#active wheelchair paid in installments?

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

valid kelp
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Anyone know where I could get an active wheelchair and pay in installments in the UK?

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I just don't have the ability to pay for one all at once, I'm currently just using my granny's BC she never goes out, but it's a very bulky standardised one and not really suitable for me. I also don't qualify for anything through the NHS as I can walk "too far" and "too often" and I'm quickly getting more pain and weakness that means I'm struggling

river temple
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if you're able, going directly to the nearest mobilityaid sales company and asling them if that's possible would be your best bet. as far as i know (not from the uk) anyone can purchase a mobility aid

valid kelp
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Anyone can but no places near me stock active wheelchairs, just standardised ones that are too bulky for me to push for more than a few minutes

river temple
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yeah they are made when you order them so you'd have to go and get measured get a run down of how much it would cost and i guess you could ask then. or you could talk to the sales rep and ask them the prices of different active chairs they provide. prices vary depending on add ons etc

valid kelp
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There’s only one place near me that even sells active chairs and it’s 9 miles away, I’d need to get my parents to drive me there and it’s complicated asking for things like that

river temple
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well if you still live with your parents don't they know you're in the process of getting a WC ?

valid kelp
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They know I want one as I’m struggling, but they’ve hesitant because of things like fitting it in the car with my granny’s and needing to ramp all the entrances to the house and make the back gate easier to open, so theoretically they think it’s a great idea, but in practice it’s more complicated

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We have a big car (the back section has foldable seats for an extra 2 people and can fit my granny’s wheelchair in like that if you take the wheels off and slide them under) but it’s more complicated, my granny’s wheelchair is always in our car because she gets around her house herself but can’t walk further than from her house to where we park, and the only person who ever takes her places is my mum

river temple
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i'd say if you're able financially and know you're gonna need a chair for a long time (over a year) get a lightweight custom WC. (like i showed you in your other post) they dont take up much room in your big car

valid kelp
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I’m unable to pay for it all in one due to having no savings, but if I could pay weekly or monthly for one I would absolutely do that, seriously considering taking out a loan after I turn 18 (in a month) to get one I can use and not have to pay all at once, it would take me around 2 years to save to pay for one all at once

oak pebble
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A specialised wheelchair shop might be able to let you pay for an ex-demo in installments

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As a completely new custom chair obviously needs full payment, due to manufacturing costs

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My chair is ex demo (got super lucky with my measurements), and I had to put a deposit down for it whilst they got my power assist sorted too. It doesn’t seem like too big of a stretch to pay for the full thing in installments?

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On the other hand, the store will need some sort of guarantee that you will pay the full amount, and I’m not sure how you could prove this to them

oak pebble
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Just saw your bit about taking out a loan; unfortunately it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to do this. Banks need proof of income, and usually proof of a good credit score before they will lend money. You might be able to get a credit card if you have a steady income already, but if you can’t pay back the full amount each month it’s not worth the extra debt via added interest

valid kelp
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What was the process for buying one like that? And how do you find a place like that? (I’m in northern England for reference)

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And just for my curiosity, what is your chair and do you have any pictures?

oak pebble
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Look up ‘wheelchair showroom near me’, make sure they sell active user chairs on their site. Then usually you have to call or email them to arrange a viewing/fitting (90% of places do this free of charge but some won’t, just ask them if you’re not sure). Talk to them about what you’re looking for in a chair, they’ll 100% understand the struggle of having to self fund!

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Some places list ex-demo chairs on their website, but they usually have more that aren’t listed too. I had my measurements taken, and we discussed what I needed the chair/power assist to be capable of, and they went and brought out a couple of chairs that might be a good fit. I tried them and settled on the one that fit me exactly! They sold it to me for £1000, whereas it originally cost £5500 (as it was just sitting around taking up space in storage)

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This is my chair, it’s a TiLite TR :)

IMG_6488.jpg
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Note that an ex demo chair might not come with a cushion… mine didn’t so I made one for cheap, because wheelchair cushions cost £££

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And here it is with the power assist that I also got ex-demo for cheaper!

valid kelp
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Thank you so much, I will do that as it would be so helpful

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Sorry for late replies, I’m really dissociative and seizury today

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I can’t find one near me, the nearest I’ve found is in London which is 3 hours from me but I do go down there pretty regularly so I could look into it

oak pebble
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I don’t know how far north you are, but Invictus active has a showroom in Wolverhampton (and a brilliant online store), and Ableworld has many stores in many places (multiple up north, and will also do home demos if you live within 30 miles of a store!) — don’t worry at all about late replies😁 I’m more than happy to help

valid kelp
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After looking my nearest ableworld is 33 miles away

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But it’s annoying the get to, the one 45 miles away is probably earlier for me to get to because of direct trains

oak pebble
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Def worth calling ahead to see whether they have any ex demo stuff before making the longer journey! I wish you all the best of luck :)

valid kelp
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I’ll ask my mum to call, I don’t do phone calls because they make me extremely anxious, it is near where my best friend lives so it’s not insanely hard to get to

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I Saw one that has some ex demo ones but I don’t know what my measurements are, so I need to figure out how to take them

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It’s closer to me and has delivery apparently

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They have 3 ex showroom quickies of different sizes

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I think I found one that works

oak pebble
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Yippee!!! Your seat measurement is the most important, sit on a piece of paper and mark the sides of your hips at the widest point. Remember when sitting on a cushion you’ll sink a little, so you can go for a seat width that’s a little narrower than the paper width

valid kelp
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They won’t sell it in installments : - (

oak pebble
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Oh no, that’s really disheartening :(

devout gustBOT
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GG @oak pebble, you just advanced to level 3!

