a rail with a "hinge" to clear the bottom step.
The technician mumbled it would be an additional $950 as he ran past. I asked my mother whether we had contracted to buy a rail. She said no, we got the rail from the seller (without a hinge, but included in the $1,000 purchase price.) Then after installation, the technician said we owed him $950 for the rail with the hinge, as he had "explained." We asked whether the rail we bought was worth anything. He said we could sell it for scrap iron. Unfortunately we signed "paperwork" in our confusion which I'm sure exonerates them legally. Stay away from these con men.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2017
Acorn sells some parts directly, other parts are available only from a service technician. My stairlift is only a few month out of their one year warranty. I am not the user of this lift, so I did not notice the broken plastic arm cover until after the warranty had expired. The cover is held on by two Philips sheet metal screws inserted from the bottom. It appears that when this lift was assembled, one of the screws was screwed in too tight. Over time the screw eventually broke off the bottom of the cover and left a hole, and the cover lifted up from the arm.
Acorn informed me that they do not sell this directly to a consumer, but that it is available only from one of their technicians, likely for less than $20. To have Acorn replace this cover It would cost me $250 for a service call plus the cost for the new part. I could replace the cover myself in less than one minute - remove one screw and insert two screws. This is the kind of company Acorn is. Notwithstanding their expensive advertising (for which you pay indirectly), and their glowing customer endorsements, understand what you are getting into.
Their extravagant pricing and repair policy seems aimed at the most vulnerable of us - those older disabled people on a fixed income. Although these lifts are expensive to buy installed, just try to get anything for your lift when you sell it. Look on the internet - some are available complete for less than $500. I have found that some companies specializing in these types of disability products refuse to sell Acorn Stairlifts. Buyer beware - I suggest you look at other manufacturers products.
Reviewed Oct. 27, 2017
The Model 5 boards (Says Bison 80) eat batteries every year. Acorn - with some persuasion sent a technician to supply missing pieces of rail I needed to install. All in, $3500 installed, which was good. 3 years in, the board went out, so I upgraded to the T565 board with Lithium Batteries for $1000 ($250 labor fee flat rate and $750 for the kit.). With the lithium batteries, it runs faster. No major trouble other than the batteries every year for the V5 board (NiCad), which are pretty expensive at $250 for parts. The lithium batteries should last longer, are more powerful and should be good. Battery cost is the same for the lithiums, and it goes MUCH faster with the upgrade kit. Techs are always nice, the home office staff are OK. It's kind of expensive, but with eBay pricing often under $2,000 shipped, it's a lot better than paying $12,000. Sure my out of pocket is now at $4500 for this, but it's worked ok. The seat is VERY uncomfortable, only big gripe.
Reviewed Sept. 23, 2017
Two years ago Acorn changed the batteries on my parents' Stairlift £250. Yesterday the stairlift didn't work so they phoned Acorn, £230 call out. They changed the batteries AGAIN and replaced the brushes in the motor. A further £250. Nearly £500. How can they justify that. Buying the batteries and a brand new motor wouldn't cost that. Total time on site 35 minutes. They spent longer sitting outside running the clock up to justify their charges. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE never buy a stairlift from these robbing con merchants and warn EVERYONE that you know.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2017
I just got an Acorn stairlift this month and so far am very happy with both it and their customer service and sales people. The salesperson was very professional, very nice and helpful. He offered discounts for military service right away as well as telling us we could avoid paying tax by getting note from the doctor. No pressure to buy whatsoever. Left written material to look at. When we did decide to buy, the customer service people were great as well. We were able to get it delivered and installed the very next day. The installer came, was also very professional and polite, answered all questions, let us demo it, and told us all about warranties, etc. The stairlift runs smoothly and is comfortable and already my back is hurting less due to not having to walk up and down stairs. I had fallen twice and broken my tailbone and my husband feared we would have to move, but now I can stay in my home. Thanks Acorn. You guys are great.
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2017
My parents put in the Acorn Stairlifts about 4 years ago. It is the biggest piece of junk out there. They are built to break. Poor construction and materials. The wire in the arms are 16 to 18 gauge wire and they put no slack in the wire. So as you move the handles back and forth, the wire soon breaks. My brother and I have rewired the arms on both chairs numerous times. And don't ask the company to come out. These chairs are built so you have to buy the service contract to keep them running. Total junk and a unreliable company to boot. They should be closed down for putting such junk on the market. They paid $7500 for 2 chairs because of the stairway. This only the beginning of my conquest to drive them out of business.
Reviewed Aug. 25, 2017
Parents were sold a unit that was to cost $3,000 and was to go wrap around the staircase. When person came to install, they told parents that a different model was ordered and that it would cost another $5,000 to install what they had initially ordered. My parents were very upset and fortunately did not agree to this. When asked about getting deposit back, they were told that it would take a few weeks and to call and check if they didn't get it. Acorn should deliver that deposit to them, just as my parents gave them the deposit the day of the sale. Neither the sales person or Manager took accountability, or offered to do something different for my parents. Be aware.
Reviewed Aug. 24, 2017
Spent $10,000 on curved installation of Acorn lift. Warranty after 1st year = $795!!! REALLY? EVERY YEAR?? It's always been temperamental from the start - might get uninterrupted ride up, might stop 2-3 times. We had a problem 6 days after warranty expired and you're STUCK. Find ANOTHER COMPANY!
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2017
When meeting with the salesman in regard to purchasing a new stairlift, he never mentioned that the stairlift MUST be serviced once a year. I have owned the unit for one year, and I have been receiving harassing calls to either sell an extended plan or to set up a maintenance appointment at the cost of $250+. According to the caller, I should have been told that I needed a yearly service call by the person who sold it to me. I told him that I was not informed. If I had been told, I would have performed more research. The caller then stated that the yearly service call was mentioned in the manual. The funny thing is, I did not get the manual until after I bought the unit. On another point, the unit is not functioning properly. Loud chunking sound occurs on the decent (not going up). The problems started right after the warranty ran out. Planned obsolescence... look in the dictionary under Acorn Stair Lift.
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2017
This letter is to make other future customers aware of the problems we have experienced owning an Acorn Stairlift. We purchased an Acorn Stairlift 1 1/2 years ago. My wife and I were involved in a rollover accident in 2013 and she has extensive injuries to the spine as a result of this accident. Stairs are not an option for her as her spine cannot withstand the motion of climbing.
Within approximately eight months of our purchase, still within our warranty, we experienced a very rough ride with the stairlift and asked the company for a representative to check the equipment. The repairman told us the ride was normal and nothing was wrong. We did not agree with this diagnosis but he assured us there was nothing wrong with the equipment.
Approximately six months later, barely over the warranty, the stairlift stopped and we had a repairman return to our house and found a wire was shorted out. The charge for coming to our house was $250.00, which they reduced to $150.00 after I argued extensively. The repair lasted approximately four months before the stairlift quit again. The repairman came back out again and found that the relay switch was faulty and would cost us $600.00 plus a $50.00 service call. At that point we refused to have it repaired. We live on a limited income and cannot afford the repairs.
To purchase an extended warranty on the stairlift would cost $250.00 a year, which the repairman suggested not to purchase because the equipment would not need it and we believed what he suggested as he was the expert. At that point we were forced to getting into a loan to try and purchase another stairlift. This took well over a month of assisting my wife up the stairs from our living space to her bedroom. This motion of walking up the stairs with a broken spine was excruciating for her and put her in such severe pain that she was bedridden for weeks! She could not sleep much or walk much, that was the whole reason of buying the stairlift. Our quality of life was so disrupted that I was forced to go up and down the stairs myself to take care of my wife at 80 years old.
We have since purchased a Savaria Stairlift which cost us twice as much but we have three times the comfort, it runs smooth and quiet with the feeling of stability. Acorn has very poor quality and the company preys on the $250 service calls or the $250 a year warranty. They will stall you off that nothing is wrong with the equipment until the warranty runs out.
Acorn is the most non customer service oriented company we have ever dealt with and service is based on the dollar and not the customer or the quality of their product. They are a complete scam. If we had known we would have wasted our money on this product, we would not have purchased the Acorn whatsoever. This company should not exist. The state elevator inspectors should not approve the use of the Acorn Stairlifts because of their instability and faulty equipment.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2017
This Acorn Stairlifts does not service their customer. Honestly I bought Acorn Stairlift in 2014. I paid 16000 thousand dollars for one and 2400 for the other. Both of them are broken down. I tried to get service for them. I paid 900 for a new gear box and 300 for batteries. Their service charge is outrageous. Yesterday August 1 I paid three hundred dollars out for new batteries. It still does not work. My wife is crawling up the stairs now. Acorn now want 300.00 to program it because I changed the batteries. This Acorn Company should be shut down. They are very crooked. The stairlift is a terrible quality and you feel like you are going to fall flat on your face. The track cracks like twisting steel, leaks grease all over your carpets, always quits halfway up the stairs. My wife was stuck 5 feet in the air. I had to call 911 to get her off of this lift.
I wish Acorn would be shut down. They are a very crooked company and do not take care of their customers at all as well. They are sell a very low quality stairlift. It's a very expensive piece of junk. Please do not buy this from Acorn Stairlift. Their service is terrible. This just junk. Always breaking down and very expensive to repair. Please call Dave at ** I will give you more information how bad this Acorn Stairlift is. Bad product and a terrible company to deal with. I have 2 stairlifts broken down. Invested 20,000 dollars for junk. Taking them to the dump.
Reviewed June 15, 2017
In January of 2017 I contacted Acorn Stairlifts to inquire about one for my 87 & 83 year old parents. I hadn't been in touch with them for 8 years due to circumstances but I reached out to help them because they needed it. I left a message with these guys and had a great talk with the first person I talked with. After explaining the situation that it wasn't for me but for my parents she agreed to not contact me and stuck with her promise. The rest of them didn't. I even got emails from others demanding that I contact them only. Wth? Then the phone calls came and never ended. It's June now.
This went on for months and I kept having to ask these guys to stop harassing me and each time they'd agree but then call me again to try and sell me. Even after the stairlift was installed they STILL kept badgering me. This harassment became relentless and still is. Being on a cell phone I have to pay for every call but they don't care. As long as there's a 'possible' SALE for THEM they don't seem to care who they bother. It's too bad because the stairs themselves seem to be good. Too bad I can't say the same for the people working for them.
BEWARE PEOPLE. Once you call these people or leave any phone number you will NEVER stop hearing from them. They don't answer the phone directly cause they want your number so they can harass you. Don't say I didn't WARN YOU. This company is aggressively relentless in their pursuit of a sale. People do not come first. Sales do.
Reviewed June 9, 2017
After many calls and emails the referral cheque has NOT been sent to my brother-in-law, Acorn says it is out of their hands. I'm sure it hasn't been sent. It has been at least a month or more. Wondering about their warranty that I paid extra $ for. Has anyone else had this problem?
Reviewed April 20, 2017
I purchase my first chair in 2005, and was happy with the purchase. During the years chair was old, and I wanted to upgrade the chair!!! BIG MISTAKE!!! The only chair they have is nothing to be happy about. The new and only chair was design by a monkey, chair is loose, you feel as if you are going to fall down forward on your face. Track makes more noise than a train at 90 miles an hour, it cracks as if the track is broken. Chair is not orthopedic design for a handicap person with joint problems, the foot rest is so small your feet don't fit in them or you have to bend your legs inward and still you don't have space for your feet. From the moment the chair was install I was not happy. And I want my money back. Your chair is as bad as it can be, a piece of trash. My mistake was not to keep my old one back, if you are looking for a lift, check first BRUNO OR AMERICAN OR GO SOMEPLACE ELSE FOR A BETTER PRODUCT. ACORN IS NOT!!!
Reviewed April 7, 2017
I had the Acorn Stairlift installed December 2015, it worked well for the first month and then I started having problems. It quit working while my mom was in it halfway up the stairs, I then called customer service and they instructed me to turn it on/off but that didn't work and they said no one could come out for a few days. My mother had a stroke and it was very difficult to get her out, after that it ran well for a couple months then quit working again in February 2016. I called customer service and it took them a few days to come out. They told me if it was my fault it wasn't working I would be responsible for the 250.00 service charge. When they came out they noticed the harness was loose from the pin connector installer error.
My mother then went into nursing home for a few months. Right before she was to come home I checked lift and it was not working. I then called customer service again. They came out after a few days and changed the battery. It seemed to work fine, my mother ended up passing away and the stairlift was never used again since February 2016. I am now caring for my sister and she requires chairlift, not to my surprise it no longer works. I contacted customer service and they told me my warranty had run out and I would have to pay 250.00 service visit plus parts. I was infuriated I paid 10,200 for this piece of garbage and it had very little use, I have had nothing but problems after the first month. Now they want me to pay 250.00 plus.
