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Wheelchair repair costs get pushed around

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One day after Grace Ligon received her brand new, $24,000 custom-made wheelchair in March, it began breaking down. The 10-year-old was in school when one of the armrests fell off. A janitor reattached it with duct tape. When she got home, the foot plates came loose. And the headrest. For weeks, the manufacturer, Permobil, and the business that sold the wheelchair, Apria Healthcare, made small fixes, but the chair continued to break down. By early July the wheelchair was in such bad shape, Grace, who has cerebral palsy, could no longer use it. Her mother, Kathy Becker, called Apria and was told the company could no longer help. On July 1, Apria had sold its Burr Ridge wheelchair store to a company called Rehab Tech. The Apria representative said the broken chair was now Rehab Tech's responsibility. Becker called Rehab Tech and was told no, no, no—Apria had sold her the wheelchair, so Apria should fix it. After Becker pressed the issue, Rehab Tech picked up the wheelchair and agreed ...