Published 29 October 2026 · Last updated 31 October 2026
Last checked: 29 October 2026. We read the Citizens Advice and Trading Standards Wales insolvency guidance, the GOV.UK guidance for creditors, UK Finance on Section 75 and chargeback, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and section 30 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Rules change, so check the linked pages before you act.
Quick answer: if the company you paid stops trading, you usually become a creditor, and customers are paid last, if at all. Your best chance of getting money back is the card or finance company you paid with. A warranty in the installer’s own name normally ends with the company. A manufacturer’s guarantee may carry on. Card claims have time limits, so act within weeks.
This guide is for anyone who has paid a deposit, bought equipment or signed a service plan with a stairlift, home lift, scooter, bathroom or riser chair company that has gone quiet. It covers England, Wales and Scotland, with helpline details for Northern Ireland. It is general information, not legal advice.
Find out what has actually happened
A dead website or an unanswered phone does not prove a company has gone. Some firms change hands, move premises or simply let a domain lapse. Check the register before you assume the worst.
Search the company on the free Companies House register. Use the registered name or company number on your contract or invoice, not the trading name on the van. The status near the top tells you where things stand.
| Status on the register | What it usually means for you |
|---|---|
| Active | Still a legal company. Write to its registered office and keep a copy. |
| Active, proposal to strike off | Companies House may remove it from the register soon. Make any claim now. |
| In administration | An administrator runs the company and may sell all or part of it. Register your claim. |
| Liquidation | Assets are being sold to pay debts. Register your claim with the liquidator. |
| Dissolved | The company no longer exists. Your money route is your card or finance provider. |
Sole traders and partnerships do not appear on Companies House. For those, search the Individual Insolvency Register. Citizens Advice warns that new entries can take a few weeks to appear on either register. Notices of administration and liquidation are also published in The Gazette.
How often this happens
It is more common than most buyers expect, at least for stairlifts. Our stairlift company survival research found 323 UK companies ever registered with a stairlift or home lift name. Of those, 148 have been dissolved, and the typical dissolved company lasted 2.6 years. 107 of the 148 closed within five years, which is shorter than many of the warranties sold.
Dissolution is not the same as going bust. Some owners retire and some firms are restructured. The point for buyers holds either way: a promise made by a company lasts only as long as the company does. We have not yet measured survival for scooter, bathroom or riser chair firms.
Getting your money back
Go to your card or finance provider first. A creditor claim against an insolvent company rarely returns much, and it is slow. If your card provider refunds you in full, you are no longer a creditor and cannot claim twice.
| How you paid | Route | Limits | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card, item priced over £100 and up to £30,000 | Section 75 claim. The card provider is jointly responsible with the supplier. | Works even if only the deposit went on the card. | Claim within six years of buying. |
| Finance arranged through the supplier | Section 75 usually applies to the lender too. Ask the lender. | Same price range. | As above. |
| Buy now, pay later agreement taken out on or after 15 July 2026 | Section 75 claim with the provider. | Same price range. | Check with the provider. |
| Debit card, credit card under £100, or buy now, pay later before 15 July 2026 | Chargeback request. This is a card scheme rule, not a legal right. | The bank can refuse. | Usually 120 days from payment or the date goods were due. |
| Cash, cheque or bank transfer | Creditor claim only. | You may get nothing back. | Register as soon as possible. |
Citizens Advice notes that many bank staff do not know about chargeback, so ask for a manager if the first answer is no. Section 75 also covers equipment that turns out faulty or not as described.
Registering as a creditor
Write to the administrator or liquidator named on the register or in The Gazette. Give your name, address, what you paid, when, and what you received. They may send you a “proof of debt” form. Customers are usually unsecured creditors, so the costs of the insolvency, secured lenders and preferential creditors such as staff wages come first. GOV.UK says a first report to creditors can take up to 12 weeks, and dealing with assets can take years. If there are few assets, you will not get your money back.
Equipment already made for you
If your goods can be identified as yours, Trading Standards says you should be able to claim them. This matters for a curved stairlift rail made to your stairs, or a scooter in the workshop for repair. Tell the administrator or liquidator straight away, in writing.
Money you still owe
If you still owe the insolvent company money, you have to pay it. A finance agreement with a separate lender carries on too. Talk to the lender before stopping any payment.
What happens to your warranty
It depends on who gave it. Look at your paperwork for the name of the company making the promise.
- The maker gave it. Under section 30 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a guarantee is a contractual promise owed by the business that gives it. If the maker is still trading, the guarantee may survive the dealer’s failure. Contact the maker with the serial number and your proof of purchase, and ask who does warranty work in your area.
- The installer gave it in its own name. This is a promise from the company that has failed, and it usually ends with that company. What remains is a creditor claim, or a Section 75 claim if the equipment was faulty and you paid by credit card.
- An insurer backs it. Trading Standards notes that an insurance-backed guarantee protects you if the trader stops trading. Find the insurer’s name on the policy document and contact them directly.
Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act are against the trader. When the trader no longer exists, those rights are worth little on their own. That is why the payment method matters so much.
Service plans you paid for in advance
A prepaid service plan or maintenance contract is a debt the company owes you. For the unused part, you are an unsecured creditor. If you paid for the year by card, try Section 75 (over £100) or a chargeback first.
