ECV rental from Scooter Vacations or Florida Mobility...opinions???

[wdwpracticalprincess]

Hello fellow DISers! A very helpful poster pointed me to Scooter Vacations to rent what I think is the perfect scooter for my mom for our upcoming stay in October. It's compact and from what I saw extremely easy to assemble/disassemble. This is very important as we are staying off-site and NOT using Disney transportation (except while in the parks). So then, I ask my mom to take a look, then gets sidetracked by Florida Mobility. She had a very looong chat with the rep and wants to go with them. There is a cost difference. Scooter Vacations is about $25/day. Florida Mobility is about $12/day. Anyone have any experience with either of these companies, positive or negative?

I really like Scooter Vacations -- (lots of info on the site, free delivery/pick-up, EASY looking set-up of scooter, they will come service scooter in the parks if it breaks down, etc. etc. AND was recommended by a poster here) -- just having trouble convincing mom. Helllpppp!

TIA!

 

[SueM in MN]

Neither company is one that has had a lot of feedback posted on this board.
I have seen a fair amount of positive feedback about Scooter Vacations and next to none about Florida Mobility.

That doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that more people have posted about Scooter Vacations.

 

[Bete]

If it's a cost thing with your mom offer to pay the difference; so, you can go with Scooter Vacations.

$12/day is the cheapest rate I've seen these days which would somewhat get me mistrustful. It seems to good to be true.

Keep in in mind you want a scooter that will hold a charge for a day. I would look at the description of the $12/day scooter rental and see how it's rated.

Also, you need a scooter that fits the weight of the person. The heavier a person is the stronger the scooter you need. Many people going 200 pounds or heavier will go with a scooter that has two batteries like the Pride Victory model.

 

[wdwpracticalprincess]

The heavier a person is the stronger the scooter you need.

Thanks Bete! My mom weighs about 115 lbs. I really like the Snap Scooter at Scooter Vacations. The total weight is 67 lbs! It looks ideal for fitting into trunk of our rental car...an absolute necessity as we are staying off-site and driving to the parks. Question is, do you think 67 lbs is too light? Will it tip easily? Thoughts? Thanks again for the advice!

 

[Selket]

Apple Scooter is a Disney preferred vendor from what I can tell and they have a lightweight (87lbs or so) scooter that says on their website it is easy to disassemble and transport in a car. I think the cost would be similar to the $25 and there's lots of reviews on them here. You can also reserve on their website and they can get into the park to bring a new one should you have problems.

I have not rented a scooter from any company but I'm looking at them (due to severe arthritis in both knees and I need both knees replaced). I called Apple about that lighter weight scooter because I'd like to be able to transport it to Universal as we are going there for a day and they said it was easy to transport. I weigh under 200lbs but I'm not nearly as small as your mom (!) and my guess is I'd have to recharge it in the parks but your mom might get the whole day on it as she is so light. If you're worried about it tipping over I thought the 87lb one might be more sturdy but still light enough to be easy to transport.

 

[wdwpracticalprincess]

I have reservations about renting from Apple because the reviews I've seen haven't been too positive. Also checked with BBB and their rating wasn't good compared to Scooter Vacations. We are planning on visiting Harry Potter world, too! So I definitely understand wanting something lightweight to transport.

Scooter Vacations provides 24/7 support and will service scooters (if necessary) INSIDE the parks. I also think their delivery/pickup is free. I'm making my mom call them to see if she can work her magic and get a comparable rate to Florida Mobility. Otherwise, like PP said, we'll offer to pay the cost difference.

 

[Bete]

I went to look at the scooter and I have to say I haven't seen that model before. I will say three wheel scooters in general can be more tipsy. Just make sure sharp turns are very gentle turns.

With your mother's weight she can use any light weight scooter.

Please note the 69 pound weight of this snap scooter does not include the battery weight of 28 pounds.

 

[wdwpracticalprincess]

Thank you Bête! I did NOT see that the 67lbs doesn't include the battery!

Having not seen the model before, what do you think of it?

Yes, 3-wheelers would not be as stable in general, but I think it will force my mom to slow down and not drag race with it.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

I sing Florida Mobility's praises every chance I get! I hired from them for 2 weeks back in March, and have booked again for a week in November. The owners are ex-pat Brits, and a nicer couple you couldn't fail to meet. Their equipment is in good condition, and I hever had any problem with the batteries. They also provide extras (eg sun shades and rear baskets) for the same amount per week as some places charge per DAY!

As far as I'm concerned, it's not rocket science - and I wish I'd hired from them in 2014.

I personally prefer a 3-wheeler. Okay, the Victory 10 is heavier than the really lightweight scooters, but the extra weight makes them much more stable. I could have gone down a weight category but after discussion I decided that for comfort as well as not having to worry about the battery running down, I'd be better off with the Victory 10.

 

[Bete]

It appears to be about the same as other scooters in this lightweight category. As another poster stated this class of scooter will not keep a charge for as long as the next category up. Because your mom is on the light side you should be fine. If she wants a better chair then you need to go the next category up, as well.

One thing you could do back home is go to a mobility scooter store and take a look at the scooters and have your mom sit in them to see how comfortable she is in one. The one she likes the best I would find the rental wherever and get it.