Our van did not pass the safety check
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
November 12, 2009 12:58pm CST
It is amazing how many people take advantage of someone in a wheelchair. Our friends drove all the way to Alberta to get a handicapped van for us. The people whom they bought it from said "it has gone through a safety check" and we figured that all we needed to do was to get the safety check here in Manitoba and it would just be the different standards from what it was there due to the climate and the terrain.
The people we got it from lied. The sub floor is rotted through and they put some lino and plywood over that to hide it. The people put paneling to hide the other things, they connected the gas tank wrong, and it will cost a lot to get it fixed. And on top of it, the van really did not originally come from Alberta or British Columbia but from Quebec where our friends suspect they did much of the cheap cover ups.
My husband used to be a welder but because of his ALS cannot do anything. Our friends have welding equipment and his sons are good at fixing things, but we do not want to take advantage of that.
We also learned that this is common. The guy who said that he could not fix the van as he had so much work to do, told us that there was this single mother who had a handicapped son and she also got taken and she had to pay thousands of dollars to fix her van up.
Our friend wrote an email to make the people who sold us the van to feel guilty as they had some responsibility and more since they knew what was wrong before they sold it.
So the question is, does it make you angry when someone takes advantage of the handicapped and do you notice that this is becoming more common?
4 people like this
19 responses
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
12 Nov 09
I'm so sorry to hear of these troubles. Surely there is a legal way to redress it? Or is it complicated because of being in a different state?
Isn't there a consumer organisation that handles these things? Here in Australia we have a few legal avenues for this type of thing. Firstly, we have a cooling off period which varies for different purchases. We have a small claims tribunal and the Consumer Affairs Association.
Have you considered taking your case to the newspapers or better still a TV channel? It works over here, and as a general rule, the complainant ends up better off than before being taken down. I know you are not looking for that, but they could help you to fix the problem.
I haven't noticed the handicapped being taken advantage of - except for able-bodied people using their parking bays. I would say as a general rule, more is being done to help them - as it should be.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
The trouble is that the van was bought in a different province and each province has their own set of rules. If we had lived in Alberta and bought the van there, then we would have recourse, but this van has been from Quebec to British Columbia to Alberta and now Manitoba and I sort of figured that that is how they got away with it, selling to someone out of the province who needed the van desperately - after all they could not sell to someone in the province or else they would have had to have a real safety check.
So now since my husband and I are honest, we will have to get it fixed up. My husband's condition is bad so that we will only have the van for about two years (considering that his als was far advanced when it was officially diagnosed) and I would like the van to be in perfect handicapped condition when I do have to sell it. I will see what can be done.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
13 Nov 09
Those sorry so and so! thats something else that makes me mad.
Peoplle doing that to people dont even matter if they are in wheel chairs or not when you buy somethuihng you really expect it to be right . Do you have a lemon law trhere tha tyou could take it back and get your money back!?
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
If it had been bought here, we could get our money back or at least force them to pay for the fix ups, but it was from another province. If it had been bought here where you need a safety check, they would have been forced to upgrade it first.
The trouble is that as soon as a handicapped van becomes available it is snapp0ed up and we could only afford one that was second hand and at least ten years old. So unless someone gives one away free, we are out of luck.
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
12 Nov 09
Hi suspensful, this could only be done by unscrupulous people, and others need to know about their dealings. Do you have any recourse? Can you take them to court? These measures are probablt too expensive to persue, and you will have to pay. I get really upset with these kind of people. Mike.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
16 Nov 09
Our friend is looking into a body shop that will get the van fixed at cost (that is after hours) so we can save a little that way. We were also talking about who to sue to get the money back, but do not know who is really at fault. It was not registered in Alberta, that is one thing I did learn.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
If they were in the same province, we could take them to court. Unfortunately they are not. We are trying to find a cheap way to get the van fixed up, because we do need it. But it will cost a lot and we already paid more for it then we had planned for.
1 person likes this
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
14 Nov 09
You have had it much harder than you deserv, and I pray you can find some good Samaritan to fix the van for you.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
That is what we feel. My husband cannot leave the province because he does not own his wheelchair and if he did, in his condition it would not work as he is getting worse and soon will have to get a reclining wheelchair. So our friends had to fly out there to get the van and they did not have enough time to get it checked there and they were also told it had been safety checked already. all of us got screwed over quite badly.
