I want to change rental company for an ECV. Who do people recommend?

Toffeewoffy

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
I have been going to Florida Mobility Rentals for the past 4 trips, but the last couple of trips the scooters delivered to me have been very beaten up. This year's model looked as if it had been rescued from the back of a dirty warehouse! If FMR were still $100 or so cheaper than everyone else then I'd be okay with that. However, I was given a quote yesterday for next year's trip and, even allowing for the fact she forgot to take off my 10% 'returning customer' discount the cost is now up to within $10-20 of Walker's prices!!

I have heard good and bad reviews about a lot of rental companies and have always stated that I wasn't prepared to pay $100-odd for the 'privilege' of them delivering to and collecting from bell services and was happy to put up with the inconvenience of not having the scooter at check-in and losing our last day because they collected before noon and therefore I couldn't go anywhere for the day. However, now that FMR's prices have caught everyone else up I am prepared to pay that (now) little extra for the 'privilege'.

Can someone please recommend. Technically I could go with a GoGo as my weight is under 250lbs, however I want to go heavier duty because a) I will have a backpack on the back of the seat and drinks in the basket; b) I want to be confident of pulling out the charging plug just before leaving the resort in the morning and not have to worry about recharging even as late as after 11pm. Also, the bigger scooters (eg the Pride) have a more padded, wider, and more comfortable seat. Oh, and we will be wanting to break it down and put it in the back of our hired SUV from time to time.

We are coming over for 10 days. We won't be checked into our resort (GFV) much before 8pm, and the complication is that the following day we're moving over to OKW for a further 9 days. Basically this is because we had to move our flights one day forward to save nearly $900 (well, wouldn't you to save that much between just 3 people?) and OKW don't have any accommodation for us for our new first night. So, I booked 1 night at GFV on points and are dropping the 10th night at OKW thereby saving another $400-odd. Well, we had some points which would expire if we don't use them by the end of September, and we can manage in a studio for one night even if it does mean buying our food for the first couple of meals).

The question is, do I book a scooter to be waiting at bell services for me at check-in on Saturday night, or do I wait until we transfer over to OKW and have it delivered there? As our park tickets and DDP won't activate until we arrive at OKW we can't even go anywhere on day one, and having spent the odd hour or so relaxing in the lounging areas of the main building at GFV previously we thought it would be nice to just chill out on our first day - and DD and OH can maybe have a dip in the pool before we leave the resort.

Once we're at OKW I'll want to have the scooter until pretty much 4pm when we have to leave for the airport. If I have a morning delivery I'll lose the scooter before checking out (this year they collected before 11am which was very inconvenient as we hadn't even finished packing, and it was quite a trek back to the room on my walking stick). We were staying at BLT and couldn't even go over to MK for a few hours as I didn't have the scooter any more.

So, the choices are:

1. Who is the best company to hire from (price/quality/service)?

2. Should I have the scooter delivered so it's waiting for me at GFV and thereby pay an extra day to have the convenience and option of spending our final day once checked out of OKW at a park?

3. Should I have the scooter delivered early in the morning at GFV and have it collected before lunchtime on check-out day?

4. Should I wait and have the scooter delivered to OKW so it's there when we transfer over (by car)? If we're basically staying on site on the first day, then it might be considered wasteful to spend $15-odd on an extra day.

Another factor is transportation. If I have the scooter delivered to GFV it means it's got to go in the car for transfer over to OKW so the luggage would have to go via bell services.

We're not coming over again until 22nd September 2018, so there's plenty of time, but I would be very grateful for your thoughts on the best company to go with (stick with the company I've hitherto trusted but who keep foisting old wrecks on me, or change to someone who is now hardly any more expensive) and the best option for delivery/collection based on our new enforced timetable.

I know this thread is a bit long, but I wanted to give you as many pertinent details as possible so you don't need to ask all sorts of questions before you can make a decision yourselves.

Thanks. :moped::car::thanks:
 
First of all - congrats on your trip! And, on saving money while extending an extra day is so cool! :)

So, it all depends on what you will want to do during your one day at GFV. Our family would be heading straight down to Disney Springs, followed by dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo, and either back to DS or a bit of light Resort-hopping (We love YeeHaw Bob at POR for a great evening also!) so I would have the scooter delivered (if I didn't already have my own).

