The vendor's truck leaves, the equipment stays in the house, and the final invoice is still sitting in your inbox. The installation is the middle of the job. The finish is a written sign-off that says what was installed, what was tested, and what is still open. This guide walks the process from the first survey to the last payment, for any home equipment a vendor places and sets up for you.

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Before the crew comes: the survey and the written scope

Ask who will measure the site, and whether they will measure the actual doorway, outlet, floor, or wall where the item goes, rather than working from a photo or a phone description. Ask that the measurements appear on the quote. Then read the quote for three things that cause most of the later arguments.

First, the item list. Each piece should have a model number, and the model number on the quote should match the product the vendor plans to deliver. Second, the exclusions. Many quotes leave out removal of the old unit, patching of drywall or flooring, electrical work, or anchoring into the wall. If the install needs any of these, the quote should either include them or name the company or person who will do them. Third, what the vendor needs from you: a clear path, a working outlet, access to the wall, a空 spot to park the old unit. Put those requirements on paper so they are not a surprise on install day.

Ask for the installation window as a range with a named contact for changes. A single day with no fallback is how a missed visit turns into a second trip charge.

On install day: check the device against the paper

Before the technician starts, compare the model number on the carton and on the device label with the quote. If they differ, stop and get the difference resolved in writing before the install proceeds. Ask for the technician's name and whether they are a direct employee of the vendor or a subcontractor, and write the name on the work order.

Inspect the delivery for damage before you sign the delivery copy. Note any dents, missing parts, or cracked housings on the delivery paper itself, and take photographs with a timestamp. A signed delivery receipt without notes can later be read as confirmation that everything arrived in good condition.

Ask the technician to walk you through the vendor's install checklist as they work. You do not need to know the mechanics. You need to see that each step on the checklist was done, and you need a copy of that checklist for your file.

The test run: have every function you will use demonstrated

Before the technician leaves, have them run each function you expect to use, with you watching. If the item has settings, ask them to set it to the settings you will use and show you where those settings live. If a person will use the item daily, let that person try it while the technician is still there. Ask the technician to show you where the manufacturer's instructions are kept in the house and where the vendor's service phone number is posted.

If any function cannot be tested on install day, write it down as untested and name the date when it will be tested. An untested function is an open item, not a finished one.

The sign-off: what you are actually signing

The vendor will usually ask for a signature on one of two forms. A delivery receipt says the goods arrived. A completion or acceptance form says the installation is finished. These are different documents, and you should not sign a completion form for work that is partly done.

A useful completion form lists the items installed by model number, the functions tested, the technician's name, the date, and the list of open items with a responsible person and a date for each. If the form is only a blank line with the word complete printed above it, ask for the vendor's version with the open-items section included. Sign only what you have watched happen. Keep a copy, and keep the carton and the manual until the sign-off is accepted.

The money line: match the invoice to the signed scope

When the invoice arrives, match it line by line against the signed completion form and the original quote. Look for an install fee that was not on the quote, a trip charge for a visit that was supposed to be included, parts that were not installed, or an add-on you never approved. Ask in writing for a correction on any line that does not match.

Hold the final payment until the open items are closed, or until the vendor has written each open item with a fix date. Paying in full while a function is still untested gives you little leverage later.

If any part of the cost is expected to be paid by Medicare, a Medicaid program, a VA benefit, or a private insurer, ask the supplier's billing office before the install whether the item is covered and under what billing arrangement. Coverage rules are set by the payer, and the installer is not the right person to decide them. Medicare's own public pages describe what it covers for home equipment and what a supplier must do to bill it. For help reading those rules or a bill, the free counselors through Missouri SHIP can explain the terms without selling you anything. Start with the local help page to find the right office.

After the sign-off: set up the service route now

The sign-off is the start of the service period, not the end of the paperwork. Write down these points in one folder: the warranty start date, which is usually the install date and not the purchase date, the parts warranty and the labor warranty if they differ, the vendor's service phone number, who pays the trip charge for a repair visit, and the name of the person to call if the vendor does not answer.

Put a calendar check at about one week and about one month after the install. At each check, run the function again and note anything that has changed. A fault caught early is usually much easier to fix under the warranty than a fault discovered after the warranty window has closed.

Where this guide stops

This guide covers the checking process only. Questions about whether a contract term is enforceable, or whether a dispute with the vendor is worth pursuing, belong with a Missouri lawyer. The Missouri Bar offers a lawyer referral service that can match you with someone who handles consumer or elder matters. Questions about whether a device suits a person's health condition or physical needs belong with that person's physician or therapist. The paperwork is yours to check. The judgment about the person's care is theirs.

For a checklist of the public sources behind the points in this guide, see the sources page.

The Install Day Is Not the Finish: Survey, Written Scope, Test Run, and Sign-Off Before the Final Payment