EDMONTON -- An Alberta man is warning other people with disabilities of his "nightmare" experience, saying Air Canada damaged his mobility scooter beyond repair and he's still waiting for a replacement more than a month later.
Trent Tatomir flew from Dublin back to his hometown of Fort McMurray on Dec. 2, connecting to flights in Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton along the way.
The 28-year-old said he uses the scooter and other aides including a cane and walker after he was struck by a forklift while working abroad, giving him chronic pain in his back and pelvis.
"I really can't go anywhere on my own without any sort of aid," he said. "I can go a very, very short distance with a cane around the house, I can go to the mailbox with my walker, but anything further than that, I need some sort of help."
He said the trouble began when he landed in Toronto and did not receive the mobility aid assistance he signed up for.
"In Toronto they basically just told us you're on your own, we don't have anyone to help you," he said.
When he and his wife finally made it to Fort McMurray, Tatomir said he was told his mobility aid — a lightweight eFoldi foldable scooter worth around $5,000 CAD — was missing.
"We talked to the lady at the desk. She basically told us there's nothing she can do, they'll call us when they find it," said Tatomir.
Two days later, he said Air Canada notified him the scooter was found in Winnipeg, and a taxi dropped it off at his Fort McMurray home the following day.
Tatomir said that's when he discovered just how much damage was done to his scooter, purchased only a month before.
"It's a trike-style, so the frame itself comes into a point where the front tire goes. That section's bent," he said. "The brake mechanism is completely destroyed so it's either on or off, there's no give or anything on it, and I can't get it to work."
He said both valve stems on the back tires were also broken, the back pouch on the seat was torn and there were various dents all over the scooter.
After he sent pictures of the damage to Air Canada and suggested they replace the damaged chair, Tatomir said he had a hard time getting a response.
"Air Canada basically just continued to drag their heels for a month until I said I was done waiting for them and was going to the media."
Representatives for the airline and its partner, Scootaround, which handles repair claims for personal mobility vehicles, then told him they'd deal directly with the manufacturer, eFoldi.
"Then they all just disappeared about a week before Christmas, they just all stopped talking. They all went dark," he said.
Two weeks later, he heard back from Scootaround, who said they'd get a quote for the same scooter.
"But the lady on the phone from Scootaround was still trying to push for me to try to get a scooter from them as opposed to ordering the one I wanted," he said. "Even though I did all the research and this is the one I decided on."
Tatomir said he finally received confirmation that a new eFoldi scooter had been ordered as of Friday afternoon. In a reply to CTV News Edmonton, Air Canada said it had purchased a replacement.
"We have dealt directly with the customer through our supplier, Scootaround, which has ordered a new scooter for Mr. Tatomir," a spokesperson said. " As the replacement has to arrive from overseas, a delivery date is as yet undetermined."
The company said resolving the issue took time given the holiday season and the requirement to order the specific eFoldi scooter.
Until he receives the replacement, Tatomir says he is more or less homebound.
"If I don't go with the wife somewhere or the family, I don't go out. I haven't been out since," he said. "It was a lot harder to do Christmas shopping because I had to get driven everywhere."
He says he just wants the eFoldi scooter replaced and to be reimbursed for what he called a "nightmare of a flight," and confirmed the company had already provided $400 in vouchers.
Even though he's getting a new scooter, Tatomir said he hopes to prevent others with disabilities from ever going through the same experience.
Asked for his opinion of Air Canada, Tatomir says he'll never fly again with the airline if he can avoid it.
"Not something you can probably publish. It's not good. I don't want to ever fly with them again."