The trouble is that we have not finished for the motel bill and the tv and dvd player, we were almost finished and we had to get a microwave and a dishwasher. So instead of having an extra 1500 that we can pay off in a month, that means an extra five thousand on top of that. I do not want to have my savings to go down to almost zero. My husband says he will use the retirement fund as he will not live to 65 anyway, but even then we will lose out.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
And we got our credit card bill today and since we had to put more stuff on it, it still has not gone down. Makes me rather upset. He has not asked me to take money out of my account and pay it down - I am considering paying for the groceries - after all $300 a month is not bad since I put the rest in savings anyway - but I sure do not want to take out all the savings I have in my high interest savings account, especially now that the interest rate is only a little over one percent.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
14 Nov 09
Aren't there law in Canada to deal with things like this? Can't you take them to small claims court? This is outrageous! You should call the representative of your territory and try to get him or her involved. You're not made of money and people like that should be punished! 
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
The laws here only apply if you sell a handicapped van for someone in your own province. However if the buyer is from another province, they can cover up the faults and we do not know if the faults were covered up in Alberta, B.C. or Quebec. So if someone in Quebec bought a regular van and decided to fix it on the cheap - illegally for himself to drive because he was in a wheelchair, or he had a relative in a wheelchair, and that relative did not know much, the van gets sold to someone in British Columbia who lives out in the sticks, and he gets it checked and it fails, but instead of putting in the money for repairs, sells it to someone in Alberta, and the one in Alberta sold it to us. So who do we sue?
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
12 Nov 09
[b]I forgot to say, my sympathy goes out to you for your bad experience, & people who cheat anyone, but especially already disadvantaged folks, do make me angry! I have always hated cruelty, selfishness & hardheartedness, and--the inevitable result of these sins--injustice.
May such people repent of these misdeeds, & justice reign! 
Maggiepie
IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER![/b]
Maggiepie
IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER![/b]1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Nov 09
It makes me upset as well. We will have to pay at least five thousand dollars for the repairs, and it may be that after all said and done, I will not have any savings left. I do hope that it can be done cheaper, but we have not finished paying for the time we stayed in the motel yet.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
I hope we can do that. The trouble is that who do we sue? The van has gone through at least three former owners. We should have suspected something when a lady in B.C. who wanted to use it for driving was refused. My husband and our friend suspected that she was too far gone, but since men usually get ALS more then women, I have come to the conclusion we that they checked the van and told her it was not safety certified and she did not have enough money to fix it.
And the trouble is our friend does not have that extra money either, so he cannot help us. He has health problems and much of the work he is doing for us is for free and we are just paying cost.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
12 Nov 09
I have seen that happen before..it really sucks when it happens to people we know though. I was so glad when you got the van. people should know better then to do stuff like this. They shouldn't get away with it though..I do hope you gets things straightened out and fixed.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
Our friend is trying to get someone to fix it under the table or he and his sons can do some of it themselves. We could also go to a smaller body shop and have someone do it under the table and avoid the tax. There was another van that was a few years younger that had been totaled in an accident, and if the owners would be willing, we could remove the handicapped part from their van and put it in ours, but unfortunately the owners want that van. It does seem a mess. My husband thinks that nothing can be done - as it is buyer beware. And I heard of this happens a lot.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
yes, it makes me very angry when people take advantage of each other and in particular take advantage of the handicapped. I wish there was some recourse that you would have to recover your money and get the sellers punished. I don't know how you could do it though. There is an ombudsman in every province, but you bought it in Alberta and you live in Manitoba. This is so sad. I guess we all have to be less trusting and foloow the rule of "caveat emptor" (buyer beware) and spend yet more money to have a used car inspected by a qualified mechanic before buying it. Shame on the crooked people who took you in!
