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The home that met your family’s needs when you were in your 30s and 40s may become difficult to manage as you age, particularly if you have to navigate stairs to a second level or basement. Purchasing a stair lift could be a solution, and Acorn is one of the largest nationwide providers of residential stair lifts. Learn more about Acorn in our comprehensive review below.
Acorn at a Glance
Summary:
- Customer service: From the moment a customer calls Acorn to the completion of installation, Acorn employees are both attentive and helpful.
- Parts and products: Since Acorn is a direct manufacturer, customers don’t have to navigate extensive wait times while products or replacement parts are ordered.
- Warranty information: Acorn offers a lifetime warranty on its stair lift motors and gearboxes, including all servicing needed for the stairlift.
What we like:
- Stair lifts are installed by company employees instead of subcontractors.
- Home modification isn’t necessary to install an Acorn stair lift.
- The company offers help in finding affordable options and financial assistance.
What we don’t like:
- Stair lifts have a lower maximum weight capacity of 280 pounds.
About Acorn Stairlifts
Acorn Stairlifts, a direct manufacturer of stair lifts in the U.S., started almost 30 years ago when owner John Jakes’ mother purchased a refurbished stairlift and asked him to help her with repairs. After he helped her, he ended up assisting her friends who had also purchased stair lifts.
Acorn holds the newest worldwide certification for stair lifts and European safety certification. It also received an ease-of-use commendation from the Arthritis Foundation. To obtain this commendation, Acorn products were tested by people with moderate to severe arthritis to ensure all components can be used easily.
Acorn Stairlifts Options and Prices
Acorn offers three stair lift options: a stair lift for a straight stairway, a stair lift for a curved stairway and a stair lift for an outdoor stairway. Most people spend between $3,200 and $4,000 for an indoor stair lift and between $10,000 and $15,000 for a curved indoor or outdoor stair lift, according to Acorn national sales manager Dana McKinney. Both price ranges include the cost of installation.
Acorn offers customized stair lift configurations to make the stair lift fit the user’s home and stairway. Most stair lift manufacturers offer lifts with rigid tracks upon which the chair glides up and down, says McKinney. With a rigid track, many homeowners often face the additional expense of modifying their home to make the track fit along their stairway. Acorn tracks, on the other hand, feature what the brand calls “Fast Track Technology”—they’re flexible and can be made to fit virtually any stairway without home modification, according to the company.
Ease of Installation
After contacting Acorn, a surveyor comes to your home to take measurements and discuss whether a stair lift is the best and safest device for you and your needs. This initial 90-minute visit can occur remotely for people who remain extra cautious during the COVID-19 pandemic or who live in particularly remote areas. In such instances, the surveyor visits your home via video call.
Everyone who installs Acorn stair lifts is a factory-trained employee of the company—Acorn doesn’t use subcontractors. In addition to proper training, the installation experts maintain easy access to all stair lift parts. Should anything need to be replaced on your stair lift, you don’t have to wait for parts to be ordered and shipped, as all are kept on the installer’s truck.
The Customer Service Experience
Acorn supports its customers throughout the entire process of shopping for, buying and installing a stair lift. They also offer a program after installation called Acorn Club that allows customers to track service orders and review their order history online easily.
Are Acorn Stairlifts Covered by Insurance?
Most insurance providers view stair lifts as home modifications rather than medical equipment and, therefore, do not cover them, says McKinney. In some cases, private insurance plans, Medicaid and insurance benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pay for a stair lift, but Medicare does not. Review your specific plan’s details to determine whether you have coverage for a stair lift.
McKinney encourages seniors to go ahead and call Acorn, too, even if they think they can’t afford a stair lift—one aspect of her job includes figuring out affordable options and connecting customers with grants or other financial assistance for their stair lift needs.
Warranties
Acorn offers a limited lifetime warranty on the stair lift motor and gearbox. The company aims for its stair lifts to last throughout the lifetimes of its users. What’s more, it offers annual servicing, which includes a cleaning of the mechanical components and troubleshooting of any potential problems. In order for a stair lift to be covered for its lifetime, it has to be serviced by Acorn each year.
What Buyers Are Saying About Acorn Stairlifts
One woman in an undisclosed location shared her positive experience with her Acorn stair lift via the company website. “Because of an amputated leg, the stair lift enables me to have access to my basement,” she wrote. “I can now do my scrapbooking of family photos. I also now can do my own laundry and, most importantly, I can get to a place of safety in threatening weather. I can now use the half of my house that I couldn’t get to previously.”
A man in North Carolina shared a positive sentiment about Acorn as well. He wrote that he searched the internet to find a chair lift company and heard from Acorn within minutes of reaching out online. “Within the week, a sales person came to my home. He was very knowledgeable and helpful in making the decision to purchase an Acorn stair lift. The stairlift was installed by very professional, friendly, polite engineers. They were amazing,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Acorn received several complaints to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) during the latter part of 2021. One customer in particular posted, “I bought an Acorn stair lift in September of 2018. It has worked fine, on the whole, and every year they request I renew the warranty for $450. I have done so and am entitled to a maintenance checkup, which I think it needs. The company, since September 2021 has been unreachable and unresponsive to phone calls and emails, and I am still awaiting a response to scheduled service,” the customer wrote. “I wonder if they are even in business anymore. I really need someone at Acorn to get in touch with me.” According to the BBB records, the company responded to and resolved this complaint and similar ones.
Final Thoughts on Acorn Stairlifts
As more seniors look for solutions to remaining independent and safe in their homes with stairs, stair lifts offer a viable solution. Acorn Stairlifts is in a unique position to provide this solution not only as a direct manufacturer of stair lifts, but also with its in-house installation experts who have easy access to all necessary parts.
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