any complaints about buena vista scooters?

[Pats Dragon]

I am trying to decide on a scooter company for our next trip. I have always liked Apple but now their bbb score makes me nervous.

 

[Starwind]

We have used Buena Vista three times now to rent an ECV and been quite pleased with the service; we will continue to use them. In fact, I prefer the tiller design of the Buena Vista ECVs we have rented to the design of the Walker scooter we rented our first time because of the difference in the mechanics of the lever one uses to drive the scooter -- however, this is probably a personal preference thing and some people will probably prefer the other.

SW

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I am trying to decide on a scooter company for our next trip. I have always liked Apple but now their bbb score makes me nervous.

1) ANY scooter or wheelchair delivery service at WDW can have raves or complaints.
2) As a Concierge who has seen lots of off-site rentals come through, I have heard of few for these guys.
3) I would not worry about them.

 

[Selket]

I have rented from Buena Vista about 4x now and have no complaints. The way Starwind describes the "mechanics of the lever one uses to drive the scooter" was my main reason for going with them as my hands/fingers can get numb in certain positions (carpel tunnel). I had one scooter that seemed kinda slow and made a squeaky noise (kind of like that bad shopping cart you get at the store then put back immediately - lol!) - I called them and had another scooter within 2 hours. That squeaky one worked - it was just annoying....and seemed slow/sluggish. No issues with the other scooters I've rented. I always get the insurance. From what I can tell on the boards here - Walker and BVS both seem to get good reviews.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Can you please tell me a little more about it? The one small complaint I had with the Walker scooter was with the levers used to control speed, make it go. After a while, my finger/thumb would get a little tired from always holding the lever. Are you saying something about that? If so, I'd love to hear about anything that's easier!

 

[01spirit750]

We rented from Buena Vista in Nov 2015. We were very happy. The battery stayed at or near full charge for the entire day. The only comment was that when we got the unit there was a large chunk missing from the front foam bumper. I had purchased the extra insurance so I did not worry about it.

 

[Starwind]

Can you please tell me a little more about it? The one small complaint I had with the Walker scooter was with the levers used to control speed, make it go. After a while, my finger/thumb would get a little tired from always holding the lever. Are you saying something about that? If so, I'd love to hear about anything that's easier!

That is the issue I had with my Walker rental (the first time i rented an ECV). My hands, especially thumb, were VERY unhappy with the lever mechanism.

My next rentals were from Buena Vista (and we will continue to use them). Their lever works differently. No problems. I could adjust my hands as needed for comfort.

Over in this post I describe the differences between the two much better, including with links to pictures to illustrate:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ecv-and-arthritis-in-hands.3530929/#post-56188886

short explanation of the (throttle control) lever action (the lever is what you use to make the ECV move):

The walker ECV I rented: you hold the handle (of the tiller) with your hands, but use your thumb to push (well, I suppose technically it is a pull; either way, you use your thumb to bring the lever toward the handle which you are holding with the rest of your hand) the lever toward the handle. (so a thumbs-only motion)

The Buena Vista ECV I rented: your fingers are what pull the lever towards the hand-holding bar. (so a whole-hand motion, that is adjustible if some fingers are misbehaving; you can get pretty creative)

The pictures/diagrams help make the differences very clear.

SW

 

[I Love Pluto]

Another vote for Buena Vista Scooters! They are extremely efficient, extremely kind & polite, and had no negative issues. They will get my business each time we visit WDW!

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

My husband has used Buena Vista scooters for years. We get the insurance for piece of mind but have never had a problem.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Long time ECV user. Used Buena Vista Scooters years ago and had nothing but problems with batteries not holding a charge for more than half a day. Switched to Apple Scooter and never had any issues. Decided to give Buena Vista another chance... same bum batteries... spend the day riding around the parks looking for places to charge For me, they fall into the "never again" category.

 

[hoffman1]

My father-in-law rented one from Buena Vista in Sept. The first day we went to MK and it died once we came through the tunnel under the railroad. We called and they were pretty insistent that the battery needed to be charged. It did not-it had almost a full charge. After about an hour, they ended up bringing him another smaller scooter (the larger ones were all booked) and refunded the difference. After that, he did not have any problems. We would use them again. Even though we had an issue, it did not take too long to resolve.

 

[SR]

I too am wanting info on which company to use for my upcoming trip in March. I saw on some of the websites that they can't get wet, which might be a concern if you get caught in a rain storm. Has anyone had any issues with this? Also, I see people talking about insurance. What does this cover and how much does it cost? Thank you so much for your help. I have been to WDW 5 times, but I have never rented an ECV.

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

Buena Vista charges $20 for insurance regardless of the length of the rental. We get it for peace of mind.

One time it was sunny when we went into a restaurant. When we came out it was pouring and the scooter was soaked. It started right up and we had no problem. Since then we cover the steering column with a poncho if it might rain.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I too am wanting info on which company to use for my upcoming trip in March. I saw on some of the websites that they can't get wet, which might be a concern if you get caught in a rain storm. Has anyone had any issues with this? Also, I see people talking about insurance. What does this cover and how much does it cost? Thank you so much for your help. I have been to WDW 5 times, but I have never rented an ECV.

I rented from Walker and I also was concerned about getting wet. They said the only concern is with the center controls (about 12 inches in diameter), so they'd supplied me with a cute little shower cap hanging from the handle, about 4 inches long and only about 2 inches wide squished up. Fortunately it never rained! The insurance cost $10, and since she seemed a little surprised I took it (maybe her surprise was my imagination), I looked it up later. Some say it's covered by your property insurance, but to me $10 is worth it.