It was not used at all since the last time it was fixed. I will be contacting an attorney for being sold a lemon, the least the company can do is refund me some of the money for defective equipment. After reading other reviews I see I'm not alone, this company should not be able to get away with this. I may as well have flushed 10,200 down the toilet. I will be pursuing legal action.
Reviewed March 31, 2017
I own an Acorn Stairlift. I paid right around $3000.00 for it. It has not served me well. The reason for the review is to alert others who are considering buying from this company. I purchased it in 2013. It has never been reliable. I've had to make many phone calls due to the various problems. I could not agree to service calls as their rate is way out of my affordable range. The price of their service call was never mentioned when I was purchasing. Their maintenance contract is exorbitant. I'm widowed with just my fixed income. I'm 77. I had Lung Cancer surgery in 2014 along with thirty radiation treatments. I have COPD. I use oxygen at night. I have been receiving injections in my back for degenerative disc disease.
I had to agree to service last week at a price of $250.00 plus $70.00 for a battery, plus $4.20 tax. Total $324.20. I was told that it actually needed a computer board to the tune of $600 some odd dollars. I could not pay that out and was told I could pay half and half later. I could not do it. The Service man installed a battery and instructed me to switch it on and off when I needed to use it. Yesterday the chair slowed down to a crawl and stopped in the middle of the staircase. I had a load of towels in my arm and had to manage the dangerous action of removing myself from the chair.
I called today and said I was not paying another service charge to have them come out. I was told that they would waive that fee but I would be paying the $600.00 for a board. I was reminded that they only had to come here twice since I bought it. I told them it was because I couldn't pay the high fee, but had no choice on the two calls. In all honesty, they reduced the price of the one call last summer when they replaced two switches.
My alternative is to sell my home and find a place on one level. Moving is not easy or affordable for an older person. I thought I was set when I made this move to a townhouse 4 years ago. My legs gave out after six months. I bought an Acorn Stairlifts whose advertisement was and is in AARP magazine. I couldn't have been more wrong. As of now the chair is inoperable. The price of removing it is $200.00. To conclude, my opinion of this company is very low. Their service fees are way too high. I truly sympathize with folks who are badly disabled and are trying to use an Acorn Stairlifts.
UPDATED ON 04/07/2017: To follow up on my bad experience with Acorn Stairlifts. I had no choice but to have the computer board installed. Originally I was told I could make two payments. However, that turned out not to be the case. I was told by the man who said it that He NEVER said that. I had the board installed. The cost was $682.64. This brings the entire repair total to $1006.84.
Reviewed March 27, 2017
My wife and I bought two Acorn Stairlifts for our new Townhouse on 8/24/2016. Both were installed on 8/26/2016. Called service 9/22/2016, reset computer 4 times. Called 10/10/2016. Service repair 10/26/2016 rail loose and remote failure. Called again. Service repair 12/14/2016 erratic, rail problem, stops. Service Tech did nothing, tried to ** us, and billed $250.00 for service call. Numerous calls starting 12/01/206 to 12/19/206, charges dropped. Service call 12/20/2016, fixed rail cleaned, adjusted, fixed remotes. Called again 02/21/2017, tech heard problem over phone.
Service repair 02/28/2017 Chair erratic, rail loose, black splotches, pulled chair & cleaned, adjust charge pins, fix remotes. Called again 03/20/2017 remote failure, told to spray rail with WD-40. Called again 03/21/2017 remote ran chair 6 and froze. Service call 03/23/2017 tech rode chair & lectured us, then fixed upper chair, fixed lower chair, replaced mother board, replaced sensors, replaced remotes. 03/23/2017 chair stopped, way jammed. 03/24/2017 lower unit remote jammed, chair 1 ft. up, stopped working. Called again 03/27/2017 wife on phone 1.5 hours. Service call 03/28/2017 to be determined.
Reviewed Feb. 28, 2017
I am a carer for a gentleman who is on 24hr oxygen and dependent on his chair lift. I arrived this morning 28/02/2017 with the intention of taking him to see his Oncologist only to find that despite his wife contacting Acorn on Sunday evening when his stairlift broke down, there has been absolutely no support from the engineering side of the company, just a load of waffle.
In the end we had to call the paramedics to assist my client upstairs. No support on Monday and now it is Tuesday. I personally called the office explaining that I urgently needed to get my client to his appointment. I was told that the engineer was in Alton, Hampshire and we are right down on the south coast. I was told that the engineer would call me when he was on his way. It is now 12.20 p.m and NOTHING. It is well known within my field of work that Acorn offer the worst support and now I am seeing it for myself. I would like to speak to John ** personally but understand that he is based in Monaco! This speaks volumes.
Reviewed Feb. 26, 2017
My mom began to have trouble getting up and down the stairs. We needed a stair lift. I wish we had more time to do more research but we were in a bind. We've had this stair lift for about 3 years now and it's been nothing but a piece of junk. We had problems immediately. During the first year with it while it was under warranty they came out several times to "fix it". It never stays fixed. The remotes have stopped working several times and have been replaced several times. We keep having to buy the extended service plan or else after the first year we wouldn't have been able to use it at all. They come out fix it and if we are lucky we get a couple of months without issue. Not everything is covered by the extended plan so they have another opportunity to get more money out of you.
For the most part it works well when it's warm but when the cold hits the problems start. It's not really robust enough to be outdoors. The safety switches freeze in place which keeps the chair from working. The remotes are supposed to let you move the chair even when there is a problem with the safety switches but by then the remotes are broken again or the sensor has stopped working. I spent $3000 on this stair lift expecting something reliable and it's been nothing but reliable. The salesman lied and made us think we were getting something good. The average use for this stair lift is one trip up and one trip down each day and it can't even hold up for that. The latest is today there are no error codes. The lift went down but refuses to go back up. When it works it's great, when it's broke it leaves a weak 72 year old woman struggling to get up the stairs and feeling depressed about her age. Bottom line try another brand. I wish I had.
Reviewed Feb. 22, 2017
The sales person who came out to my home was professional and compassionate. He understood the circumstances of this purchase was due to a family member's debilitating stroke. After he left, the tone deaf sales staff called me daily to push their product. I asked them to stop calling me. In another call I told them I would buy from another vendor if they didn't stop calling me. They didn't and I've called All American Mobility.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2017
My parents purchased the stairlift several years ago. Part of the sales pitch is that when you no longer need they will help you resell it to a customer. My parents have since passed away and we have been trying to get their assistance with a resale. Parents only used it for 2-3 years. Every time we call they give us a different answer. First it is that they don't do resales anymore. Then someone else says to leave a voicemail for a certain individual; no one ever returns a call. Very unprofessional. So a $10,000 stairlift that was used for 2 years is going to be tossed. I have called every Vets charity to donate but no one can pick up. Acorn totally misleads and their customer service is horrible. You can call back and each different person will give you a different answer. Go with someone locally.
Reviewed Jan. 11, 2017
Only problem with this company, the salesman cannot be reached once he got the order. The technician did a bad job. The chair is rumbling, stopping on its way up or down. The bottom plastic head falls off. The chair is stuck downstairs after 3 weeks of use. No support from the company. The technician has no phone number!!! The company said you can only contact him by "wire" and 411 has no listing of him. The remotes came with very old batteries, made in China, that worked only intermittently. I will have to call the fire dept to get my husband upstairs to bed tonight. Our recommendation is not to deal with Acorn. You will save yourself a lot of frustrations.
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2017
Purchased Acorn stairlift about 6 years + ago. Has worked great since then. Had one service call about 2 years ago which was taken care of day after I called. Has been working great since, Very professional and reliable. I use the chair almost daily sometimes 2-3 times a day. Purchased from Acorn in the Boston, Ma area.
Reviewed Dec. 25, 2016
I have left multiple message with people to call me back but they never call back. They will say I will speak to my Manager or Engineering department but never call back. Very poor service - DON'T BUY from these people. Installation and design is very poorly done.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2016
Need new toggle switch, but have been informed by some guy who represents Acorn that they do not sell parts to anyone anymore! Must get a technician from Acorn to change the toggle for a 250 dollar service call plus price of new switch!! A few years back I replaced the switch because the lever had been broken. They sold me a switch then, so why not now. I hope I don't have a serious problem later on. I have bought a switch locally. If I cannot repair the one that is not working in one direction, I will replace it.
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2016
As soon as we purchased the chairlift we had problems. Trying to get a hold of them is awful. My mom is afraid to use it but needs to. It constantly beeps on its own. The first problem was the circuit board... batteries. Now I can't even read the error message. That disappeared... may be the batteries again. Ok I fixed it myself. If the chair beeps repeatedly after using it then stops and beeps when no one is on it... unplug from wall... it will reset.
Reviewed Nov. 17, 2016
Have had several issues since the 2014 purchase. Had lift service several times since. In March 2016, tech claimed a defect and put in a loaner. Issues again in August and still can't get a tech or someone to return a phone call. Lift failed and my Mom was stuck until someone came home from work as she's unable to use the stairs. Yesterday, the lift jerked and she almost fell off, same issue again today. Spoke with at least 5 people today and told the earliest they can send a tech is Nov 29. WTF??? Not acceptable!!! Service manager then says the 24. Was told they had a lot of turnovers in staff so is that supposed to explain the atrocious service. Service manager didn't seem too interested in getting a tech here today. No such thing as "emergency service". Strongly DO NOT recommend this company. Issues with quality and a huge lack of customer service.
Reviewed Nov. 9, 2016
Installed at end of August. For M-in-L who had just had a hip replacement and wasn't allowed to do stairs. At installation no one had arranged for power to be sorted as needed, I had to rewrite a socket myself! 1st day hinge failed, continued to temporarily fail for several days. Service came out: 1st the excuse was that there is a known fault with some hinge control boards so would need replacing. Quoted 5 days for part, in meantime no lift - meaning bed needed to be relocated etc. So they know the boards need replacing but they don't carry them? 10 days still no contact and no boards. 2nd serviceman came out - did a 'fix' (move the chair rail as actually it was catching on door frame it passed! And they had originally located hinge control box in airing cupboard which meant it overheated!). Was the original installer trained how to do this?
24 hours later it stopped halfway (with complete loss of all power) with immobile mother in law on, who subsequently hurt hip trying to get down. Took nearly an hour to wind hinge up to allow her to access toilet it blocked. CService response was "Would you like me to call the Fire Brigade?" 2 day wait for engineer who just came and disconnected it and stomp mud through house. CService agreed to full replacement of chair when we asked for refund, and restart of 14 day trial. New chair and circuit boards installed, and apparently operational again however within 24 hours it had stopped again, this time at the top leaving her at the top!
Enough was enough so requested full refund and removal. 2.5 weeks later after many non returned calls still installed and no refund yet. Next step Trading Standards if not removed/refunded in next few days! Warranty not worth paper. 24 hr line does not mean 24 hr solution - just someone fobbing you off. There's a reason that Councils won't touch anyone other than Stannah, and ACORN must bring Stannah so much business.
Reviewed Oct. 18, 2016
Horrible Experience With This Company. DO NOT GET THIS SERVICE!!! Find alternative. Equipment Breaks Down Very easily and they con you into getting an extended warranty... Nothing but a bunch of crooks. Tried calling their customer service to deal with an issue. Got the run around, dropped calls etc. My father just got purchased an extended warranty and then right after passed away... These people would not even return the funds of that extended warranty. Caused my mother undue aggravation dealing with a funeral and these crooks.
Reviewed Oct. 17, 2016
I had the lift for 2 months. During the 2 months I had to have a serviceman over 27 times. Bad motor 3 times, the bolts stripped out from the stairs and multiple other problems. One time the tech came back and said he left a part off and didn't notice it until he was cleaning out his van. But the main reason I'm mad is at 97 years of age I was going up the stairs on the lift, it stopped and wouldn't move. I had an upset stomach and needed to use the bathroom. It's embarrassing to mention this but I feel consumers need to know. I broke wind and accidentally messed myself. God bless.
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2016
Purchased Acorn Stairlift to aid my wife in getting to second floor. Unit was used very sparingly and had a "Fatal Failure-F1" code. Since the unit was beyond the one year warranty (by one month), Acorn said the repair would cost $850.00! The cost for an extended warranty would be $750.00 a year. In three years I'll have paid for the chair twice! I have since removed the chair and installed another brand and have had no problems. Do NOT buy Acorn unless you like a lot of company from service people.
Reviewed Sept. 22, 2016
Chair has not worked properly since it was installed. The chair is junk, the warranty is junk. $250.00 for a service call because the chair they sold me is junk, absolutely ridiculous! Never do business with this company!
