Are You Ready for Collection? How to Prepare Hire Equipment for Return

The party is over, the wedding is done, the exhibition has closed. All that remains is for your hire equipment to be collected. While your event is finished, our work is not, and there are a few things that help us make collection smooth and straightforward.

Repack Items in the Original Packaging

There is no need to wash up crockery cutlery or glassware as our send it back dirty service is mandatory for these items. All you need to do is scrape food debris off cutlery and crockery, empty any liquids out of glasses, and repack them in the crates and boxes they were delivered in. Distributing items across all the boxes provided, rather than overfilling some, makes them easier to move and reduces the risk of breakages.

Glasses should go back in the same compartmented trays or crates they arrived in. Stacking crates with glasses that have not been returned to their individual compartments risks breakage during transit. Breakages are covered by our damage waiver for small quantities, but significant breakage from poor repacking is not.

Linen should be dry and free of food debris, wax and any glue before being packed away. Put linen into the bags provided, not into boxes with crockery and cutlery. Linen soaking in food and liquids is almost always uncleanable, and we do not want to send an invoice for replacement charges.

For furniture hire, fold chairs and stack them where possible. Folding tables should be collapsed and stacked flat. This reduces the space needed and makes van loading considerably faster.

Catering Equipment: What to Do Before Collection

Gas and electrical catering equipment needs some preparation before our drivers collect it. A few steps to follow:

• Disconnect gas appliances from cylinders. Do not leave hoses attached to cylinders for collection. Cap the cylinder valve before the driver arrives.
• Allow all cooking equipment to cool fully before the driver arrives. Hot equipment cannot be loaded safely.
• Empty and clean grease traps on fryers and griddles. A basic clean at this stage avoids additional cleaning charges on return.
• Pack all accessories, hoses, regulators, drip trays, pan lids, back with the appliance they arrived with. Lost accessories are charged at replacement cost.

Linen: A Common Source of Charges

Linen replacement charges are one of the most avoidable costs in event hire. A few specific points:

• Candle wax on tablecloths cannot be removed in standard washing. Use candle holders that prevent wax dripping onto the cloth, or accept that waxed cloths will need replacing.
• Pen and marker ink is rarely removable. Keep felt tips and markers away from hired tablecloths.
• Glitter, confetti and artificial flower petals mat into linen and are difficult to remove. Avoid placing these directly on tablecloths where possible.
• Food stains, including red wine, are generally dealt with in our industrial laundry. The risk increases when linen is left wet for extended periods. Pack it dry wherever you can.

Be Ready to Help Reload the Van

If your event was not on the ground floor, get all equipment to ground level before our drivers arrive. Our drivers are under instruction from our insurers not to go up or down stairs when delivering or collecting, and can refuse any collection where this is not possible. A refused collection can result in an additional collection charge.

Our drivers work multiple drops and collections each day. Having everything together and ready to load makes a real difference to how quickly collection goes. Please take time to make sure everything that needs to be returned is ready before the driver arrives.

Checking Off Your Order at Collection

It helps to have someone with a copy of the delivery note present at collection. Our drivers work from the same order list used on delivery and check items against it on collection. If items are missing, the driver will note this on the collection sheet.

Missing items are charged at replacement cost if they are not returned to us within five working days. In the case of large or valuable items, contact us as soon as possible so we can investigate promptly.

Problems with Equipment

Telling us about a problem with equipment at the point of collection is not helpful. We cannot fix something after the fact, and it leaves our driver in a difficult position. We always ask that you check your delivery when you sign for it and report any issues immediately so we can deal with them.

If there are breakages of larger items, report them to the driver, who will take photographs of the damage before leaving. That way there is no confusion about when breakages occurred and we can deal with them appropriately. Smaller items like cutlery and crockery are checked in the warehouse when returned.