 

[FrankDIS72]

I saw these scooters everywhere during my last visit to WDW! They appear to be quite popular.

 

[Shanti]

I am trying to decide on a scooter company for our next trip. I have always liked Apple but now their bbb score makes me nervous.

No experience with Buena, but fyi CARE Scooters (aka CARE Medical) was both top notch in product & service, and very affordable. They're on Disney's vendor list, too.

 

[KPeveler]

I have had bad luck with Buena Vista scooters for a powerchair rental, but I seem to be a rare case. My batteries lasted less than 4 hours on a full charge, and it turns out they did not break in the batteries. They just gave new ones to people to use for 12 hours right from the start, which shortens the battery life. After getting stuck in two different parks, they finally replaced it with a chair that was broken. The guy who brought it to me told me that it was not a chair they usually rented - it was one they planned to strip for parts. They did not refund the promised days, and I had to go to the BBB to get a refund.

That being said, I am the only person I know who has had a problem.

 

[serenitynow]

No

I have had bad luck with Buena Vista scooters for a powerchair rental, but I seem to be a rare case. My batteries lasted less than 4 hours on a full charge, and it turns out they did not break in the batteries. They just gave new ones to people to use for 12 hours right from the start, which shortens the battery life. After getting stuck in two different parks, they finally replaced it with a chair that was broken. The guy who brought it to me told me that it was not a chair they usually rented - it was one they planned to strip for parts. They did not refund the promised days, and I had to go to the BBB to get a refund.

That being said, I am the only person I know who has had a problem.

Not the only one. I had almost the exact same issues with them the last time I rented from them. Called twice and told them chair wasn't holding the charge very long, they spoke to me like I was stupid, had me do a couple of "tests" over the phone, said I wasn't charging it long enough. Overnight evidently wasn't long enough. I use a power chair at home and have rented many ECVs and I knew it wasn't acting right. The battery meter never left the green part of the dial, even at the end of the day, and it would occasionally lurch and stall out, even after a full night's charge.

The ECV finally stopped dead at The Halloween party 8:30 at night by BOG. The CMs at BOG called someone in their ECV rental department that knew how to fix messed up ECVs, he came out and couldn't get it going at all as when plugged in it would not take a charge at all. He said the battery was shot. All of Disney's ECV had already been rented out, so we were stuck at BOG, waiting for someone to call from Buena Vista to tell us what to do next.

Finally, DH had to push it (and me) all the way to the front of the park in the Halloween party crowds, with no power to the ECV. He pushes it all the way to Guest Services on Main Street. No one answered at Buena Vista, left multiple messages, no one called back. A Guest Services CM said they had an emergency number for them, the CM called, left a message, no return call. Finally it was 11:30 at night and Disney let us leave the dead ECV with them in their stroller rental area. The Guest Services supervisor said no problem, it happened all the time and Disney has a relationship with them as they are a preferred provider. Buena Vista would just pick up the broken ECV the next day. They lent us a wheelchair so that I could at least get to the resort bus. But basically we spent the majority of the paid event sitting in front of Guest Services waiting for a call from Buena Vista that never came.

Next morning, first thing, we were on the phone trying to get a replacement scooter as we had a PPO breakfast scheduled. Buena Vista rep said we shouldn't have left it at Disney and there would be a $75.00 charge for them having to retrieve it from Magic Kingdom. But if they couldn't find the dead ECV at Magic Kingdom we would be responsible for the replacement cost of the equipment.

And that's when it got ugly. Told them we wouldn't pay the $75.00 and please drop off a new scooter for me to use ASAP. 4 hours later a replacement scooter finally showed up and it was a piece of junk, torn seat, broken plastic frame, no front basket, no canopy like we had paid for on the first one.i suspect it was no accident that they gave us such a beaten up replacement ECV, but at least it ran. By that point, I just wanted to let it go and allow the family go on with their park plans for the day.

I spoke with a manager at Buena Vista who said they'd refund one day's rental because of the trouble. Not only did I NOT get the refund, they charged my credit card an additional $75.00 twice (I guess for having to pick up the broken one at MK). I called Buena Vista again, they behaved as if they had no idea what I was talking about but "someone would get back to me" I sent a letter and numerous emails. No one ever "got back to me", so I disputed the two $75.00 charges with my credit card company and got those removed. I gave up trying to get the one day rental fee returned because it was taking up too much of my time and energy.

In hindsight, what I should have done was to contact a different ECV company to get a new scooter for the remainder of the trip, but I had already paid for the week's rental with Buena Vista and as "preferred Disney provider" with the scooter delivered directly to a Disney resort, I never expected such a hassle.

I did file a written complaint with Disney about the situation, but I doubt it did any good because I discovered during this problem that all "preferred provider" means is that the company has paid Disney a fee to allow pickup and drop off the equipment with Bell Services.

It was the third time we had rented an ECV from Buena Vista but the first time we ever experienced a problem. On a previous trip, the ECV they gave me was in bad shape but ran okay so I called and told them it was in rough shape. They claimed not to be able to replace it due to high demand, but said they would note it on my reservation so I wouldn't be held liable for the damages.

So long story short, you are not alone. I think Buena Vista does pretty good on day to day operations but run into a problem with an ECV and you will really have a problem getting anything resolved in a timely manner, if at all.