Reviewed Sept. 12, 2016
It was the labor day weekend and my husband got stuck at the highest point of the stair lift. This is only after using the device after several times. We called Acorn and as others have stated. The person at customer service didn't even ask who we were. We were on speaker phone as I am a slight woman and didn't know how to get my husband off the lift without an emergency situation happening as he has only one leg. She was unconcerned and scripted, I however shouted that we need a technician to help us to get him to a safe place and she said just turn the key and wait 30 seconds. The lift was tilted and being inexperienced was not sure how to do remedy the problem.
I had the fire dept number handy as this was my last resort. Luckily I calmed myself down enough to read the online as the manual was worthless and found the crank which took over an hour to use to get him to a lower position. No one called back and this is a Saturday long weekend. I was told, "Well, everyone is off for the weekend and you will have to wait until Tuesday." I shouted, "What the hell. He can die here from Sat till Tues as your employees are off duty". And yes, if I read the online web page, it stated continuous care whenever the need. BS marketing as long as the money is there and the commissions are flowing. It was three days of my husband living in the dining room and kitchen, sleeping on a small cot before any Tuesday calls came and then they flowed.
Too late and the trust is gone. Everyone wanted to help. PLEASE, this is 3 days later and the damage is done. This company has lots of people across Canada and not one tech on call?? The young fellow that installed us didn't even know that 24-hour calls weren't in place. It took him all of 10 mins to evaluate and then correct the problem within an hour. HELLO, 'acorn', small lettering as this is an insult. An on duty tech to walk you through takes little money as this seems to be the issue. Bottom line, such a sad world when the bottom line is more important than a little call of comfort and expertise would have helped rather than days of waiting and waiting. Yes Tuesday was a revelation as they all had helpful suggestions. Excuse me, where the heck were you on Sat? Oh yes, no overtime or weekend work. Acorn what is life valued at? The money or the care?
Reviewed Sept. 12, 2016
I purchased an Acorn stairlift to assist my wife getting up and down the stairs. On one occasion a shirt got caught under the stairlift and of course it stopped. After clearing the obstruction I called the customer support number and they assisted me in clearing the stairlift error message. I then attempted to move the chair and the chair just stopped, no power, no nothing. The customer support told me that to get a technician out to my house, two days later, would cost a minimum of $250.00 plus any parts needed to fix the chair because this was a non-warranty problem...
Since, I now had a couple of hundred pounds of boat anchor I had to agree. The technician came to my home, took five minutes to replace a blown fuse and left after doing some diagnostics to make sure the lift was working properly. He was unable to determine why the fuse had blown. I called Acorn the next day to discuss the fee. $250.00 for 5 minutes seemed excessive. The response was, "sorry that's the fee and that's that." BEWARE when you purchase an Acorn stairlift! These service calls are extremely high and excessive and unless you need a boat anchor you will be stuck paying them.
Reviewed Sept. 6, 2016
My father purchased this so he could get my paralyzed mother downstairs during emergencies. Thank goodness, he doesn't have to use it very often. Went to use it and the battery is dead or so he's told. I thought it ran on electricity since it is plugged in. He called to get someone to service it and was told there is no one in SW KS to do so. However, they boast about their aftercare and customer support, but won't send anyone out to change the battery or charge it. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM!!! Unless you are in FLA.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2016
My elderly neighbour purchased a stairlift from Acorn about 1 month ago. But it broke down with her on it - she was in the middle of the stairs. We rang the Customer Service and spoke to a woman who said that an engineer would be with her in 24 hours. This is a 90 year old woman who is stuck on her stairlift which won't move in the middle of the stairs. THIS IS DISGRACEFUL! HOW CAN THEY BE HAPPY TO LEAVE A 90 YEAR OLD LADY WHO IS DISTRESSED AND STUCK FOR SO LONG. The woman we spoke to was so unconcerned about it. In the end, we had to call the fire brigade who were here within 5 minutes. I would never recommend this company.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2016
My father is now 81. He bought a stairlift 20 months ago from Acorn. It has now broken down and needs a new unit. He bought this for himself as he has severe arthritis, also my mum who died last year. He cannot get up and down the stairs. Acorn want him to buy a warranty or obviously he will have to pay for a new unit. Not built to last. Would not recommend the company to anyone.
Reviewed Aug. 10, 2016
My mother purchased an Acorn Stairlift for my father who was confined to a wheelchair after his leg was amputated. When we called about purchasing the stairlift everyone was so helpful. We explained my father's situation and the Acorn representative and installer said everything would be fine with him getting out of the wheelchair and into the stair lift. First, the salesman told my mother it would cost $350 for an estimate. That was never told to my mother. We told the salesman and installer the height of the wheelchair and asked if it was the same height as the stair lift. They both said "yes, of course". Unfortunately, it wasn't and the stairlift was too high and my father was unable to get from the wheelchair into the stairlift.
We made numerous calls to Acorn and their only solution was to give us $500 for our problem, a minimal amount of the $10,000 that we spent on this stairlift. We didn't want to remove it because we were hoping that my father would get stronger and he would be able to lift himself into the stair lift. Unfortunately my father passed away and was never able to use the stairlift. We continued to call Acorn and when we finally got in touch with someone they offered to take the stairlift out and take it and not give my mother any money for it. Wow, what a great deal. Now my mother is stuck with a stairlift and out $9,500 which is very tough on an elderly people living alone. Acorn never cared and that's what really bothered us.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2016
I have severe degenerative arthritis, most prominently in my left hip. I walk with a cane. Recently I have filled out paperwork to various health care providers which indicated my mobility issues and the arthritis. Shortly after that I started receiving phone calls from Acorn. One went to my voicemail. The woman claimed she was "returning my call regarding MY recent inquiry into purchasing a stairlift for myself or a loved one." They also used my name in the message, so it wasn't a random mistake. I never called them. The timing is exceedingly suspicious considering the recent paperwork I filled out. I must have gotten on some list as a target for a possible sale.
If you don't talk to a live person the phone menu has an option to press 1 to be removed from their call list. It doesn't work. All that happened the two times I allegedly removed myself from their list was receipt of more sales calls in less than five minutes after my phone number showed up on their caller ID. I would much prefer to find out exactly who provided my contact info to Acorn, but of course nobody is going to admit that. Still, shame on them for preying on someone who has a problem and pretending that I was the one that first contacted them. I find this marketing tactic to be borderline criminal. If I ever should get a stairlift it certainly will not be from Acorn.
Reviewed July 24, 2016
We installed this stairlift in June of 2013. We needed it as we are older and each of us was to receive a total knee replacement. Our house has three floors, basement, first and second; the stairway has four short flights and two landings. The initial cost was US$12,500. This seemed high but was in line with the few other companies offering curved stairlifts. The initial installation was done in one day. The technician was personable and easy to talk to. Other techs have also been easy to deal with. Most services cost US$250 plus parts.
The stairlift worked OK but was very slow. The remotes had a very limited range and the receiver in the chair tended to lose the signal very easily. The company had no fix for this at the time, so I installed a shielded cable to extend the chair's antenna away from the metal enclosure below the chair. I also modified the remotes to have a toggle switch rather than a push button so we did not have to hold the button down for several minutes waiting for the chair to arrive. A week after installation, we called the tech to slow the chair down as my wife was uncomfortable with the speed, especially around corners. No charge for this call.
In December 2013, the chair had become noisy. The tech tightened some of the support legs and adjusted the programming. US$250. In November of 2014 chair was issuing error codes on its display that indicated that the batteries were not being charged. It appeared not to be connecting properly to the charge point on the second floor. The tech adjusted the charging pick up points, replaced the chair's batteries and reprogrammed the chair. US$250. In April of 2015, the chair was noisy and not stopping at the floor correctly. Some internal cables were preventing the over speed governor from operating correctly. No charge. The next day, the tech replaced the batteries again and replaced the over speed governor. US$722.
In January of 2016, the chair was making clunking sounds. An improved version of the circuit board and remotes has become available. The tech replaced the circuit board, some wiring, the charging power supply, the batteries and provided three remotes. US$1000. He had to return the next day to replace a damaged guide roller that he did not have in his service truck. He once again had to reprogram the chair. The remotes now use Bluetooth to communicate with the chair and have a range of at least 30 ft. (10 meters). My external antenna is no longer needed. The new circuit also outputs a much larger range of error codes, which helpful.
In May of 2016 the internal connector for the levelling mechanism became partially disconnected and the levelling function of the chair failed. The tech reconnected this, moved some internal cables out of the way and reprogrammed the chair. US$250. In July of 2016 on Saturday evening, the levelling function failed once again. This time, having watched and talked with the techs in the past, I examined the circuit board and found that one of the power connectors for the levelling motor had broken off the board as a result of some cable pushing against it. I soldered a new connector in place, levelled the chair manually, moved the chair manually to its charge point and then was able to run the chair up to the beginning of the track on the second floor. This enabled the chair controller to "find" the beginning of the track. The chair then worked correctly. My repair took an hour or so.
It's clear to us that while the Acorn stairlift has some clever features, it is poorly engineered for long use. Our US$12,500 stairlift has cost us US$2472 in service calls in about 3 years of use. Lately, Acorn has been calling us and sending literature for a yearly service agreement for US$750 per year. That's US$2250 over three years. They obviously know that these stairlifts are expensive to maintain. Acorn is advertised heavily in the print media. One would hope these stairlifts were built to a standard at least close to medical equipment as they serve a similar purpose. My wife uses the stairlift daily. If it dies, we may be in a very bad situation. We're lucky in that I have some technical knowledge and can diagnose and fix simple problems with the chair. An unresolved problem so far is that the seat bottom has partially broken, causing it to tilt forward more than is comfortable. I can't in good conscience recommend an Acorn stairlift to anyone.
Reviewed July 19, 2016
Do not buy a chair from this company. We have purchased a chair lift for my father-in-law in August 2015. It was NOT a refurbished chair but a brand new one for which we paid US$9100. It has been 11 months and the chair has malfunctioned 5 times. Each time my father-in-law was stuck upstairs or had to be taken upstairs with great difficulty and spend at least 3 days there each time since the company on top of having continuous issues with their product also does not have sufficient technicians to provide service within a day or 2 but takes 4-5 days before they can even come and diagnose the problem.
We have had to take time off each time from our work which is an additional burden. Now that the 1 year mark is coming up we have received a service contract which will cost us over US$700 a year which we will HAVE TO purchase since the chair does not last 2 months without something breaking. I am writing this review after having had to call them back for yet another failure only 6 days after the last service.
Reviewed July 14, 2016
I've purchased my stairlift which they gave me a price of 2800. When he got here they charge me a service agreement that bring it up to about 4000. Now the chair is broken. It's the one year $400 service agreement I paid and they want me to pay it again and I called the local company called Mr. Wheelchair and they came out and diagnosed it for $90 and they took the $90 off the repair once I got it done. The $90 losing keys I didn't get the repair done which was much more affordable than Acorn plus I was very happy with Mr. Wheelchair and I would recommend them. Call Mike at 215-333-7303. He sells new and used on this also.
Reviewed July 8, 2016
I purchased an Acorn Stairlift which was installed March of 2015. It has hardly been used. We had an error code in July of 2015 and the company sent a tech who said there were two fixes and he went with the cheaper fix. The stairlift worked for about a year, although we didn't use it very much and now they want mega bucks just to show up. I asked about returning it and they said no. I asked about selling it back and they said no. Do not buy an Acorn Stairlift. Ours is unreliable and their service is expensive.
Reviewed June 20, 2016
I have tried for almost a year to sell or donate a Acorn stairlift (I spent $10K used for 3 months only, still under warranty!) to a multiplicity of charities or to a family in need. No one will take it on and even third party resellers will not deal with Acorn as they will not support their product. Even when I agreed to pay a removal fee, Acorn refused to take back what they had manufactured. The company has no interest in taking it back as clearly it is easier and more profitable to sell new lifts. They have no program to support charitable redirection or recycling of its products, even though their brochure says they promote recycling. (I am confident that in Europe - where Acorns international headquarters is - this would not be allowed).
I cannot bear to look at this thing any longer in my home. The company leaves the consumer with no alternative but to contribute pounds of metal to landfill. I tried calling the company president (does one exist) numerous times with no response. Customer service was absolutely terrible in terms of trying to assist me. Do not buy this unless you are planning on keeping it forever!!
Reviewed June 17, 2016
We purchased an Acorn stairlift for my mother who had a massive stroke and had fallen and broken her hip. She was still in the nursing home when we had it install. The next day after installation it totally stopped working. So they had to come and work on it - they got it working. We used it once to get her into the house. Then we used it several times just by experimenting with it me and my husband. Everything seem to be working good the battery was lit up. I would guess to say we might have used it maybe 3x at the most. But then all of a sudden a year after we purchased it the light went out and we absolutely cannot get it working.
I called the company and of course it was two weeks after the warranty have ended possibly three. This product is absolutely worthless. I wouldn't purchase one of these ever again in my life. I have never seen such poor quality and service. There is something wrong with the way these are made that the connections come loose. I just don't know what to do then all this money for something that doesn't work. I recommend do not buy this product - you will be definitely sorry. All I want is it fixed.
