Best Place to Purchase Scooter

[icouldlivethere]

After seeing all of the good reviews on here for the Go Go Elite Traveler Plus I've decided to purchase one. I'm hoping I'll be able to use it in the parks on one battery charge per night. I rented the Revo last month from Buena Vista scooters and really liked it but decided to go with the Go Go because it is smaller and lighter weight. I know Cheshire said that his Go Go only went 6 hours in the park but I'm hoping that is because his battery was getting old. I really need reassurance that others have gone all day on one battery charge.

I went to a few medical supply places this weekend and 2 of the places only had the Go Go Elite Traveler and I found that to be too uncomfortable with my long legs. Only one place had the Plus model and even though it is only a few inches longer the rim at the front of the base doesn't go completely all the way across on the Plus model which allows you to rest your feet with the toes sticking slightly off of the end. The regular one the rim goes all the way across and my legs ended up at an angle that put a lot of pressure on my knees.

I can purchase the Plus model online for $1099 or I can purchase it from The Scooter Store for $1199 or I can purchase it from a local medical supply store for $1275. The Scooter Store does have a local store but it doesn't have scooters inside and you have to order either online or on the phone but the local Scooter Store would do all repairs. My local medical supply store had a price of $1450 on theirs but came down to $1275 for me.

Where did most of you purchase yours from? Did you buy locally or did you purchase online? Does anyone have any experience with purchasing from The Scooter Store? I spend about $400 a year renting scooters for our trips to Disney World. Owning my own will allow me to go other places and do other things I've not been able to do in a very long time.

 

[peemagg]

I purchased mine from a local medical supply place. It cost my insurance around $1400.00 for it plus all the attachments that I needed for it (rear basket, cane holder, front basket, cup holder (don't waste your money for this. I used mine once and it broke.)).

I have used mine all day at Disney on one charge with no issues at all. The needle never even got off the top of the green mark on the guage. I probably could have gone 2 days on one charge, but never tried. I just charged it at night and all was good the next day. I am still using it for many hours a day another year later and no problem with the battery. I just make sure that once a week I plug it in and charge it up.

 

[Bete]

I can purchase the Plus model online for $1099

Make sure it comes with the 17 AMP batteries, not a 12. This price quoted sounds too good to be true for a 17 AMP.

We haven't bought one yet, but this will be the one for us, too when we do it in the next couple of years. We've been to our medical store to try one and we have rented one at Disney and I really like this scooter. We had it in and out of our car trunk and we can handle it. The base with the wheels is tough for one person to do it in and out of the car trunk, but if your patient you can do it. Other models won't be any better that way. If you have a better arrangement in your car, then it will be easier.

This scooter was updated to a stronger battery in recent years which is why it can last longer. now. You do need to shut the scooter off when you are seeing shows, fireworks, parades, eating, etc. If you do the best to conserve the battery it will go for a very long time on one charge with the 17 AMP. We never had a problem in our 14 day visit to Orlando. Of course, if you are a diehard and you will be out for 14 hour days then maybe it could be a problem with the battery, but most people will not use it that way. Even then, you could get some recharging done at the parks while you eat, etc. The parks are nice about you doing this there.

The Scooter Store has had some bad publicity; so, I will not buy from them. There are websites that offer extended insurance for this scooter and I would go with those places and buy the insurance if you want to be covered that way.

If you buy on the web, chances are good you will get some freebie accessories and you probably won't have to pay sales tax and that's a hunk of change.

 

[icouldlivethere]

Thanks so much for your replies!

Peemagg, my insurance company requires you to be homebound and in need of a scooter to get around the house in order to pay for it so I'm on my own. I'm glad to hear that your batteries are still going strong after a year. My local medical supply place said I should expect the batteries to only last about 1-1/2 years. I called The Scooter Store and they said the batteries should last 3 years so I don't know who to believe. How many hours do you usually spend in the parks when you go?

Bete, I think the 17 amp battery is standard on the Plus model. All of the web sites advertise it with the 17 amp. The 12 amp is standard on the regular model and can be upgraded to 17 amp but the regular model is too short for my legs.

You say you rented one on your 14 day trip to Orlando. How many hours would say you were in the parks each day on the days you went and did the battery seem to stay fully charged each day? My husband tends to hop scotch here and there and go back and forth a lot so we probably end up going a lot of miles but I've never had a problem with any of the bigger scooters I've rented pooping out on me.

