Hoveround
Reviews and Complaints

As you consider The Scooter Store for your mobility needs, it's important to note the mixed experiences shared by customers. While some customers have praised the customer service representatives for their professionalism and knowledge, others have expressed frustration with issues such as difficulty reaching the company via phone and delays in service. One customer highlighted concerns about the quality and design of the power chairs, mentioning issues with turning and service delays. It's advisable to proceed with caution and thoroughly research before making a decision. Remember, your mobility is essential, so choose wisely.

Thank you all so much! I am so thankful and happy for my lease on life. I'm now able to get outdoors and see the beautiful world that surrounds me. I'm able to move about unassisted in my home too. What a great blessing I have. The chair is remarkable and very comfortable. A big THANK YOU to everyone at Hoveround. The gentleman that came to my home was the nicest person that has every helped me since I have been disabled from 2002. It makes all the difference in the world to have a caring person help you. Thank you all again from my heart.

Everything about this company I love! Front to back. One thing that bothers me is that a gal from Florida called me about 3 days before delivery and told me my copayment was going to be around 620 dollars or so. And then I got a call a day or 2 later from someone for my actual payment and it was 841 dollars! When I questioned the 200 dollar bump she said she didn't know what to tell me. It's 841. If the first caller told me 841 I would have just lived with it but I am only human. And on a fixed income 200 dollars I wasn't expecting is a lot

I called to find out how I could get a power chair and try to get Medicare to pick up at least part of the cost as I have to have a wheelchair and have had a power chair for years which is very old and needs to be replaced. Though your representative was very courteous, professional and knowledgeable, I was very disappointed that I was unable to get the chair. Too bad you don't offer some kind of a payment plan for people like me who want to remain independent and have the mobility that your chairs offer, but are unable to afford one on our own. Thank you, Gayle Ann McGee

My husband became disabled this year. He suffers from heart/lung ailments. His medical ins. Denied our request to get a scooter. So, we paid for it ourselves.
We just received it and he just loves it. I was not pressured to get any one Hoverround over another. I knew what I wanted and got it. The scooter will give him more quality of life instead of sitting at home with no quality of life in his pjs I would highly recommend Hoverround, and their service. The only improvement I could suggest to Hoverround is to improve their scooter manuals to be more complete in their scooter information. Otherwise, BRAVO HOVERROUND!

The wheelchair that we have is over 7 years old. My wife has MS and is in that chair for 14 to 16 hours a day.
At 5 years we requested a replacement and the insurance company delayed for two months. Finally they approved a new battery, new arm with controls and new wheels. Now the Hoveround seat hurts my wife
While sitting in it for 14 to 16 hours. The battery charger is hard for her to attach and the chair had squeaks
As it moves from room to room.

Wendy has just seen our Dr. John Lichtenstein of Kerhonkson, NY to have him submit a report on Wendy's
Physical condition. We are waiting for Hoveround to submit a new request to the insurance company to replace the wheel chair with a new one.

The service provider, Dana, was the one that delivered my chair 6 yrs. Ago and has been the only one to come out and preform any service needed and will be delivering my 2nd chair in a couple of weeks. He has been friendly, respectful, helpful and just all around wonderful every time he has been out. The service I have received from him was the big factor in deciding to stay with Hoveround for my next chair. The chair itself has been great and only needed regular maintenance but the security of knowing the same person would be coming out gave me peace of mind. From the case specialist, to delivery and maintenance has been a wonderful & smooth experience every time. Thank you Hoveround crew!

