102 Year Old Pressured to Buy Mobility Scooter

 A 102 year old man who is going deaf and blind was pressured into buying a £4,000 mobility scooter, signing a contract he could barely read.

Former soldier with the Royal Artillery, Lawrence Carter claims he was talked into buying the scooter by mobility specialists Quingo who were recommended by Age UK.

Mr Carter's son Geoff was prompted to contact police after his father said he had felt 'forced to' buy the scooter and according to a report in the Daily Telegraph is one of a number of elderly people who have been subject to 'pressure selling tactics' by the company.

Mr Carter complained that he could not even read the contract properly due to his eyesight problems and his 97 year old wife had been used as a witness to the contract and physical assessment.

The scooter which has laid unused for months at the Carter family home in Essex has only been used twice despite the centenarian paying builders an additional £1,500 to install a ramp so it could be safely stored indoors.

Mr Carter has been afraid to use the machine since he lost control of the scooter on the kerb outside his own home and had to be rescued by neighbours.  Prior to this, the hapless pensioner was almost hit by falling debris when he failed to hear builders warning cries as she drove under scaffolding.

Age UK receives £100,000 a year from their link with Quingo as they recommend the company to people who enquire about mobility scooters.

Mr Carter's son expressed his anger at the company, saying, "He was totally misled. He can't read, he can't really hear.  He is totally immobile.  This is really dangerous".

Quingo have since given Mr Carter a refund and collected the machine as a 'goodwill gesture' claiming the dispute was a disagreement between father and son and added that Mr Carter had passed all the fitness tests.

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