Buttons Doing Nothing? We'll Trace the Signal from Handset to Motor in Shirley
We test the handset, its cable or wireless link, the control box relays and the motor connections to find where the command is being lost.
Booking fee plus hourly labour — the price is confirmed before any work starts.
What this costs
| Booked 14+ days ahead | £25 booking fee £85 per hour |
|---|---|
| Booked within 48 hours | £100 booking fee £65 per hour |
| Same-day call-out | £220 booking fee £45 per hour |
The booking fee secures the visit. Labour is then charged by the hour, so you only pay for the time the job actually takes.
Booking fee £25–£220
£25 + £85/hr booked 14+ days ahead, £100 + £65/hr inside 48 hours, £220 + £45/hr same day. Agreed before we arrive.
Covered under Hoists & Lifting Equipment
Mobility & Accessibility › Hoists & Lifting Equipment — one of 22 documented jobs in this section.
Same-day hoist not responding to controls
Urgent jobs can often be booked for today. Ask when you book and we will confirm the slot before you pay anything.
15 service areas
Birmingham, Coventry, Dorridge and 12 more across the West Midlands.
Controls that stop responding are rarely a mystery once you know which direction of travel still works and whether the fault is constant or occasional.
Reading the Symptom
A hoist that ignores every button is losing the command early, before the control box passes it on. A hoist that lifts but will not lower, or travels one way along the track but not the other, has a directional fault — a relay, a limit switch or a wiring leg. A hoist that responds only when the cable is held a certain way has a fractured conductor inside the handset lead. A wireless handset that works from close to the motor but not across the room has a weak infrared or radio link rather than a dead unit. Tell us which of these describes yours and we will arrive already narrowing the search.
Where the Command Gets Lost
- The handset cable. The commonest single cause on wired units. The break sits just inside the strain relief or where the cable has been trapped, and the copper strands part while the outer sheath still looks intact.
- The handset itself. Buttons wear, membranes crack, and moisture from bathroom air gets into the contacts. A handset that has been dropped or wiped with a wet cloth is a candidate.
- The wireless link. Battery flat in the handset, the pairing lost after a battery change, the receiver window obscured or the handset pointed away from the motor.
- Control box relays. The relays that switch direction are mechanical and do fail, often intermittently at first — the classic "it works if you press it twice".
- Limit switches and end stops. A stuck limit switch will block one direction completely, which is a safety feature doing its job.
- The emergency stop circuit. A partially latched stop, or a damaged stop button on the handset, can hold one circuit open while leaving others alive.
- Loose motor or battery connections inside the unit, often after a knock or a track repair.
What We Test on the Visit
We start by confirming which functions fail and under what conditions, then work from the handset backwards. On a wired unit that means continuity testing each conductor through the cable while flexing it, which is how an intermittent break is caught rather than missed. On a wireless unit we check the handset battery, re-pair the handset as the manufacturer specifies, and test the receiver. We then test the control box inputs and outputs, check the limit switches at both ends of travel, and inspect the motor and battery connections. Every stage is a measurement, not a swap.
Repairs and What They Involve
Most control faults are resolved with a replacement handset, a new handset lead, a re-pair, or a control box repair using manufacturer-approved parts. Limit switches can often be adjusted or replaced. Where a control board has failed on an older unit, we will say whether the board is obtainable and whether the repair still makes sense against the price of a replacement unit. We do not promise a part is in stock until we have checked with the supplier, and we do not guess at a repair time before diagnosis.
Safety While It Is Like This
Do not use a hoist whose controls behave unpredictably, even if you can persuade it to work. A unit that lowers when you asked it to lift, or that keeps travelling after you release the button, is not safe to use with a person in the sling. Please do not open the control box or handset to investigate, and do not tape over a damaged cable and carry on. If someone is already suspended and the controls are dead, keep them comfortable, call 999 if they are in pain or distress, and use emergency lowering only per the manufacturer's instructions.
Aftercare
Once repaired, we test every function in both directions, confirm the unit stops as soon as the button is released, check the limit switches at each end, and test the emergency stop and lowering. We show the carer how the handset should be stored so the cable is not strained, and how to recognise the low-battery warning before the controls become unreliable.