Reviewed June 16, 2016
I purchased the Acorn Stairlift for my mother. She has passed and I did not use the chairlift. I tried to use it in March and it would not turn on. I had the technician come out on March 10, 2016. He said that the battery was dead and I needed a new battery at the tune of $277.96. I have been out of the country for almost two months. I return try to start the chairlift and again it will not turn on. I can't see how a battery has died again. Please tell me what is my next step to reach a solution.
Reviewed May 20, 2016
We had an Acorn Stair Lift installed in April 2015 and we were assured that if something goes wrong that they will send a technician immediately. They gave us the impression that their customer service was great and we would not have to worry about the lift. What they didn't tell us that there is only a one year warranty nor did they tell us as part of the warranty that we could have a technician come once during the year to check the unit and make sure everything is running as it should.
In late April after the warranty expired they sent us a letter advising us that the warranty expired and it would cost $800 for another year plus tax and the letter pretty much indicated that if you didn't purchase the warranty you would not get the best service. It was when reading the warranty information that we found out that we could have and probably should have the annual check up before the warranty expired. Had they sent us this letter before it expired, we would have taken advantage of the annual check up. Obviously they send the letter out after it expires so the buyer didn't have a chance to get the annual check up.
Being afraid that we would be stranded for God knows how long before a technician would come to repair the unit, we felt pressured to purchase this warranty and sent payment to them only to have them call us today to inform us that we have to pay tax on the warranty and we have to pay them another $55. Fortunately we haven't really had any issues and hopefully this will continue to be the case. We have a curved staircase and the unit goes so slowly that it takes about 4 minutes to go up 13 steps which seems to be ridiculous. We should have done more research on this company before we purchased the stair lift.
Reviewed April 26, 2016
My Acorn Model 180 Stair-Lift has not worked correctly for 24 hours since it was installed on 02-15-2016. I am now waiting for my 3rd Service Appointment scheduled for 04/27/2016. In addition, their accounting department does not return phone calls in order to provide the detailed invoice documentation required for tax purposes. Even though, the lift is NOT covered by insurance, there are some tax deductions that are eligible with proper documentation. If it does not work properly after this service call I will have it removed and pursue a full refund.
Reviewed April 25, 2016
I have been trying to have a service tech come and reinstall and service a lift for 2 months. It took 3 weeks just to get a confirmed service date. Two days prior to this date I received a call saying the service tech had "broken his back" and would have to reschedule for two weeks. I felt bad for the tech that I did not question the chances that two weeks would cure a broken back or why was there not another tech available. The morning of the second date I received a call that he still would not be able to come.
I asked if there were someone else and I was informed he was the only tech available for the area. This is not acceptable. We live in a large service area (Greater Vancouver) and only 1 tech available! I have a lady with a disability who can not access her whole house. Acorn cares not for this issue. I am unable to speak to anyone. I have and will continue to recommend people seek a stairlift from other companies. I just wish we weren't stuck having to deal with Acorn ourself. Their service call fee is also the highest I have heard of.
Reviewed April 20, 2016
I have never been so upset and disrespected from a salesman before. My mother and father-in-law were getting a quote from Acorn Stairlifts company in Ohio yesterday. I don't feel like she needs one but this is not the point. I am sitting in the room and listening to this male being ignorant. My mother-in-law was trying to write down a number and he was getting irritated that she was having trouble and just kept repeating "let me just do it" in a loud tone. That upset me a little bit but not nearly as bad as what was coming next. My fiance and I help his mother and father because they are elderly and are having some health issues. This man "Dave" has the nerve to tell my mother-in-law that we should pay her 800$ in rent to live in the basement, and that this is her money, she does not need to take our advice. Which may I add is about 4000$ investment that we do not need. We are able to do it and help (the reason why we are there).
He then goes on and asks what my fiance does and his age and says about his son is grown and not living at home. (I am furious but I am respectful so I just sat there and kept listening). He then goes on, not knowing her health, tell her to get prescribed this steroid from the doctor have it by the time it's installed and she will not pay tax!!! What!! This is tax evasion (the illegal nonpayment or underpayment of tax) which is Fraud!!! And because of some issues she should not be taking anymore medication than she already is... He had her call her bank and see how much money... She had enough and he asked for her card and got all the paperwork. My mother-in-law and father-in-law asked how much a month and were worried about getting the money on time. The man kept saying "it's ok just talk to them." which he has no idea he just wants his sale.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I walked out, slammed the door, and went into the bathroom still trying to be respectful but knowing I am there, he rushes out and says "have a good day." I know as a salesman you are to sell things but you do not push and disrespect someone's family under any circumstance!!! I have called this company twice and left messages and I will do so a couple times a day until Monday then I will be taking the next steps. This company is terrible and I would not go through them if you are in need of their product.
Reviewed March 28, 2016
I'm an Electrical Engineer and General Contractor who has installed complex plant equipment for British Petroleum, Michelin and other very large companies and Acorn has set a low mark for terrible customer service and unit dependability. In the five months that the unit has been installed, it has never worked for any two-week time frame. The service manager out of Orlando came out to see the initial install and promptly removed the entire lift and install it correctly but it still malfunctions regularly. This time for 3 weeks it's been stopped in mid-trip as many as 5 times and finally it's died. The repair people have no way to diagnose and intermittent problem and now want to start charging $250 per visit. POOR SERVICE AND TERRIBLE EQUIPMENT. Do not do business with this company no matter how pleasant the salesperson appears!! Buyer Beware!!
Reviewed March 23, 2016
Many thanks to those of you who took time to write a review of this so-called "company." From the start, I sensed a lack of professionalism in their phone/email communication. For one, they would call repeatedly and never leave a message, which was HARASSING! A salesperson was to visit and I was called by the receptionist to determine the address and best route to take, as the salesperson did not seem able to do this. I spoke to the manager, who had the audacity to ask if I would drive to a location to meet the salesperson!!! This certainly did not bode well for future service calls and no doubt these would be numerous, based on your feedback. This spelled scam to me, so I went to the internet to discover an extreme level of dissatisfaction with ACORN. Thanks to your comments, you have SAVED at least this one customer from a rip-off!
Reviewed March 21, 2016
At 7 weeks the return spring on the handle popped off the pins that hold it in place. Once again they tried to put the blame on us but that failed because the screws holding the handle together had no marks on them.
At 3 months we had an internal part fall out and had no idea where it came from. After 2 hours and 45 minutes the tech was finally putting it back together only to have the screws fall out 3 days later. We called and tried to have them come out and fix it but since we could not find the screw it was not a warranty issue. They wanted either 225.00 or 255.00 to come out and replace the screw and then charge me up to 20.00 for the "special screws" that cost me .07 cents each at the local hardware store.
4 more issues and 4 more visits where each time they tried to charge the full service charge even after the tech made it clear that it was a warranty issue. Then at 14.5 months the chair stopped halfway up the stairs and had no power at all. So I went out and purchased replacement batteries and installed them myself but that did not solve the problem. This time I was forced to pay the service charge. The tech was here for over 3 hours and could not figure out what the issue was and told us the 14.5 month old stair climber was shot and needed to be replaced.
After numerous phone calls he finally figured out that the motor brushes had melted and welded themselves to the shaft. He cleaned that up and got the chair going but says the chair is shot and needs to be replaced and the funny part was he did not recommend another Acorn, not that I would ever consider buying another one from them to start with. On top of the brushes several other parts were defective and he had to replace them.
Now at 16 months we are looking at other brands of stair climbers. Just a word about lubricating the drive gear. Don't waste your money on w 40 stuff. Just take about a teaspoon of vaseline or some other petroleum jelly and apply the blob about a foot up the rail on the teeth. Then send your chair up and down a couple of times to make sure it is well lubricated. Just remember that before you apply any type of lubricant that the teeth and rails are clean and dry. I do my wife's every 6-8 weeks like the last tech recommended and it is nice and quiet. Also I have one of the chairs that is in the group of recall numbers. I called Acorn and gave them the numbers and promptly got a "that number is not one of the recalled units" and then it was click and she hung up. This time I am going to research every manufacturer in my area and get my wife a better unit. GOOD LUCK.
Reviewed March 16, 2016
I bought a stairlift so my 87 year old father could visit and stay with me. The installation of the Acorn stairlift was easy and straightforward. The apparatus occupies about 1/3 of the width of the staircase, a little more than I anticipated or expected but I can get around the chair as long as the seat, footstep and arms are raised. About three months after the installation, my father visited and we encountered no problems during his daily use of the system.
Six months after the installation, still within the 1 year warranty period, my father woke up and used the chair to descend to the main floor and, when he attempted to raise it to its charging position on the rail (using the remote), the chair would not move. I called the company (8:30AM) and the best they could do was to schedule a technician to come the next day. So, my father is now stuck on the ground floor with no way of accessing the room he sleeps in nor the bathroom he bathes in.
If a company is going to cater to the needs of the elderly, they must have services available to repair their product the same day. Otherwise, this segment of the population, entirely dependent on this equipment, is more than just inconvenienced. I would recommend that a person interested in installing a stairlift look at another company and ask for a written guarantee of service in a timely manner, should their product malfunction. I wrote this review on the day the chair malfunctioned. We shall see what happens tomorrow. In the meantime, where will my father sleep tonight? There is a half bath toilet on the floor, so at least these needs can be met. He will not be able to shower, however.
Reviewed March 4, 2016
Was told by salesperson the machine was made in America. Come to find out they are manufactured overseas, only batteries made in USA, every part comes from another country. Also told the warranty was for as long as I owned it, now am told warranty is only one year. The chair was for a friend of mine that I help to purchase. Feel I let him down choosing Acorn.
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2016
The installation went well, but in less than one year two new sets of batteries failed and had to be replaced at a cost of $505 dollars per visit by the Acorn service technician. Their own website says the batteries cost $35 per battery and the unit requires two. How can they not guarantee a battery for longer than 3 months on a device that depends on batteries for use. They offered no discount on the needed replacement. This is an example of exorbitant gouging and ill will on the part of the company. Extremely disappointed. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any details or discouragement from not buying a stairlift through them.
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2016
My parents (in their late 80's) purchased Acorn Stairlift in April, 2015. Recently, they have heard a grinding noise when chair reaches top or bottom. I called acorn & was told this was a "maintenance issue" and not covered by warranty. They instructed me to spray wd40 on a rag and lubricate the "bottom bolts under rail". What??? You sell these things to people who can't walk downstairs & you expect them to lubricate it???? Not all elderly people have anyone to help them with this!! I tried to do this but couldn't find the "bolts" they were talking about. I am in my 60's & I need to do this??? They never mentioned when they purchased this that they needed to lubricate it! This is ridiculous!!!
Reviewed Jan. 18, 2016
I am in the process of purchasing a stairlift for my mother in law so I am looking at three vendors. In November 2008, I purchased an Acorn 120 Stairlift directly from Acorn. I am reading these Acorn reviews and cannot believe this is the same company. Acorn was great ordering by phone/website and came to my mother's within a week. The installation and service was fantastic. All was fine until a year later, there was a problem. The error code defined it as some circuit board. Acorn mailed us another one with directions and was easily replaceable.
A few years later, it became noisy, which I resolved with silicon spray. Five years after purchase, I replaced the batteries (from Amazon) only because it was recommended. 7 1/2 years later, being used several times a day, every day, it works like new. I would not hesitate buying another. I understand that most people write into these things to complain, but for someone looking to purchase a new stairlift, they need to know that for every complaint, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of very satisfied customers.
Reviewed Jan. 12, 2016
My mother has bought a 2nd stair-lift which was installed by myself. The batteries had run down and turns out the charger adapter has gone bad. I rang the service department who insisted I give them the serial number, so they can verify the account. When I told them it was purchased 2nd hand the lady turned very ** asking why I purchased a second hand stair-lift. It was like she was unhappy because I purchased one 2nd hand. She was very, very rude.
All I asked was if I could buy another charger and she flew right off the handle and said, “No, we cannot sell you one because you DID NOT BUY IT FROM US!!" Nor can they give me any advice as to where I may buy another one from as it's a 33v charger – a bit hard to get hold of. This is disgusting and a complete lack of service. I was trying to reason with the lady over the phone, she hung up on me. I am utterly outraged... Word of advice to anyone if you buy a 2nd hand Acorn stair-lift: Acorn will not be of any help to you. If I remembered the lady’s name I would name and shame the nasty **.
