OFFHIRE
Roy has seen and heard enough in the plant & tool hire industry to write a book, although the recent activities of a now former client are pure fantasy…
ARE YOU UNCOMPLIANT? S
ometimes it seems that some of the mind-numbing imbecility that pervades the UK rental sector is a
dreary reality and not some fantasy dreamt up whilst high on a psychedelic magic mushroom-fuelled trip. I hasten to add that I have never tried them, but I am reliably informed that the same experience can be achieved by sniffing used oil from a long overdue service of an excavator’s drive motor. Not recommended.
My ire this month is aimed at a certain well-known chain of builder’s merchants, who have seen the UK rental market as fair game to come into and parasite off. We have been supplying them for a few years, specifically the couple of depots that are relatively local to us - they are dencent people - but always seem to be over-stretched and under- resourced. They’re not our biggest client, but business is business. However, this seems to have taken a couple of slightly sinister turns recently that would make you believe they were hatched by the late great Vincent Price.
Firstly, we had them suggesting that companies with whom we’d been trading for years, ceased this relationship and we let these purveyors of bricks, blocks, sand and timber supply them instead – and if they didn’t have their own equipment, they’d cross hire from us. Now I accept that I’m not the sharpest tool off the grinding wheel, but even I know that this is somewhat obtuse to say the least, if not possibly illegal.
But better was yet to come; where we were advised that they were reducing their supply chain to a select few, and
we were magnanimously invited to attend virtual meetings and fill in copious amounts of paperwork, which would likely send the environmentalist Greta Thungberg into fits of rage at the impact to the forests. To match this, we were instructed that our hand-over procedure, which has been in place in our organisation since King Tut was a nipper, was not compliant and that we had to adhere to their hand-over procedures. This effectively entailed the best part of 30 minutes per delivery, ensuring that their clients were fully appraised of every facet of the workings of the unit, irrespective of their experience – basically to watch them use the equipment and effectively exonerate the merchant of any legal responsibility. All this for no extra on the rental rate. Oh, and the best part was that we were invited to pay for the privilege of being in their supply chain, to the princely sum of £500.00 per year!
Now call me a cynic, but does the sand and cement supplier pay for the exalted privilege of being a supplier itself? Methinks not. So, with a tear in my eye (one of joy, I hasten to add), we respectfully suggested they stick their hire orders, along with their building materials, where the sun doesn’t shine and find an alternative supplier, while we’ll totter off into the sunset secure in the knowledge that, after 40 years in this lunatic industry, we’re completely inept and uncompliant……. Oh, the shame!
Happy Hiring.
80 Executive Hire News - January/February 2023
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