Stair lift installer recommendations NE England

Hi – really could do with a recommendation of a stair lift installer for NE England (Northumbria). @p20’s Mam hasn’t been too great and we need to get a stair lift installed asap. OT are due on Monday but reading online it looks like we’d have to make the arrangements ourselves. That’s fine, we can do that but not being based up there any more we really could do with a local reputable firm who can help us out on the ground. Plus cost is a limiting factor, so trying to avoid the big chains. Any one any direct experience or recommendations of anyone they have dealt with?

Thanks! Slightly unexpected end of holiday stress!

My wife’s a community OT in Scotland. They apparently get just quotes from Handicare, Stanna and Acorn, who have local companies that do the installation,  so the big companies you seem to want to avoid.

Maybe see what the OT says first? Depending on house layout, space and the persons ability, or lack of it, there will be different possibilities, or a stair lift might not even be a suitable solution.

Thanks – that’s really useful. Only really suggestion avoiding the big chains as p20’s folks are old school and like to know they can call up ‘Bob’ round the corner if there is an issue, rather than a general service number/engineer. We’ve had this before in regards to the tv, printer etc. But from what you’ve said maybe this is a non issue.

You are right about waiting for the OT before we do anything. His Mum has now said she wants a stair lift (having fallen going up the stairs multiple times, resulting in a week in hospital), and we do think it’s feasible in their house; but you are right to remind me to wait for the professionals.

My mum got a stairlift fitted a few years ago for my dad while he was in hospital. Unfortunately he passed away and never got out to use it but the company she used to fit it got somebody to remove it (cost her a few hundred) as they sell them on second hand apparently so this may be an option to look at too. I think it may of been Acorn she used (she is away just now so I can’t check) but as it is subbed out it was ‘Bob round the corner’ who did it all, and it was installed very quickly and cleanly.

Thanks – that’s really useful. Only really suggestion avoiding the big chains as p20’s folks are old school and like to know they can call up ‘Bob’ round the corner if there is an issue, rather than a general service number/engineer.

Stannah whilst a big company are still family owned, and have their own local branches with directly employed engineers.
If your MIL is Northumbria way then the local office is Gateshead, it would be installed by the depot based there and the service branch is based there. Any phone calls would be to that local device branch directly.

Normally I’m quite an advocate for small independent companies. In this case I’d sway the other way.
The smaller companies buy from manufacturers like Stannahn or Handicare or buy and fit 2nd hand lifts from the big manufacturers. When there is an issue they buy parts from the same people to sell on. In this case cutting out that step can speed things up, especially in terms of breakdowns and parts being needed.

to be transparent I have worked in the lift industry for 24 years as apprentice, engineer, management. And did work at stannah for a period also.
the other brand to look at is Thyssen, their Flow or flow2 product is truly excellent, but pricy.

but the company she used to fit it got somebody to remove it (cost her a few hundred) as they sell them on second hand apparently so this may be an option to look at too.

Thats interesting and I’d be following up this up with an installer who quotes, my partner grandparents had a stairlift put in, but no one was interested in it, after then moved out (admittedly it was used for a few years).

It seemed such a waste.

Love this place – there is always someone in the know. Thanks @oldschool.

Stannah does seem like a good bet from what oldschool said. I very recently had a job interview with them. They’ve got a manufacture facility on the Newburn Industrial estate. Got a good vibe from the company – they are proper engineers, family owned and really care about the product and customer.

A good cycling friend of mine works here with his brother. Obviously never had a stairlift installed but I’d trust him to do it. It would give you a second option in terms of price and service. I think they do a lot of work on Stannah products.

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Some councils do secondhand lifts as we gave my mother’s to ours. We had Stannah supply and fit new, other local companies appeared to be a bit like glazing companies of old, trying to beat quotes. It was £5500 a few years ago and needed a double bend and was manufactured in the UK. Service, again by Stannah was good. After 3 years though it was worth nothing and hence we gave it away.

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it. My mam has her OT visit on Monday, so we have some idea what we are looking at before then

It’s worth spending the extra on a really fast stairlift.

So you get upstairs before you forget what you came up for.

How’d you get in with the OT visit? Any luck?

My dad hires his stairlift from a local company, SE based sadly but it is a good way of doing it .

Rental might be a viable option, rather than outright purchase. My dad rented one for a little over £300 a year, also Northumberland

It was in for around 2 years before he died, so for him it worked out decent value (I’m assuming it would cost more than £600 for a stairlift)

How’d you get in with the OT visit? Any luck?

Frustratingly p20 got up super early after our return from holiday to get there for the OT. Turned out they were never coming! Who knows where the communication break down happened but despite 5 falls in a week, followed by a week in hospital, there was no return home plan put in place. They could have come out, but by that point p20’s parents had already decided to get a stairlift installed so it didn’t seem worth waiting days for them to turn up.

Stannah and DC lifts have both been out, but Stannah was beyond their budget, and have decided to go with @jonba’s mates at DC, who by coincidence I had also found online. The radiator at the bottom of the stairs has been moved today, so now just waiting for the refurbed lift to be installed.

Thanks everyone for all your help. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks but feel like there is a little bit of light.

Thanks for the rental idea Andy. We’d hope they might manage another 5-10 years there at current status, so looks like the price DC gave is good value.

Great!