oak pebble
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Have you looked into charity or grant funding at all?

valid kelp
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I can’t find anywhere that would consider it due to lack of a diagnosis (I’m on a waiting list to see a neurologist)

oak pebble
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Understandable

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I’ve just thought of another possible option

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If you go to the invictus active website and find the ‘icon 60 active wheelchair’

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They offer a payment plan of £500 upfront, and then £100 a month for 10 months after

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£500 is still significant, I do appreciate that. Your only other option then would be to scout eBay regularly for something to come up. I got my first rigid chair on eBay for £120 (mind you I had to drive 3 hours and it was big for me)

valid kelp
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500 might be an option, I’ll talk to my parents/ grandparents and see if I could borrow it from one of them

oak pebble
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Would def be a great option if you can afford it, especially as you only have to wait a few days for it to arrive

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Best of luck to you🤞

valid kelp
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I’ll talk to my parents about it tonight

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Ok my parents have already gone to bed so tomorrow I will

valid kelp
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My mum came downstairs we talked and she said it wasn’t an option, but she is contacting my social worker and the nhs to reassess or get some kind of funding

native skiff
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Hi! My icon 60 arrived today and i totally recommend it, so far seems like its a very good chair and if you have any questions about it id be happy to answer!

valid kelp
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I'll see what I can do, if my grandparents can lend me the money it could be an option, the only questions I really have are about how smooth it is and what's the turning circle like?

native skiff
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Ive found it super smooth so far but it difficult on thick carpet and gravel isnt the easiest (however i think it should be easier with the off road wheels you get with the chair too though i havent tried them yet.
Id say the turning circle is good, especially compared to my old large chair. Not the easiest to describe but i may be able to send a video of it as that may help more

valid kelp
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That would be really helpful, if you get the chance that would be lovely, thank you so much

native skiff
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I should be able to tomorrow (its 1:22 for me rn and i have an exam in the morning so i could take a little while im afraid but i will get it sent

valid kelp
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It's the same time here so don't worry about it, good luck with the exam

native skiff
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Thank you ❤️

devout gustBOT
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GG @native skiff, you just advanced to level 1!

native skiff
oak pebble
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Looks awesome! Super sleek

valid kelp
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My mum offered me a few standardised chairs but they were all too heavy for me to push, she said she’d ask my grandma to borrow the money for the first payment but she isn’t sure if she’ll agree

valid kelp
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She said no, I'm gonna need to save up, that's gonna take like a minimum of 2 months

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And I'm now worried about whether the deal will end before then

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But it literally looks like a perfect chair for me

oak pebble
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The team at invictus active are really lovely, I’m sure if you reach out by email and explain a bit about your situation they’d be more than happy to help

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I can’t see why paying in instalments should be a limited time thing

valid kelp
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I think I'm gonna buy a cheaper non active chair for now and get an active one when I can afford to get a fully customised one or a second hand one that fits my measurements

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I did make my dream chair to save up for though if you do want to see it?

valid kelp
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There’s one of 2 I’m getting, there’s one in my city but it isn’t as good, or there’s one 5 hours away that’s much more suitable but my parents wouldn’t drive me

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But I’m in London this week and I could actually make it because it’s close, I think it’s just gonna come down to whatever I can get quicker

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If I went to the one in London I’d have to get an hour train in and out of the place it is to get it, but I can do it for timing

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The further away one is more used, but it’s an active chair, but the wheels are gonna need replacing soon, the other one is new, but isn’t an active chair, but it’s pretty light and has adjustable arms which was my main worry

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The feet stick out a little more than I like but it’s ok I guess

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It’s better to have something

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I have 2 shows I’m seeing this week in opposite ends of the country as well as a performing show myself and them I’m supposed to go vintage shopping with a friend the day after, if I’m gonna go I’ll need a wheelchair because I probably won’t be able to walk at all that day

hallow drum
valid kelp
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Sorry

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If you look on invictus active it's the visualiser thing

hallow drum
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Oh okay

valid kelp
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I'm buying this chair second hand as of Thursday it'll be mine

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It's a kuschall compact 45cm seat width

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It's costing me £200 to buy and around £50 to get there because I have to go an hour out of my way by train to get there, but it would be £1750 new so I think it's a great deal

hallow drum
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Oh nice! My parents are still saying no but I’m seeing my doctor soon I guess so I’ll tell her

native skiff
kind nacelle
hallow drum
kind nacelle
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If they see how much u need, they will not have options

hallow drum
kind nacelle
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Yes

oak pebble
valid kelp
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Getting it today, I'll either take pictures when I get home or tomorrow

hallow drum
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Super happy for you!

river temple
valid kelp
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I didn’t have any auditions, it’s really good

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One of the tyres has a puncture and I can’t get a new one until next month, but I just keep a pump in the back pocket and repump in an accessible toilet if needed

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I went out with it for the first time other than picking it up today

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I went vintage clothes shopping, got 2 bags, 2 shirts and a dress (even though I almost never wear dresses)

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Lighting isn’t great but I just took these

IMG_6667.jpg IMG_6668.jpg
native skiff
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Im so happy for you! Hope it helps

river temple
valid kelp
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I managed to patch it for now and bought some spares for the future

oak pebble
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Bike shops will change them for you too as long as you bring the right size tube/tire, often free of charge if they see you’re a wheelchair user (obv not a guarantee)

valid kelp
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My dad is a former biker so he just does it for me, but thank you

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Updated and customised

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I just need coloured pushrims now and boom

oak pebble
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Awesome!! Super happy for you