We got my mom a Hoveraround MPV5 after her last chair no longer worked. She had one from the Scooter Store a Jazzy that lasted 7 years. She got the Hoveraround in Feb of 2015. Biggest piece of junk that I have ever seen that she is now stuck with. 1st problem. Arms are too high and power joystick is not adjustable, 2nd. Flat tires... 3rd battery life sucks and now am having to go thru them for replacement batteries. Chair charges overnight to get maybe 5 to 10 mins of use before having to be charged again. I wish I would have know that Medicare would work with other companies before she went with Hoveraround. She paid her part for 13 months and now customer service is rude, does not want to hear complaints and will do nothing for us. They hassel the dr office for paperwork. Often saying it is not complete. Last time to get her approved for the chair it was every day for 3 weeks that the dr spent filling out various forms sometimes 4 and 5 times with the same information, providing x-rays and medical proof only to get another form back to be filed. They do not have this problem with other companies. I think they use sub standard parts so that they break and the batteries are horrible. All I know is my mom used her Jazzy for 7 years and only had to have it fixed once. It was easier to manuver and more comfortable for her. I really think that Hoveround should be held accountable for their crappy product, but I don't have the money to pursue it in a court or I would have. Now I am stuck with a sub standard chair that my mom relies on for another 4 and a half years until she can get a new one thru insurance and at that time I will make sure to find a company that has a good reputation and tack record to make sure she gets what she needs. It is an unfair abuse, and unfair to seniors that cannot walk and have to rely on these chairs to get around. Buyer beware. Extremely unhappy in NY...

Just wanted to add the following as of 9/9/16... Mom got her replacement batteries in the mail. This must be a joke. They do not send a technician out to replace batteries under any circumstances. Here is the bad part. In order to replace the batteries in the chair it requires you to remove the joystick controller with an allen wrench, which is not included in the replacement kit and it also requires you to remove the seat portion of the chair as well. Now, my mom is lucky enough to have me living with her, but how in the earth is a person that is handicapped and cannot walk supposed to remove the joystick and seat and replace these batteries themselves? Another complaint that has had me hung up on and been rude to by customer service and I even got from one of them well you own it now it is your problem. For those of you that are looking... DO NOT BUY!

My mother purchased a Hoveround chair. It was the biggest mistake we ever made. She had a Jazzy chair for 7 years and had one of their repairman come to fix the joystick because of a recall on it. While he was there he replaced her batteries. That was the only service she needed in 7 years. Once the Jazzy chair was worn out my mother wanted to try a Hoveround chair after being contacted by them saying she was due for a new chair. We had our hoveround chair for 3 years. After the first year we had to have repair work done on it. We called the end of July 2015 and the repairman came September 1,2015. He fixed the chair and left. The chair broke down 2 hours after he left, leaving her stranded in the yard by herself. The repairman did not come back until September 1,2015. He stated that the replacement motors were defective. Two years later the chair broke down again. I called June 19 2017 to order the repair. After several weeks the repairman showed up July 26,2017, to fix the chair. He soon realized there were far more problems with the chair then what the work order stated. The work order was made based on a phone call asking us what was wrong with the chair. I told the woman on the phone that the chair's joystick cap kept popping off. The chair was making grinding noises, shaking and not turning properly. Even though he had all the parts with him he could not fix the chair without preapproval from the insurance. August 2,2017 the company called for our 20% at $565.00 worth repairs! I was told we would get a phone call within 48 hours to set up a service call. On August 10,2017 I called the company to see what was going on with the repair. The company said they were waiting for a warehouse delivery of batteries and then they would ship the batteries to the repairman and then the service department would call to set up a service date. At this point my mother has had no mobility for 7 weeks and that we had one to two more weeks before the chair could be fixed! I called the corporate office to be connected to the company's complaint department and also wanted the legal department. The gentleman on the phone tried to help me instead of connecting me to the complaint department. That is when I realized this company does not have a complaint department! At that point I cancelled the repair order and my brother, who was so upset, went out and bought her a new chair out of pocket. After looking at the paperwork I realized that if we went ahead and had hoveround fix the chair for the 2nd time that the insurance company would have paid more for the repairs of the chair then what they originally paid to purchase the chair. Between the purchase and 2 repairs the insurance would had invested over $7,000.00 into a chair that was only 3 years old. This is how Hoveround makes their money, by charging high prices for cheap parts that are guaranteed to break down frequently. I wrote a letter to place a complaint to the Attorney General and also sent a copy of my letter to 20/20 and NBC. Please take a moment and do the same. This company needs to be held accountable. My question to all who read this, how would you feel if you had a car and the mechanic took at least 6 weeks before he could fix your car leaving you with no mobility for that amount of time. Why is it OK for those with disabilities and our elderly be treated like this! Who is protecting their rights! Shame on Hoveround!

