What actually happens at the free stairlift home visit?

It's the step everyone hesitates over. Not the money, not the lift. The visit. Because everyone has heard the stories: the "surveyor" who turns out to be a salesman, the three hour presentation, the price that magically drops when you reach for the door handle. Which? has formally investigated pressure selling in this industry, so the wariness is earned.

Here's the thing though: a proper home survey is genuinely necessary: a stairlift is built to your staircase, so nobody honest can give you an exact price without seeing it. The trick is knowing what a real survey looks like, and what to walk away from.

What a proper visit looks like

• It's short. Measuring a staircase takes about ten minutes. Talking through options (new or reconditioned, seat types, which side the rail goes) perhaps another twenty. If someone is still on your sofa after an hour, that's not a survey.
• The measurer is the fitter. With a good local firm, the person who surveys your stairs is the person who installs the lift. They're thinking about the job, not the commission.
• You get a written quote. One fair price, on paper, typically valid for 30 days. You're expected to take your time, show it to family, and compare it with others.
• VAT relief is sorted before the quote. Stairlifts are 0% VAT for people with a long-term condition or disability, and 5% for most over 60s. A proper installer applies this before quoting, without being asked.
• Family is welcome. Good installers are happy for a son or daughter to sit in, in person or on the phone. Anyone who wants you alone for the conversation has a reason.

The signs to walk away from

• "This price is only good today." No legitimate quote expires at teatime. This is the single biggest red flag in the industry.
• The price falls when you say no. If a £5,000 quote becomes £3,500 the moment you hesitate, the first number was never real.
• They won't leave a written quote. A verbal "deal" that has to be accepted on the spot is designed to stop you comparing.
• They quote before seeing the stairs. A firm number over the phone, sight unseen, is a guess, usually a high one with room built in to "discount".

What to have ready

Nothing, really. That is the point of the visit. But it helps to know roughly what you want to ask: new versus reconditioned prices, what the annual service costs, how long fitting takes, and what the warranty covers. Write the answers on the quote itself so everything is in one place.