Who you can buy a stairlift from in Canada
If you do a search for 'stairlift companies/installation in Canada' on the web, it will bring up the websites of hundreds of different companies. Most of these companies only advertise other companies' stairlifts (they neither sell or install stairlifts themselves) and take a commission from each stairlift sold through them.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to know from just looking at a company's website if they will be the company you will be actually buying the stairlift from or not. The companies that act as middlemen, for obvious reasons, don't like to advertise the fact that that's what they are.
To make is easy for you to both find and get in contact with the real stairlift companies (those that both sell and install stairlifts themselves), I have created the below list of them for you.
But before you find out who these are, I'm going to give you an important piece of advice. I would urge to both contact and get quotes from a number of these different stairlift companies. Although it is more time consuming than just contacting and a buying a stairlift from one company (you'll have to get a number of companies visiting your house to give you quotes), you can substantially reduce the amount you will have to pay.
The real stairlift companies operating in Canada
In Canada, you are generally unable to buy a stairlift directly from the companies who manufacture them. Instead, the majority of the main manufacturers have a network of authorised and reputable independent dealers operating in all the provinces in Canada who you can buy one of their stairlifts through (and who will install it for you).
To find their authorised dealers who operate in your area, you need to visit each of the manufacturers' website. For some of them you will be able to find details about your local dealer(s) for their stairlifts directly from their website, while with others you will need to contact the company to find this out.
And below is a list of these manufacturers (click the name to visit their website):
- Acorn Stairlifts:
Their authorised dealers cover the main populated areas throughout Canada. - Harmar:
Their authorised dealers cover the main populated areas throughout Canada. - Bruno:
Their authorised dealers cover the main populated areas throughout Canada. - Stannah Stairlifts:
Stannah only have authorised dealers in the South East of the country (southern Ontario, southern Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia). Anywhere else, I'm afraid that you are out of luck with Stannah. - Savaria:
If you live in or around London (Ontario), Montreal, Calgary or Edmonton you can buy and have installed a stairlift directly from Savaria. However, for the rest of the populated areas in Canada, you will have to buy one of their stairlifts through one of their authorised dealers.
Most of the companies who directly sell and install stairlifts in Canada are small businesses who only operate within a specific geographical area (whether it be in a part of a province or in or around a specific city/county/district).
However, there is one of these authorised and reputable independent dealers which operates on a national level in Canada from who you can you buy (and get installed) a stairlift from (click the name to visit their website):
Province and city companies
In addition to contacting the above companies, you can also contact companies that only sell and install stairlifts in and around your specific area.
Unfortunately, there are far too many for me to possibly list here, but by doing a search on Google for 'stairlift company' + 'your area', you should be able to find some.
However, I would urge you to do a bit of homework on any local company before you contact them. First, make sure by looking at their website that they have a physical store/premises in or near your area.
In addition, you need to check if they are reputable (e.g. ask people for recommendations, speak to people who have used them and search for reviews/complaints for them on the internet).
Another quicker (and safer) way to find these local companies that sell and install stairlifts, is by contacting or visiting the websites of stairlift manufacturers who operate in Canada (see above). These will tell you who their authorised independent dealers in or close to your area are.
In conclusion
Although there is no problem in buying a stairlift via a company that only advertise/promote other companies' stairlifts (whether it be a manufacturer or a non-manufacturer/dealer), for me it makes more sense to contact the company who you are going to be buying it from directly than going through an intermediary.
But no matter what you do, I would make sure that you get quotes from more than one company of these companies. This can reduce the amount of money you end up paying.
You can also reduce the amount you pay further by choosing a reconditioned or second hand stairlift instead of a new one.