This is a personal experience of this company - others may well have had great experiences and no problems whatsoever, so don't necessarily be guided by my comments, just be careful and be informed.

We applied to this company for a wheelchair for an elderly relative whose insurance is Medicare. The company told us to arrange a "face to face" with the doctor, who would then write up a report indicating whether he felt the patient needed a chair or not. We were told that Medicare would then approve the chair, or not, and we'd be informed.

After the face-to-face, everything went quiet for a few weeks. There was no contact from Hoveround at all. Then suddenly we got a phone call telling us that they needed to make a couple of adjustments to the chair and that they would be delivering it the next day. Well OK then, that was great but we would have preferred to have been kept informed in the meantime. Never mind though, because we did have the chair. I just had one comment for Hoveround, while they were apparently setting the chair up for my relative's specific needs: I pointed out that a major problem was with hand-eye co-ordination, due to a slow but progressive condition which left his hands unsteady. That was apparently noted.

The following day, the chair arrived with a guy who explained it's workings to our relative and allowed him to try it out. I was not expecting the chair to be so difficult to steer, which the basic model is; the steering wheels are on the back, rather than the front, so steering it and even keeping it in a straight line is not immediately intuitive. It's more like steering a boat than a car. And my relative found it to be difficult too, unsurprisingly, but he did give it a good try and overall we felt he would likely get the hang of it, though his hand control of the joystick and his co-ordination were poor to begin with.

While he was there I commented to the delivery guy/ rep about being told the previous day that they were "adjusting the seat" especially for the user. He was surprised and observed that the seat was fixed and no such adjustment was possible. He said he'd look into it and get back to me. And that was the last we ever saw of him.

It soon became apparent that although my relative was slightly able to control the chair, the very sensitive joystick combined with having the steering wheels at the back combined to make it a difficult experience. Also the seat (allegedly made for him) was so uncomfortable that his back was hurting after about 20 minutes.

LIE #1:

Hoveround state that: "Your doctor and our Mobility Specialists will recommend a motorized wheel chair or electric mobility scooter that supports your lifestyle and physical needs."

FACT: The doctor hadn't dealt with Hoveround before and didn't know what they wanted from him. He hadn't seen their products and wasn't in any position to recommend a particular model. Their "mobility specialists" had no part whatsoever in choosing the chair - Medicare tells them which model to supply, i. E. generally the cheapest one. They have no say in the process, or so they later admitted to me.

LIE #2: Hoveround state that "A motorized wheel chair comes with a variety of options that allow you to recline, automatically adjust your height and more."

TRUTH: Nope. The chair had no automatic adjustments for height. It did have the option to alter the angle of recline of the back, but only in big steps and that required using a special tool - it was not possible to adjust the seat while the user was in it, and the users themselves would be unlikely to have the strength to do the job anyway.

LIE #3: Hoveround state: "You will be spending a lot of time in your new electric wheelchair and you want to make sure it fits properly, so that it can be as supportive and comfortable as possible. Our Mobility Specialist measures your torso, hips, arms and legs to create the perfect seat height and distance between where the small of your back meets the back of the chair. We also measure your home's doorways and hallways so that you can maneuver easily through your home."

TRUTH: Nope. None of that. Though we were shown how to adjust the arm to alter the distance of the joystick from the body.

Well we did give it a try. We went outside in it a total of three times, and got it a way up the street and back. About half a block was enough, before the backache and tiredness set in, and it still wasn't easy to keep the chair moving in a straight line, but there was a little progress. We couldn't use the chair in the home, because although it would just about fit through the doorways, my relative didn't have the fine control needed to carry out that manuever. Even I had trouble getting it through a doorway because the steering control was so touchy and unintuitive.

So what happened was that the chair went into a corner and was never used again. Months passed.

