atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Key system & telephone rentals

Looking for advice.

I have a client whose needs to rent a small key system for 30 to 90 days. Configeration would be 6 lines with 8 to 12 phones.
I'm looking for some opinions on what a fair charge for ksu and set rental would be. I have not done rentals in years, so not familiar with that market.
If they do not require voice mail, I'll use a shelf stock Merlin + or small Ledgend KSU with BIS-10 sets.
If Vmail is required, a Panasonic 624 with TVS-50.


What are some of your rental rates for like or similar temporary systems?

Appreciate any info and suggestions.

Thank you,

Rich

Typically prices are not discussed in the open forum to prevent bidding wars. You can't compare prices in different regions fairly. What is appropriate in Washington may be unheard of in larger cities. That results in all customers thinking they should get it for this price or less because "I saw it on the Internet." You should find what your area will support.

We used to do a lot of rentals for political campaigns and traveling TV production companies. It worked OK, but still we decided not to do it anymore because of the lack of skills that these temporary people have. They drove us crazy with "it doesn't work" service calls.

When we did do short-term rentals, we didn't sell ourselves short. We determined a fair amount to charge that would cover our costs only, then divide that amount into the number of months desired. Since we got to keep the equipment at the end, that was our profit because we could clean it up and sell it as used. Half the time, the phones came back so beat up that we ended up losing out on the deal.

With rentals, ALWAYS set a firm start and end date. If they aren't ready for you to remove it, then you are entitled to collect another month's payment. Don't be shy; you did something to help a customer out and they will likely understand.

Like RBF said, we aren't able to discuss specific pricing, but hopefully these little tidbits might help you out.

Also think like the rental car places do. Have the client document the condition of the equipment with you and clearly define how the equipment must be returned, in like condition short of any "normal" wear and tear.
I have done rentals in the past and you would be surprised how quickly the telephone sets can get destroyed, especially cosmetically.