Reviewed Dec. 30, 2015
I was told the cost of an inspection would be $1,000.00. My 2 chairs would both be inspected and the time it would take would be 45 minutes per chair. That was astounding news! I replied that I could not afford to have it inspected. Now one of the chairs won't move so I can't use it. Yes, I put a new battery into the remote control. I believe there is a problem in the tract. I am retired so I will need to take money out of my retirement account as I NEED THE CHAIR. I think such a fee should not even be legal! The purchase of the chairs is under the name of my landlord as we shared the cost. His name is Gerhard **. He has the order# so I'll need to submit it later. I'll get it ASAP.
Reviewed Dec. 15, 2015
August 12th 2015. My husband was told that he is terminally ill. He can no longer walk more than a few steps, so we have had a lot of expense trying to make life easier for him. A chair lift was needed. Having read the pamphlets, we were impressed and thought we had found the answer. It has been horrendous. It bumps, grinds, and has even stopped midway. At 73yrs I had to lift my husband off the chair. It is constantly beeping. It tilts rather than levels out when it comes to the bend. We have called, and the wait time for service is appalling. None in Kelowna. This certainly is not what their pamphlets stated.
My husband lies on the couch looking at $10,500 for a lift that he is scared of falling off. He wants to die in his own bed, is that really too much to ask? We have asked them to take it out and refund the monies. This was refused. Phone calls are not returned or delayed. The maintenance men are kind and considerate which is appreciated at this emotional time. What does one have to do, to make Acorn step up to the plate and make things right, as seniors in our golden age??? Our pensions do not cover these items. We must sacrifice something else to pay for them. Like our burial monies. Shame on you.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2015
We purchased Acorn Stairlifts which works fine except for stopping occasionally for no reason. When we purchased the stairlift we took advantage of the financing Acorn offered through Discover that was zero interest and no payments for 12 months. A few months in and Discover is calling saying we have to make a payment and the account is delinquent. I explained the arrangement we had with Acorn. Discover says there is no program like that, we would have to talk to Acorn. Acorn customer service said they could not help, had nothing to do with the program even though it was offered by their sales staff. We made payments every month and still have calls from Discover. Both Discover and Acorn are promoting a fraudulent program.
Reviewed Dec. 11, 2015
I have had a stair lift since 1997, upgraded in 2006. The original platform was removed because new slim line lift did not fit, flush to foot plate. Everything fine until September this year 2015 when new engineer arrived and said lift unsafe. Since then Acorn have been dreadful to deal with because the way they wanted to fit a new lift blocked the landing making access difficult. I have been told that they do not consider the household needs in fitting a lift. They are difficult not only to deal with and refuse to listen to the customer. My dispute is ongoing as they have now told me they will not service the lift anymore. Do not buy from them.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2015
My frail 96 year old mother who lives alone with severe arthritis had an Acorn chairlift fitted in October. In the 5 weeks since installation it has failed 3 times. Firstly a faulty battery, then internal wiring faulty and at last visit a new circuit board installed. Whilst the staff are very friendly and have been helpful my mother has been stuck upstairs awaiting a repair engineer to deal with the problem. This must be a Friday afternoon manufacturing job.
Reviewed Dec. 2, 2015
We have a 3 year old stair lift. After some installation problems with it hitting the wall it works. However it stalls at least once mid stair every time it is used. Acorn has never been able to prevent this happening. Service is non-existent. I called on their service department on Monday for help when it stopped working and still have not heard back. I had a code # showing on my panel and the lady who I spoke to said no one could tell me what it meant as the service department was closed as the lady was sick. Not on their ad, they say they do not leave until the client can operate a new one. They noticeably do not say that they do not leave before the client is satisfied. Lift is good service is no existent. I recommend buy an alternate.
Reviewed Nov. 13, 2015
Broke down after 1 month, called Acorn took 14 days to repair.
Reviewed Nov. 8, 2015
We paid over $14,000 for two chairlifts, one outside and the Acorn 180 for our inside stairs. Installation was great, but the 180 stairlift stopped working within a week of purchase! Acorn will not send a technician for at least 10 days, during which the chairlift will NOT STOP BEEPING! Service levels are horrible and there is no way to shut the damn thing off.
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2015
I purchased a chair lift about 3 months ago I paid over $3,000 dollars for it. I was on the phone with Acorn Chair Lifts, the company I bought it from, they said it would be $200.00 plus any parts to fix it. They said they have me on tape saying I pulled a child’s toy from it. Does it matter what I pulled from it? It is still broken. I don't think that Acorn stands behind their products. I think that this company is nothing but a big rip-off and I think that they take advantage of people that trusted them. I would advise people to avoid this company.
Reviewed Oct. 15, 2015
I don't fit in the seat. I hear a clicking sound. I am only 378 now. It's a bit faster now.
Reviewed Oct. 4, 2015
I have one of these and well let me just say I think these things are Way Way too slow!!! They need to be fast like a roller coaster!!! They should make these fun!!! I do not appreciate your turtle movement, Acorn Stairlifts!
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2015
By now many people have seen or heard about the product recall involving Acorn Stairlifts model 120 stairlifts. What isn't published or being given to the public is how badly this company handled the complaints when first made aware of the deaths of several elderly people. Once Acorn admitted that the seat post manufactured for those models were not mechanically sound, it embarked on a internal plan to locate and replace seat posts on stairlifts already installed without ever disclosing to its customers why they wanted to perform a "routine inspection" to do so. Technicians were instructed to hide the new part upon entering the home, take the stairlift to the top of the staircase to conceal what was being done, replace the defective part, leave the customer with a work order showing a free inspection was performed and never tell them that a defective structural component was replaced since people had died as a direct result of this part failure.
Acorn published the recall notice per Consumer Product Safety Commission mandates and indicated that the recall affects models manufactured between 2007-2011. It did not however tell anyone, including its employees, that these unit were still being sold to people long after the 2011 production year. Please understand that if you purchased the model 120 anytime up to 12/2014 you could still have one of the units with a seat post that is within the recall parameters. If you purchased a stairlift from Acorn directly and installed it yourself, you are at the greatest risk because very few of these units have been inspected, largely due to where those stairlifts are installed. These customers were called "Self Install" units and were sold all over the United States, until December 2014, to people who were too far away from an Acorn Surveyor (sales rep), technician or certified dealer.
Further, if you purchased a Self Installed stairlift between 1/1/12 and 12/31/14 it most likely myself that sold it to you, and I now know it can have the recalled seat post in it. Please discontinue using it until you can validate which part you have! I no longer work for Acorn Stairlifts and hope this article is helpful to the thousands of Acorn Stairlifts customers.
Reviewed Sept. 14, 2015
They were eager to put 3 stairlifts in. After that trying to get any type of service was difficult and annoying. Usually when a technician came, the result was always the same. "That's the way they are". These stairlifts are a piece of garbage. Already looking for something else. If I replace them, they will go out to the garbage.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2015
By now many people have seen or heard about the product recall involving Acorn Stairlifts model 120 stairlifts. What isn't published or being given to the public is how badly this company handled the complaints when first made aware of the deaths of several elderly people. Once Acorn admitted that the seat post manufactured for those models were not mechanically sound, it embarked on a internal plan to locate and replace seat posts on stairlifts already installed without ever disclosing to its customers why they wanted to perform a "routine inspection" to do so. Technicians were instructed to hide the new part upon entering the home, take the stairlift to the top of the staircase to conceal what was being done, replace the defective part, leave the customer with a work order showing a free inspection was performed and never tell them that a defective structural component was replaced since people had died as a direct result of this part failure.
Acorn published the recall notice per Consumer Product Safety Commission mandates and indicated that the recall affects models manufactured between 2007-2011. It did not however tell anyone, including its employees, that these unit were still being sold to people long after the 2011 production year. Please understand that if you purchased the model 120 anytime up to 12/2014 you could still have one of the units with a seat post that is within the recall parameters. If you purchased a stairlift from Acorn directly and installed it yourself, you are at the greatest risk because very few of these units have been inspected, largely due to where those stairlifts are installed. These customers were called "Self Install" units and were sold all over the United States, until December 2014, to people who were too far away from an Acorn Surveyor (sales rep), technician or certified dealer.
Further, if you purchased a Self Installed stairlift between 1/1/12 and 12/31/14 it most likely myself that sold it to you, and I now know it can have the recalled seat post in it. Please discontinue using it until you can validate which part you have! I no longer work for Acorn Stairlifts and hope this article is helpful to the thousands of Acorn Stairlifts customers.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2015
We purchased a stairlift in June 2015 for our new home in Barrie, ON. The salesman was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in getting us exactly what we required. However, ever since the product has been installed, we have had nothing but problems with the stairlift. When you contact customer service, if you're lucky enough to get to speak to someone, your problems are blown off and passed on to someone else who simply ends up telling you that they do not have a technician available in my area and will contact me when they can send someone. Meanwhile my handicapped brother can not get up the stairs and is stuck downstairs in the lower level of the house.
We have had 1 technician actually come to the house and tell us there is nothing wrong with the stairlift. And yet on a daily basis, something goes wrong with it and I am trying to contact Acorn for help. Most recently, this weekend, the hydraulic arm at the bottom of the stairs decided not to work and is stuck in the upright position, hence again prohibiting use of the stairlift. This company need to be banned from selling product in Canada that they obviously refuse to support!! BRUTAL!!
Reviewed July 26, 2015
We've had this stairlift for just over a year and already we've had an engineer out twice. Last night it broke down AGAIN. Phoned the way below standard customer service and was told an engineer would be out today. I asked "how do I get upstairs in the meantime". Their answer was "IT IS NOT OUR PROBLEM"??? After fiddling around with the stairlift ourselves, we eventually got it going. So I phoned customer service and asked them to cancel the engineer, but send someone out in the next few days to service it - despite it being serviced a month ago. The customer service girl send she could send someone out on the 22nd July, despite today being 26th July!!! We have now got someone coming out on the 5th August 2015. Let's hope it keeps on going till then. My advice to all that read this. DO NOT TOUCH THIS COMPANY WITH A BARGE POLE.
Reviewed July 19, 2015
The owners manual: Hard to use. In the error chart, all errors are listed as normal and then suggest solution. If it is normal, then whey would it be an error? The wiring diagram: All switches are shown as a normally open position. This does not seem to be so. I would love comments.
Reviewed July 8, 2015
We purchased this Stairlift less than one year ago. We were told it was an outdoor lift, (which is what we wanted) and have had nothing but problems with it. We keep getting error codes and call the tech support and they give us all kinds of ideas to try and get it to work. Use a ruler for something, lift the foot rest up, and push in on both sides, etc. We have to pay someone to talk on the phone with them and do the things they want us to try. My husband and I are both handicapped and can not go up and down the stairs repeatedly to check this or try that. I could not use it yesterday and had to take one step at a time and rest to go upstairs to where I live. I called today and was told they could not send anyone out to look until tomorrow at 1:00pm. Now I have to climb the steps one at a time again. I just want my money back.
Reviewed July 7, 2015
Purchased and had installed a new Acorn (Brooks) chairlift during Oct/2014. Took several months to have installed. Within a few months it began leaking motor lubricant on the rail. The motor got weaker and weaker and 8 months later it quit working, leaving me stranded midway on the rail. Fortunately I was young enough to climb down, but potentially a very dangerous situation depending on your age/injury. I called the installer concerning the leaking fluid/weak operation and he looked at it, said the motor is permanently sealed and should not leak. Never saw one leak before, said he'd have to call Acorn. Several weeks go by and he says still waiting on Acorn to respond.
One day I use the lift and it stops cold about 1/3 up the rail. I complain to the installer; he is too busy to respond and tells me to call the company directly. I look the number up online and get the run around for three days. Finally get a factory rep to come look at the chair. Motor replaced and a fuse (warranty), $250 service fee. Junk and poor customer service; can not recommend!
Reviewed July 6, 2015
Phoned to say the chair lift was not working. We're promised that someone would call us back the next day. Nobody called so we called again and were told they had no record of our call. We were then told someone would be out that afternoon. That afternoon which happened to be a Friday, someone came to service the machine. Said he knew what the problem was. We used the machine twice and received the E2 code which meant it was out of service. Called Acorn again and was told that nothing could be done til Monday, that someone would be in touch with us. Did not hear anything, so called again and was told they were trying to figure out when they could come see us. We are still waiting.
Reviewed June 24, 2015
The tech came to our home today and inspected the lift. He Identified the complaint and added additional supports between rail and steps, tightened the gear screws at the rail, and lubed things. After he felt he tried everything possible to improve things, he went out to his vehicle and called someone at the factory for their opinion. When he came back into the house, he said while the noise was louder than most, that the creaking noise is normal. When I asked about how the problem might shorten the life of the lift, the tech said "Don't worry the motor and drive have a lifetime warranty." He gave me a copy of the work order and noted what he did. Bottom line - I'm disappointed with the experience and can't recommend Acorn.
