In Everybody’s Best Interest
We recently discovered that some companies, offering their yard ramp for rent, do not use rental agreements—no conditions, no terms, no agreements. That’s a gamble we’re not willing to take. Accidents happen.
With that in mind, the foundation of The Yard Ramp Guy—and the ongoing success of our business model—is transparency in the way we conduct business. This includes our desire for everyone involved to be proactive and consider the implications of not taking precautions.
When we wrote our Terms and Conditions, we had our attorney review its wording, and we honed it to a precise document that, in our view, is fair to all parties involved.
Time and again, if a company wants to rent from us, and if the company has a legal department, that department will obligatorily request us either to use the changes that they’ve made or to use their own terms and conditions.
When a company sends such a document over, we neither read nor consider it, regardless of the size of the company.
Our position is: No. You wouldn’t—and can’t—expect rental companies like Hertz, Home Depot, or any legitimate rental company of any sort to do business this way. A serious rental company would never agree to a renter’s request to modify its Terms and Conditions.
We explain that, while we understand their request, our Terms and Conditions are not negotiable. In our more than five years in business, only two companies chose not to do business with us due to our denial of their request for changes on our Rental Agreement.
Now consider the implications of not having a rental agreement in place. When you rent a yard ramp, would you be comfortable not knowing or not having in writing a document that specifies your rights and responsibilities for:
- The agreed term of the lease
- Risk of loss to equipment
- Transportation costs allocation
- Liability for personal injury and property damage to third parties by reason of failure of or defective equipment
- Conditions for use of the yard ramp
- Costs for continuing possession beyond the agreed term
- Responsibility for repairs and maintenance
- Notice requirements
- Applicable law
- Insurance coverage provided by owner
- Insurance coverage under the user’s liability policy
We’ve worded our Terms and Conditions both to protect The Yard Ramp Guy and to focus all the parties involved on their rights and responsibilities. We want everyone to act accordingly, take precautions, and protect their interests. Keep in mind: We are handing over possession of a valuable piece of equipment, for which we have no control over its use.
To companies that do not require a Rental Agreement, and to their renters, we can only wish them good luck. Luck and hope are positive traits. For The Yard Ramp Guy and our valued customers though, luck, hope and our Terms and Conditions are mutually exclusive.
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Quotable
Our man McCoy Fields and his blog-relevant quotations can’t possibly match Lou Holtz.
I have a lifetime contract. That means I can’t be fired during the third quarter if we’re ahead and moving the ball.Lou Holtz , Arkansas football coach