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
We looked all over, but here in Manitoba as soon as a Handitransit van comes available they put it on auction and it is the one that is in the area who first snaps it up. We went through an auto broker, looked on the net, and our friend also looked. If he had more time, he could have had the inspection done in Alberta, but he had to be back at work as he is a supervisor. In fact, he has family out in Alberta and could not even take the time to visit them, let alone getting the van looked at.
@rusty2rusty (6771)
• Defiance, Ohio
12 Nov 09
Yes, it makes me angry when people take advanage o the handicap. It makes me upset when someone takes advantage of someone else no matter what their situation is. I am sorry you were taken. I do wish you had a better friend who coul see the vehicle was a scam before you bought it. That would of helped alot.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
The trouble is that he lived in Manitoba like we did, and he was also told that the van was safety checked, so it is not his fault. Now if he lived in Alberta, that would have been different because then he could have gotten it checked and then written to us, but he had to take time out of his work to fly to Alberta and drive the van and then once he got here, there are not that many places that do safety checks on converted vans so they had to take it someplace special and only after an appointment.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
13 Nov 09
I do not know if the handicapped are being taken more advantage of than anyone else. What I do know is that if you buy any vehicle as is from a stranger without getting a couple of days to check it out before the sale is final you are asking for trouble. It would be safer to buy from a reputable Used Car Dealer.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
The trouble is that we looked for a van in this province. What happens is that most of the vans are too expensive and are privately owned. The owners either use them or get a license and work for handitransit. Then after five years, they can no longer use it for handitransit and they either take them back for their own use (if they have a family member who is disabled) or they put them on auction. The trouble is that for some reason it is a private auction and possibly they are snatched up by the old age homes for their handicapped seniors.
So most of the time we have to go out of the province to get one. Our friend was going to get it safety checked in Alberta but he had to be back at work so he only had the weekend. The reputable Used Car Dealers do not sell handicapped vans so we would have to buy a regular van and also pay for someone to fix it for us. And by then it would cost more then getting one used.
@slickcut (8140)
• United States
13 Nov 09
It makes me mad when anyone is taken advantage of but to do it to a senior or a handicap person i feel it is just heartless...There is a lot of bad people out there that are justlooking out for themselves & care less about other people..I am so sorry this has happened to you, but the people who did this will pay for their rotten deeds, so never fear...But of course this does not help your situation right now...I am so sorry this happened to you...
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
Thanks. I do hope that we will be able to get recourse. We have so much more to pay now and that really hurts. We do have our retirement money and my husband has to get it all transferred into the joint account before he is 65, because with his als he might not make it to then. But he wanted me to have a good living after he was gone, but with these bills, I doubt it.
@Grandmaof2 (7578)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
This is not only ridiculous, rude and unfair but I think you should be refunded. This kind of crap should be punisable by law. Taking advantage of this situation was very much wrong and shame on them. Good Luck to you and your husband, you folks have had a hard battle.
1 person likes this
@ersmommy1 (12587)
• United States
13 Nov 09
Sorry about your experience. It takes all kinds I guess. I have seen the taking of handicapped parking spots. My hubby even once took a picture and posted here about the offender. I think most people are accommodating. I hope their cruel thoughtlessness isn't repeated. What goes around comes around.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
We have had people take handicapped parking spots as well. I really hate it because there are a lot of handicapped people here in Manitoba and they can only walk a few steps into the store. Sometimes what happens is if someone is driving their van for them, they will let them off in front of the store so they can get in, but that makes it hard on everyone else as well.
@rg0205 (2636)
• Hong Kong
13 Nov 09
Wow this is just awful. Some people are just heartless.
With regards to taking advantage of the handicapped, where I live, this doesn't usually happen, as far as I know. I could be wrong though.
I hope there is some way that you can get your money back or return the van. They obviously deceived you by trying to conceal much of the damage.
Again, I can't say whether it's a common thing that usually happens because where I live, it isn't really so. I do hope there's a way to return the van and get your money back.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
The trouble is that handicapped vans are hard to come by and as soon as one is available it is snapped up. The one we looked before this was a real lemon and designed for a very short person. I do not think people take advantage of someone living in the province, but it is someone who is out of the province. Our friend is looking to see what he can do, but he can only go so far.
