Why is it the United Kingdom is so incredibly poor at providing a lot of disability equipment? On the other hand, you can find anything you want from numerous shops in the United States. I can't understand why a lot of the well-known retailers in this country have not gone out of their way to provide the equipment that a lot of us need. For instance, if you want a decent pair of tetraplegic pushing gloves, see if you can find any good ones in this country? Go to an American website, and you can pretty much find what you want to. We really to pull our socks up in the UK and start providing a little more specialised equipment. Gerald Simons is a prime example of a company that doesn't provide enough equipment. I have gone through his website and I can't even find a pair of decent pushing gloves. This is the sort of equipment that is so important, he should have it in stock.

If you're confident there is an viable market in England for such products why not investigate setting up the business yourself and become an importer/retailer?

I don't think the problem is so much that they don't stock them more that they aren't too interested in selling small parts / equipment via the internet. In fact I don't think they'e very interested in selling anything via the internet. The website for most of the UK based companies is just a brochure exercise. You can't actually order anything from them via the net like you can with the US companies.

Most of the UK companies do stock these sort of things, they just don't advertise the fact. Ring them up and you can't actually see the product and you'll pay a fortune for it but they will have it. For instance I recently paid £65 for some castors I needed urgently from Gerald Simmonds whereas the same articles were about $35 (about £18) from sportaid!!

I agree it's a poor service - the answer? just order it from the US, they'll post it and as long as they mark it as goods for disabled use or similar then you'll pay no import duties or vat on it when it comes in.

We live near Mexico City and it is almost impossible to find equipment for quads here. I am trying to find a telephone for my husband that is voice activated and no luck but I'm still looking. I found one on the internet from the states but costs 500 dollars so that's on hold for now. Dale Dixon do you know of any phone that can be used in Mexico. I see that all the companies for these are in the U.S. Thank's, Katie

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I Agree. In the UK it is also very difficut to get some aids or equipment - abd some is only available to health authorities. When you do find that hard to find item it is also often far too expensive - and therefore needs to be imported at half the price. This makes disability in the UK les equal that services for able bodied people.

I have a "Flotair" pressure reliving cushion, and it has developed a pin-hole of a leak - between teo of the "egg-shaped" parts of the cushin - where a patch woud not work, so wonder whether there is a repair kit - as the cost of a new cushion (which does not need repairing if it coud be repaired) is far too expensive.

Just a guess on my part, but maybe it's an unintended consequence of socialized medicine?

More bureaucracy in the process, would mean more overhead costs for the vendors. Add in possible late/slow payments to the mix, low government negotiated reimbursement amounts, and a lot of the profit incentive for vendors would be gone, along with an expanded equipement offerings.

Maybe...

Joe

Our grip aids are designed to enable you to firmly hold items, such as a hammer or trowel, helping you get a grip on activities like DIY and gardening, or playing on computer consoles like the Nintendo Wii. If you’re the sporty type, they could allow you to work out at the gym, play snooker or even help you ski.

Uk based.
www.activehands.co.uk

The UK may be lacking in specialized equipment, but they have some much better hand control systems available than we do here in the states. We can get a couple of them, but most are not approved in most states, and most shops won't install anything that's unapproved. We all have our shortcomings in availability of different things, and it sucks for everyone. Maybe someday we can change things...

I think its a simple case of supply and demand. We are a relatively small group in a large population. Sadly companies need to make money, if there is enough demand then companies will be quick tomake a profit from us.

On a positive note, i have used and am now "UK rep" for www.bike-on.com so if there any items they stock, then let me know and will get them ordered for you. Bikes and wheelchairs take time to order from manufacturers but once in stock they come across the water in under a week.

I'm in the UK and have been amazed by the lack of equipment compared to other country's. I also was shocked that the wheelchair I've got was much cheaper in the USA. It was so much less I could of fly over to collect it and it still would be less than what I paid.

I have just been to the Nadix show at the NEC in Birmingham were company come along and show off the products the make/sell it's free to go. Also on the 4th 5th and 6th June the Mobility road show is on the Kemble air filed. This show is held over 3 days and has a more have a go feel, so you are encouraged to try things out including a number of adapted cars that you can test drive.

I brought a few things from the show as you get them much cheaper at the show. The best day to go is the last as you can if your lucky get some freebies, many stall also have hands out threw out the show.

Again why are not we getting the products here and why are the ones we are getting the HIGHER prices. I found out that some product that are cheaper online from the USA are made in the UK its mad and if you ask me a sort of robbery

This is a valid thread.

I had been asking all these questions and it was finally when retailers at Naidex 2006 tried fobbing me off with excuses and I kept countering them with logic why they were talking nonsense, one folded his arms, leaned in and said "well there's nothing you can do about it, so it's put up and shut up"

I was, shall we say, a little incensed at him, but at least it answered my question: yes they're greedy and yes the cost of doing business is expensive: the consumer has to pay all his overheads, marketing, rents utilities taxes, good salaries, expensive stands at shows, travel, etc.... And that is what motivated me to do my project - cut out the excess and bring down the prices on GOOD products, not just all the dross that's churned out. It's a tough game to do on a shoestring, and the 2nd hand part (as a practical alternative to always buying expensive new) was my main aim. To make it work I realised it had to be a free service so that people would use it and it would then work for everyone.

The next problem is how you pay for a really good functionality website to be programmed and improved and hosted.

This was in part a great opportunity to stock items that had solved my problems and that are too expensive elsewhere and open up knowledge to others, and also to prove that by cutting out the middlemen, and glossy marketing, it is possible to get the prices right down.

But in other parts it's a headache, because in the beginning, getting people to know about you and your products is very hard in a market where the big players have the marketing budgets (which you pay for in the products) and in order to import or buy direct, it often means laying out bigger sums of money than one would like and then waiting for the sales.

And retail was never my love, property was!

Anyway, I'm really excited, as today 2 samples arrived for a travel bath seat and a travel shower seat. The bath seat is to my specification as I haven't been able to find anything like it to suit me (L1 complete) and the shower chair is an improved version of what does exist which I will be able to offer at less than currently available. The main order should arrive at the end of Jan10 so I'll post with links and photos then.

It's quite a slow process getting the pipeline of products online, and I'm nowhere near where I want to be, but I'd rather get it right from the start. I would say that if people know of good products, I'd be pleased to hear about them, as well as suggesting how my products could be better. Succeeding will mean I can challenge these big players and their near monopoly. At the end of the day, if I can't provide it better and/or cheaper, the great thing is that no-one has to use my site. But when people like Nomis say "why don't you do it?" I agree with him.

As shameless as it is to come on here and sell myself, I'd hope to think that people realise from my posts that I'm not here just for that. But to cut out expensive advertising and keep costs low, I do rely on good will and people passing my site details on (assuming that they take a look and see for themselves how well it works!). I do have A6 flyers that if anyone in the UK would like to pass on a few that'd be great (I can email a soft copy 1st if you want)

Best wishes

Guido
info@disabledgear.com

Guido,

I'm glad you are making the effort and wish you success, for all our sakes.

I bought my first chair in Taiwan, perfectly serviceable though 17.5 kg. Custom made to fit me for $400 USD.

Pwuff