Reviewed June 16, 2015
My mother bought a stair lift from Acorn last May 12. It's now one month later and this happened this last weekend: The stair lift was taken upstairs at 11:00 am on Friday, June 13th and on the trip back down the lift malfunctioned, sped forward and catapulted the machine into the entrance door of her home. The lift runs into the door, blows a fuse and loses all power. The lift is now jammed into the door and the door cannot open or close. Called Acorn for help and was told that a technician would not be able to get there until Monday morning. I then called and complained that not only can my mother not use her bathroom or bedroom because they are upstairs she can't also shut her front door. Her door was unsecured and unlocked for three days. She was scared to death and I was OUTRAGED!!
Reviewed June 12, 2015
Save your money. These are money pits with one excuse after another from the dealer why it does not work. Bought this 7 years ago for my elderly Mom. Everything was fine for a few years. The dealer’s service people were out here for service 2 weeks ago. $100.00 just for the service call + parts. Initially I paid over $3000.00 for it to go up 5 steps. Two weeks ago I was told it needed new batteries. $200.00 for batteries + $100 service call. Now the carriage is stuck in the middle of the tracks and needs a new circuit board!! Quoted over $500.00 + $100.00 service fee just to look at it. This company preys on disabled people with their hunk of junk product.
Reviewed June 1, 2015
I bought 2 stair lifts May 2014. I opted for 2 straight lifts instead of a curved one for $4000 more! The salesman offered us a extended warranty that would have cost over $1500 so we passed! I have had service 1 time during the past year. I complained about the bumping of the chair going up and down. Service man came and said there was nothing unusual about it. I told him to look at certain screws that were popping up, he tightened them, oiled the thing, checked the computer. Everything was fine. Now warranty is up, black flacks are up and down the tracks, feels like a carnival ride! I refuse to buy their overpriced warranty!
But every week to ten days, a rep calls and tells me how much I will have to pay to get service, parts, etc. Outrageous prices and defiantly "Scare Tactics" are in play in everyone of these calls! I've told them over & over again not to call me, but even as I'm saying this they talk right over me with all the horrible things that will happen & how it will cost me for not one, but 2 stair lifts. I wish I never got them now.. Buyer beware with this company, they will eat up every cent you have if you let them!
Updated on 02/23/2016: From the very beginning they tried to sell me their 1 year of repair & inspection plan for $598 for each stairlift. I received calls after call on weekly basis. After complaining online they called and said they would send out a serviceman at no charge last year. He just tested a few things and wiped the tracks! No more calls from them to buy extended warranty. Last night, I used my controller to bring down chair, got on and the thing just died! I refuse to pay $250 an hour plus parts & labor! I will replace both stairlifts eventually with a local company. I would NEVER recommend Acorn to anyone. They are a British National company, all over the world and seem to make most their money selling these overpriced repair contracts. I myself am too old to even try to fight them.
Reviewed April 27, 2015
I purchased an Acorn stairlift two years ago, for $11,000.00. Since then, I've had to call the service department 8 times, starting a month after purchase. The chair has left my husband stranded in the middle of the stairs in more than one occasion. After 6 calls they finally decided to change the computer panel. Unfortunately, the battery issues continue and they have been replaced a few times at a cost of $505.00 each time. I regret investing that kind of money on a product that is completely unreliable. Buyers beware!! Do your homework and look at different options before settling on Acorn Stairlifts.
Reviewed April 4, 2015
I had a new stair lift installed on 27th Jan 2015 at a cost to me of almost 5k. By early to mid March it had broken down and was unusable. I reported the breakdown to Acorn and within a few days their engineer attended. Following his inspection of the lift he told me the circuit board fitted to the lift was obsolete and he would replace it with the correct type. He also told me the batteries were faulty and he would replace them too. This would suggest to me then that the original circuit board and batteries provided with the stair lift were recycled. Now if I'm paying 5k for something advertised as new I expect new, not used. So it's buyer beware.
Reviewed March 3, 2015
We just had a ACORN Curved Stairlift installed in our home. We are very happy with the chairlift. ** (installer) did an outstanding job, he was very professional and very personable. ** is in the right job and don't ever lose him, also he should get a pay raise.
Reviewed March 3, 2015
One month into a one year service contract extension, my Acorn Stairlift malfunctioned, which the repairman said was due to 'owner abuse'. I treat that Acorn Stairlift like the expensive purchase that it is. Subsequently I received a bill for $278. I paid the $28 to replace the flimsy part that was replaced, but I have not paid the $250 service call fee that should be covered by the extended service contract. It is unconscionable for Acorn Stairlift not to honor its service contract by arbitrarily declaring a necessary repair as due to 'owner abuse' rather than faulty design and inadequate quality control.
Reviewed Feb. 25, 2015
If your stairlift is not working it is impossible to get it fixed. Service center is located in Florida and they are absolutely NO help. My mother's stairlift stops at the top of the stairs and will not move. This has happened five times in the last month. When the service person comes to fix it they say there is NO problem because when they run lift it works. I have tried to explain to this company that the lift works sporadically and it may run ok for several days before it breaks down.
I paid $250.00 for a complete service on the unit and two days later it broke down again. These units cost well over $10,000 with annual service visit of $250.00 (minimum). I was so unhappy with the last service that the technician contacted the West Coast Regional Manager of the company Brandon ** who tried to placate me with new batteries and an additional brace where unit continually stops. This equipment is obviously defective and needs to be replaced. Would not recommend this stairlift.
Reviewed Jan. 16, 2015
I need surgery and since I have a three story Town house, I need help with the stairs. I purchased an Acorn stairlift on November 21st, 2014 for the three stories at a cost of over $14,000,00. It is not working!!! They will charge $350.00 for a new battery and $250.00 service charge to do anything. I did not know that this Stairlift would only be covered if you mail in a card before 30 days time.
If I bought a small car for this amount of money I wouldn't need to mail in a card. There should be a better guarantee when spending such a large amount of money. I trusted that this was a good company but they are not concerned with the customers!! They just want to sell plans for repairs $595.00 for 1 year 895.00 for two, etc. This is a lot for something that is not a car. I'm afraid to call them because I have already thrown away $14,000 on this Stairlift. I don't have a money tree in my yard. I feel like a fool for trusting these people!
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2014
First I had to purchase a new stairlift, after taking a nasty spill down the stairs resulting in two fractured ribs and a puncture lung. I was on a ventilator for a month with a severe case of pneumonia and almost died. Same thing, an Acorn stairlift salesman shows up in my hospital room to offer me a great deal. 3,000 dollars later I have a brand new stairlift, installed in my home before I'm discharged from said hospital. Now I'm only 53 years old and my recovery was pretty rough but a month later, not really 28 days, my wife wanted new WW carpet. I call Acorn to see what to do, they tell me the charge is $425.00. Acorn is a rip off.
Reviewed Nov. 14, 2014
We had a friend who passed on.. They had acorn stairlifts, he did not have any use for it, I bought it for my wife. Her balance is not good.. I contacted an acorn dealer in Minnesota. He stated that I would have had to buy the lift from them or I could not get any parts, if in the future it would break down. I find this not a way to treat people. Never buy a used acorn stairlift. JUST PAY THEIR PRICE, Not a good Co.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2014
We had an Acorn Chairlift installed a few years ago by Acorn after my then 90 year old father, now 94 who had a fall and broke his hip at the time. We had acquired a brochure from the hospital for Acorn, Made the call, got the quote for $3000 and had no choice but to install the chair for dad. That process was smooth and easy and didn't have to pay until install. Shortly before the warranty expired (2 yrs?) my parents complained about problems with the chair, banging and clanging as it went up and down. When we visited we saw metal filings on the stairs that were obviously coming from the lift. We finally after many many calls had a service rep come to the house (the service fee was $150 as it was a few months after warranty expiring that we finally got through). Acorn needed a serial number that my parents couldn't read off the chair, thus the delay. The serial number location was not possible for them to get to (even if they could read the serial number). No serial number? no service. Finally an employee who apparently lives near my parents promised to "drop by" someday to have a look. No appt, just drop by?!? He assumed they would just be home.
He did finally show up (we wanted to be there to help my parents out) and never returned again with parts or an answer. We figure he wasn't employed by Acorn no longer. After again many, many calls we spoke to a normal person at Acorn who we were able to purchase a replacement battery pack. The lady said it is easy to install. Easy for us maybe, not for my 94 yr old father. My 20 yr old nephew was the only one available to help out and installed the 'easy to install battery'...not really!!! The chair has worked now for 3 months, still making noise but now not going down only up. A visit during Thanksgiving allowed us to see that dad walks down the now narrow staircase, grabbing onto to the handrail on the opposite side, because the chair doesn't always come down. I called today to ask for service. Again I got the run around, seems no department wants to hear about service, however, interestingly enough when I sent an email through their website for a "New Chair" request, at 9:30am Monday morning I received a voice mail with all the numbers I could reach for sales.
WOW. When I called for service and was transferred to tech support (I asked for service dept by the way), I was not allowed to transfer over to arrange a service call unless I provided a serial number once again. My parents are very old and not very able, can't read the serial number for me and they are now walking down the stairwell.They didn't care to ask what the problem was or even show any concern for dad. That is just horrible customer service and looking at the other reviews I have the same feelings for this company!!! They can sell and install their product really well, but good luck with getting service. It's obviously going to be someone disabled or senior who will need the help. They really need to have a look at who their customers are and have service in place regardless of having the serial numbers. Anyways, even when you do they are useless. Not my opinion, but the truth.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2014
My chair lift will no longer carry me from my basement to the first floor. Using the internet I found a telephone number for Acorn Chair Lifts and left a message saying I need help. The following day I called again and this time was told they would respond in 24 hours. A week has passed and still no response. Several years ago a toggle switch, plastic, was replaced with one in steel. The repair people, 2 of them, drove from Toronto, 1 hour. The charge unreasonable.
Reviewed Sept. 25, 2014
Stairlifts fitted 27th July and a fault developed with the powered swivel within a week. The engineer called and reported that the problem was due to the motor not being powerful enough. He said that he would order a new part and return to fix it. On 8th September he still hadn't arrived so I rang and was told by the automated answering system that I was 9th in the queue. When I eventually got to talk to a human I was told that that the employee who was responsible for ordering the part had left the company but that a new part would be ordered and another appointment was made for an engineer to fit it on 16th September, which came and went to no avail. I tried for three days to be told I was 8/9/10 in the queue. I eventually contacted them on 22nd September to be told that the wrong part had been ordered and the correct part was now ordered and the engineer would fit it on 25th. September (today) and the engineer would call that morning to give some indication of the time. At 3.30p.m. I tried to contact the service department to be told I was 11th in the queue. I finally contacted them by complaining to their registered office. Still waiting for the engineer.
Reviewed Sept. 11, 2014
Having discussed the fact that my Mum's stairs are narrow, the salesman told us that it would fit. When the installer came he took completely different measurements of the stairs and my Mum, resulting in the stairlift not being suitable. We were also told that alterations to the door would not be required which was not true. This has caused a lot of stress for my parents. People in different departments of the company do not speak to each other and I have found them a very time consuming company to deal with. They have refunded the £500 deposit quite quickly, although the speed may only because I insisted.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2014
I live in New York, I have cystic fibrosis and I'm 75 years old. I live in a home with three floors and slowly became disabled and was unable to go up and down the stairs. The client advisor from Acorn was very professional as well as the installer. I like the fact that they are employees of the company and not dealers or contractors. I was not pressured to into buying anything. I have read many reviews and it seems like many are dealing with dealers who sell used and refurb units. I bought mine directly from Acorn Stairlifts which is based in Orlando Florida. Be careful of local dealers who have given Acorn a bad name. The client advisors and technicians had IDs from Acorn Stairlifts.
I didn't see a need for the extended warranty as the motor and gear box are cover for the life of the original owner. I have had two service calls and it was covered under the first year warranty. I highly refer Acorn Stairlifts. I shopped around with other stairlift companies and by far Acorn gave the best price and the best service. So, if you're reading this please note that the negative comments are with regards to dealers who use to sell Acorn or the competition trying to degrade the world leader in best stairlift and service, Acorn Stairlifts.
Reviewed July 16, 2014
I am sorry to see so many comments regarding pricing on the maintenance/warranty agreements. We got an Acorn Stairlift for my father-in-law to use when he visited. We have had it for at least four years now but didn't get the warranty right away. We finally did get it which included a yearly check-up. We just renewed our maintenance agreement for 4 years at $1076 total plus tax. Now, my mother uses it when she comes to visit and is quite pleased that it is here. We have been very pleased with the attitude, professionalism and courtesy of those with whom we have dealt… and no, I am NOT an employee with the company!!
Reviewed July 14, 2014
My sister and I helped purchase our elderly father an ACORN stairlift in August 2013 following a bad fall. The lift has worked well and it has given him mobility in his house. My complaint (and my father's) is about the insurance that ACORN is now trying to sell him. The insurance costs $890 for one year. You can buy a four-year plan for nearly $2,000.00. $890 for one year! It's as much as his car insurance, and my father would be insuring a lift that is not nearly as expensive as his car.
