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Tuesday, March 19th
For almost 40 years, Colonial Medical has offered home medical supplies from its base in Nashua, NH. You'll find a huge inventory of a wide range of products, from bathroom equipment to incontinence supplies. Mobility scooters are just one of many options you can buy from this store.
Clunky website
This isn't the most intuitive website you'll find. On the main product page for Scooters, there's no way to filter by size, features, or anything else that's relevant - and it includes accessories like covers and baskets. We found that the easiest way to shop the 20+ mobility scooters in Colonial Medical's inventory was to sort by price high-low and browse from there, because that put all of the not-scooters at the bottom of the results. Prices range from $830 to $5,600+.
Returns and warranties vary by scooter
You'll see right off the bat that many of the mobility scooters here come with free shipping - but not all. As you get into the product details, that some-yes, some-no trend continues with respect to warranty coverage: a few tell you exactly how long your scooter is protected, while others are noticeably missing that information. It's the same for returns: some seem to be covered by the storewide policy of 30 days (from the invoice date, not the delivery date) and a 20% restocking fee, while other scooters specifically state that they're non-refundable.
Options on the product page
On the other hand, Colonial Medical's mobility scooters often have options once you're on a product page. For example, you might be able to choose the color, the size of the seat, and so on. Like we said earlier, it's not the most streamlined shopping experience we've seen among mobility scooter stores, that's for sure.
Broken shopping cart?
And, cue the sad trombone: when we went to actually put a scooter into our shopping cart, we got a message that it was "temporarily disabled for maintenance" but it would be "back up shortly" . Needless to say, if we had wanted to get a mobility scooter within a short timeframe, Colonial Medical wasn't going to be able to deliver no matter which one we chose.
Very limited shopper feedback
Colonial Medical has a flawless record with the Better Business Bureau: an "A+" grade and zero complaints filed there. Beyond that, there's not a lot of feedback for this company: the link to their Facebook page goes nowhere, and their Pinterest and Twitter accounts haven't had posts for more than five years. None of the mobility scooters have customer reviews either.
Room for improvement
We feel it's appropriate to keep Colonial Medical as a "just average" mobility scooter store. It's noteworthy that they've been in business for so long, and there's nothing that makes us think that they've become unreliable or untrustworthy. Still, it's obvious that this retailer can't really hold a candle to our higher-rated stores - especially with a non-functional online shopping cart.
Maybe you've been avoiding that vacation you've dreamed of because you're not sure you can handle the walking. Or, you could be facing a long recovery after knee surgery and you'd like some motorized support for getting around the house. Either way, a mobility scooter is a fantastic way to keep your independence, live life to the fullest, and even have a good time while you're at it.
There are many different styles of scooters to choose from. How can you tell which one is right for you? Start by determining where you'll be using it the most: indoors and at home or outdoors for adventures, short distances or long hauls. The structure of the scooter and even the tires themselves should match your anticipated usage.
Next, figure out if you need it to be portable (able to be taken apart and stowed in the trunk of a sedan or in the cargo area of a larger vehicle) or if you'll have a carrier attached to a tow hitch for transport from one place to another - or maybe neither one is necessary.
Finally, decide which features and characteristics matter most. You may need to take into consideration the user weight capacity of the scooter, how far it can go on a single charge, maximum speed, and so on. Then, have some fun! Have you always wanted a fire engine red set of wheels? Now's your chance! How about a basket or a cup holder? Some of the highest-end mobility scooters even have security systems like you'd find on a full-size vehicle.
While you should also consider your budget, don't spend too much time comparing the scooter's price among retailers. Why? It's usually set by the manufacturers, so you won't often find significant differences from one store to the other. However, you might see that a retailer sweetens the deal by offering a rewards program, affordable financing, or top-notch service after the sale - and that should definitely factor into your decision.
Ready to start shopping? Here's a reminder of the important criteria to keep in mind as you look for your mobility scooter:
To help you find the right mobility scooter for your needs (and your budget), TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the most popular retailers on the market today. We're confident that this information will make it easy to choose a scooter and maintain your independence. Keep on rollin'!
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