Category Archives: News

News

Companies promise to act after BBC’s disabled access exposé

The Quingo team recently read that some large UK firms have undertaken urgent measures to improve their services for people with disabilities. The news follows a BBC London investigation that exposed several failures in this area.

Taking measures to improve accessibility

As part of the investigation, a blind person and a wheelchair user wore secret cameras to document cafes without ramps, minicab drivers that refused to accept guide dogs and train station staff not present when assistance was required. More than 100 restaurants are now being audited for their accessibility. The news comes after the government ordered the companies to explain their failings.

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Last autumn, researchers from the BBC found unusable tables or inadequate or missing ramps at branches of Costa Coffee, Itsu, Eat, Chipotle, Caffé Nero, Caffé Concerto and the Post Office.

Mark Harper MP, Minister for Disabled People, singled out the response from restaurant chain Eat as being particularly worthy of praise. The chain has put in place new training and all of its 113 UK stores have been audited to ensure they’re accessible.

What action has been taken?

Sarah Doyle, Eat’s brand director, said: “We were mortified. Therefore when we saw that footage we took it very seriously and undertook to investigate. We’ve asked all our shop teams to check the equipment is there and we have put in place replacement equipment if it was required.”

Itsu acknowledged improvements to staff training and accessibility needed to be made. They said that an external accessibility firm would be employed to ensure that the necessary changes were put in place to cater for a wider range of customers including mobility scooter users.

Caffé Concerto said that it was changing some of its branches having realised that they weren’t sufficiently accessible, whilst Costa Coffee said that the ramp problems highlighted by the BBC’s investigation have been fixed.

Finding adequate solutions

Southeastern Rail also expressed concern with the issues uncovered by the BBC, saying that the relevant station managers had been informed of the need for change.

Organisations are obliged by law to take all necessary steps so as to comply with the Equality Act. As a result of this investigation, it seems that tangible progress is being made.

These positive changes will no doubt be welcomed by Quingo Scooter users. Large companies in particular should have the resources and budget to ensure their stores are sufficiently accessible.

What we can expect in the future

At Quingo, mobility and accessibility are priorities for us. We believe it’s crucially important that those with limited mobility have access to the same services as anyone else. As such, we welcome the efforts taken by many of the companies highlighted in the BBC’s investigation.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

News

Quingo scooter user interviewed by the BBC sets up campaign group

The Quingo team were excited to hear a story on the BBC this week about David Bachini, a Quingo scooter user from Luton.

What’s the story?

According to the BBC, around 80,000 mobility scooters are sold every year in the UK, and the fact that this number is increasing means that the issue of vehicles blocking pavements is a problem that’s recently drawn greater attention in the media.

Police say it’s the responsibility of councils to deal with vehicles that are parked on the pavement, and that parking on the pavement is only illegal if there’s a ‘dangerous obstruction on the public highway.’

However, the problem of having to navigate around parked cars has clearly become a nuisance to Mr Bachini.

Disabled Against Drivers Parking On Pavements

Mr Bachini, 73, has set up a campaign group called DAD POP. It stands for Disabled Against Drivers Parking On Pavements – and it currently has over one hundred members.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bachini said:  “Mobility scooter users that go out for an afternoon ride are often inconvenienced in such a way that their own lives are put in danger and they have to use the road, which shouldn’t be allowed.”

Class 3 scooters that can travel up to 8mph are designed for road travel, though they can drive on pavements too at reduced speeds. Class 2 scooters have a maximum speed of 4pm and are intended primarily for pavement use.

New legislation?

The Highway Code has a section of rules for powered wheelchairs and mobility scooter users, which refers to the difference between Class 2 and Class 3 scooters.  The rules outline the different considerations for travelling on the pavement and travelling on the road.

There is no current legislation in place to deal specifically with the issue highlighted by Mr Bachini. That’s why Mr Bachini is calling on the government to change the law to give the authorities the power to remove vehicles parked on the pavement.

Safety is our priority

The Quingo team prioritise your safety and comfort above everything else. We work and comply with the Department for Transport’s Code of Practice; we want you to get the most out of your Quingo 5 wheel scooter by regaining mobility without compromising your well-being.

Quingo Scooters

Our friendly staff will always carry out a comprehensive assessment on each of our customers to ensure that they are eligible to travel safely on their scooter. We only want you to enjoy the benefits of Quingo if you’re safe and able to do so.

