The large corporates continue to swallow the smaller independent hire shops. Just recently our colleagues over at Artisan Hire have been bought out by Boels. Boels is a large, Dutch owned, multinational tool hire company. Of course it’s great news for the owners of Artisan and we wish them well. However it will mean that inevitably things will change.
This is where we can benefit as we continue to offer that single store, owner led, customer focus that is often lost in a large corporate. We thrive on looking after the small builders and Swindon’s domestic tool and plant hire market. Currently we choose not to serve the large national house builders who want truck loads of equipment for nothing with 90 day (if your lucky) payment terms. We prefer to supply our reliable smaller customers on a personal level offering a high level of service. This does not mean that our prices are unreasonable either. If you go and compare our pricing with any of the hire centres in Swindon, such as Boels, Speedy, A-Plant, Brandon and others, you will soon find that we are very competitive. We are also very transparent with our pricing and always make sure that the customer is aware of what they are being charged for at the start of the hire. We don’t like seeing hidden charges that come to bite you at the end of the hire. Common traps to watch for when hiring are the extras dropped in such as tracking charges, extortionate fuel rates, unreasonable transport charges, disputed damage charges etc. Just because you find a digger £10 cheaper does not mean it will be £10 cheaper. Ask the questions before booking.
Beyond just focussing on price we need to look at customer service. Here at G A Plant we go the extra mile to ensure that we provide a high level of service throughout the whole process. When you first call us we will introduce ourselves and listen to your requirements. We will offer advice when required to ensure you are getting the right machine for the job. We will even tell you if we think you are hiring the wrong tool. We will take the time to complete the paperwork accurately. We will discuss with you when it is convenient for us to deliver, if we are delivering, as well as arranging a convenient collection time and day. We will then aim to deliver as close as possible to the agreed time so you are not hanging around. If we a very busy we will tell you and advise you if something is going to be later in the day for example. All our hires run on a 24 hour period so a day is from the time delivered to time off hired not from morning to evening. If we can’t do something we will tell you beforehand. There is no point in telling you will deliver a digger at 8am if the reality is we can’t deliver until lunchtime! It is much better to let you know so you can plan accordingly.
Of course another benefit of supporting a local independent tool hire store is your money stays in Swindon. We employ Swindon people and our owner lives in West Swindon. This small contribution helps support Swindon’s local economy. We firmly believe that small business is good for Swindon. Why put all your hopes in a few large corporates? The recently announced closure of Honda is a perfect example of what can happen. If we can continue to support small business in Swindon we can ensure a more stable foundation for our town. The impact of a small business coming and going will not be felt. Put too many eggs in one basket and the result has a much bigger impact.
So next time you are looking to hire tools or plant give us, Swindon’s local, independent, tool hire store, a call and see how we can help you.
