Careco Bad Review By A Disgruntled Old Man! Pressure Selling?

SpeedyWheels72

I hate complaining and leaving bad reviews, so this is more of a warning than a moan about sales staff getting paid commission and being quite pushy at Careco.

I have used various mobility equipment for over 20 years and every time I give any of the ‘big boys’ a chance I regret my decision. In this case its Careco.

It started by going to the nearest Careco store to look at mobility scooter and recliner chairs.

Their scooters all felt cheap compared to the ‘proper makes’ so I know better than to buy one having driven scooters for many years and listened to other peoples experiences. Most of their scooters are own brand and they aren’t as good as the established makes in my opinion. Apparently they’re also bloomin difficult to get fixed and they charge a fortune for parts and repair time. Anyway, I looked at the scooters and decided to leave well alone!

The recliner chairs were on offer though and I bought one. It's a nice looking chair and was reduced to £600 from about £850. The quality is not great but you get what you pay for. The sales person was very pushy and I regret not asking to be left alone. I ended up buying a type and colour that I felt pressured to buy. I wish I’d have gone home to measure my space and consider other options first. The chair isn’t even the right size for me, its too small and the headrest only comes up to my neck. I get bad neck ache and can't rest my head on the cushion. The ‘advice’ I got from the staff was really quite bad on reflection. Anyway, I know I should have been stronger and resisted the sales pressure and tried other shops but it is what it is now.

I then found out that the staff get paid commission on their sales which makes me feel a little misled. In my situation it definitely felt as though the sales person was just looking to get my money and didn’t actually care whether I was happy with what I was buying or whether it was suitable. It seems especially bad when selling items to disabled people and could be quite dangerous to sell the wrong thing.

I asked at my local mobility shop and they said they don’t pay commission, they just “pay their staff a good wage” and they get a Christmas bonus like most other companys. So that means it isn’t industry standard as such. Just seems to be Careco. I also spoke to my friends up north who said the same thing. They seem to have a reputation for pressure selling which seems unethical to me!

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Do any of the other big companys do it?

Mary_Scope

A warm welcome to the community @SpeedyWheels72!

It's always very stressful to feel pressured into buying something, I'm sorry you went through that. Have you thought about making a complaint if you're feeling up to it?

Lovely to see you here and I look forward to seeing you around the community😊

MrHappy2

My experience of Careco hasn't been great either.

They continually run 'special offers' offering alleged massive price savings but many of those 'special offers' occur immediately after price increases so basically you're paying the RRP.

Another issue i've found with Careco is trying and failing to get them to remove my details from their mailing lists. I've tried everything including calling their customer services, marking their junk mail as return to sender, and i have also joined the MPS service (mailing preference service) but Careco's junk mail still keeps arriving.

ChrisR777

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/148395/careco-bad-review-by-a-disgruntled-old-man-pressure-selling

I always go with my local mobility shop, even if, in the case of my folding powerchair, the same item was several hundred less online. If I bought something online and it came on a pallet, I would have to organise the same to return it if faulty, but the local guy will come to me with his van.

I was skeptical like you about unfamiliar brands, but in my case the E-goes Freedom Chair i purchased, it has been more reliable that a Quickie powerchair i also have, and I am reassured by the service received from the one man owned shop.

The small operators won't get the big brands like Sunrise Medical aand Invacare, thats why all their brands are a mystery to most of us. I am putting my trust in good service, over brand recognition, rightly or wrongly.

SheffieldMan1976

I've heard they're not that great.

SpeedyWheels72

Thankyou @Mary_Scope. I did consider a bad review or complaint but whats the point, life is too short. I do read their reviews though and wonder how they get so many good ones. Most people I speak come to the same conclusion as me and yet they still seem to be popular. Maybe the reviews are from friends and family? Or maybe the staff are given bonuses for getting reviews so they just push for them? If anyone has any insights for these it would be good to know.

@MrHappy2 I get so many spam letters from them too . Might start sending them back!

@SheffieldMan1976 Is that for the shop near you? Assuming your Sheffield way? Looks like they have a similar reputation everywhere.

SheffieldMan1976

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1145562#Comment_1145562

Yeah there's one near Hillsborough, bottom of Burton St I think (near the famous school where the "West St Job Centre" scenes for the Full Monty were filmed)