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As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

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Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#51

Post by JumpCrisscross »

kazinator wrote: post #39
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm skeptical of it being just regulation driven It seems to be blatantly obviously regulation in this case. There are electric wheelchairs in other countries. What's stopping them from being imported are the regulations.

Then, how would it fix things then if it wasn't private equity dominating that market? There would still be regulations that would allow public equity wheelchair makers to jack prices.

> how would it fix things then if it wasn't private equity dominating that market?

I'd start importing them for less than $500 from India [1]. (Versus $1,500 to $6,000 for these jalopies.)

[1] https://www.amazon.in/electric-wheelchair/s?k=electric+wheel...

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#52

Post by giovannibonetti »

ars wrote: post #8

"Grau wants more wheelchair users to come into the shop, as repairs happen much faster — only two week’s wait, on average. Wheelchair users are loath to adopt this, as coming into the office can be physically treacherous for them" vs. a technician fixing the chair in the house. But how about something in between? A medium-skill employee who takes the chair from their home to the repair facility? They would need to ca…

It seems like a good job for non-profits. Anyone with a suitable car should be able to volunteer and help their community.

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#54

Post by api »

mhh__ wrote: post #28
nickff wrote: post #10

Private equity discovered that regulations, compliance requirements, & other similar barriers to entry are the most effective 'moats' which allow businesses to raise prices and have little impact on demand; they are now exploiting this 'hack' ruthlessly.

That some people apparently can't see this strat with AI "safety" laws is genuinely bizarre.

Lots of people see it. It's very clear to me and many others that a lot of the AI safety push is about going straight for regulatory capture and effectively outlawing competition.

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#55

Post by pdonis »

eropple wrote: post #42
bravo22 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Liability still exists in a free market. Regulations are government's way of giving you immunity from liability laws, or not enacting them, in exchange for doing things a very specific ways. This creates moates.

> Liability still exists in a free market Only if a wronged party has the resources (time, money, political capital) to pursue it. Which is but one reason why it is deeply silly to rely on it to make a society go.

> Only if a wronged party has the resources (time, money, political capital) to pursue it.

In a free market, if there is a market need for more efficient achievement of redress for wronged parties, the market will produce it.

> Which is but one reason why it is deeply silly to rely on it to make a society go.

But of course relying on governments to achieve redress for wronged parties works just great. Not.

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#56

Post by giovannibonetti »

kelipso wrote: post #23
ars wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And your better alternative is........... ?

China is doing pretty well. In before a wall of text about how China is doomed or whatever.

I assume you aren't aware of China's housing market bubble [1].

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_property_sector_cris...

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#57

Post by deadeye »

TechWorld01 wrote: post #40
alistairSH wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Power wheelchairs are regulated (FDA) as medical devices.

I can buy an electric wheelchair at Walmart for $750. What is the issue?

Some of these wheelchairs are 75k. They're custom made to your body size for maximum comfort and the features are customized to your disability.

These aren't off the shelf mobility products. Each one is assembled to specification.

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#59

Post by Latty »

bravo22 wrote: post #36
cyberax wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In free market it's also OK to cut costs as much as possible, making chair that explode and kill the user one day after the warranty expires. That's why we have regulation: to establish the minimum standards. Simple medical devices like wheelchairs (Class I or Class II) are also not super over-regulated, you don't need to do clinical trials to certify them. All-in-all it'll cost you around $10m, which is not at all a…

Liability still exists in a free market. Regulations are government's way of giving you immunity from liability laws, or not enacting them, in exchange for doing things a very specific ways. This creates moates.

Liability can't magically undo damage to health. Regulation is vital when the potential damage is irreversible.

Re: As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

#60

Post by deadeye »

alistairSH wrote: post #24

Almost as troubling, from the article "Customized wheelchairs typically last five years, but most chairs need a major repair or two during that time." What the actual fuck? Power wheelchairs run the spectrum for a few thousand USD to ten thousand plus. And they only last ~5 years, and even then with several major repairs in that period? That sounds like an absolutely atrocious durability/reliability record.

Think about it. For many users, they're in these chairs 12+ hours a day. They're not cars that get driven for an hour a two a day.
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