Am I the only person that has trouble with ScooterBug?

[Claudia1]

I've needed an ECV for over 10 years and have found Buena Vista to have the most consistently best however I've needed to use ScooterBug 3 times in the past 3 years just because I had to have them left and picked up at Bell Services without being there to meet them. We had trouble with each and every rental. We get ECVs that look fully charged but are not.

One of the ECV's would not turn on. Even Bell Services tried multiple times and I had to wait at the resort while my family went onto the parks to get a replacement. (Yeah, I know things like this happen...) The other times, the ECV started to loose charge halfway thru the first day, requiring me to find a place to plug in and recharge each time. Two rentals were in WDW but last week I was at DL. My DH and I both got ECVs and they both looked fully charged (all green) but halfway thru the day, it was in the yellow. We had to park it multiple times to charge and make a choice of walking (and risking injury) or missing out with the family in the park. I called them and they could swap them out but we would have needed to go all the way back to the resort and wait 30-120 minutes, whenever they could get there. I wasn't sure I had the power to go that far on mine. So we lost time and had increased pain to deal with the whole day. Based on my past experience, we kept the ECVs and charged them all night in my room. The rest of the trip, the ECVs worked fine. Never any problem and never lost one green bar.

Has anyone else experienced getting an ECV that wasn't fully charged? Or am I just unlucky? I seriously don't want to get from them again unless I get it the night before so I can charge it myself.

(FYI, I'm not near the weight limit at all and I always turn it off when I'm not in motion, so I don't drain the battery needlessly. I also don't use the USB port to charge my phone. All I do is drive it and park it to do the attractions.)

 

[Chirple]

I've rented from them 3 times since February 2020, and never had an issue with charging. The second time the ECV itself ran slower than usual. We are renting again this weekend for my husband because he fractured his foot last week. If we have a charging issue, I'll come back and post. We get the one with 3 wheels.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, I certainly know that you're not the only one who has problems, but I don't know what this man's troubles had been. All I know was that I was sitting in Satul'i Canteen eating lunch one day, and this man kept staring at my ECV (he had one too). Finally he asked me some questions about it, and announced "Well, I've rented from Scooter Bug twice now, but never again!" He took a piece of paper and pencil and wrote down the company of mine (Gold Mobility) and one other I'd heard and seen very positive things about, Walker Mobility. But know that you're not the only one!

 

[disney-inspired]

I have had several issues with Scooterbug - most often them dying when they weren't used near close to the total run time. Their customer service needs much improvement with communication and response time.
My friend has had zero issues so it really doesn't make sense.

I gave them another change this month and again, they failed me. I will never veer from Gold Mobility again!

 

[Evita_W]

ScooterBug seems to be hit or miss at best, I know I sound like a walking AD for them, but try Gold Mobility, they will meet you on your schedule and honestly, it is usually less time waiting on them than standing in line and waiting for bell services, usually Gold Mobility is waiting on you.

And as a plus, you get the following included at no extra cost: Fan, Cell Phone Holder, Cup Holder, Damage AND theft Waiver (the theft part is nice these days), captains chair (victory model), undercarriage lights (makes you much more visible) and if you somehow do have an issue (which is rare due to how often they replace their equipment, but things can happen with anything mechanical), they will come to you, even in the parks to fix it if you can't get to the front of the park.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Absolutely not. We were fine with our first couple but last Nov was such a nightmare we will find a way to meet our scooter next time no matter inconvenient. The scooter kept randomly turning off and not turning back on without a lot of attempts. This was especially aggravating when trying to board/exit transportation or blocking a ride line.

When he called them he was on hold for an HOUR. Was bounced around a couple times, finally told the scooter would be changed out at Bell Services overnight by ScooterBug- only for the same crap to happen the next day as he realized they didn’t change it out. Another 45 mins trying to get hold of then during his time in the park and that evening he got a functioning unit. And the phone calls were not easy, he had to argue with them about how no, that wasn’t normal and he wanted a replacement.

For absolute shame on Disney pushing users to such a junky outfit. I’d read the horror stories here but we’d never had trouble so we ignored them. Not anymore lol. We’re using BV for our 2 day UOR rental this fall and whenever my ecv user goes back to WDW we’ll probably try Gold Mobility if the reviews stay good.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well, I certainly know that you're not the only one who has problems, but I don't know what this man's troubles had been. All I know was that I was sitting in Satul'i Canteen eating lunch one day, and this man kept staring at my ECV (he had one too). Finally he asked me some questions about it, and announced "Well, I've rented from Scooter Bug twice now, but never again!" He took a piece of paper and pencil and wrote down the company of mine (Gold Mobility) and one other I'd heard and seen very positive things about, Walker Mobility. But know that you're not the only one!

I get that dude

 

[Sugardimples]

We are done with Scooter Bug. We have had many issues over several trips and have given up. They have stopped trying.