Then out of the blue, we got a letter telling us that Medicare had denied the claim. Pardon? We'd been told that the chair was ours, it had obviously been approved. No? NO. Everything on the Hoveround website is designed to give the impression that the steps needed are these, in order:

1. Get a doctor's approval in a face-to-face assessment;

2. Do the insurance paperwork and see it through;

3. Deliver the chair.

In fact the sequence is:

1. Get a doctor's approval in a face-to-face assessment;

2. Deliver the chair, without revealing that it hasn't been approved by anyone;

3. Bill Medicare for it;

4. Hope Medicare approves it. If so, fine, if not, tough. Recover the chair.

I have to say that at (4) I assume there is the possibility of appeal, because the rejection letter comes from the appeals department at Hoveround. But when I contacted them, very annoyed that they had misled us into assuming the chair was ours, I wasn't offered the chance of an appeal. I didn't even think, I was that upset. So I said, oh well, I guess you'd better come and collect the chair then, and the person at the other end just said, fine, I'll put it out for collection. No "well hang on a moment, you do have the right of appeal".

The reason cited for the denial was that in the face-to-face, the doctor had failed to correctly document the conversation. This isn't too surprising given that he didn't have any guidelines from Hoveround or Medicare to work with. So it wasn't our fault at all. But all Hoveround would say was that we would have to go back to the doctor and start the process over again.

There are other layers to this story as well.

During the time we had the chair I contacted Hoveround and spoke to someone in their technical support department about the difficulties we were having steering the chair. I'd done a little research and found that other chairs in their range steered from the front, which looked more appropriate. This person tried their best to be helpful but ultimately said that any issues with the suitability of the chair had to be taken up with the sales department, and that it was unlikely that they'd be keen on offering us a different model even if it were better.

Before I got round to doing anything else I got a customer satisfaction survey through the mail. I made several comments about our disappointments with the chair and the lack of customer service, and mailed it back. Nobody ever contacted me about this.

Also, I got a phone call from someone at Hoveround doing another customer service survey, and I explained at some length that the chair wasn't being used and why not, and how we really wanted the opportunity to try another type of chair. This girl then told me that there were no such chairs in the product range and what chairs there were, weren't suitable for my relative's weight. I then told her, as I was sitting at the PC looking at the site at the time, that she was completely wrong about everything she'd said about Hoveround's product range. She then admitted that she'd probably been given old information to work from. Did she actually work for Hoveround? Oh yes. But the sales people hadn't given her up-to-date material. So she promised to pass on my request for attention to her supervisor and that was that. Literally, that was indeed that - I heard nothing whatsoever from Hoveround again, until the letter telling us that the chair had been denied by Medicare.

Bottom Line: Terrible customer service with no after-care and no communications. No opportunity to ask for a specific model of chair or try out different models in the range. Misleading information everywhere about the Medicare process. No interest shown in trying to get the best model for the patient's needs.

I suspect that if you go to this company with money to buy your chair, everything improves enormously. And if you get a savvy doctor who knows how to manipulate Medicare, that's going to be a big help too. So you may well get much better service than we did. BUT... even so, our experience shows what this company is capable of, even if it doesn't happen to you.

And remember, Hoveround don't bill Medicare until AFTER you've got the chair and become attached to using it. If you think their website intentionally implies otherwise, then you may draw your own conclusions.

I have a Hoveround MVP5 for about 2 months now. I hve the solid rubber tires and they have been losing chuncks out of them. This is the second set time have had. Hoveround greed to replace them with Pnuematic tires. It took about three weeks to get to the scheduling department and I have been stuck on that for about 1 week now.

I called them today (twice) the fiist time I was hung up on from scheduling! When I called back to complin I didn't even receive a I'm sorry about that! Just excuses and I'm not going to take that! I am in the process of filing a complaint with my insurance company also To say that I am not hppy is an understatement.

ONE MONTH and no repair on our MPV5 chair. $ years old and it died in the middle of the room. Went through Hoveround via several phone calls and nothing happened. More phone calls and finally got repair scheduled for the end of the week.

