Allow me to share my tale of the Company That Cared.
This little business shares space with a tool company, but their products are rather different! Party Central rents wedding stuff (chairs, arches, glasses, to name a few) and also barbeques.
I was helping to organize a family reunion and we intended to grill a bunch of burgers. To simplify things, we decided to rent a 4 or 5 foot long grill. Party Central had the grill we needed, and a propane tank to go with it. The grill is a trim looking stainless steel monster, perfect for getting the job done, and looking decent while doing it. They charge per event, not per day, so we were able to get it on Thursday or Friday and return at our leisure on Monday. There is a cleaning fee of $50 if you return the grill dirty. There is also a $40 per way delivery charge, which was waived for us, as we accepted a dirty grill they didn't have time to clean for us. Yay free delivery! So far, I'm pretty happy.
Now our story takes a turn, and it is at times like this you can see the true mettle of a business.
The grill worked fine when we tested it, but on the hour of the big hamburger cook-up, the grill started to misbehave, not generating enough heat. Tho I tried to fiddle with it, it seemed like the valve on the tank, or the regulator on the hose was sticking, restricting the flow of propane. Frustrating, to say the least! We managed to get the burgers cooked up on a camp stove and a neighbors small grill, hastily retrieved. So the day was a success, but the rented grill was good for no more than bun toasting.
So we have an intermittant grill problem, and a company closed on the weekend, and an out-of-towner with her credit card charged for a grill that didn't work *sometimes*. This story sounds like it will have a "Too bad, not our problem." sort of ending. Well, we returned the grill (driving it over bumpy roads), and the technician there fiddled with the tank and regulator. The grill heated up just fine (cue the doom music) refusing to display the vexing problem. However, the technician said he did not like the feel of the valve, and refunded all my money, except for $20 for the propane we had used!
So, tho they did not make any money off me, they sure acted with integrity, and I would go back again. Sadly I live so far away I doubt I will get the chance. read more