• Trading Standards Scotland: Disability Aids Scams

  Created: 23/06/2025
  News/Events Category: General News
  This item will show under the following categories: Health and Social Care  
  
  

  

  Citizens Advice have launched a new campaign focused on shopping safely for disability aids, as new data shows that their advisors helped someone with a disability aid complaint every hour in the last year.

  Items like mobility vehicles, stairlifts and hearing aids are relied on by disabled people, and are designed to help them navigate their everyday lives.

  However, Citizens Advice has found that more than two thirds (69%) of complaints to their consumer service in the last year were about defective goods. This includes products that were unsafe, poor quality, broke shortly after purchase - or never worked to begin with.

  In one recent case, a woman in her 80s from Fife was phoned by someone who said they worked for the NHS and offered to visit her at home to show her some new mattresses that would help with her health issues.

  Two women then visited her house and looked at her existing mattress, telling her that the new one they had available would be much better for her. They had NHS lanyards on and appeared very friendly, although they stayed in her house for almost two hours and used pressure-selling tactics to wear her down.

  Eventually, they produced a contract and asked the woman to sign it without giving her an opportunity to read through it, saying that her new mattress would be delivered within a few weeks. They asked her to pay for the mattress in full there and then, at a cost of over £3,000.

  When the woman's son phoned the company to cancel the order and obtain a refund, he was told that the bed was already being made to the woman's specifications and could not be cancelled.

  In many cases, although companies tell consumers the products they are purchasing are bespoke, the salesperson has not actually taken any measurements. Several consumers have been told that they will receive a custom-made product, but when it arrives it is clearly an ‘off-the-shelf’ size.

  How to avoid disability aid scams

  Check trader reviews 

  If you are buying from a trader you should look for an established firm you can trust, with a good reputation. There are organisations that can give you a list of traders which sell disability aids or help you in choosing one.  

  • The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) operates the Approved Code Scheme which aims to guarantee high standards of customer care and added levels of protection from traders who are signed up to an agreed code of conduct - such as the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA)  
  • Living Made Easy’s website has links to retailers’ websites where products can be purchased
  • Charities such as Age UK and RNIBalso offer advice on disability aids

  Make sure to shop around before deciding on a seller. Try to get more than one price/quote for what you are looking at and keep copies of the quotes you get. Also make sure to compare product feedback across different platforms.

  If you’ve already got a trader in mind, they might claim they’re a member of a trader association - check the association's website to make sure.
  
  Buying the right product

  Before buying, there are some checks you should do.

  • Some charities might loan you a disability aid so check if you can rent before you buy
  • Check if a grant might be available as extra support
  • Find out if VAT relief is available on the item you’re buying
  • Confirm if there are any ongoing service costs for a product that you will need to carry on paying. For example, any software purchased could include a yearly charge for any technical support
  • Make sure you check returns policies / cancellation rights before you buy

  Returning faulty goods

  Your rights are different depending on if the product is bespoke (made to your specifications / your measurements) or non-bespoke. If you make colour and size selections for a product from a drop down menu, it’s not bespoke.

  You’re able to return non-bespoke products if you change your mind if you bought the product online, in your home (as long as they cost over £42), over the phone or from a catalogue.

  You normally have up to 14 days after receiving your goods to change your mind and get a full refund, with a further 14 days to send the item back.

  If a product was made to your measurement/bespoke, you only have the right to return if the item is faulty.
  
  If something’s gone wrong with the disability aid you’ve bought, you might be entitled to a refund, repair or replacement, whether the item is new or second-hand. You’ll have legal rights if the item you bought is:

  • Broken or damaged
  • Unusable
  • Not what was advertised or doesn’t match the seller’s description

  You won’t have any legal rights if the item was damaged by wear and tear, an accident or misuse, or if you knew about the fault before you bought it.
  
  Avoid Scams

  Don't deal with cold callers who ask you to complete a health survey or offer a home visit from a mobility aids salesperson. If you are unsure whether a call from a healthcare organisation is legitimate, hang up and contact the organisation using a number found on their website or in an official directory.

  If you have agreed to a home visit from a salesperson, you might want to ask a family member, friend, or neighbour to be in the house with you during the appointment to provide a second opinion. Make it clear from the outset that you will not be making a decision on that day and that you will be taking time to think about any purchases.
  
  If you are worried about a relative or friend receiving cold calls, you can sign them up to the Telephone Preference Service for free by calling 034 070 0707 or online at www.tpsonline.org.uk.
  Many home phone providers offer services (some of which are free) to block unwanted calls.
  There is also a range of standalone devices that can be used to block/ monitor calls such as trueCall Secure call blockers.
  
  Solving an ongoing dispute 

  There are steps you can take if you’ve approached a business seller about a problem with your disability aid, or the service you received, and you’re not getting anywhere.

  • Make a formal complaint by e-mail or post for your records. Before contacting the seller, check if they have a complaints procedure, which can usually be found on their website - make sure you follow this.
  • If you’re not happy with the response, ask the seller for a final response (often called a ‘deadlock letter’), which will confirm they haven’t been able to resolve your complaint.

  A final response is proof you’ve already tried making a formal complaint - you’ll need it if you try other ways to sort out the problem. These can include:

  • Checking if the seller is a member of a trade association - meaning they might have to follow certain rules. If they've broken them, you could get help from the association.
  • Checking if you can get your money back if you paid by card or PayPal. If your card or finance provider doesn’t help, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
  • Checking if the seller is a member of a trader scheme - there may be an ‘alternative dispute resolution’ (ADR) scheme available to use.

  How to report scams

  Report mobility aids scams to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or or via their ScamWatch tool.

  If a cold caller refuses to leave your property, call Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

  
  
  

  ---

  What now?
  See other news/events in the General News category
  Go to the main News page
  Tell us about your own news
  
  

News/Events Categories:

Share your news/events

Sign up to our e-bulletins

Sign up for e-bulletins now