In an effort to persuade my father to buy the plan, the ACORN representative wrote in an email in June 2014 that the cost of a repair through ACORN is $400 just for the service call plus $75 per hour for labor. The representative went on to say that a serious repair could cost $1600. $400 just to have someone knock on your door, and then the real charges start! I called around to a few appliance repair people and quickly found several who work on ACORN chair lifts. The most expensive service call is $125.00.
ACORN in my view preys on elderly people who are fearful of having a $1600 bill that they cannot pay for a stairlift that needs service. The sales representative last year made no mention of the high cost of repair through ACORN or the high cost of an insurance policy. Buyer beware.
Reviewed July 13, 2014
After reaching a decision to Age In Place (AIP) in our three level home and recuperating from my wife's back surgery and my recent foot surgery we decided on the need for a stairlift going up to the bedroom level and another down to the great room, media room, office and unfinished basement where we have a storage and additional refridge and freezer. The units were installed by a very nice and efficient installer who I watched like a hawk since my background is engineering. The units work although the speed of ascent and descent slows to a painfully slow pace at a few places along the staircases. When we called to question the performance only weeks after the installation we were also told about a $250 charge if nothing was deemed defective. (Sounds like a strong motivation for finding nothing amiss).
I am pretty much convinced that the few rail track discontinuities which exist on both upstairs and downstairs units are sensed by the controller which slows progress to a snails pace. I was also called about the "Extended Warranty" which I could purchase for only $3,600. At that price they should give the Stairlifts away for free and just sell extended warranties. I share the views and experiences of the many unhappy Acorn customers and I regret not doing my normal research before purchasing, what I believe is a premium price for their product with a below par service package. I also notice there is no place on the Acorn website for customer reviews or feedback.
Reviewed June 28, 2014
We purchased an overpriced Acorn chair lift for my dying Father a few years ago. The chair lift functioned well for the 6 months that he needed it before he died. We never used it again. But the relentless sales calls came in as soon as he died. Acorn wanted to sell my grieving Mother a $962.00 "service agreement". She kept saying no, but the sales person smelled blood in the water. He had a grieving confused old woman in his sights. He kept calling and calling and finally had this poor woman, my grieving Mother convinced that she needed this "service agreement" for a contraption that she would never need or use. It cost her $962.00 for something a selfish sales person sold her.
Reviewed June 22, 2014
Our family recently purchase an Acorn 180 Curved Stair lift. Both of my parents are disabled and unable to walk the stairs in their home. One of them (87 yrs old) is blind and the other (88 yrs old) is an amputee. After hearing about Acorn from two friends, we contacted Acorn to inquire about a stair lift. Mike **, an Acorn representative in the local area, came out, did some measuring and gave us a quote. After some discussions about price and initial concerns, we were able to agree on a quote, although the price was still much higher than we would have liked. Mike answered all of our questions and worked with us to achieve the best result for our family.
The stair lift was installed about 10 days after Mike came out, and it was installed by J., a seasoned installer. The installation took about 6 hours but J was meticulous in his work and carefully measured and assessed the stairway as he went along. We were impressed with the care he took during the installation. Afterward, J had each of my parents as well as my sister who has severe arthritis use the stair lift to go up the stairs and to come down. He answered their questions about how to operate the device and pointed out all of the safety features. He spent time to be sure we understood the warranty, how the stair lift worked, and how to contact customer care if we needed it. Mike called during the installation to assure everything was going well and has given us his assurance that he would be responsive to our questions and concerns. We have had the stair lift about two weeks now and we have been using it with no problem. So far, we are happy with the service we have obtained from Mike and J. We look forward to getting several years of use from the stair lift.
Reviewed June 6, 2014
Purchased this chair for my 85 year old mother in the end of January 2014. At first, everything worked fine. Chair started making a cracking sound right at the joint where the tracks meet. It does not sound safe, I can tell you that. Called Acorn and told them who then told me it would cost $250.00 for someone to come out. Really... but he informed me that if it was something wrong with the chair I would not have to pay. Unfortunately, I was working when the man came. He tightened bolts and put WD-40 on the chain and told my mother the noise was from the step. I can tell you the noise was not from the step. So I wrote Acorn a message explaining that I am not happy. He said once the chair settles, it makes noises. I told him I was never told that. Apparently, nothing I can do. Please read reviews and warranties before you purchase this type of chair. To take insurance for a year was over $500.00. This place should be investigated for abuse to the elderly.
Reviewed June 4, 2014
I am trying to get service for my Mother's Acorn stairlift. I have repeatedly emailed and called them to find a local service rep. No reply from them. As an experiment, I emailed them as if I wanted to make a purchase. The email and phone calls from their salespeople will not stop. My feeling is they will gladly sell you a new one; if it breaks and you need service you are on your own
Reviewed May 12, 2014
Contacted Acorn for a quote for a curved stairlift and asked for a rough estimate of cost, they quoted me between 4,000 - 5,000. I told them that I could not afford that price and had cheaper quotes from other companies. Since that initial call, different sales people have called me a further 9 times in less than a month trying to sell me their stairlifts and each time I tell them they are too expensive.
Last week, someone apparently from their warehouse called me to say that they have a load of reconditioned stairlifts which are as good as new and they believe they can do me a great deal. As I had just moved into my new house, I give them a chance to come out and quote me. They send a salesperson round to measure up the same day. It took the salesperson an entire hour to measure up and give me the sales pitch, during which I already tell him that Acorn have been hounding me even though I told them they are too expensive and that a rival company have quoted me 3300. At the end of the hour, he calls the "head office" to get me the best deal. When he comes off the phone he proceeds to tell me that unfortunately they do not have any reconditioned stairlifts but can offer me a new one for 4700!! As you can imagine, I was furious that he had just wasted an hour of my life talking about stairlifts that I will never get back and rushed home from a long day at work to meet with him.
Next day, another salesperson calls me to follow up the quote and is met with my fury. When I told him that they basically lied to me about having reconditioned lifts just to get an engineer in my house, he then tells me that they do in fact now have a reconditioned stairlift that has miraculously appeared overnight and that he can sell me that for 3700. I told this person where to go and to remove my name from their database. I am putting this info on this site because I am quite young and more than able to speak my mind, but there are a lot of vulnerable elderly people out there that this company could take advantage of.
Reviewed May 8, 2014
There is a large recall of Acorn Stairlifts manufactured between 2007-2011. The part that is in recall is the seat post which has the potential of snapping or breaking due to its manufacturing. The company is well aware of the issue and they are secretly going around to customer's homes replacing the seat post but not informing the customer why this is being done. If you call the company, they will tell you that they're doing free check-up but a technician just shows up to replace the seat post. I have been in contact with a dealer of Acorn who confirmed there is a recall on the seat post. Although there has been no accident with my 88-year old mother's stairlift, the company recently called her to set up a free check-up and replaced the seat post without informing her what was being done and just gave a blank work report without writing what they had done. I feel that this is a very shady and deceptive practice and this company should be looked into. I have already contacted the CPSC to look into this matter and make it public so consumers know what they are getting themselves into when they purchase from Acorn Stairlifts.
Reviewed April 21, 2014
After purchasing an Acorn stairlift under very high pressure, I had it for a month and the thing never worked correctly. I called every day for service and never got it so I contacted a lawyer, had it removed and got my money back. I then purchased a Stannah Stairlift and love it. Anyone looking for a stairlift do research first so you don't get screwed by Acorn too. Look up stairlift reports by consumers and see for yourself. Stannah Stairlifts are rated number 1 and by far is so much nicer looking than Acorn and reasonably priced and works great. I'm so happy with my Stannah. Take a look at my new Stannah Stairlift.
Reviewed March 28, 2014
An 81-year-old friend, a widow on a fixed income, was told that a representative would be at her home to perform a "free" courtesy inspection. After he arrived and inspected her chairlift, he said she had to purchase a new backup battery, at a cost of $70.00. He then told her if she didn't buy the battery, she would be charged $220.00 for the "service call." Whereupon, she called a number provided by this representative, and was told she needed to supply her bank's routing number, and her account number. She wrote a check, since the representative would not leave without one.
Now she is afraid the company may double-bill her by having access to her bank account... or maybe even draining it. As she is very disabled, and on a fixed income, this is an emotional event and adds to her physical distress as well. Something needs to be done about this abuse, emotional and financial, of a disabled senior citizen. Since she has no computer access, I am acting as an advocate for her. A review of this complaint would be appreciated, as soon as practicable.
Reviewed Dec. 18, 2013
My husband's stairlift broke down & since it was a used unit, we knew it was time to buy a new one. My in-laws said they would pay for a new one even though they are retired & on a fixed income since they knew we couldn't afford it. I did a request on-line for information, but didn't hear back so I called & inquired myself. An appointment was set up. The man was 1/2 hour late because the company gave him the wrong town. Okay, no problem. Was not impressed with the salesman. If he wants to do stand up comedy, go elsewhere. I don't have time to waste!
I was impressed with the product, talked to the in-laws & they put a deposit down. I gave my cell number to the salesman for the confirmation call the next day. Got home & the confirmation call was on my voice mail along with someone calling to sell me a stairlift! This second message really irritated me & I called the company to confirm the purchase & inform them that I'm not happy with the second message. The "gentleman" who took my call basically told me he really didn't care if I bought the stairlift from them & he would call in a few days to give me time to settle down!
I informed him that I cannot take calls at work! I then called to speak to a manager who acted like he couldn't believe how I was talked to & promised that I would get a phone call 2 days later by someone who knew what was going on! Next day I get a message from the installation dept from Acorn to set up an appointment, I call, get their voice mail, left a message with no return call! The next day, the time of my promised call comes & goes so I spend my lunch break on the phone with someone who refuses to put me through to a manager & this guy also tells me if I don't want the lift, that's fine with him!
I told him I want a refund, called my in-laws to tell them to expect a call with the refund. Oh, the guy didn't believe me & said he'd have to talk to my husband who has MS which has affected his mind! So my in-laws go behind my back & set up to have it installed only because they are afraid because the company has their credit card numbers & they don't want them doing anything to their credit! Fine, so the lift is installed. We were told that we had to get the old lift out or pay $300+, which we did. We were not told that they would leave all of their trash & cardboard for us to get rid of! Now I have to pay for bags to dispose of the large pile of cardboard & trash or take off work this Saturday to haul it to the recycling center that is open once a month! I do not know how this company stays in business & wish I would have looked around further but was in a rush, which it still took them over 2 weeks due to all the run around they gave me!
Reviewed Dec. 11, 2013
I was told that Acorn Stairlifts were "the best" but that seems to be a matter of opinion and my opinion is that this is a company that produces an inferior product which they sell for a premium price. We purchased our unit in June 2013 and by July we had already had repair people out several times. On these visits if any parts were needed, we were required to pay for them. Today, 12-10-2013, they were out again and although the units were still under warranty we were required to pay $250.00 for the service call and another $65 for parts. This is the worst type of elder/handicapped abuse. We do not put these things in because they improve the design of the home they are there because they are needed. In this house, there are 2 people that use the stairlift. I am 70 years old and disabled in a number of ways and the other person is a 30-year-old (my grandson) with a rare genetic defect who had fallen down the stairs on several occasions due to lack of balance. The lift was put in so that we can negotiate a split level house. He is now fearful of the lift and resists using it.
Reviewed Nov. 28, 2013
They are a bunch of crooks. They came to my home and told me that if I gave a deposit I could cancel up to 3 days. The next day a young man showed up and installed my lift. He was reading the installation manual and couldn’t figure out how it went together. He did a terrible job and the seat height is too tall for me, I can’t get on the thing. There is a cable in the middle of my staircase and the screws are not all the way in. I am so upset. I can’t believe I trusted them. I should have read reviews before choosing Acorn.
Reviewed Oct. 13, 2013
Acorn Stairlifts manufacture and sell an identical stairlift badged Brookes for information. All that is different is the color of the plastic moldings. Have had the stairlift since February 2012 and it's been one problem after another. There has been a constant fault showing, which a change or circuit board hasn't fixed. It's hit or miss whether it works, and neither remote control will operate. Apparently it's because we have long life bulbs and they are interfering with the signal. Try finding them incandescent bulbs nowadays, they have been banned in the EU. The latest is that it now stops short of the charging position at the top of the stairs, and the agent we bought it from won't come out until Monday (if we are lucky). It broke down on Friday. The manufacturer themselves deal only with agents/retailers and don't want to know.
We have it because my wife is seriously disabled, not some sort of fashion statement or stairs ornament. On Monday (13/10/2013) I'm going to demand the wretched device be removed so my wife can have the space to crawl up the stairs! Then I will get a reputable company to fit a stairlift which works and is reliable. If I don't get a full refund from the retailer, I will take the them to court and get them and the manufacturer the publicity they deserve.
