I am extremely disappointed with our experience with Bellevue Healthcare, and after what happened…read moretoday, I have serious concerns about the quality and safety of their mobility equipment repair work.
My 92-year-old father-in-law relies on his Baja Wrangler scooter for his mobility and independence. About a year ago, we brought it to Bellevue Healthcare because it would suddenly lose power and die while he was using it. We described exactly what we were experiencing: the scooter was losing power. They told us the batteries needed to be replaced, so we replaced them. That seemed to help for a few months, but then the exact same problem returned.
We brought the scooter back and again explained that it was suddenly losing power. This time, we were told the circuit board was the problem. Bellevue Healthcare kept his scooter for THREE WEEKS to replace the circuit board. When we finally got it back, it was still having the exact same problem.
Now we are being told the problem may actually be the right rear motor because the rear tire has been wobbling and has damaged the rotor.
But what happened next is by far the most concerning part of this experience.
While examining the motor, Bellevue Healthcare had removed the right rear wheel. Afterward, the nut securing that wheel was not properly tightened. Today, while my 92-year-old father-in-law was actually driving the scooter, the wheel nearly came off.
That is completely unacceptable. This isn't simply an inconvenience or a repair that didn't work. Returning mobility equipment to a 92-year-old with a wheel that was not properly secured created a potentially serious safety hazard.
Beyond that, throughout this process there appears to have been no thorough diagnostic evaluation to determine WHY the scooter was repeatedly losing power. Instead, we have gone from batteries, to a circuit board, and now to a motor/rotor issue while the original problem has continued.
When we questioned the previous repair, we were actually told that because WE described it as a "power issue," that was why they replaced the circuit board.
Of course we described it as a power issue--the scooter was suddenly losing power. We are the customers, not mobility-equipment technicians. How could we possibly know whether the underlying cause was a battery, circuit board, motor, rotor, wheel, or something else? Diagnosing the cause of the symptoms is precisely why we brought the scooter to professionals.
At this point, we have had multiple visits, multiple diagnoses, replacement batteries, a replaced circuit board, three weeks without the scooter for a repair that did not solve the problem, and now a wheel that was not properly secured after Bellevue Healthcare worked on it.
This scooter is not recreational equipment. It is essential mobility equipment for a 92-year-old man. He should be able to trust that when his scooter is returned from a medical equipment repair company, it is safe for him to use.
Customers should not be expected to diagnose their own equipment before bringing it in, and they certainly should not have to worry that a wheel may nearly come off after that equipment has been serviced.
For a company entrusted with repairing equipment that elderly and disabled people depend on for their mobility and safety, I expected a dramatically higher standard of care, competence, and accountability.
After our experience, I have lost confidence in Bellevue Healthcare's ability to safely and accurately service this equipment.
While they previously were helpful when we purchased a wheelchair, their repair department is deeply disappointing and dangerous.