If a wheelchair is needed for mobility inside the house, WHY does it take a month to get a Medicare approval! If you would have sent the part we could have had it replaced weeks ago!

If you would get your collective heads out of the sky and put yourselves in a wheel chair you MIGHT be able to see a bit more urgency!

Your service of the past hs been the pits and matches this episode to a tee.

My 96 year old mother has had a Hoveround chair for at least 15 years. She called Hoveround in January 2023 because her chair was not longer holding a charge. My mother, again, being 96, was confused and told the person that she was in a nursing home. She is actually in a personal care facility. My mother is handicapped due to polio when she was two. Her Hoveround chair allows her to get outside and go for "walks". She suffered a stroke in October, 2021, and now depends on her chair to get her to and from the bathroom at night because that is when she is the most unsteady walking with a walker. I then called Hoveround and uses her chair when she has longer distances to walk. I then called Hoveround to schedule a repair and was told Medicare needed updated information and the doctor had to complete a form. Apparently the doctor stated that she is in a nursing facility (rather than personal care) and the repair was denied. I requested that Hoveround resend the form for the doctor to complete and on January 27, 2023, Dr. Ginder completed the form for Medicare and re-submitted to Hoveround. I have called weekly to find out the status and every phone call I get conflicting information. I called again on 2/20/2023 and was told it was now with scheduling and someone should be calling me in the next day or two to schedule the repair. As of today, I have not received the phone call. So, I am taking matters into my own hands and will purchase the batteries on my own and have them installed in my mom's chair.

I put in a work order for my father's Hoverround on July 19, 2022, and as of today, November 28, 2022, no one has been to repair it. I got a call about a month ago from a repairman, but was not able to immediately answer the call, but I called about 30 minutes later, and he said that I lost my spot for the repair since I didn't immediately answer the phone. My father is on Hospice, so his time is limited, and this is over 4 months that he's had no mobility. His right side is paralyzed from a stroke, so someone has to push him in his wheelchair. This is entirely too long to expect someone to wait for a repair, and it is reprehensible that his part came in and because I was not able to answer the phone call immediately, that my dad lost his spot in line. Please rectify this situation as soon as possible. Charla Shaw for Vernon Parker [protected]...[protected]@gmail.com

Hoveround chair MPV5 first broke on 6 Jan.Troubleshot to controller. After a dozen phone calls parts finally showed up on 16 Feb. The chair worked until 21 Feb and broke again. Troubleshot to L/H motor. After a dozen more phone calls and same amount of excuses we still have no parts as of today 11 April. My 87 year old father with Parkinson’s needs this chair to get around. I’m wondering how they are still building hoveround chairs and telling me no parts are available for my dad’s chair. We have paid for the motors and still waiting.

I called help around in June about replacing my tires they stated we would have to get approval from the insurance company in which they did I called two weeks ago about service and they stated we have not received anything back from the insurance company the company insurance company approved my request 7/8 of 21 now it is a month later and they are still stating that they have not received that even though I have the approved authorization number the gentleman was very very rude with me and told me to contact my insurance company which I did it again which are they are going to contact them also they stated to me that batteries were guaranteed for a year in fact after 6 months they charged me again for him even though the battery was bad this company is very porous service and neglect your hopefully the insurance company will have this corrected I have the observation to get a new chair in October of this year but Hoveround will not be included this time because of their poor service

Since i was sent to yall it been pronlems telling me different things that don't add up iwould like someone to look at file i been told so many lies i hope someone contact me for o could explain thank you in this matter

