Tweet
Has anyone ever hired a mobility scooter at any rhs flower show? I was going to hire one for Tatton but have just found out it will cost me £25 
I've hired a mobility scooter before at places where there's a lot of walking involved but I've never been asked to pay a fee of that magnitude. Usually I pay a refundable deposit and then there's a general request for donations but that is not compulsory and there's no recommended amount. If I book one of these for Tatton it will end up costing almost £50 just to get in. I really can't afford that and there is no way I can walk around all day so it looks like I might have to miss it. I've only been once before (last year) and really enjoyed it but the walking was a killer and my back is worse than ever this year so it's a scooter or don't go.
The company that supplies the electric scooters is Event Mobility and for most events you book directly through their website. It only seems to be a few events where you book directly through the event organiser - in the case of Tatton flower show, the rhs. At first I didn't realise and tried to book online through the Event Mobility website and there appeared to be no £25 fee - just a requested donation, the amount of which you chose yourself. I didnt follow that through to see if you could book a scooter with £0 donation, but presumably you could do it for £5 or £10 or whatever you felt you could afford. So is it an rhs decision to charge £25? Is it a fee that Event Mobility charge rhs and which they need to recoup? It seems to imply on tatton website that the £25 goes to Event Mobility.
Am I being unreasonable to think this is unfair? It's not like a mobility scooter is something you choose for a bit of extra luxury or some added value. It's bad enough needing one in your 40s without having to pay for the "privilege" of being disabled. I know these schemes need funding and the money has to come from somewhere but personally I would think that if the rhs needed to cover the cost they could add an extra 50p or £1 onto the ticket price (but then I would say that wouldn't I, those who don't require a mobility scooter might not be too keen on that idea!).
I'd be interested to know how much other people have had to pay to hire mobility scooters at various events. Like I say, I have hired them before but not all that often and never at an rhs flower show. Maybe it's just sour grapes because I enjoyed the show so much last year and was really looking forward to going again this year but now it seems I may not be able to.
I've hired a mobility scooter before at places where there's a lot of walking involved but I've never been asked to pay a fee of that magnitude. Usually I pay a refundable deposit and then there's a general request for donations but that is not compulsory and there's no recommended amount. If I book one of these for Tatton it will end up costing almost £50 just to get in. I really can't afford that and there is no way I can walk around all day so it looks like I might have to miss it. I've only been once before (last year) and really enjoyed it but the walking was a killer and my back is worse than ever this year so it's a scooter or don't go.The company that supplies the electric scooters is Event Mobility and for most events you book directly through their website. It only seems to be a few events where you book directly through the event organiser - in the case of Tatton flower show, the rhs. At first I didn't realise and tried to book online through the Event Mobility website and there appeared to be no £25 fee - just a requested donation, the amount of which you chose yourself. I didnt follow that through to see if you could book a scooter with £0 donation, but presumably you could do it for £5 or £10 or whatever you felt you could afford. So is it an rhs decision to charge £25? Is it a fee that Event Mobility charge rhs and which they need to recoup? It seems to imply on tatton website that the £25 goes to Event Mobility.
Am I being unreasonable to think this is unfair? It's not like a mobility scooter is something you choose for a bit of extra luxury or some added value. It's bad enough needing one in your 40s without having to pay for the "privilege" of being disabled. I know these schemes need funding and the money has to come from somewhere but personally I would think that if the rhs needed to cover the cost they could add an extra 50p or £1 onto the ticket price (but then I would say that wouldn't I, those who don't require a mobility scooter might not be too keen on that idea!).
I'd be interested to know how much other people have had to pay to hire mobility scooters at various events. Like I say, I have hired them before but not all that often and never at an rhs flower show. Maybe it's just sour grapes because I enjoyed the show so much last year and was really looking forward to going again this year but now it seems I may not be able to.
Comment