Why are some items more expensive to hire?

Posted on 25/04/2019 By Christian mcFarquhar

Call Us	Email Us	Website

Air Hockey Hire Blog	Pool Table Hire Blog	Jukebox Hire Webpage
Pinball Posts	Pinball Hire Webpage	Jukebox Posts

We undertake over 400 hundred hires a year and have been doing so for 20 years. As in many jobs we all do, we often come across the same questions and conversations raised by customers.

One of them is that customers can be surprised at the additional cost some hire items incur.

There are a number of factors that determine the overall cost of an item to hire.

The factors include:

What is the value of the item? For instance we have a range of jukeboxes to hire and some are more expensive for us to buy in and or maintain. Our most expensive jukebox to hire is our classic 1960s Ami Continental Vinyl Jukebox. This jukebox is valued at around £20,000.00 and has to be taken great care of. This then incurs a much higher hire charge than our modern jukeboxes.

How much space does the item take up in the van? If we can send the van out and have multiple jobs to customers delivered on one run, this keeps the cost of diesel in the van and time spent out on the road by staff to a minimum. We will often deliver 4 or 5 jukeboxes on one run at the weekend. But this cannot be done if the van has lots of space taken up by big and heavy items such as the Dance Arcade Machines, Pool Tables, Speed of Light. The item that fills the van and stops any other deliveries being done is our full sized Seaside Crazy Golf Course that we hire out.. This fills the van all on its own. In turn this means that it is all but impossible or us to deliver all the Jukeboxes, Pool Tables, Photobooths, Pinballs, Table Footballs etc all on one day (usually Saturday is our busiest day).

How long does the item take to install? Some items are quicker to install than others. Jukeboxes and Pinball Machines are generally quick to install and deliver. Pool Tables, Table Footballs, Dance Arcade Machines, Speed Of light and Air Hockey Tables etc are delivered broken down into their constituent parts. With the legs off, slate removed etc. This then meas the delivery staff will be spending more time at a venue and this is chargeable.. The item that takes the longest to install is the full sized crazy golf course. This can easily take a couple of hours to install.

How heavy and manageable is the item? Many of our hire items for parties can be delivered and installed by one person,. Jukeboxes and Pinball Machines are big and heavy but with the correct trolleys are easily delivered by one person. So this keeps the cost down. However, Pool Tables, Dance Arcade Machines and Air Hockey Tables etc are big and heavy and too awkward to be delivered by one person and will require at least two members of staff. If there are stairs etc – maybe more staff will be needed.

Does the item require maintenance upon its return? Most of the items we hire out look after themselves and require very little ongoing repair and maintenance. But some items require repair and maintenance upon their return to us. Pool Tables may need to be recovered. This can cost as much as £250.00 if the cushions need to be recovered too. The crazy golf often needs to be cleaned and this is a very time consuming process.

What is access like at the venue? If the item is being delivered on the ground floor with close parking, this is likley to be charged at a lower rate than a hired item that is say going in a lift.

6-feet-3-pool-table-hire-lift-uk-wedding

How far away from us in Northampton is the venue? An obvious one really. The further we have to travel the higher the chargeable rate for the hire.

What is the probability of tying in another delivery on the same run? Not so obvious however, is the remoteness of the location. For instance we deliver into London and Surrey and surrounding areas pretty much every week. So a hire in and around these areas is always likely to have its delivery cost split with other hires. But if we deliver to say Norfolk, which in straight mileage can often be the same in both distance and time to a Surrey hire, we are likely to charge more because it is less populous and we are very unlikely to have more than one delivery going to that location at any one time.

The date of the hire and or the collection? We don’t differentiate too much on this regard. The importance of weekend or bank holiday free time stopped being important to us a long time ago. And its the business we are in. But we do make exception for Christmas and New Year. If we are delivering or collecting a day or so either side of these dates we may charge a premium.

The time of delivery and collection? Early mornings are not a problem. We are often out on the road at 5am or earlier. But if collection is needed in the early hours – say 3am etc then we will charge a premium.

Hope this gives a broad picture of whats in our mind when we quote for a job.