Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

A cautionary tale.......!!!

5 replies

monstermansmum · 05/02/2009 18:47

I broke down today. My wonderful 2yr old motability Rodius died. On the M61!!! I had my mum and 2 babies with me (Ikea AGAIN!!) so I phoned the number on the Ssangyong assistance leaflet for the AA. Motability uses RAC. The man said it would be 1 hr before roadside assistance reached me, even in the snow, on the motorway, with 2 babies!! Anyway, having procured a lift for my mum and the babies I waited and a lovely man from FAM arrived with a huge tow truck and took me + car up to the garage near Preston, fully expecting them to sort out a courtesy car. But noooooo!!! The lovely FAM man had to take me back to Bolton (not his job) where I was told I would receive a c.car from National within 4 hrs. ok, not brill but ok. I speak to motability operations who said that I should NOT have been given a timescale, as they cant guarantee that I would get a car today, or even what kind of car I would get, and that I would also have to pay a £50 fuel deposit!!!!!! I explained that I needed the biggest car they do, having 4 children, one with challenging behaviour who cannot sit next to his bros and sis, 2 buggies and a wheelchair and that there was no way I had a spare £50 to give tham untill goodness know when!! I got a Zafira!!!! A brand new Zafira if it makes any difference but I cant even fit ds1's wheelchair in without standing it up!! I cant fit Ds1 in the car with the babies and if I did get him in (with the back seats up) I cant get the buggies in let alone the wheelchair. So I'm stuffed whatever way I do it. Motability didnt tell me that they can waive the deposit as they have 2 accounts, non-deposit and deposit, the man from National told me after I cried down the phone at him through sheer frustration. They are searching their fleet in Lancashire tomorrow to see if anyone has a bigger car available that I can have for the weekend onwards. I have no idea what is wrong with my car, I hope its not a big job-I cant function properly without that car! Sorry its so long but I thought you may appreciate knowing some of the downsides of motability! They are good at providing cars in the first place but there are so many Jobsworths its untrue! Anyway, that was my day, hope yours were better. (my ds1 is currently stood with both his arms around my neck hugging my head! He makes everything better .

OP posts:
BriocheDoree · 05/02/2009 18:56

Hi Monstermansmum. Sounds like you had a tough day!
Hope they sort a new car out for you soon.

dsrplus8 · 05/02/2009 19:06

hello monstermansmum! sorry you had a rotten time today. but it shows what a tough cookie you are... i'd have folded at the begining.heres hoping you get car sorted out quick. . well done you for coping!

Mitchell81 · 05/02/2009 19:55

sorry you had such a shite day!!!! Hope they manage to sort out a bigger car.

glitteryb6 · 05/02/2009 20:20

i had a courtesy car from national thru motability when my car died last year, they took my 7st citroen c4 picasso and gave me a peugeot 207sw couldnt get the wheelchair in so wasnt much use but i only had it over a weekend. i asked for a zafira but was told by national that motability dont pay for those so you were lucky!

they took my £50 fuel deposit from my account and then recredited it on the monday after i handed the car back, i went shopping and lifted cash from my account and made myself overdrawn and incurred charges as national decided to take the £50 back out of my account as they said i hadnt given it back with a full tank of fuel.

the needle was on the full limit when i handed it back so i thought it would be fine but they fill it till it clicks and charged me £2.25 deducted from the £50 which they then took a week to refund!!

Tclanger · 05/02/2009 20:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page