Once you load up the car to move over to OKW, you (the ECV rider) has the option to call a Minnie Van, and use it to transport you + the ECV to OKW; it will be a $20 charge, but *very* easy to do, and you won't have to take the rental ECV apart and put it back together! You arrive in style at OKW in a red and white polka-dotted Minnie Van, while your family drives in a boring old SUV LOL.

As far as which vendor to use, I personally always had great experiences with Walker prior to purchasing my own personal mobility device, but Buena Vista is also very highly recommended by others here, and they have the advantage of actually having a location on WDW property over at Boardwalk. Any vendor that is renting dirty, broken down units should be avoided; if they are willing to send out something that is less than clean and in good condition, imagine the situation you will find yourself in if you were to have any problems with the unit.

I used to be a purchasing agent, and one of the lessons you learn first in that job is that you typically get what you pay for; quality tends to cost more, because it is better, and because it is better, it costs more. :)

Make sure before you rent a larger sized scooter (at a potentially higher price) that it will actually have more battery power; many scooters use identical batteries, and have different features, weight limits, etc. - but don't actually increase the size (Amp hours) of the battery.

You have LOTS of time between now and your trip; remember that things can - and do - change at WDW! 6 months ago, no one would have imagined that WDW would allow people to bring (non-service/pet) dogs into the Resorts, and yet here we are, so...
 
I agree with Walker or Buena Vista. I also like Randy's. You would want to confirm flexibility with the non-featured vendors, but it seems reasonable that a "day" would equal a 24 hour period - so uyoud pay the same whether you get it late evening or the next morning.
 
Before we purchased "Betsy," I used Walker.

When we stayed at the Floridian Villas, then moved to another resort, I moved the scooter via the monorail and a resort bus. My husband transferred the luggage and groceries in the car. And I simply met him at the new resort.
 
I used Scooterbug this past trip because they are a preferred vendor and were slightly cheaper than the others. It's my first time renting a scooter so I don't have anything to compare it to but the scooter was in good condition and I didn't have any problems.
 
I'll be using Buena Vista for the second time on my upcoming trip. I was very pleased with their service when my scooter broke down. They brought a new scooter to me in the park. Didn't have to try man handle it to the front of the park. Also, if you are thinking of getting any accessories with the rental, they offer a free one if you use the link at the bottom of the DIS main page at wdwinfo.com. I've gotten a cup holder and a cane holder. Was thinking of getting a sunshade, but decided against it because they really cut down on your sight lines. Good luck with which ever company you decide to use.
 


Thanks, guys. Mama Bunny, thanks for your long post with advice, but you may or may not know that this is actually my 14th trip to the Mouse (if you include the trip I did when I was 12), and we've 'been there done that'. If we were just going to resort hop we'd have chosen to stay in the cheapest studio available - and in fact have only booked GFV now because it's our home resort and therefore the only one we can book this far out. If it wasn't so far out for our first night, we'd have opted for Jambo House at only 13 points. But DD and I will be doing another 'girls only' trip in 2019 and are highly likely to stay at Jambo on points then.

Also you have misunderstood slightly: we haven't extended our holiday by one day. When Virgin Atlantic told me that it would be miles cheaper to go a day earlier, that meant I had to slide the entire 10-day holiday forward one day. To just add a day at the beginning and return home on the original day would have been £150 more than flying home on the new day 10. As OKW couldn't accommodate us on the new first day (they have nothing under a 2-bed villa) we had a choice of moving to SSR at the same cost (but DD refuses to sleep on their uncomfortable sleeper sofa) or stay somewhere else on day one and drop the original day 10 off. As we'd be mad to pay $400-odd to do one night at SSR as it would count as a new booking, wouldn't include the DDP or the $200 gift card we're receiving, it made sense to use points for our new first day. And the saving comes in as OKW is now a 9-day booking instead of a 10-day one.

MaryLoves Pooh, I'm the main driver in the US (she who pays gets custody of the car keys). It's a lot less stressful to let bell services handle our luggage, but it will cost around $12 total. As we'd have to have the bags stored there anyway once we've checked out (well, we daren't leave the cases in the car unattended because of our laptops and stuff), it makes sense to let them deal with the whole thing.

