How to Eliminate Disputes with Customers over Damaged Rental Equipment

Kate Miller

We’ve all been there. An expensive piece of equipment becomes damaged, and your customer is responsible. But when you or an employee delivers this news, it can lead to nasty disputes. And let’s face it: it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether the incident occurred at a different job or during transport. Maybe your guys missed a dent in a side panel, and now you’re holding the wrong customer accountable. That’s not the way you want to do business. The good news is with today’s modern rental technology, you don’t have to.

With InTempo's mobile equipment rental app, you can get the answers you need. Was the equipment damaged during delivery or in the yard? Or did something happen at the job site while in possession of the customer? Rental personnel can document the condition of equipment at each job site, at the time of pickup and delivery. With only their mobile device in hand, they can take time, date, and geo-stamped photos from multiple angles. This ensures the condition of the equipment is visually documented, and you can share the images with the customer in real-time. Drivers can also use a mobile device to share terms and conditions at the customer site, further reducing the chance of a dispute.

Here’s a tip from Jeff Loomis, Director of Business Development at InTempo. According to Jeff, you can make the most of the mobile application by allowing your device to access your location, then recording the actual geographic coordinates where the image is captured. You could also include the job site in the background of images to eliminate any other guesswork. If a customer isn’t present on the job site, taking a picture of where the equipment is located — for example, outside of a numbered door — can help them find it quickly. You might even want to consider taking a picture of the person signing as an extra precaution.

What’s the overall result? Less aggravation for you, more accountability, and a better experience for your customers.

To find more information about InTempo’s mobile solutions or to request a demo, please visit our mobile rental software page.