This has been going on for close to 2 years now. I got in contact with hoveround. About a wheel chair. I have 2 very bad knees. And a bad back. I am on 2 medications for the pain prescriptions. Plus get every other month a shot in both my knees.. Hoveround send a letter. The need to know my doctors name. Medicaid. And other insurance. I send everything in. I have medicaid. Medicare. And silvescript paying for my medication. The emailed back. The donr take medicare.. So I did not heard from them for a while. Then I got another letter. You are close beto something. To get the wheelchair. But we are so sorry we tried to get in contact with you. But could not.. I forgot to mention the first timer. I have a phone. Where I can read what has been said. And I let them know right away. No phone cals. Only email or postal. My phone does not work. I emailed hoveround again. I told you. No phone calls. My phone does not work.. I dident hear nothing in a while again. Then I got another letter. Now the are taking medicare and medicaid.. But we tried to get in contact with you by phone. But was not able to... Now I got mad. And emailed again to hoveround. How many times do I have to tell you. No phone calls. My phone does not work. / I havent heard from them.. I believe hoveround is a very dishonest. And krooket comp. To deal with. There is something very strange. That the only want to make deals over the phone. Not by email or postal. Phone calls can be altered. But email can not. The are crooks and sheisters. Iwill never deal with those people.. I went to fort myers. Advenced mobillity and got my scooter golden xl. And I am very happy with it. Stay away from hoveround. If the only want to with phone.. There is something very wrong here... The dont deal with email or postal. The are nothing but crooks. Stay away. I am glad. I dident make a deal. On the phone. The are rip ofs and scamming the customers.

My physician filled out powerchair due to my mobility issues. I was denied because i currently use a walker to get to the restroom. My mobility issues result in not being able to use my walker safely. Each and every step i take i wonder if my left leg is going to give out. I have an autoimmune disorder which combined with my many other medical issues makes it very difficult to safely use my walker. Yes i use my walker to get to the bathroom rather than the alternative of sitting in my own waste. Maybe thats what your company wants but. I have respect and dignity enough to use ever bit of strength in my body to get to the bathroom. My days are spent in and on my bed because using my legs is so painful i am enclosing a picture of my legsbto show what i deal with.

They made me wait for about 2 months before they repaired my chair.
Even though they promised to do it much faster. For about one week.
After the first week, I called them and asked how was everything going. They said the chair is being repaired, we will call you later.
One more week had passed and I phoned them again. Same story.
I called them each week for 2 months and they told me the same story. When I asked what took them so long, they hung up. I was afraid they would never fix it, but they eventually did.
However, it doesn't mean I will ever use them again.

When my husband went from strait medicare to Humana, Hoveround refused to send Humana the paperwork which they had from the doctor which they submitted to get the chair approved to begin with. I called and asked them to do this every week for months. Finally, Humana denied the claim for the rest of the chair because Hoveround would not provide them with the paperwork. We were told we had to make the rest of what was owed (over $1200) in three payments or they were coming out to take back the chair. I was able to borrow the money for 2 months of it. We are on the final month, there is approximately $500 owed and we cannot pay it. They are now going to take back the chair from a totally disabled man that cannot walk at all. Now he will have to crawl on the floor to even go to the toilet.

This lady they sent to my home was very rude and sarcastic! Just because I didnt look a certain way and because I live in a doublewide, she immediately told me that because I wanted to take the chair outside that I just blew it for medicare paying. But when I called they said I could get one for outside use, and you also told me that there were other people that would pay any additional cost. The lady that came to my house said I would have to pay 800 dollars up front, she rolled her eyes at me and said I doubt you can pay that. Thanks for nothing, you made me go to my doctor, have the test and I know I passed them because the lady came to my home to evaluate me and could not wait to leave, so I told her to just get up and go and she left.

