Who Services My Stairlift If the Company Went Out of Business?

Yes, your stairlift can almost always still be serviced even if the company that sold or installed it has closed, been bought out, or simply stopped returning your calls. You do not have to run out and buy a new lift. A qualified technician can maintain, repair, and re-battery most major stairlift brands. The trick is finding the right person, and knowing which brands they support.

At Keystone Accessibility, we focus first on the customers whose lifts we installed, and we take on outside lifts case by case when they're a brand we support. So if your lift is beeping, creeping, or dead at the bottom of the stairs and the number on the old paperwork is disconnected, take a breath. This has a fix, and we can usually tell you in a couple of minutes whether it's one we can help with.

Why "orphaned" stairlifts happen

The stairlift world has a lot of turnover. Dealers merge, franchises change hands, and small local installers retire or close up shop. When that happens, the families they served are left with a working lift and nobody to call. People sometimes call these "orphaned" lifts.

Here's the good news: a stairlift is a mechanical product, not a subscription. It doesn't stop working because the seller went away. The rail, carriage, motor, and battery are all still on your stairs, and they can all still be serviced by a technician who knows the equipment and can get parts for it.

The two things that actually decide it

Whether an orphaned stairlift gets fixed usually comes down to two questions, and neither one is "who originally sold it."

Are parts still available? For most lifts made in roughly the last ten years, parts are readily available. Older or obscure units are the exception. If a lift is decades old and parts are truly discontinued, at some point a repair stops making sense and a replacement is the smarter money. A good technician will tell you honestly which side of that line you're on.

Is it a brand the technician supports? This is the part a lot of homeowners don't realize. Most service companies specialize in a handful of brands they stock parts for and train on, so a company that supports your brand can get you running quickly while one that doesn't may not be able to help at all. The smartest first move is to find out exactly what you own and match it to a company that supports it.

First step: find out what you actually own

Before you call anyone, it helps to know your lift's make and model. You'll usually find a label in one of these spots:

• Under the seat or on the underside of the seat pan

• On the side of the carriage (the part that rides the rail)

• On the footrest or the main body near the motor

Snap a photo of that label with your phone. When you call us with the brand, model, and roughly how old the lift is, we can quickly tell you whether it's a lift we support and what a service visit would likely involve. Can't find the label? We can usually identify the lift from a photo of it.

Which lifts Keystone can take on

Let's be straight with you, because we'd rather set the right expectation than overpromise. Our first commitment is to the customers whose lifts we installed. Keeping our own clients running smoothly, and never leaving them waiting, is how we do right by the people who trusted us.

That said, we regularly take on lifts that other companies installed, as long as the lift is a make and model we're set up to support. Right now that list includes:

• Handicare

• Savaria

• Bruno

• Harmar

• UP (Access BDD)

• Pollock

If your lift is one of those, there's a good chance we can help even though we didn't install it, and we'll get you on the schedule as our workload allows. If it's a brand outside that list, we may not be the right fit, but call us anyway and we'll point you toward someone who can help rather than leave you stuck.

What a service visit usually covers

A stairlift service call is routine work for a trained technician. A typical visit includes:

• A full safety check of the seatbelt, swivel seat, footrest sensors, and safety edges that stop the lift if something's in the way

• Testing and, if needed, replacing the batteries

• Checking the charging contacts along the rail and cleaning the track

• Inspecting the drive system, gears, and rollers for wear

• Lubricating moving parts and confirming the lift runs smoothly end to end

Nine times out of ten, when a lift "died" it's actually the batteries. Stairlift batteries are sealed lead-acid units that quietly wear out, and most need replacing every two to three years no matter how much the lift gets used. A lift that clicks, beeps, or won't move at the parking spot is very often just asking for fresh batteries, not a whole new machine. We dig into that in our companion post, "Why Is My Bruno Stairlift Beeping?"

You don't need a service contract to ask

A worry we hear a lot: "I never signed a maintenance plan with anybody, so am I stuck?" Not with us. You don't need an existing contract, and you don't need to have bought the lift from us. If it's a brand we support, we're glad to come out for a one-time repair, with a simple annual maintenance visit afterward if you'd like. Regular servicing is also the biggest factor in how long a lift lasts, which we get into in "How Long Does a Stairlift Last?"

Serving Central PA and into Maryland

We cover a wide swath of Central Pennsylvania and into Maryland, from Thompsontown in Juniata County and Pottsville in Schuylkill County to Lewisburg in Union County and Reedsville in Mifflin County. When you call, we'll confirm your town, check your lift's brand against the list above, and tell you honestly whether we can take it on.

Frequently asked questions

My stairlift company closed. Do I have to replace the whole lift?
Almost never. As long as parts are available and you find a technician who supports that brand, the lift can usually be repaired. Replacement only makes sense when a lift is very old and parts are truly discontinued.

Will Keystone service a lift another company installed?
Sometimes, yes. We prioritize our own installs, but we take on outside lifts case by case when they're a brand we support, currently Handicare, Savaria, Bruno, Harmar, UP, and Pollock. Call with the make and model and we'll tell you honestly.

Do I need a maintenance contract to book a repair?
No. If it's a brand we support, we'll do a one-time repair with no contract required. An annual maintenance visit afterward is optional and entirely your call.

My lift just beeps and won't move. What's wrong?
The most common cause by far is worn-out batteries, which usually need replacing every two to three years. A technician can test and often swap them the same visit.

Get a free consultation

If your stairlift company is gone and you're not sure who to call, we're glad to help you figure it out. Tell us the make and model if you have it, and we'll let you know whether it's a lift we can take on or point you in the right direction if it isn't. Keystone Accessibility serves Pennsylvania and Maryland. Reach out for a free consultation and you'll get straight answers and no pressure.