A grieving mother from Bournemouth, identified only as JS, purchased a £435 wheelchair from her local Lifestyle & Mobility store for her 46-year-old disabled daughter, who was hospitalized for tests. The daughter died two days later, before the wheelchair was ever used. The chair remained in the boot of JS's car and never left the indoor shopping centre car park.
JS pleaded with Lifestyle & Mobility to accept a return, even for a partial refund, but the company refused. She has spent three months trying to sell the wheelchair privately online without success. The money would have supported her teenage granddaughter, and the wheelchair serves as a painful reminder of her loss.
Legal Rights vs. Compassion
If purchased online, JS would have had a statutory 14-day cooling-off period and could have saved up to £100. However, buying in-store gave her no such right. Lifestyle & Mobility has no legal obligation to provide a refund, but the consumer champion hoped for compassion given the tragic circumstances.
The store stated that refunds are only given for faulty or mis-sold products. A spokesperson said: “Given the nature of our business, we are regrettably familiar with circumstances of the sort this customer is experiencing. Be assured that we take no pleasure in having to apply the above criteria in such cases.”
Discretion Not Used
The company's terms and conditions allow for goodwill variations at its discretion. The consumer champion twice asked why discretion was not applied in this exceptional case, but received no reply. The champion noted that the daughter died young and suddenly, before the chair was unpacked.
JS urged others to check refund policies before buying. The consumer champion advises: “Always ask about returns for medical equipment, especially in bereavement situations.”