Sorry we coulnt do business!
Arthur Lee Swift
2000 Velma Road
Athens, Tn. 37303

I received my Hoveround October 25, 2012. At that time, I thought I had jumped through all of the hoops in order to comply with their requirements. Apparently I had not. After many, many visits to my physician for repeat information that supposedly was required by Medicare, we sent all information to Hoveround for them to get paid. This was a waste of my time, gasoline to get to town to the doctor which is 15 miles away, time for the doctor and his assistant to do several hands on (sight on) evaluations, filling out mounds of paperwork and sending off to Hoveround. Last August 2013, I was notified by Hoveround that Medicare had approved my chair and it was mine. I specifically asked if Medicare had paid for the chair and they said that yes, it was paid for. I could not have been happier. Hoveround even came to the house and put in brand new batteries, which actually were not needed, but who was I to complain about free batteries.
About a month ago, I received a letter from Medicare stating that they were denying the claim and that quote, " Since the supplier has been determined to have had knowledge of the non-covered item, the supplier is liable for the cost of the denied item. The supplier may not bill the beneficiary for the cost of the denied item, and must refund any monies collected from the beneficiary, unquote.. Monday I received a phone call from Hoveround that they wanted to schedule a time to pick up the chair. I have been hounded by them to pick up this chair after I was informed that I could have two weeks to find another one. I just received another call. I asked my social worker to talk with them and she got them to give me the two weeks to find another chair. She said I needed to contact my doctor AGAIN and schedule a face-to-face appointment with him. I did this and called Hoveround to ask what paperwork was needed that I could get done at this appointment. After being on hold a considerable time, I was notified that Hoveround would not be doing business with me any longer, that Medicare had denied me and unless I wanted to fork out $2, 500 they were going to pick up the chair. I said thank you an hung up. I contacted my social worker again and relayed the information as I was told by Hoveround. I am very upset with the whole thing. I have not been treated so poorly by a company that supposedly was interested in the welfare of its customers. Please, anyone who reads this, do not do business with Hoveround if you want to be treated fairly. I am unable to use a manual wheelchair and have no replacement, so I guess I am now confined to my bed. I hope everyone has a better relationship with their supplier than I have had with Hoveround;

My uncle purchased a wheelchair from this company approx 2 years ago. The chair needed repairing after and we were told that a Doctor's authorization was needed. After faxing the information to Hoveround from the Physician, it has taken 3 months to get hisd chair repaired. Needless to say, the customer service is an aweful representation of the company. STAY AWAY FROM HOVEROUND!

I am disabled in a power chair. With a power chair I am completely independent. Without a chair I would be in a nursing home. I use the chair 90 percent of the time for everything. I go to doctors, grocery shopping, and malls. Do laundry and everything else that needs to be done. Medicare was kind enough to purchase me a new chair that the list price is $11, 800.

The company I chose to supply the chair was Hoveround. I based my decision only on two factors, distance to be able to travel, and performance. I talked to the sales staff and looked at everything on their website. Hoveround offers the largest batteries of any manufacture that Medicare approves of and highest performance.

The first thing that they misrepresent on the website is they advertise 70 amp hour batteries. The owner’s manual said it comes with 75 amp hour batteries. The batteries in my Hoveround Technique XHD are 60 amp hour batteries. They advertise on their website speed up to 5 miles per hour, mine goes 3 miles per hour. The manual states the chair is programed for 90 percent forward speed. The highest speed the service technician could set on it was 85 %. Their cane holder for the chair is advertise at $25.00 on their web site but when you go to buy it is $60.00.

First of all I don’t know if Medicare knows they paid for a used chair not new. The man who delivered it told me it was a demo. The right arm rest was all scratch up and I made him replace it. In the first month these are some but not all of the things that have happen. Batteries went bad and had to be replaced, elevated leg rests fell off on the side walk and I ran one over with the chair. Seat adjustment knob fell off. The cup that is supplied with the chair the handle just fell off. Most all the bolts and nuts came loose and I personally had to put lock tight on all nuts and bolts that don’t have a nylock nuts on them, battery charger went bad. The best distance I can get out of the chair is 5.5 miles before the batteries are completely exhausted. Not very good for a chair that is rated at 20 miles on their website.

I was told by head of Technical support that the chair should give at least 10 miles no matter the terrain or riders weight. Well this chair won’t do it. The foam filled tires (I have had them on all my chairs and they were all excellent) get no traction at all. Spin all the time trying to get up the ramps in the local buses. I can put the wheels up against a one inch speed bump and spin them until I set them on fire. They are Junk!

I was told a reclining seat cost $1874.00. No other manufacture has a reclining seat that even is half of that price. I wrote a letter to Medicare about the problems over a month ago but no response from them. Well I am stuck with this chair for 5 years. I am glad I still have my old chair so I can get where I need to go because this Hoveround chair won’t do it and is unreliable. I had to push this chair home twice and that I shouldn’t even be trying to do that. So now this American made piece of Garbage sits in the corner. I will have to spend money on my old chair so I can do what I have to do.