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
12 Nov 09
I am so sorry that happend to you guys. That is terrible. Is there not some way you could get them in trouble about lieing and saying it had been though a safety check before and it hadn't? I hate when people try to take advantage of anyone...especially older people or handicapped people. That makes me so mad. They really shouldn't try to take advantage of people cause something could happen to them and they could get the same thing or worse....then how would they feel?
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Nov 09
If our friend had been able to stay in Alberta for a week (as he planned to do - but he had to go back to work( he could have gotten it safety checked and found out and they would have flown back and said that the van was no good.
The trouble is it was in another province and we learned it was not the province it originally was from. So it could have been jerry rigged at any of the three provinces it was in.
@blackbriar (9075)
• United States
12 Nov 09
Isn't this illegal in your area, suspenseful? It is down here and as long as you can prove they purposely sold you a van fit for the junkyard, you have a solid case to at least get your money back and maybe then some.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
We have no idea whether they did it deliberately or not. They wrote our friend who picked up the van and said that is the way they got it, and they also said it used to belong to someone in B.C. and then our friend checked the records and found it originally came from Quebec so we do not know whether the Quebecer did it, the B.C one did it, etc. And then there is the buyer beware (I watch Judge Judy) but I do not know whether that also applies to vans sold to handicapped people. If it does, we are stuck, but if not, we could get, but the lawyer would be expensive.
@pastorkayte (2255)
• United States
20 Jan 10
It is really bad that someone would take advantage of someone period whether they are handicapped or not, however it is evil and no account to do this to someone who is handicapped. You have to be a special kind of demon to take money that pays for some much needed service or need of someone who has a handicapped.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
12 Nov 09
yes indeed you need to get on the p eople who sold you the van and make them make all that is wrong, right. It makes me furious that these people that sold you the van covered up all its faults and left you holding the bag. yes taking advantage of a person in a wheelchair is dispicable and you should take legal steps to make them pay for any work you have had to have done as it came out of your pocket. 1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Nov 09
The trouble is the people we bought the van from wrote that they got the van from British Columbia, and the people who owned it then got it from Quebec and we do not know who was originally responsible or whether in Quebec back in 1998, they did not have that high standards or whether the Quebec owner did all he or she could and it needed fixing in British Columbia - but I doubt it. We used to live in British Columbia and back in the 70s you had to have a safety check every two years. I suspect that the former owners lived out in the country and just used it to go to town and they did not bother.
We can talk to our friend if he knows anyone who can help us get it right.
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
12 Nov 09
[b]Actually, since I use a chair, I can comment knowledgeably here. I'm always amazed at how accommodating most folks are, opening doors for me, volunteering to push me (I'm not strong enough to do it), making a path for me, moving things (as waitstaff do at restaurants) to give me a place to park or roll, supplying ramps & chair space in places not required by law to do so, just being nice & not disdaining me--& a host of other things.
About the only bad thing I ever see--& it's not that frequently--is vehicles illegally parked in handicapped zones (& having no handicapped signal on their car). And as a friend of mine once said dryly, people such as that are "pond scum."
In all charity, I'm aware that some, even then, feel their time is so short & their task so very important & in any case, they'll "be right back" & they couldn't find any other spot, that they feel justified in occupying the spot at least briefly---I get that! But what if someone does need it during that 5 minutes? What are they to do? Waste gas driving around while waiting?
Anyway, those lawbreakers aside, the rest know full well how unmannerly, selfish, & even cruel they're being.
When I run into (figuratively said!...) such folks, "pond scum" is the mildest term I utter!
Maggiepie
IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER![/b]
When I run into (figuratively said!...) such folks, "pond scum" is the mildest term I utter!
Maggiepie
IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER![/b]1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Nov 09
We have had very abled people park in handicapped spots, and they did not even have a handicapped passenger with them and it certainly was not a gift left for a handicapped person who was in the store. So no one was going to go into the store and go up to the guy in the wheelchair and scream "Surprise!"
There are so many handicapped and disabled people and even then they may have to walk a few steps and yet someone who can do somersaults goes ahead of them.
We do have people here who are nice, but it hurts when there is that one or two bad one who cheats the disabled.
1 person likes this
