Coronavirus poses the biggest national threat to the UK for the past 75 years, since the end of the Second World War. It demands that we all make unprecedented changes to our lifestyles and routines.
For at least the next three weeks – and possibly beyond that – we are all told to stay at home whenever possible. For those most vulnerable to serious illness if they catch coronavirus, the period of almost complete isolation will be at least three months.
Acorn Stairlifts exists to serve people with limited mobility, but now we're all getting a taste of what it’s like to have our mobility restricted, albeit in a different sense. We want to take this opportunity to reassure our customers that we’ll still be here for you if and when you need us. Many of our customers rely completely on their Acorn Stairlift to remain independent and mobile within their own home, and we understand that completely.
Although our British-made stairlifts are very reliable, like any machine with moving parts and electronic components, they can occasionally go wrong. All Acorn Stairlifts feature a digital diagnostic display panel on the carriage. By reading this and referring to the owner’s manual, it’s usually possible to diagnose what’s wrong with a stairlift that isn’t working as it should.
In many cases, a free phone call to our stairlift experts will resolve the issue. For example, a common problem is that batteries begin to run flat if the stairlift carriage is not ‘parked’ on its charging points at the top or bottom of the staircase. The diagnostic display will indicate this and we can talk the customer through a simple procedure to rectify it. Problem solved.
In some cases it will be necessary to send a trained Acorn Stairlift engineer to your home to fix a fault. If this happens we will observe stringent hygiene and safeguarding procedures fully outlined elsewhere on this website. In short, we’ll do everything we can to minimise person-to-person contact and avoid spreading the virus, while getting your stairlift fully operational again.
The phone lines at our West Yorkshire HQ will still be manned seven days-a-week, 24 hours-a-day and we’ll endeavour to get an engineer to you as quickly as possible. We have a nationwide network of engineers across the UK and plan to maintain this safety net throughout the crisis.
While we expect demand for new stairlifts to fall during the crisis (and are prepared for this), life goes on and some people will find they need a stairlift installing in their home, sometimes urgently. Again, we aim to offer the same comprehensive and speedy service that we have since Acorn was founded in 1992, but with enhanced safeguards in place to combat the spread of coronavirus.
You can find full details here of the new measures we’re taking, including the option of a remote ‘Virtual Survey’ of your staircase (eliminating the need for a surveyor to visit). If we do need to send someone to your home, rest assured we will do all in our power to adhere strictly to the latest guidelines on social distancing and hygiene procedures. In most cases you won’t even need to be in the same room.
Our stairlift engineers and installers and our call centre and manufacturing staff have been designated as ‘key workers’ for their role in producing and supplying essential medical equipment during the crisis, helping us maintain an effective service.
Please take comfort in knowing we’ll endeavour to meet all your stairlift requirements throughout this time of national turmoil and trouble. Whether you’re an existing or new customer, just call or email and we’ll do our utmost to help keep you safe, independent and mobile at home.