First off, I hate writing negative reviews, and in all reality, I had every intention of writing a positive review until things fell apart so badly.
My initial experience with NSM was very good. Norm Van Brocklin was outstanding with all his support, and is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to wheelchairs. Since I needed every bit of help possible to make sure I was choosing all the correct dimensions and setup with my chair, Norm was excellent in every way, and upon delivery, spent a lengthy period of time assisting me with setup of my new chair, which I deeply appreciated.
To sum this up and not drag this out too far, the main issues (and there were many) came in regards to follow up - especially after the chair was delivered. The NSM staff was friendly and wanted to help, but either due to heavy workload or other circumstances, the follow up was nearly non existent.
My main issue was adjustments after my chair was delivered. The chair needed several changes after I received it, and trying to get this rectified was short of impossible. Phone call after phone call, with emails and voice mails left over and over again, I was left with near zero follow up. Even more, I had every belief that the components on my chair (that would not work for me) would be swapped out with components that would. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I was left with several hundred dollars of changes I had to make on my own, which was very frustrating, as I thought such items would easily be able to be swapped out.
After calling, calling and more calls, I was finally able to setup an appointment with a tech for the final adjustments of my chair, utilizing the parts that I had to purchase on my own. Unfortunately, the tech never showed up, leaving me without any help to install the equipment needed. I had to depend upon a friend who spent 3 hours making all the changes for me, which should have never happened.
I am a customer service rep by trade, so I know what good customer service is, and feel that I can definitively state that this experience was lacking on multiple levels. I feel all the staff at NSM are good people (especially Norm), but the fall out with customer follow up was astonishingly poor, leaving every issue up to me in terms of sorting matters out. If I hadn't gone ahead and purchased all the items I needed out of pocket, along with having a close friend do all the adjustments for me, I would have been very bad off - something that should have never happened.
Considering this chair cost over $4,000.00 and is a medical device that I have to use every waking moment of my day, I feel that the lack of follow up, follow through and customer support forced me to make all ends meet, costing me hundreds of dollars and a great deal of stress. This should not be when it comes to something so crucial as a medical device, yet over and over again, I was forced to make sure everything was being taken care of.
For any staff member of NSM that reads this review, please know that I appreciate all that was done upon my behalf - I truly do. This review is not meant to "get even" in any way, but sadly, I did feel compelled to share this, as the service I received was incredibly difficult on numerous occasions.
As noted, Norm was incredibly helpful, and I received a discount on the chair due to out of pocket pay - something that was very kind and unexpected. If it wasn't for all the negatives i encountered after the chair was delivered, this review would be very, very different. read more