Updated review: Sept. 20, 2013
The same serviceman that installed the chairlift came out the same day we called into the office (9/18) for an appointment (BEFORE the scheduled appointment for the next day (9/19)).
My husband watched the serviceman do his work.
It appears some part on the unit is slightly defective, but the serviceman was able to adjust it. Currently, it is working.
He wrote on his work order, if we have this happen again, the panel must be replaced.
I could not get the serviceman to state what was wrong or if a part was defective.
I must assume the serviceman feels there is something wrong with that part of the lift, but his adjust should have straightened out the problem permanently.
If not, we have, in the servicemen's writing on the work order, that the serviceman feels the control panel is some how defective and will need to be replaced.
I feel he should have replaced the questionable part at the time, and told him so. The serviceman assured me his "fix" solved our problem with the chairlift. Should it fail again, he would replace the control panel himself at no charge for parts or labor.
We were not charged for this call since it was not due to any fault of ours. The unit is not quite right, but is working.
So we shall see if the "fix" the serviceman did worked. So far so good.
Can't fault him for trying. That he did very well.
Original Review: Sept. 18, 2013
We had our Acorn Superglide 120 Straight Outdoor Stairlift installed 7-21-13. It was used 1-2 times per day to take our little Papillon dogs out to the backyard to do their business. My husband 180 weight) is the only one that uses this unit, since I too, am disabled and cannot sit in the hard chair on the lift. About one month after installation, the go/stop switch stopped working. It would not work with remote controls or by the unit. We called for service. We were informed if a service person was to come out, there would be a $250.00 "service fee" if there was nothing wrong with the unit. The service person explained over the phone how my disabled husband could fix the problem. My husband turned the unit off and on several times, and it finally started to work. This appears to be a very good indication that the switch on the unit is defective considering we had only had it a very short period of time. My husband went into the hospital shortly thereafter for several operations.
Fast forward - 9/18/13 is the next date my husband was able to get out of bed and try to use the unit. He tried to turn it on. It would not turn on. Not with the unit switch or the remote controls. We phoned all the phone numbers given to us when we purchased the unit and finally got a person on the phone who scheduled us for an appointment the following day. We will see what happens. My husband was a mechanic, and has done electrical work. He KNOWS this is a bad switch and the company should replace it at no charge to us.
However, if the service person they send does not agree, they will charge us $250.00 for the service call even though the unit is not even 3 months old. Purchasing one of their "service contracts" is prohibitively expensive for the elderly (approx-$600 for a one-year, $900 for a 2-year and $1,200. for a 4-year plan). It was difficult enough to come up with the original cost of the brand new unit - $3,745.00 and took us 2 years to save up for that!!!!! We asked the company if they could just remove the unit and return our money. THEY REFUSED!
Once you have purchased a unit from this company, YOU are stuck! It DOES NOT STATE anywhere in the paperwork we signed that "All Sales are Final" and I believe it is supposed to do so, by law. This is a deceptive practice to say the least. I will write again tomorrow after the service person shows up "sometime between 9am -11am 9/19/13". More tomorrow on how we were treated after the service person does whatever he does.
Reviewed Sept. 2, 2013
My 83-year-old father-in-law wanted a stairlift. First experience of Acorn was the promise of a first visit on a Saturday morning. Saturday morning appointment time came and went and he got a call from Acorn saying the guy was having car problems and it would now be two days later for the initial visit and also promised him a "discount" for the inconvenience. During the initial visit, an aggressive salesman tried to get him to make a decision on the spot. The next day Acorn continued with the aggressive style, telephoning him and promising to install a "new" stairlift for the price of a reconditioned one, trying once again to pressure this ill, elderly man to make a decision.
Today the stairlift was supposed to be installed between 10:30 and 12:00. This time window came and went, no Acorn representative, no phone call. My father-in-law had to call Acorn to find out where they were. He was told that there were problems with the first installation of the day and it would now be 4 pm to 5 pm. This is a totally unacceptable way to run a business and it demonstrates they have no concept of customer service. At a minimum, Acorn should have contacted the customer when they knew they were not going to keep their appointment. If they cannot plan their installations better than this, they should not be making false promises.
Is it because they know they are dealing with frail elderly people who are stuck at home and so desperately want a stairlift that will make their life easier? I rearranged a repair for my own house this morning to accommodate this appointment and took time off work to sit at my father-in-law's house for three hours. I would not recommend Acorn, and I think paying Stannah a few more pounds would have been worth it for the customer service that a family owned and run business must provide in order to stay in business.
Reviewed Sept. 2, 2013
My mother and mother-in-law both are ninety-one years old and live with us. Last September we decided to get a stairlift. My mother-in-law has arthritis and my mother had recently fell and broke her collar bone. We decided to go with Acorn Stairlift. It would cost $8000.00 for installation including a one year warranty. Installation was completed about 7 hours. The Moms loved it. Seven months not much problem other than remote control issues which were addressed promptly. Then they complained of the chair jerking and jumping a lot. We called and a serviceman came out March 5, 2013 and stated that some parts needed replaced.
Two days later the serviceman that installed the chair came out and said nothing needed replaced it just needed grease and stated he would check back in 30 days. In June nothing had changed and now there was a lot of banging and jerking. I called and complained. The same serviceman came out, same report that unit was within company equipment parameters. Please God help us!!!! Next contact was in August wanting us to buy a four year warranty for $1700. I gave this nice gentleman a piece of my mind. He was very nice but I am really put out by this company and would like the lift serviced for my poor relatives. They stated they would come out and if nothing was wrong I would be charged $250.00 plus. It was still under warranty at the time.
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2013
I have a staircase that has a landing half way down. My arthritis had got progressively worse so I decided to have a stairlift installed. I approached several companies on the internet. I chose Acorn as they are the manufacturer of the lift. There were lots of companies who acted as middle men who were more expensive. I was really impressed in how fast they fitted the lift. All the other companies I spoke to needed a lead time of 3 to 6 weeks. They said this was because they had to make the rail for the chair in the factory first then test and install in my house. What’s different about Acorn is they do not use this method instead they have a rail system called FastTrack. This comes in pieces of track that are used to build the track on site. They can build a rail fast on any type of stairs. They had the whole thing fitted in 3 days after I decided to go ahead.
The telephone staff were very pleasant and the surveyor was at my house the day after I contacted them. He was very knowledgeable and friendly and explained the various options. The stairlift is extremely ease-to-use and I have never had any problems with it. It’s comfortable to ride and looks great in my home it has literally changed my life instead of shuffling up and down the stairs and struggling I have no problem. I would highly recommend Acorn as a company, they make the lift so it’s their reputation on the line. They supply stairlifts globally exporting to the USA, Australia and Germany. I would advise to go direct and cut out the middle men of mobility shops that increase the price and cannot give the best aftercare support.
Reviewed June 14, 2013
They have great sales stuff but if something goes wrong with the chair, you are put on hold or a service call takes several days. Unacceptable when dealing with handicapped and senior consumers. The service staff has limited knowledge on chair functions. I wish I could return it and buy a BRUNO.
Reviewed May 17, 2012
I have a close friend named Elgin who is seventy two years old & has an awful back problem because of riding motorbikes when he was young. He can no longer travel up and down his stairs without the fear of falling. Apparently, this is a common occurrence with many older people. Something that the rest of us take for granted happens to be a major effort or a nearly impossible feat for many senior citizens.
My friend saw a a commercial on TV for a company that manufactures and sells a device that transports a person up their stairs by riding on a chair that is connected to a motorized lift. The company is called Acorn from England. They have office spaces here in the States, but everything is made across the pond, so to speak. He called the toll-free number in the TV ad, and a surveyor came out to his house to measure his stairs and gave him an estimate. I was there when all of this happened, so this is not a third party account of what transpired.
The price for the lift was $3500, which was more than Elgin was prepared to pay. The surveyor, who sounded more like a salesman, tried many ways to coerce my friend to purchase his unit that day. However, Elgin was not prepared to buy that day. The Acorn representative finally left the house, after which, Elgin & I had a chat about the entire sales hype experience. Elgin concluded that he preferred to hold off & simply consider having to pay that amount of cash. Four days later, the telephone rang at Elgin's home & it was Acorn once again. They professed to have a canceled lift order at a storage warehouse in New Jersey & that they would allow him to purchase it for only three thousand dollars if he was able to place a down payment on it that day.
Elgin was certainly not able to provide a deposit, so he passed on the deal. Then, ten days after that call, a sales rep from Acorn telephoned Elgin & confided to him that they were holding a special confidential sale, & that he can purchase a brand new Acorn for only $2500, the so-called best price on an Acorn lift. Elgin asked the individual on the telephone just how the cost could go from thirty five hundred dollars all the way down to twenty five hundred dollars in only two weeks. The individual on the telephone did not offer a credible explanation, so Elgin simply hung up on the person who had called him.
My friend subsequently purchased a Bruno stairlift, because he can always get local service and get it at a better price than the Acorn, even after all of the suspect discounts that they offered. Had Elgin given in to the high pressure of the Acorn surveyor, and purchased it when he was there, Elgin would have been ripped off for $1000.
Reviewed April 13, 2012
We had an Acorn Stairlifts representative come out to our home, as we were thinking about getting a stairlift for my mother who lives with us. She is 80 years old and suffers from breathing problems and can no longer walk up and down the stairs. Mom weighs slightly over 305 pounds. We decided to buy the stairlift,, but we were told that because my mom weighed more than 294 pounds, we would have to pay extra for a heavy duty model. The extra cost was $250.00. We agreed, and the representative wrote up the order.
When the installer was putting in the lift, I asked him what was the difference between a regular and heavy duty model. He laughed and said, "This sticker that I'm going to put on the unit." At my amazement, I asked the installer if he was serious. He replied, "Yes, it's a little known gimmick that Acorn uses to pad the cost of the stairlift."
This is outright fraud and done to a senior citizen. How can this company get away with this practice? They charge extra for a heavy duty model, and then install a regular unit with a sticker on it. They are selling a product that doesn't exist and charging extra for it as well. I can only hope that the Attorney-General here in New Jersey ends this type of fraud and deception.
Reviewed April 14, 2011
My mother had a stroke, was in Rehab and is staying in the living room without being able to take a shower upstairs. A person gave me the name of a stair lift company called Acorn. I contacted them in the Internet.
I contacted the company again about installments, a man called Tret called and said he would give installments, first $800, then $1000 next month, then $1700 and what would I suggest. I asked how to pay, he asked for my checking account number and Bank ABA and a check number. I said I do not have a check number and he said to call later. Busy at work, I did not call.
Next day a very aggressive woman called to say they would come to install the stair lift. I still did not call to give the check number and looking at my finances of how to pay, I realized that they had taken $800 without me giving the check number. I called Tret and he became very aggressive that he would not give installments and would wait for me to save the money and pay the whole amount.
I went to borrow some money and called again a man Rob said that Tret was not there. I said that I would pay but I have to say that they should not have taken the money without my consent or without giving them a check number. He said, "but you gave him your account number and ABA". I said, "but I did not give a check number," and this was not right and they should not take any more money without asking me first. Then he said I would pay with a personal check to the installer.
A man came to install and told me something like after the warranty. I would have to pay for more services, even if I just paid a lot of money. He really recommends that I pay for more warranty. Then I realized that the chair was not turning automatically then lock. In addition the stairs are only 29" and the rail takes almost half the space and there is a little shitzu dog going up and down which makes it dangerous. People also go upstairs with care.
I wished to say that this company, if selling to elderly and handicapped, is not treating the customers properly. I realized that they did not show me any catalogs of other models. There was no showroom for demonstration, for instance, what if my mother cannot anymore get up the two first stairs before the platform? They did not show curved ones.
They did not offer a Refund, if we were not satisfied with their product. They did not offer to rent or to sell used ones or to buy back from the customer. I looked at the paper, there is nothing regarding return or exchange. They did not offer larger size of chairs or higher chairs since it is painful for her to get up.Worse yet, is that in this situation, there isn't any warm relation with the customer for questions and follow up and this is very bad when dealing with elderly and handicapped problems.
There is another family business which treats customers with compassion for their elderly and handicapped that offered a catalog with several models and all kind of other things for handicapped and elderly. They offer a contract, rent, used, buy back etc. One can go to the store and try. They have a curved model which will save space on the stairs because installed on the ramp and thus safer for a small dog and for those going up and down.
Acorn Stairlifts Company Information
- Company Name:
- Acorn Stairlifts
- Year Founded:
- 1992
- Address:
- 7001 Lake Ellenor Drive
- City:
- Orlando
- State/Province:
- FL
- Postal Code:
- 32809
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.acornstairlifts.com
