Hi all, it’s been a while since I have posted anything, running a business , looking after the family and life in general can be pretty demanding when being a father of four and a husband to a tetraplegic!
I just wanted to give you all an update on how the power chair company is doing and the direction in which it is going.
We have just been to naidex 2022, And have secured Multiple sales, Which should keep us going For the rest of the year at a steady pace. Not as many as we would’ve liked, but still a successful exhibition nonetheless.
I have to say I was somewhat dismayed at the amount of people that were more interested in colours and cupholders than in the real benefits of our chairs. It seemed to fall on many deaf ears that a rehab chair with high ground clearance, low seat pan height and superb outdoor and good indoor performance, in such a compact package, is what most full time chair users should be looking for.
It went over 90% of potential clients heads that stainless steel bearings, and fasteners (nuts and bolts) , High amperage motor controllers, Waterproof connectors, silicon Cables and stainless/aluminium components all powder coated are the qualities one should look for in a powerchair if longevity and reliability are high on the priority list. Not to mention 280ah lifepo4 lithium batteries with a theoretical range of 100 miles. These were all highlighted in our promotional campaign and explained in detail… yet it didn’t receive the excitement or even acknowledgement I anticipated.
A few were impressed with the personal touch that I offer with regards to fitting and programming of the chair, and the very bespoke modifications that we have carried out for people with unique physical disabilities, but didn’t seem to understand or appreciate the benefits fully. I have never seen so many ill fitting chairs in one room, contorting peoples bodies into unnatural shapes and causing all sorts of issues. I am no occupational therapist but know a poorly fitting chair when I see one.
I came back from the show Somewhat disillusioned,questioning wether most people are no longer able to understand the difference between a great product and a terrible product with great marketing, totally sucked in by all the marketing garbage the big manufacturers seem so good at ramming down they’re throats. So much so that I have considered joining the philosophy of them, and making the chairs as cheaply as possible, hardly fit for purpose, with built-in failure points to assure a profitable spares business. I was somewhat disillusioned and just thought about making a stack of cash, retire and call it a day…if I could.
After a few days back at the workshop , working on my latest clients chair, and several phone calls with him to chat about what he expects from his chair, what he hopes he will be able to do once it arrives and the benefits it will bring him, I realised that what I am doing is actually incredibly important… To some people. This has given me some fortitude to continue on with the business in its current format, it offers me a reasonably stable income and is incredibly rewarding, especially when dealing with people who cannot find what they need anywhere else.
With this in mind, if you need my assistance with specialist control mounts or fitting of backrests , foot plates et cetera, I now offer this service. A 30 min discussion (over several phone calls if necessary) is free of charge and then a quote will be provided, This can be done remotely via email or phone, or in person at the workshop or in my home if required, I can come to you if so desired, costs will vary. Engineering works are charged at £45 per hour plus materials. If you would like to see an example of my works, just ask, In the past I have stripped and rebuilt a magic mobility X6 whilst narrowing the overall chair by 2 inches. The owner was happy and requested a second chair to have the same done. I have also made many modifications to crap chairs, but it is difficult to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear. If I feel your requests are likely to result in a waste of time and your money…I will refuse the work.
Some of you may remember an argument/slagging match/slanderous post that I chose to be involved in last time out. I haven’t read over it again, as I am just too busy, however I do have an update from my side of things. The post centred around a guy called Richard who contacted me because he wanted a cheap copy of BM’s Chair, he was rude and aggressive, behaving like he was buying a second-hand car, I almost refused to work with him, which I should have…Since then I have trusted my gut!
The person posting was a ‘friend’ of Richard, unbeknown to me, stating that I had carried out works that were unacceptable/dangerous whilst calling me a whole host of derogatory names. He may even be still posting, I’m not sure, but beware if he is!
I have since found out exactly who he is. And it would seem some other people on this forum have had dealings with him and have been scammed/ripped off by him. His name is Ashley Rhodes. A few years ago before I found a reliable, reasonably priced motor supplier (electrokraft uk) I would buy Linix motors from Sunrise With just a 20% discount, I can’t remember off the top of my head how much were they were but they were bloody expensive! Hayley (my wife) found a pair of motors on eBay, new in the box, which she purchased for the business, we then received messages stating that the person selling (Ashley Rhodes) had three more pairs of motors. I inspected the first pair of motors that arrived And they were indeed genuine Sunrise/linix motors and brand-new. We purchased a further two pairs (I think, it was a while ago) and numerous cjsm1 joysticks before He said he could get 5/10 pairs of motors at a reasonable price. This was over a period of approximately six months and I thought we have built up a level of trust, purchasing all items through eBay…apart from the last set of motors. This is where things went downhill fast, we stupidly paid for the 5 pairs of motors for them to never turn up. He had scammed us. We found out who he was through eBay and took him to court, for which he was found guilty and had to repay in full. Whilst in the process of taking him to court he claimed he was disabled, his wife was disabled, and he did indeed send the motors but they must’ve gone to a different address. Neither he or his wife is disabled and he is a lowlife criminal. I know this because I recently built a chair for a client who has had dealings with him. The client purchased a chair that never materialised. Apparently he has been on this forum procuring work and payments without Fulfilling his obligations, to put it another way he has ripped people off on here also, How many, I don’t know, who, I don’t know, But if you have been scammed by this lowlife heinous criminal you are not the only one. It also seems that his partner (possibly wife) is in on it. Guess where she works? SUNRISE MEDICAL!!! I imagine she was stealing items or ‘losing’ items and supplying them to Ashley Rhodes to sell on eBay. What a pair of arseholes, stealing from the company you work for and ripping off disabled people! They make me sick.
If you or anyone you know has been targeted by these people, and need any help in bringing them to justice, let me know and I will do all I can to help.
So, back to The Powerchair company, we continue to build high quality reliable Power chairs that provide people with a level of freedom previously unachievable with just one chair, We now also only use LifeP04 lithium batteries Unless lead are specifically requested, We can go as high as 280ah… drop me an email or call for more info.
And as if we haven’t had enough controversy already, we now use a BMS!!!
But let’s save that debate for another day.
Thanks
Tom Kilmore
The powerchair company