A stairlift quote usually arrives with a total at the bottom and several pages of small print above it, and the details that matter most are not always on the first page. Before anyone drills into the wall, read what was measured, what was promised, and what happens when the chair has to come off.
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Start with the survey
Someone should have come to the house, or at least taken measurements from you with photos, and the quote should show what they measured. Check the rail length, which should be written out for each run of the staircase. Check for turns, the top landing, and the bottom landing, because a curve or a landing changes both the rail and the parts. Check whether the quote shows the seat in its folded position and whether the chair clears the wall at the bottom step. If the survey describes a single straight run and your staircase has a turn, the quote is wrong, and that mistake will show up on installation day.
Read the warranty as a list of what is covered
A warranty is a promise with edges. Find out how many years the parts are covered, how many years the labor is covered, and whether a service visit is included when the chair stops working halfway up the stairs. Ask who answers the phone when that happens. Ask whether the warranty transfers if he sells the house, and whether it becomes void if someone other than the installer works on the chair. Get the answers in writing, on the page, not from memory.
Check whether a service plan is optional
Many companies offer a yearly service agreement alongside the purchase. Decide whether he needs it, not whether it sounds sensible. Read what it includes, how many visits it allows, whether the battery is covered, and how it renews. Find the deadline for cancelling. Do not sign a service plan at the same table where you are signing the installation, because the pressure to say yes is highest right then.
Installation and removal
Ask who drills the brackets and whether the stairs need any reinforcement. Ask what the quote says about patching the wall and the stair edge after the rail comes off. Then ask the question nobody wants to think about: if he moves or sells, does the lift come off, who removes it, and who pays for that. A well-written quote answers that in a sentence. A vague one leaves you with a chair in the stairwell and an open question about who owns the next step.
Compare the same measurements
Get at least two written quotes built from the same survey. If one company measured the rail differently, the numbers will not be comparable, so ask the second company to confirm the first company's measurements, or ask both to measure again. Compare the warranty length, the service terms, and the removal clause before you compare anything else.
What he needs to say yes
If he has a doctor or physical therapist, ask whether his legs and balance suit a stairlift and whether the seat and the swing suit him. Then let him sit in the chair at a showroom if one is available, and let him test the controls himself. He will want to be the one who decides. Make sure he is, even if you have already read every page.