I purchased a power wheelchair through Wheelchair Center of Sacramento, CA. That was in 2000. That chair was an Invacare Arrow Storm. That chair malfunctioned so many times, moving on its own, stopping on its own, causing me physical injury... It took me the better part of a year and a half to obtain a warranty replacement. Now, in Oct. 2002 I finally got a replacement, an Invacare Arrow Storm 3rd generation chair. It too exhibits the same faults, stopping on its own, moving on its own, causing me injury, etc. These Invacare chairs have been $25,000 junkers!
They are dangerous and faulty! I have been trying to resolve this problem for another year and a half! I have gotten as far as a written agreement from Invacare to replace the chair under the terms of their warranty, but here's the kicker - No vendor will do the warranty swap/replacement! Why? Because Invacare will not pay them for the labor of evaluating a new chair for me, then upon receipt, assembling and fitting it for me.invacare expects the vendors to do this for free. Or, they expect the original vendor to do it, but, well, that's another bucket of worms in itself.
The original Vendor, Wheelchair Center, has through major incompetence and mismanagement, essentially refused service to me because of my complaints about their service. One visit to their service department for new batteries ended with my chair completely shorting out after some idiot at Wheelchair Center left wires exposed underneath! That left me without a wheelchair for 5 days, in excruciating pain from not having proper seating (contrary to popular belief, being bed-bound is extremely painful when you are unable to position yourself, and sitting in a regular chair is impossible.)
I have found an attorney in this case, because it has come to that, I'm getting nowhere being nice (and infinitely patient!) Invacare is dishonoring their warranty by making it impossible for me to obtain the replacement chair they promised.
Invacare tries to claim their chair malfunctions because of transient RFI/EMI (radio frequency/Electro-magnetic interference)
which is just pure bullsh* - their claim amounts to saying that plugging a device into your car's cigarette lighter will cause your car to malfunction.
I know of *many* people in the Sacramento area who have experienced the same exact problems with Invacare wheelchairs. One friend was injured at Wheelchair Center in front of the repair people while they were getting ready to work on the chair. I wish these people would stop being such "nice people" and speak up about the problems with their Invacare chairs! Invacare's main business is financing, not medical equipment!
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