 

[KPeterso]

We used Scooterbug at Disneyland in July. I booked last minute and wanted it delivered to VGC for us. We normally just use the wheelchair at Disneyland (rent from Gold for WDW), but my Mom did not want me to push for multiple days in a row during summer heat. While we did not have any major issues with the scooter, it was just ok in my mind. So slow and it sounded like it was almost groaning going up some of the ramps (and it is not a weight thing - my mom is only about 130 lbs). When she turned it back in at GC, she told Bell Services some of her thoughts and they thanked her for the feedback. Apparently, Bell Services is not thrilled with Scooterbug either and was keeping a log of all the comments/feedback that they are receiving.

 

[RoseGold]

If you're renting this often, why not just buy a much better one?

 

[Debbie Jean]

I have to wonder…

Scooter Bug is the only company that can leave equipment at Bell Services so they have a built in clientele of folks whose primary objective is convenience… or so people think in any event. Seems SB has little incentive to improve… why bother? Your problem can be someone else’s next week. Even with a lousy reputation, they apparently continue to have plenty of business.

Those scooter companies that must arrange in person deliveries like Gold I think have a greater incentive in keeping their clientele satisfied and preserving their reputation. Worth going the extra mile.

I don’t know… just a thought.

 

[disneychick0412]

We used Scooterbug a few times since I like not having to meet someone for pick up and drop off.
I didn't really care for them the last two times because it seemed like on the bus ramps they didn't have enough power to get to the top of the ramp and would just stop. It was embarrassing as I am a bigger person (but NO WHERE close to the weight limit - actually I'm about 200 pounds less than the weight limit if I remember correctly). I heard such good reviews about Gold Mobility so I booked with them for our last couple of trips and its been so much better! They have enough "get up and go" and I've never had any issues. I wish they would drop Scooterbug and make Gold Mobility the preferred vendor.

 

[disneychick0412]

I have to wonder…

Scooter Bug is the only company that can leave equipment at Bell Services so they have a built in clientele of folks whose primary objective is convenience… or so people think in any event. Seems SB has little incentive to improve… why bother? Your problem can be someone else’s next week. Even with a lousy reputation, they apparently continue to have plenty of business.

Those scooter companies that must arrange in person deliveries like Gold I think have a greater incentive in keeping their clientele satisfied and preserving their reputation. Worth going the extra mile.

I don’t know… just a thought.

I 100% agree!!!

 

[tseitel]

You are not the only one. We will never rent from them again, and will deal with the hassle of meeting for pick up/drop off.
I gave them 2 tries, and each trip had to have them replaced.
Our issue was it not holding a charge. We would charge it overnight, if would show a full charge, and before lunchtime it would be in the red. When I would call for service, they would question if we were charging correctly, to make sure the outlet had power, etc. We’ve been renting scooters for my mom at Disney for years, not our first rodeo.
The last straw was it quitting en route to a dining reservation in Epcot. My husband & I literally pushed my mom around world showcase to the restaurant, while I was on hold for service for 1 HOUR. Never, ever again.

 

[Claudia1]

We own thru Buena Vista at WDW. During Covid, they sold some of there stock at $500 each and we pay a nominal fee for them to store it thru the year. It was a very good deal for us as we go 2-4 times/year and they provide free pick-up and drop-off. Their scooters charge quickly and they don't have the back-up beeper. Very satisfied.

So, I always recommend Buena Vista but I'm also glad to hear good things about Gold Mobility. I agree that it is better to deal with pick up and drop off times than potential issues with ScooterBug.

 

[disney-inspired]

If you're renting this often, why not just buy a much better one?

I can't speak for the OP but I fly to WDW and there is no way I'm taking my scooter on a plane and risk it getting damaged.

 

[disney-inspired]

We own thru Buena Vista at WDW. During Covid, they sold some of there stock at $500 each and we pay a nominal fee for them to store it thru the year. It was a very good deal for us as we go 2-4 times/year and they provide free pick-up and drop-off. Their scooters charge quickly and they don't have the back-up beeper. Very satisfied.

So, I always recommend Buena Vista but I'm also glad to hear good things about Gold Mobility. I agree that it is better to deal with pick up and drop off times than potential issues with ScooterBug.

that's another thing I loved about Gold Mobility's scooter - no annoying beeping!

Good to know Buena Vista scooters is also reliable.

 

[Claudia1]

I can't speak for the OP but I fly to WDW and there is no way I'm taking my scooter on a plane and risk it getting damaged.

I pick it up at the resort and it is stored year-round at Buena Vista in Florida. I agree.. no way I'm putting it on a plane but there are times I wish I had it here at home!

 

[RoseGold]

I can't speak for the OP but I fly to WDW and there is no way I'm taking my scooter on a plane and risk it getting damaged.

My family member's Whill has a good 25 flights on it, everything from Spirit up, without issues.

I understand there are issues, but airlines transport much more complex and expensive equipment all the time.

 

[disney-inspired]

My family member's Whill has a good 25 flights on it, everything from Spirit up, without issues.

I understand there are issues, but airlines transport much more complex and expensive equipment all the time.

I just keep seeing horror stories of people having their manual wheelchairs broken by several different airlines so I imagine the risk could be higher for ECVs