I think they've made several changes to this model even since peemagg purchased hers. I think the front basket is smaller now and made of a different material. I also noticed that the one I tried out at the local store has LED lights on the battery gauge instead of the old needle style of gauge. I'm wondering if the LED lights are more likely to malfunction or have electrical problems.

I'm struggling with where to purchase it from. I like the idea of purchasing locally but the only medical supply store that has one of these models on display also has the lowest prices. Like I said they agreed to sell it to me for $1275. To keep costs down they do not carry these in inventory but rather you get the one on display which is new but I'm sure other people have tried it out as well.

None of the online sellers actually keep these in stock. You place your order through them and then they have it shipped to you directly from the manufacturer. The manufacturer forbids them from listing them online for less than $1099 and that is why most of them are selling them at that price. I think the reason they can sell them cheaper is they have a lot less overhead. They don't have brick and mortar stores and they don't have inventory. They just take orders and then pass the orders on to the manufacturer.

A lot of the online stores also do give away freebies with them and all of the online stores offer one year free of in home warranty service which includes labor. The local stores don't offer this and the manufacturers warranty does not include labor.

My local medical supply store did say that I should ask my doctor for a prescription for a scooter. They said even if my insurance company wouldn't pay for it, having a prescription would qualify it for not having to pay sales tax and also for using my health care spending account. So, I did ask for and got a prescription from my doctor's office. So either way I go I won't have to pay sales tax on it.

I'm just leary of buying something that expensive online.

 

[peemagg]

We are in the park about 8+ hours. We are usually in there at opening and stay until around 5 when we go to dinner. We might stay in the parks longer, if we are up to it after dinner until close.

I am currently using it 4 hours a day on terrain that it wasn't built for without any problem.

 

[Bete]

averaged 10 hours a day and a few 12 hour days for our last trip.

Now, we did more of a loop around the parks without backtracking too much. We spent more of our time seeing shows, parades, fireworks, eating, etc. I would say rides took up about 30% of our time. We would even shut off the scooter if we had long waits in ride queues. We were very diligent about shutting off the scooter when not in use. Also, we charged it up every night without fail. With that said we never came close to needing a battery charge in the park. Also, your weight and what you have on the scooter (we carried a backpack on the seat back) will dictate how long the battery will last. With more weight the battery will not last as long.

One thing I can pass on is that when the scooter is not in use you still have to keep it charged up. You don't want your battery depleted completely; this will ruin the battery. This means at least once a week you need to charge it up. On the scooter the battery loses some charge all the time; so, when it's in storage get the battery off the scooter. I learned this by talking with others and talking with the manufacturer, as well.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Two years ago I was getting a new car (Ford Edge) with a factory installed trrailer hoitch as I was planning to get an outside lift. At the same time I was going to get a new ECV as I had bought my other one used and had it for five years.

I looked around for both ECVs and lifts and narrowed my hoice down to three liftsd (each a different brand) and five full-size ECVs with close to the same specifications.

I then sent a written request for proposal to about ten companies in the area that handle mobility equipment and asked for a quote for a lift (including installation) and the ECV; they could chose one or more models of each if they wanted to. I gave a date I wanted the response by. I ended up getting seven responses and selected the one that gave the lowest combined price.

And I have gotten very good service from them on both the lift (such as semi-annual lubes) and the ECV.

And I did let them know, in the RFP, that I was contacting ten companies and wanted their best offer.

 

[icouldlivethere]

Wow Cheshire, what a great idea!

I know in another thread you said you have the Go Go Elite Traveller Plus as a back up scooter and that you let someone use it in Epcot and the batteries pooped out after 6 hours. I have a question for you that I hope you'll come back and answer.

I'm assuming that this is the unit you bought used and had for 5 years. If this is the case could you please answer a few questions for me. Did the batteries last longer when you first got the unit and how many times did you replace the batteries during that 5 year span? Also, did you take that unit to Disney during the 5 years it was your primary ECV and if so how many hours did you stay there and did the batteries stay charged or did you have to stop and recharge them.

Also, did you have any issues with the scooter in the 5 years you were using it as your primary ECV, did you ever have to have it repaired?

Thanks so much everyone!!