If anyone is thinking of having an indoor lift be careful. They cost as much as a new car and in my experience they are often failing to operate because of numerous problems.

I am 96 years old, living independently with limited mobility, and have had my lift for 13 years. It was supplied and fitted by Stannah, a well known company that also sells stairlifts.  LIfts are wonderful when working and a nightmare when one gets locked in as I have been several times now - most recently before Christmas. It’s not an easy thing to do to escape - I have to use a screwdriver!

I live alone and now have AMD (age related macular degeneration) so it is difficult to see where to put the screw driver into the side of the door lock. I am very shaky and this is made worse by panic. Each time I release myself, the lock has to be reset so I then have to pay £200-£300. The 5-star comprehensive service cover was around £500 a year. I’m sure that will be more now. I decided this was rather expensive so took out the basic service cover of around £200 a year for 2 minimal services - a decision I have come to regret. Several years ago, I did ask if I could upgrade to the comprehensive cover but was refused as I didn’t take it out when I bought the lift.

After a few years oil was leaking from the hydraulic ram that powers the lift to go up and down and it was seeping up through the floorboards. The new ram had to be installed costing me £3000. Recently new springs cost me £771. I needed four but the engineer brought only three. I then had to wait over a week before the lift could be used. The total bill for this was almost £1000. A friend acting on my behalf negotiated a refund for the inconvenience. It took almost 3 months to receive it. 

At the beginning of December 2024, because of a power cut, my lift stopped working. Again I was locked in. I had to call out for help. The batteries, which were about two years old, were flat and had to be replaced, costing me again just over £300. It was thought that there was a problem with the lock and that was draining the batteries. I was starting to lose confidence in the lift, as it had been stopping and starting all year. 

It is very frightening when I get locked in at night. To my horror, I got locked in again just before Christmas. Fortunately I had my phone with me and could ring a friend for help. I always have the extra worry of the call out fee - a Saturday is £400. Friends called to help me get out of the lift.

On Christmas Eve, the lift broke down again. I was planning a day with my daughter on Christmas Day, but this turned into a longer stay and fortunately she was able to move a bed downstairs for me. The service department was not able to attend until after January 2nd, a ten day delay. On my return home just before New Year, as I couldn’t get upstairs, my family had to put a bed in my dining room. I have been making do with a small cloakroom instead of my bathroom ever since.

On January 3rd, the engineer came again and said he thought that the lock was draining the battery so replaced the lock and the battery. I had another bill soon after for £1,379.74. At this point, I had lost my confidence in using the lift and could only use it if someone was in the house with me.

On January 27th 2025, my friend was here and I needed to go upstairs to collect clothes. This was only the third time I had used the lift since the last repair and the £1,379.74 bill and the lift got stuck again. I went up in the lift but when I wanted to come down, the lift would not move and the door would not open. Again I was locked inside. After pressing the open door button repeatedly, to our relief, the door opened but the lift still would not move. She was able to help me get downstairs on my bottom!

I have not paid the last bill as the fault has not been corrected. The lift is currently unusable in my spare bedroom. In fact, I shall be seeking compensation for the distress and anxiety that Stannah have caused me over the past months, not to mention the extra cost and disruption of converting my dining room to a bedroom.  At the very least, I have asked them to remove the lift completely. Needless to say, there has been no reply to my complaint. 

Stannah say on their website that their lifts are cheaper to run than your kettle - I’m not sure what kind of kettle Stannah are using but it costs a lot more than mine!