I rented a lawn aerator from Leiser's in 2007, as a first step toward getting our lawn in shape for the summer. I chose Leiser's because it's very close and seemed like a nice local businesses with some character, which is harder to find than it used to be.
I picked up on Saturday afternoon. We had company at the house, so I didn't have a chance to use it until Sunday. When I turned on the aerator, I noticed an oil leak from a bolt on the engine. I didn't want to risk
damage to the machine by tinkering or using it anyway, so I thought I'd just return it. I knew I couldn't return it on Sunday as Leiser's was closed, and my next few weekends would be very busy, so I thought I'd just call it a wash for this time, and use the store credit to rent something else later in the spring.
When I brought it in and asked about the store credit, the gentleman at the front desk told me that I could only receive credit for the same machine, and only if I rented it within 30 days. I explained that the next
few weeks would be busy with travel, and by the time I'd have a chance to aerate it would be too late.
He said that "That's the risk you take by renting on a Sunday or holiday." That wasn't explained at the time of pickup. He asked who helped me at pickup. Unfortunately did not remember. I'm often frustrated by
this question, because to me these situations aren't about what was done wrong then, but what can be done right now.
The rental agreement said "Notify Leiser's immediately if equipment does not function properly." I did this at 8 a.m. Monday morning. The agreement also said "No cash refunds. Store credit only." This sounded reasonable enough, and led me to believe that I'd put this project behind me and use the credit later that summer. Not even the small print on the back of the agreement mentioned a 30 day limit on refunds.
I explained to the gentleman that the 30 day credit would not be of any use to me. He stood there silently and had no further interaction with me aside from handing me the credit, which I handed back.
Frankly, I've received better and more understanding help when renting from large chains, so this was a surprise to me. Despite the unfortunate trouble with the engine, I was looking forward to using Leiser's rentals for what would have been many years of home improvements, but this was a bad enough first experience to look elsewhere.
I wouldn't have remembered this all... I just stumbled across the info above, which was meant to be a letter that I decided not to bother sending. Judging by some of the other reviews from customers who had trouble with their equipment and tried to follow up, I think it's better used here to echo their frustration. read more