Administrators sometimes sell the customer list to another firm, which may then contact you. Look the new firm up on Companies House before you agree to anything. Read its terms, which may differ from your old plan, and do not pay upfront for a full year until it has done a visit. If you pay monthly by Direct Debit and no service is being provided, ask your bank about cancelling it.
Who services your equipment now
Most equipment can still be serviced. The question is who can get the parts.
- Find the maker’s name and model. The user manual tells you where the serial label is; on most equipment it is on the frame or under the seat.
- Contact the maker. Ask for its own service team or an approved engineer near you.
- Ask independent engineers whether they work on your model and can get parts for it. Get the call-out and labour price in writing before the visit.
- Search our stairlift companies and mobility scooter listings by area, and read what other customers say.
If the equipment is faulty or unsafe, stop using it until it has been checked. You can see whether your model has a safety notice on our mobility equipment safety notices page.
Motability, NHS and council equipment
A scooter or powerchair on the Motability Scheme comes through the scheme, which is run by Motability Operations, not by the dealer. If your dealer has closed, contact the scheme and ask who will look after your equipment. Away from home, Motability says to call Motability Assist on 0800 953 5000 for a breakdown.
Equipment on loan from the NHS wheelchair service or a council community equipment service belongs to them, so call the provider. If a Disabled Facilities Grant paid towards the work, tell the council’s grants team at once.
If you think it was deliberate
Most companies that close have simply run out of money. If the same people seem to have started trading again under a new name, or took deposits knowing they could not deliver, the Insolvency Service says anybody can report misconduct by the directors of an insolvent or dissolved company. Suspected fraud goes to Action Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland. Report facts you can show, not suspicions.
Before you pay anyone: limit what you could lose
- Pay at least part of the deposit by credit card, so Section 75 covers the whole purchase.
- Ask in writing whether the warranty comes from the manufacturer or the installer.
- Check the company’s incorporation date on Companies House. If the warranty is longer than the company is old, ask who backs it.
- Ask whether your deposit is protected, and in what kind of account.
- Avoid paying in full before installation. Trading Standards advises never paying cash in advance.
- Keep the contract, invoice, serial number and warranty card together.
Our cancellation guide explains the 14-day right to cancel a contract signed at home.
What to do next
- Check the company’s status on Companies House or the Individual Insolvency Register.
- Gather the contract, invoice, card statement and warranty paperwork.
- Start a Section 75 or chargeback claim with your card or finance provider.
- Write to the administrator or liquidator to register as a creditor.
- Tell them at once about any equipment made for you or held for repair.
- Contact the manufacturer about the guarantee and an approved engineer.
- Contact the insurer if you have an insurance-backed guarantee.
Where to get help
| Where you live | Service | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Citizens Advice consumer helpline | 0808 223 1133 (Welsh: 0808 223 1144) |
| Scotland | Advice Direct Scotland | 0808 164 6000 |
| Northern Ireland | Consumerline | 0300 123 6262 |
Our guide to complaining about a mobility company covers the routes when a company is still trading.
Every guide on deposits, cancelling, complaints and warranties is gathered in our Mobility Consumer Protection Centre.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to my stairlift warranty if the company goes bust?
If the installer gave the warranty in its own name, it usually ends with the company. If the manufacturer gave it and is still trading, it may carry on, so contact the maker with your serial number and proof of purchase. An insurance-backed guarantee is claimed from the insurer.
Can I get my deposit back if a mobility company goes into administration?
Possibly, through your card provider. A credit card payment towards an item priced over £100 and up to £30,000 can be claimed under Section 75. A debit card payment can go through chargeback, usually within 120 days. Cash and bank transfers leave only a creditor claim, which often returns little.
Who will service my equipment if the installer has closed?
Ask the manufacturer for its own engineers or an approved one near you, or find an independent engineer who can get parts for your model. Get the call-out and labour price in writing first.
Do I have to keep paying finance if the company has gone bust?
Yes. A finance agreement with a separate lender carries on, and any money you owe the insolvent company still has to be paid. If the equipment was never delivered or is faulty, raise a Section 75 claim with the lender rather than stopping payments.
How do I check whether a mobility company is still trading?
Search its registered name or company number on the free Companies House register and read the status. Sole traders and partnerships are not on Companies House; check the Individual Insolvency Register instead.
Sources
Pages read on 29 October 2026: Citizens Advice, “If a company stops trading or goes out of business”; Trading Standards Wales, “Insolvency”; GOV.UK, “If an insolvent company or bankrupt person owes you money” (updated 9 January 2025); UK Finance, “Chargeback and Section 75”; Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75; Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 30; GOV.UK, “Consumer advice”; Motability, “What do I do if my scooter or powered wheelchair breaks down?”; GOV.UK, “Reporting misconduct by companies, directors and bankrupts to the Insolvency Service”; Which?, “7 things you need to know about new buy now pay later rules”. Company figures: Review Mobility analysis of the Companies House register, published 13 August 2026.
We do not sell or install equipment. No company paid to appear on this page and none saw it before publication. This page is general information and not legal advice. If you spot an error, email hello@reviewmobility.co.uk.
Published 29 October 2026 · Last updated 31 October 2026