It’s that time of year when we at Rental focus our attention on our annual Renters’ Review feature, where we anonymously rent equipment and report on the experience. It’s always interesting and usually there’s a valuable lesson to be learned. This year’s rental went remarkably smooth, which is a blessing, but also a curse when trying to create a compelling narrative. If we look closely, however, there’s always something to write about.
Maybe you’ve seen the famous quote by Maya Angelou that says, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I might be waxing a bit poetic for a report about a rental experience, but the quote resonates with me in this case and here’s why: When all else is equal, it comes down to how the customer feels about doing business with you.
This year, we rented a walk-behind trencher. The equipment was top-notch, in great shape and performed flawlessly. The rental company we worked with provided friendly customer service, and all outward signs indicated a professional and reputable outfit. It was pretty close to a perfect rental, except for the fact there seemed to be no official record of the transaction.
The equipment was delivered when no one was there to receive it, which is not ideal but not uncommon by any means. But when I called to get a receipt a few days after our project, the personnel I spoke to could not locate a record of the rental, even though I could see my credit card had been charged. Also, I was never asked to sign a rental contract and the equipment was left idle at the jobsite for several days after the rental was finished. None of this affected our ability to complete our project, but it did leave me with the puzzling impression that this company is pretty casual about its procedures and leaving the door open to a substantial amount of liability.
Would I rent from this company again? The answer is, frankly, I’m not sure. Yes, they supplied the equipment I needed when I needed it. But not only did I receive no familiarization on its operation or any safety instruction at all, I had no legal protection if something went horribly wrong. It’s true, nothing did go wrong and in most cases like this it doesn’t. It just left me scratching my head about this company that doesn’t seem to have a lot of concern about protecting its customers, its equipment or its livelihood. Things like contracts and receipts are reassuring documentation that’s generally expected within a business transaction.
Was this no big deal or a catastrophe waiting to happen? Let me know at [email protected]
