Hi, Madeleine.
Hi Ray, just a question. On our next trip during the Epcot food and wine festival, we are thinking of purchasing one of the used rental Victory 10 scooters they have for sale at Gold Mobility and bringing it back on the plane. I checked with the airline they said they transport mobility scooters for Free.
I usually fly with Delta. I fill out their form online and print it out to carry with me. I also call them the day before to remind them that I will be bringing my own wheelchair and previously my own mobility scooter.
Check online with your airline to see if they have a form to fill out and print. It comes in handy when they ask you questions about the dimensions, total weight, type of batteries, etc. of your mobility scooter.
I remember the first time when I was checking my luggage in leaving Atlanta, and they asked me the questions. I didn't know off the top of my head, but I could read the info off of the printout.
I was able to drive it to the gate and down the jetway to the airline's door. The airline staff came to pick it up and store it on the plane.
The reason that they wanted to know the dimensions at the luggage check-in was to make sure it would fit on that particular plane. So I also measured the height with the seat folded down and the front steering tiller folded down. The length and width do not change for the Pride Victory 10.
So even if they don't have a form, the airlines will ask for the following information:
1. Total weight of your Pride Victory 10 mobility scooter
2. The length and width.
3. The height should be the folded seat and folded front tiller. You could tell them the height unfolded, but make sure that you tell them the folded height because they will look on their computer to see if the mobility scooter will fit the dimensions of their cargo storage door.
4. The type of battery is DRY. They ask if it is dry, wet, or lithium-ion.
I could have requested that they take my mobility scooter down their elevator, but two men came to lift it down the stairs by the jetway to the plane.
I could have checked it in with my luggage, where I guess they could have had the crew come to get it, but I preferred to drive it all the way to the gate. I think that one time they asked me to drive it to the gate and another time they asked me to take a photo of the mobility scooter to send to the person loading the scooter.
Once at MCO Orlando, I waited for them to bring my wheelchair or in the past my mobility scooter up to the jetway and I drove down to the Disney Magical Express.
It is also important on your resort reservation for DME to tell them that you will need a lift on the DME bus.
I was escorted to the DME bus, backed up on the bus lift. At the top, I slowly backed up into the bus and turned to my left into a space where they had moved seats for me to park. I reversed the procedure when arriving at the resort and exiting.
I also found that it is a good idea to take some photos at the airport gate of my wheelchair and previously my mobility scooter. I would take the same photos at my destination in the airline jetway.
That way I could show prove if there was any damage done during transport.
Some of the things that I missed before taking photos was damage to the armrest and seat material where they might have brushed up against something metal.
Also any damage around the outer edges of the mobility scooter that could have gotten torn off or bumped into.
You don't need many photos. I just take photos for the four sides and armrests.
That way you can prove damage with the before and after photos.
This is purely precautionary and I haven't had any problems since I started taking photos. I just mention this a good habit to get into.
We had a great experience with using Gold Mobility on our last trip and was impressed with the scooter and the extra options. Since you're familiar with this model do you think is a good choice for me at home? We live in walking distance to grocery store and park so I don't need to transport on a bus or a car.
I think that it would be a very good choice because Gold Mobility Scooter, LLC, takes very good care of their equipment and actually replaces them every six months. You can not find one single company in this whole world that does this. That makes the mobility scooter practically seem like brand new.
It will also come with extra heavy duty batteries which would cost you more if you had to buy them separately. And it would come with two extra add-ons that you won't have to pay for. And they will subtract the rental from the total price. So many extras that you don't have to pay for, plus an honest seller and a great price. I would jump at the chance to buy from them.[/QUOTE]
I used it in the parks on the last visit and it was a perfect fit for the parks. We have also used them in the past trips from other companies but by far this was the nicest ones ever. It easy was to maneuver, comfortable and easy for me to get on and off the buses and monorail. Cost wise it would save me about 50% by buying a used rental over buying a new one locally. They said they still look like new and they are all tested and reconditioned to like new condition. They sell them every 6 months. They let you rent it to test it for an entire week before you buy. They also deduct the total price of the rental. So overall I think its a great deal. They also leave all the extra options on the scooter that they add for rental. Next visit we are only renting 2 scooters, a maximum for my husband and a Victory 10 3 wheeled for me. The Maxima's they said is to new to sell, But they have lots of the Victory 10's that will be ready for sale by then. If we purchase it, this would be the first one we purchased for at home use. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
As far as using at your home, there are some things to consider. I don't know if you have owned or rented mobility scooters that you have used at home.
I don't advise using the Pride Victory 10 mobility scooter inside your home to drive around from living room to bedroom etc. since they are too big.
But I also don't know the size of your home.
Do you have a place where you can park it and an electrical outlet nearby where you can recharge it?
I assume that you might keep it in your garage where there is a flat driving area from your garage to your sidewalk.
You could also park it somewhere inside your house if you have space, but make sure you measure the door width and hallway width and turning space to make sure you can do that inside your home. And no steps.
Just some things to think about.
And when you get home, how will you get it home? Do you have access to a handicap van service that helps you get from the airport to your home?
I live three blocks from the subway station that I take directly into the Atlanta ATL airport.
My newer electric wheelchair easily drives into my condo.
My older, larger Pride Victory 10-LX Sport 4-wheel was too big to drive into my condo and so I parked it in the garage.
Do you have any more questions?
I have just been typing and I really haven't proofread anything.