Ayrshire man's dismay over long-standing dispute with mobility scooter firm

An Ayrshire man claims he’s been left out of pocket - after spending £10,000 on two mobility scooters that have plagued him with a catalogue of faults.

Stephen Clark, aged 47, from Prestwick, has criticised the after-sales care service from Mobility Matters, who sold him the scooters.

And Stephen says his dispute with the company is denying him a decent quality of life. It’s not a quality of life, but that’s what I want- just a bit of independence,” said the single father. They should be made to pay me back all the money I spent. It’s been over £10,000 I’ve spent, but I’ve been treated so badly in the after-care of these scooters.”

Stephen, who has mobility issues, bought the scooters to enable him to join his eight year-old son Cameron on regular outings to the beach.

But he says faults with the scooters and requests for alterations and repairs has not matched up to his expectations, leaving him out of pocket and feeling isolated.

He purchased an Easy Rider scooter at a cost of £2,800, then a more expensive Invader scooter, costing £7,000. However, according to Stephen, his Invader scooter pulls to the right or left and it hurts his arms to keep it straight. And there’s been issues with wiring on the Easy Rider - with the scooter cutting out when negotiating a right turn.

Stephen also experienced problems with the battery pack and an issue with one of the light bulbs on one of the scooters.

To compound Stephen’s misery, he sustained injuries when one of his scooters toppled over near Prestwick Train Station after hitting a pothole. On another occasion, a mechanical failure out on the street prompted police to step in and assist him to get home.

Stephen also submitted a request for a captain’s chair on one scooter, but claimed the one the company installed, at a cost of £80, was “rusty.”

And a request to upgrade the batteries also left him unhappy with the service provided, because he wanted to retain the original batteries. It's understood that officials at Mobility Matters have made attempts to address the problems on the scooters. Stephen says they provided him with a £100 cheque after Trading Standards intervened, but he remains dissatisfied.

“It got to a point where I was fed up messaging them about faults,” said Stephen. “I was just left there and made to feel as if there were no faults. The problems started appearing eight weeks after they sold me them. It’s the same with this new invader scooter I got. Two months in and the batteries collapsed.

“The scooters are not fit for purpose. I can only go short distances, then home. I’d be happy for all my money back as I haven’t been able to use the scooters freely as I’d have liked. But that won’t happen.”

He added: “It’s like me selling you a Rolls Royce but putting a mini metro in your garage and saying well that’s all your getting and I’m not giving you your money back.”

Stephen, a former glazier to trade, also claims he’s spent money on trying to get repairs on both scooters carried out but the issues remain. He’s enlisted an independent company to carry out health checks on both scooters in a bid to strengthen his case.

He said: “I basically need to go and pay a company from Glasgow to come and do a health check on my scooters. The invader hasn’t worked from day one, it’s been pulling to the side and I can’t use it without struggling to steer it. I just want a full refund.”

Mobility Matters were contacted for a response and a spokesperson for the company extended an olive branch in a bid to resolve the matter. The spokesperson also said the warranty on one of Mr Clark's scooter has expired and the warranty on the other expires soon. However, they will do what they can to assist.

The company also said they would be happy to collect both scooters in order to take them into a workshop and test them for any problems.

The spokesperson continued: "If there are problems then we'll put them right. We'll try to resolve the problems as best we can. We'll pick up and do anything, even outwith warranty. In respect of the batteries, by law we have to dispose of them. We have offered Mr Clark £100 and the opportunity to bring in both of his scooters and we'll fix them. .

"We have done our best to satisfy Mr Clark. We have offered to pick up the scooters, tell him what's wrong with them and for Mr Clark to come in and test them before he leaves the shop. We've done what we can and our offer is still on the table.

"If Mr Clark wants it done he can give us a ring, we'll pick them up free of charge, bring them in and address his issues."

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