Incidnetally, this year DD and I decided to stay on at DK to watch Rivers of Light. OH didn't want to, so he took the car back to OKW where we were staying at that point, and DD and I caught the resort bus back. He got lost - twice! For some reason, satnavs seem incapable of finding any Disney property or park!! When we drove to Jambo for our Boma breakfast the sat nav told me to take the next left and go back over and over again. Luckily I recognised where we were going, and knew full well that you just keep going on that particular road and eventually you drive straight into AKL!

I've had a look round some of the sites I've seen being named, and Scooterbug is up there. Randy's are charging $30 a day, which is twice what I've been paying. I'm not prepared to go double, especially when you have to remember we have to pay in $$ and on our current poor exchange rate it makes it more expensive straight away.

Thanks for your help so far. :)
 
@Toffeewoffy; I remembered you as an experienced traveler, but you are right - I did misunderstand what you were referencing regarding your savings and dates of your trip! We don't own DVC, and so quite often the concept of how those points are used and when they become available, etc. just flies right past as a result LOL.

But my point about the amount of time between now and your trip remains relevant; the exchange rate 6 months from now could be quite different, and you may find yourself in a much more favorable position. (That doesn't mean that I advocate for throwing your money around and paying 2 or 3 times as much for something!) You can wait until closer - say 6 to 8 weeks prior to arrival should be sufficient - to rent the ECV, and (hopefully) benefit from a better exchange rate.
 
My only comment is to make sure you get a Pride Victory scooter model or equivalent. That will allow for long days in the park, as long as, you shut off the scooter for shows, parades and fireworks.

Scooter companies all have their ups and downs. I do support going to the Disney featured companies because to me it's easier. Keep in mind sometimes when you pay more the scooters have better batteries; they are newer batteries and that can make a difference.

We just ended a vacation on 12-4 and my battery was new from October; it had a label saying so. I did not once have a problem with it and we had some 10 hour days.
 
My only comment is to make sure you get a Pride Victory scooter model or equivalent. That will allow for long days in the park, as long as, you shut off the scooter for shows, parades and fireworks.

Scooter companies all have their ups and downs. I do support going to the Disney featured companies because to me it's easier. Keep in mind sometimes when you pay more the scooters have better batteries; they are newer batteries and that can make a difference.

We just ended a vacation on 12-4 and my battery was new from October; it had a label saying so. I did not once have a problem with it and we had some 10 hour days.

Yeah, I've hired a Pride every trip so far. The only thing we have against it is the physical weight for humping it in and out of the boot. Last trip (this September) hubby devised a way to do it in the least painful way - bearing in mind I broke the little finger on my right hand 20 days before the trip. Basically, we took the seat and batteries off and then lifted the front wheel propping it on the lip of the back. We then lifted the back until it was level and pushed the whole base in on the single front wheel. We unloaded in the same way.

Oh, and I also switch off the power every time I'm not going to be moving for a bit (including in queues). Despite all the appearance problems I've had with the various tatty scooters they've given me, I have never had a problem with the batteries, and only once have I ever seen the level go down by one light.

Mamabunny, the advice I've been given is to book as soon as possible to guarantee they have stock to give me. Their prices also go up in January which will have a bearing as they're already 'up there' with all the others!
 
Pride makes many models. The go go scooters are one type and many of the vendors use that model. The next level up for Pride is a Victory model. They are a heavier duty scooter and they are harder to fit in cars. The Victory model is the one I like because it seems to always have enough power to last longer days.

To make transporting a scooter easier many people rent a SUV or a van, not a car where you have to use a trunk to carry a scooter.
 
Pride makes many models. The go go scooters are one type and many of the vendors use that model. The next level up for Pride is a Victory model. They are a heavier duty scooter and they are harder to fit in cars. The Victory model is the one I like because it seems to always have enough power to last longer days.

To make transporting a scooter easier many people rent a SUV or a van, not a car where you have to use a trunk to carry a scooter.

Yeah, I meant the Victory. I've had 5 of them so far.

And when I say 'car', I do mean an SUV. I can't hire anything smaller than a midsize otherwise we can't get the scooter in the back. In England, we call everything with 4 wheels, 4, 5 or 5 doors and at least 2 rows of seats a car. I'm not sure we even use a separate name for an SUV or 7-seater.
 

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