Technology Exceeds Health Care Service and Repair

Scooter
As you know, I work for a technology rental firm, and the service that they provide is invaluable to the traveling business person that has to jet all around the country and even the world for presentations or meetings. For example if you have a presentation to give in Miami you could have all your audio visual needs set up and ready to go when you get there. You can even have a laptop waiting for you with all the software you need waiting for you at your hotel.

As a disabled person I truly wish that all services could be made this worry free. Over the holidays I had the joy of not only wrestling with a Winn 32 Worm but I also had wheelchair battery go bad. I would charge it over night and be dead within the hour and I would have to charge it again. What a nightmare to be reliant on technology for daily functions. I called 7 different companies in a 20 mile radius and the ones that carried my batteries would either not accept my insurance or want up to $250.00 up front.

My insurance is willing to pay 80%. After three weeks of searching, arguing, calling insurance companies I finally found a company in Covington KY who traded my bad batteries for new ones and I paid no money up front. They even took the time out to answer my questions as to why they were willing to work with my insurance and all these other companies would not. We come to the conclusion that many health supply companies must be suffering and cannot wait for a insurance pay out when the possibility of getting cash upfront is presented. I had paid cash for my wheelchair so I imagine it was easy to assume that if I have the resources to buy a whole scooter, then batteries should be no problem. My situation three years ago was completely different.

Moral of the story is good companies are out there if you shop around for them. Given the right resources people with disabilities are able to do just about anything. However independence is fragile. So I find myself hoping that concept of worry free technology rental will become contagious in other areas and become the next new craze!

So my wheelchair and my computer are back up and running and I am running all over the place. I have new lessons learned and some inspiration to do a little research on why it was so difficult for me to get batteries. I am sure this is not just isolated in one area. What are your thoughts?

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