The Blue Diamond Driver Check is a free Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) compliant safety assessment that illustrates you meet the required standards. It entitles you to display the Blue Diamond badge on your Quingo, signalling to those around you that you’re both safe and able.

News

Quingo receive customer service award

The Quingo team are delighted to announce that we’ve received an award commending the feedback we get from Quingo Scooter users.

Feefo’s Gold Award – reviews that you can trust

As a result of our customer service over 2014, we were awarded with the Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant Accreditation.

Quingo Scooters

For those who don’t know, Feefo is an independent customer review system for businesses. Feefo specialises in generating reviews that both companies and customers can rely on.

All of our customers are able to give their feedback anonymously by rating their scooters and our services with one of four options; these are: excellent, good, poor or bad.

What this means for the Quingo customers and the Quingo team

Speaking about the award, Quingo’s Managing Director Mark Nicholl’s said: “Feefo specialise in providing feedback that’s comprehensive, genuine and recognised across the globe, so this accolade is a superb reflection of our services and dedication to our customers.

“Feefo’s gold rating is given to companies whose customers rate them above 95% in both service and satisfaction. Of over one hundred reviews, positive feedback about our services and product currently stands at 99% and 100% respectively.

“Our customers’ safety and mobility is paramount to us and we’re consistently delighted with the feedback we receive.”

Some examples of customer feedback

The criteria for accreditation is by no means easy to meet. Nevertheless, the award was given us as a result of the consistent positive feedback from Quingo scooter users received directly by Feefo.

Here are just a few examples of the anonymised customer feedback that we received:

Quingo Flyte user:

Service rating: “The service was excellent and very friendly I had two test drives before buying it and they were excellent showing me how it went into the car as I have to do all these things on my own and I am no spring chicken.”
Product: “After 20 years plus with electric wheelchairs that would not cope with uneven pavements etc that tipped you into the road the Flyte is brilliant… It has coped with icy pavements which the wheelchair could not manage… I would certainly recommend it.”

Quingo Plus user:

Service rating: “I find the Quingo to be safe and reassuring when I’m using it.”
Product: “Love my Quingo Plus, safe as houses both on the road and footpaths. wonderful and have recommended it to my friends who are having difficult with their Mobility.”

Quingo Vitess user

Service rating: “I have received nothing but super service since my first enquiry”

Product: “My Vitess is so much more comfortable than my previous scooters and the kerb climbing is fantastic. I’m so enjoying getting out and about! Well done Quingo!”

Find out more about Feefo

The Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant accreditation is only awarded to companies that consistently deliver great customer service. We’d like to thank you all for your tremendous feedback.

To find out more about what Quingo’s customers are saying about their scooters visit: http://www.feefo.com/GB/en/reviews/Quingo/?id=1013585

News

Quingo proud to sponsor award at the Silver Travel Awards

The Quingo team are proud to announce that we will be sponsoring the Best Limited Mobility/Accessible Travel Provider category at the first annual Silver Travel Awards ceremony.

The Silver Travel Awards

The event will be launched by Silver Travel Advisor, a website run by travel industry professionals which targets the mature travel market.

Quingo Scooters

The website is a free resource where members can contribute to impartial news, travel advice and tips, all written exclusively by and for mature travellers.

Jennie Bond, the BBC’s former Royal Correspondent will host the event which takes place on 4th June 2015 at London’s Natural History Museum.

A ‘best of the best’ award will be judged by a panel of mature celebrities and senior figures from the travel industry, who will consider the best entries in each of the categories before selecting an overall winner.

How do I vote?

Voting for the Awards opened in January and will close on 31st March. To place a vote you can visit the Silver Travel Advisor website and click ‘Vote Now’.

Voters will be asked to fill in an online form and can vote in one, several or all categories. Votes will be counted in April resulting in a shortlist for each category. The winner for each award will be chosen at the event on 4th June.

Some of the companies voted for so far in the Quingo-sponsored category include Wings on Wheels, Qantas Airlines, Gatwick Airport, Warners and CMV.

Quingo is proud to sponsor the award which helps to encourage those with limited mobility to travel more widely.

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Been on any interesting trips recently?

We always love to hear stories from you about any trips you’ve been on with your Quingo, whether in the UK or abroad.

If you would like to get in touch with your pictures and comments please send them to [email protected]  and we will post them on our blog.