BALTIMORE — A Maryland couple bought a mobility scooter online but received a completely different item.
Barbara Moon purchased the $600 scooter for her husband from Upright Cane. Ten days later, she found a fold-up cane wrapped in plastic with no postage information and stuffed in her mailbox.
“I tried calling them on hold for 45 minutes, four or five times. Never did get a person. I emailed them and they said, well, it's been delivered there's nothing you can do about it,” Moon recalled.
When the company didn't refund her, she contacted WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii for help. Sofastaii also reached out to Upright Cane and didn't hear back.
Sofastaii looked into the company further and discovered while they claim to be in Fort Myers, Florida, no address is listed. There's no business registered under Upright Cane on the Florida Department of State's website and their terms and services list Pakistan as the governing law.
Following our report in November, Moon received a response.
READ MORE: Couple's $600 mobility scooter order ends in $40 cane surprise
“December 20 I got an email from them saying they are sorry that I had so much trouble and that they would like to send me the scooter as soon as their supply came in. And could I send them my address again. I told him I wasn't interested,” Moon said.
She added that she lost trust in the business, particularly when they claimed to give a portion of their sales to Friends of Disabled Adults and Children or FODAC.
“No, no donations from them,” said Chris Brand, president and CEO of FODAC.
Sofastaii contacted FODAC after seeing their name listed on Upright Cane's website.
“We need to be disassociated with that as quickly as possible and our legal team were very helpful and quick to work on that. And we got off their site very quickly,” said Brand.
FODAC didn't want their reputation tarnished or mission negatively impacted.
“Our mission is to collect gently used home medical equipment that's new and used from all over the country and all over Georgia - to collect that, refurbish it, and give it away to folks who are struggling to get access to that equipment for their quality of life, daily living, for caregivers, for recovering from health and accidents,” Brand said.
Brand knows firsthand how expensive this equipment can be, and how lifechanging it is to regain your mobility, so FODAC decided to donate one of their scooters to the Moons.
“This was just a one-off where we wanted to help the disaster of that situation, who needed that equipment and lost their money, lost the access to it. And so, we thought, let's just, you know, make something positive out of something terrible for this family,” said Brand.
“It was very nice. And I appreciate all the help that you gave me,” Moon told Sofastaii.
Moon also received a refund from Affirm, the buy now, pay later service she used to purchase the online scooter.
“Got an email from them saying we've credited back the payments to your account and the account is closed,” Moon said.
The Moons are waiting for the weather to get better to really take the scooter for a spin. In the meantime, they're making plans for the future.
“There's everything from rabbit to turtle,” said Thomas Moon, Barbara’s husband. “On a high speed, this thing does boogie.”
FODAC said the donated scooter retails for $1,800 compared to just $600 on Upright Cane’s website. Significantly cheaper prices can be a sign that a deal is too good to be true. Your best option is to shop for big purchases in-person and use a credit card for better protection.
And while FODAC assists Georgia-area residents, the Maryland Department of Aging has its own medical equipment donation program.
Click here for more information on the Maryland Durable Medical Equipment Re-use program and to learn how you can donate or apply for equipment.
