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I've been a lender on the site since derwiki first posted. There are still 2 critical pieces missing. 1) No insurance. I've talked to derwiki about this via em
by geuis 13y ago
I've been a lender on the site since derwiki first posted. There are still 2 critical pieces missing.
1) No insurance. I've talked to derwiki about this via email and he gave a personal guarantee that anything broken or stolen would be replaced. That was well-meant but not really the kind of guarantee I need to let random people rent my $3k equipment.
2) At least 2 days notice before someone makes a request. I've had 3 inquiries in the last 7 months to rent either my camera or my lenses. All 3 have been same-day, "can I pick that up in an hour" kinds of things. That model works for cars but not for cameras. Cars are easy. They sit in a parking spot and you can hook up remote triggers for them. Easy to rent out on demand. Cameras are pricy delicate devices requiring safe storage and well-padded bags. If someone wants to rent mine, I have to be available to hand it to them and to get it back when they're done. This requires scheduling.
If/when derwiki fixes the insurance and scheduling problems, I'll feel comfortable using his site. It's a great idea and just needs some polish.
- bobbles 13y agoThe issue with number 2 might be that 'an hour from now' is when someone realises they need the camera.
- derwiki 13y agoTotally right on (1), I think that's a resounding cry from everyone who has checked out the site today. As a follow-up, would you (a) be willing to pay for insurance to hedge your losses or (b) expect that to fall to the renter? As bobbles suggested, a lot of the rentals that happen are last minute/late notice -- reservations that the bigger rental shops can't do unless they're local (and maybe even then can't do). But you're also right; I should make the messaging clearer on expectations for short notice, and additionally wire up SMS notifications to lenders (like AirBnB does). Thanks for sticking with me through the early days!
- gcb0 13y agothe most obvious would be to split on both. Or allow a deposit kind of thing for the renter's half.
- geuis 13y agoThe insurance should probably be handled by you, actually. There's different models though. Car rental services either require renters to pay a 1 time insurance fee like Zipcar or to pay a fee at rental time. AirB&B covers the insurance themselves for housing providers (I think). As a lender, I'm not going to pay anything to you to use your site. I'd guess most lenders like me would be the same way. But on the other hand, requiring an extra fee from customers may be friction in the rental process. That's why I hypothesize you should cover the insurance yourself. Test the idea, I'd love to hear about the results. SMS notifications would be super helpful. There should be a calendar system. I should be able to mark availability for my equipment. Rentals should automatically block out time. Why can't we set the prices? Also, my stuff is not available for shipping. I have to go back and look but last time I did not see a way to disable that.
- shubb 13y agoYour question RE who pays the insurance - the renter will pay for it in either case, directly or by having the cost passed to them from the lender. I'd suggest that the lender should decide if he wants insurance or not, and it should be added as a line item on the renters bill. The lender will understand that by adding this cost he is less competitive, so you'll find that only the market for really expensive equipment supports insurance. It is totally worth your time to implement this because the insurer (or panel of insurers) you work with will offer you a referral fee. I'd enter talks with them directly. You may find a local insurance company (not reseller) easier to work with, as a major one probably won't want to talk to you. They might want a procedure where the equipment is photographed by the lender each time before it is handed to the borrower.