Man gets wheelchair fixed for free after struggling for months with other company

PALATINE, Ill. (WLS) -- A suburban man who relies on his wheelchair for long distances called the ABC7 I-Team for help after a broken sensor was stopping him from using the chair.

Kevin Sullivan wheelchair's sensors stopped working properly, and he was left struggling to move around.

The Palatine man says he waited eight months for help from a company covered under his insurance, who was unable to fix it.

"I'd be going full speed and all of a sudden, my left sensor or my right sensor would start slipping downward. And it would get to the point where I wasn't able to make contact with the sensor and, thus, I couldn't turn left or right," Sullivan said.

He says Numotion, the company covered under his insurance, tried to fix the chair for eight months, with no luck.

"It was over the course of about twelve different appointments. They kept sending out technicians, they ordered the wrong parts at one point, they sent out technicians who weren't very well trained in handling these head arrays because they're very specialized," Sullivan said.

In this email from September 2025, a Numotion representative said "...I apologize this has taken so many appointments ..." Sullivan says after waiting he reached out S&J Services and Repairs

It's another company that's not covered under his insurance. He says after only one recent appointment that company was able to fix the issue, and they did it for free.

"No one would accept that if it was something like their automobile, but for something like a wheelchair, it just feels like we have no choice but to deal with that and to constantly advocate for ourselves," Sullivan said.
Numotion said in a statement:

"At Numotion, our customers are our number one priority. We're in the business of providing mobility and independence to individuals with disabilities so they can be active members of their communities.

"Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we are not able to comment on the specifics of this situation. We are, and always will be, committed to serving our customers."

"It could be fixed; it just takes someone with the proper training and knowing what they are doing," Sullivan said.

S&J Services and Repairs said their employees do the right thing to preserve people's independence and dignity.