Hoveround advertises their chair falsely in their manuals and on their website. It is ashamed they find it necessary to miss inform disabled people about their product simply to make a profit. Well I guess that is the American way! Under the Medicare rules the chair is leased to them and then after 13 months owner ship is turned over to me after the warranty is gone. If it was mine legally I would sue Hoveround immediately and let a judge decide the outcome. I can’t believe Medicare will let them get away with this. I can’t say anything about Hoveround other products just the product I got. It is no wonder Americans buy Japanese and china products.

It seems Americans can’t build anything reliable anymore. One other thing Hoveround on their website advertises is their chairs are indoor outdoor chairs. This is one American that is not going to let them get away with it. I am going to the better business bureau, consumer affairs, attorney general’s office and the president of the United States if need be! It is time someone stands up and fights back. Well I got lots of time on my hands and a good computer! Either Hoveround makes their promises come true on this product or the WAR is on. This is not a Threat it is a FACT. I will find someone out there that has the power to put a stop to all this if I spend the rest of my life doing so. I am an honest and fair man and won’t be taken advantage of. Hoveround do what you say you will, or get out of the business.

PS: Their technicians are nothing but parts re-placers; they know as much about how a chair works as I know about making atom bombs.

I have a neighbor that has a Hoveround. He is completely dependent on the chair. He got a flat tire on 11/21 and called me. I looked up Hoveround and found they have flat free tires for $50.00. I called the number and after going through 5 or 6 different options, finally got a live person on the phone 5 minutes into my call.

I ordered the tires and asked them if they were in stock. They assured me that they will ship the next morning. Today is 12/4/12 and no tires. I called Hoveround and again taking 5 or 6 minutes, get a live person. They do not have have my name in the system. I give them my confirmation number, they cannot look it up by that number. transferred to billing... Billing finds my receipt and confirms that is was indeed ordered 11/21/12 but never shipped... transferred to customer solutions... "Hi this is Ben" I tell Ben that I have a neighbor that is dependent on a power chair and I ordered new tires for him on 11/21 and I have not received them. Ben apologizes. I tell Ben I need them now. Can they ship them overnight so I can have them tomorrow? Ben states; " Sure, no problem. I have to clear that, can I call you back" I tell him that my confidence in them is rather low and I prefer to wait. He assures me that it will only be a few minutes, read back my phone number and told me he would call back. I have now been sitting by the phone 2 hours, where are you Ben?

I got my hoveround XHD two weeks ago. They simply misrepresent the product both on their website, by their sales staff, and in their owners product manuals. My chair doesn't have 75 amp batteries like the manual says. On their website it says 70 amp. I only had my chair one week and they had to install new batteries in it. The batteries are on 60 amp. They advertise the cane holder for 25.00 it not it is 60.00. They advertise it to goes up to 20 miles based on rider weight and terrain. I haven't be able to go even 5 miles total. The manual says the forward speed is set up on the computer at 90 percent. Mine was set at 80% and they tried to reprogram it but the highest the technician could get it to program was 85%. My doctor ordered elevated leg-rests but they don't work properly without the reclining seat which hoveround says cost a additional 1, 874 dollars. The seat is uneven and leans badly to the left. Everything has come loose and i had to tighten all the nuts and bolts. Now i was informed that the optional headrest which they told me( cost 40.00 is now 150.00) won't work without the reclining seat that cost 1, 874.00. Had to push chair home twice. I sent certified letters to hoveround, Medicare and attorney generals office. Their not going to get away with this. I am going to do everything i can to stop them from misrepresented their product.. I called to get the seat straighten out and they set up appointment so i canceled doctors appointment so i would be there. Four hours later they called me again said they couldn't make it until three days later after i just canceled my appointment with my doctor so i would be home.. I called them and said never come out again, EVER! I should of got the Jazzy 514 HD