Booking the Visit
Tell us the make and model, whether the handset is wired or wireless, which buttons work and which do not, and whether the fault is constant or occasional. That single detail often decides what we bring. You pay a booking fee when you book, the hourly labour rate depends on how soon you need the visit, and the full cost is quoted and approved before any work begins.
How the price works
We charge a booking fee to hold your slot, then an hourly rate for the work itself. The fee changes with how soon you need us; the hourly rate changes with the slot you choose. You approve the price before we start, so there is no surprise on the invoice.
Booked 14+ days ahead
£25 booking fee
then £85 per hour of labour
Best value. Book the slot now, pay the smallest booking fee.
Booked within 48 hours
£100 booking fee
then £65 per hour of labour
For jobs that can wait a day or two but not a fortnight.
Same-day call-out
£220 booking fee
then £45 per hour of labour
Urgent problems: standing water, no heat, no power, leaks.
Book the slot
Choose the window that suits you and pay the booking fee. That holds your place in the diary.
We diagnose on site
The engineer confirms the cause and tells you what the job involves and how long it should take.
You approve, we work
Nothing goes ahead until you agree the price. Labour is then charged per hour at your slot rate.
A hoist that ignores the handset is frustrating in a very specific way, because the machine looks perfectly well — charged, parked, ready — and simply will not take an instruction. Sometimes one direction works and the other does not, sometimes it responds only when you hold the button at an odd angle. That pattern is useful information, and it usually points to a small number of places rather than a failed motor.
What our customers say about our mobility & accessibility service
4.5 out of 5 from 8 reviews
Proper job, no upselling
Turned up in the window they promised, walked me through the options (turns out the old fitting was seized and needed careful removal), then cracked on. Everything was tested before they left. No mess, no drama, no surprise on the bill.
Job: Loose or Faulty Brakes
Fine in the end
The problem is fixed, which is the main thing, and the engineer clearly knew what they were doing. It took a fair bit longer than the estimate on the phone and I had to ask twice for a breakdown of the hours.
Job: Stair Lift Service
Would use again
What I appreciated was being told what was actually wrong before anyone started. Sorted in under 70 minutes and the invoice matched the quote to the penny.
Job: Control Panel Fault
Book Hoist Not Responding to Controls
Tell us what is happening and choose a slot. If you are not sure this is the right job, use the diagnosis panel — it narrows the problem down before you book.
- Booking fee confirmed up front
- Hourly labour, agreed before work starts
- Same-day slots for urgent problems
Questions people ask about hoist not responding to controls
Straight answers to the things customers ask most often before booking.
Could I just buy a new handset and try it?
You could, but on a wired unit the fault is at least as likely to be the cable as the handset, and on a wireless one it may simply be a lost pairing or a flat battery in the handset. Buying parts on a guess usually costs more than one diagnostic visit. Checking the handset battery and re-pairing per the manual is reasonable DIY; anything inside the control box is not.
What will you check?
We establish which functions fail, then work back from the handset: cable continuity while flexing it, handset buttons and battery, wireless pairing and receiver, control box relays and outputs, limit switches at both ends, and motor and battery connections. That tells us exactly where the command stops travelling.
It works sometimes — is that dangerous?
It is the most dangerous version of the fault, because you cannot predict when it will stop responding. Please take it out of service until it has been checked. Intermittent control faults are usually a failing cable or relay that will only get worse.
One direction works and the other doesn't. What does that mean?
Usually a directional relay in the control box, a limit switch that has stuck or been knocked, or one leg of the handset wiring. It is a narrower fault than a dead unit and often quicker to fix, so tell us which direction fails when you book.
What will the visit cost?
You pay a booking fee when you book, and the hourly labour rate depends on how soon you need the visit. We quote the full cost of the work and you approve it before we start, with any parts identified and quoted separately.
Need hoist not responding to controls sorted in Shirley?
Book a slot in the diary and pay only the booking fee up front. We confirm the rest before we start.