I don't believe in karma, but...

StewartR

StewartR

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Stewart
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Tuesday, 10:54.
In a discussion about how LensesForHire can operate without taking deposits from our customers, I wrote (here): "So far every single lens we've hired out has come back. Long may it continue."

Tuesday, 13:40.
I got an email from a customer saying: "In an act of complete stupidity I managed to leave the lens on the train."

So that's one that won't be coming back, then. What amazing timing. Did I bring that on myself for being so cocky?
 
What happens now then Stewart?

Are you insured or is it a kick in the tads?

Just asking because, say for example, I hired a Nikon 400 2.8 off you for a week, I would personally want it to be insured for loss/damage in full,do you offer this option?

And when is said lens coming, or is it not?...................:)

****er all the same..............:thumbsdown:
 
How on earth can someone leave a lens on a train :thinking: surely it would be in the camera bag - or be in a big enough case not to be able to miss it?

You could try lost property it may have been handed in, but I have a feeling karma (or sods law) could be the cause :(
 
Well if the government can leave laptops on trains and a musician can forget a 250k stradivarius the customer may just be telling the truth............ or not!!

Never be able to prove it I suppose that is why the insurance is there.

Bad luck
 
Just out of interest, and in case of any future business i may put your way...

I'm guessing you have your own insurance to cover the lenses whilst in your possession, but this this extend to the loaning party, or do you ask that the person covers the lens with their own insurance ?
 
How did he do it? I dunno. It was still packed in a big cardboard box (25x20x20cm) with bright red-and-white "FRAGILE" tape all round it.

But having said that, I have a lot of sympathy for the situation. I'm bringing lenses into London on the train all the time to deliver to customers, and I do get worried about the possibility of leaving one behind. If you're a regular commuter you instinctively check for some things (eg laptop bag) that you carry all the time, but anything out of the ordinary is easily overlooked. More than once I've got off the train at Maidenhead in the evening, and the carrier bag with the evening's dinner has gone on to Reading or Oxford or wherever!

What happens now? Good question. The customer took out insurance, but he doesn't expect the insurance to cover "an act of complete stupidity" and neither do I. Still, if you don't ask you don't get, so I've asked the insurance company for an opinion. The fact that I haven't got one yet suggests they haven't dismissed it totally out of hand...
 
If it was Karma, you won't be forced to pay for the loss yourself.

You're doing a good service IMO, so good karma should be coming your way :)

Have you tried lost property etc? You never know.
 
percymon said:
I'm guessing you have your own insurance to cover the lenses whilst in your possession, but this this extend to the loaning party, or do you ask that the person covers the lens with their own insurance ?
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Either/both. Customers can extend our insurance to cover them when they book the lens, but they don't have to.

The real question is what is actually covered.
* Theft ... yes.
* Accidental damage ... yes.
* Acts of total stupidity ... not sure yet.

(And I'm sure every insurance policy is pretty much the same. They all have exclusions. Just read what they say about thefts from cars, for example.)
 
not good Stewart, while i was in Iceland with 2 of your babies, i was terrified and being over protective of them, because they werent mine, i treated them like they were a mates, i would be bloody mortified if i lost or damaged one !
 
bad luck stewart, i guess the bloke going to have a nice bill on the way to him now, hope it wasnt anything too highly priced!!

im surprised in truth the insurance isnt mandatory anyway.

hope the insurance company pay out
 
Stewart,

So sorry for the incident, I hope it gets resolved to your favour :(
 
StewartR said:
Customers can extend our insurance to cover them when they book the lens, but they don't have to.
Click to expand...

So if a customer does not take out the insurance, you only get to recoup the deposit they left for the lens? Presumably the deposit doesn't cover the total cost of a replacement? That sounds like a pretty bad deal for you?
 
I suppose the guy has tried the Lost Property Office
 
Ouch :( I'm guessing by the size of the box it wasn't a nifty fifty you hired out? Eek, I hope your insurance company has mercy on you!
 
OutLore said:
So if a customer does not take out the insurance, you only get to recoup the deposit they left for the lens? Presumably the deposit doesn't cover the total cost of a replacement? That sounds like a pretty bad deal for you?
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Deposit? What's that?
 
StewartR said:
Deposit? What's that?
Click to expand...


Are you kidding me? You don't take a deposit? Wow, that is trusting.

I mean, most people who use your service are going to look after the kit, as they are all going to be "proper" photographers, but it only takes one...

I'd be forcing people to leave a hefty deposit if they don't take out the insurance option, otherwise you're probably going to have to go through the courts to get your money back on the lost/damaged item - and even then you'll get 10p a week for the next 234 years....
 
Don't you have a "you lose it, you bought it" clause of some kind?

Like the old shop sign, "Lovely to look at, delightful to hold, but if you should break it, consider it sold!"
 
Thats a right b****r Stewart! I hope it comes right in the end,
As its insured for theft The person concerned probabley has no idea but believes it was stolen ?
Thing get nicked right under peoples noses every day dont they? :shrug:
 
That's not good :( I was hoping you might start getting longer Nikon kit in, but if you keep paying for lost lenses you'll never be able to expand the range :(
 
Unless the person is a good regular customer I would class it as theft.
 
That is a shame Stew.. was it one of our mambers?? i can just imagine the Title they would get!!

I hired a lens from Calumett and they took a deposit of the cost of the lens!! maybe a thing you ought to think about.. i would have expected to pay one!!

Good luck resolving that..
 
Well there is an outside chance that if it was still in the box with addresses on it will make its way either back to him or to you - lets hope someone honest found it and sends it back.

I think the lost property takes about a week or so to get things logged so it is still possible it will turn up.
 
OutLore said:
Are you kidding me? You don't take a deposit? Wow, that is trusting.

I mean, most people who use your service are going to look after the kit, as they are all going to be "proper" photographers, but it only takes one...

I'd be forcing people to leave a hefty deposit if they don't take out the insurance option, otherwise you're probably going to have to go through the courts to get your money back on the lost/damaged item - and even then you'll get 10p a week for the next 234 years....
Click to expand...

How many people can afford a hefty deposit?

The whole point of hiring a lens from Stewart is because people don't have £500+ spare. If they did then chances are they'd just buy a lens anyway.

Stewarts business model makes it an affordable solution to everyone. If he decided to take a 100% deposit, he wouldn't see any where near the levels of business that he is currently receiving.
 
30psi said:
How many people can afford a hefty deposit?

The whole point of hiring a lens from Stewart is because people don't have £500+ spare. If they did then chances are they'd just buy a lens anyway.

Stewarts business model makes it an affordable solution to everyone. If he decided to take a 100% deposit, he wouldn't see any where near the levels of business that he is currently receiving.
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Absolutely.
icecavern said:
Risk balanced with return... That's business...
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Absolutely.
 
OutLore said:
Are you kidding me? You don't take a deposit? Wow, that is trusting.

I mean, most people who use your service are going to look after the kit, as they are all going to be "proper" photographers, but it only takes one...

I'd be forcing people to leave a hefty deposit if they don't take out the insurance option, otherwise you're probably going to have to go through the courts to get your money back on the lost/damaged item - and even then you'll get 10p a week for the next 234 years....
Click to expand...
If we forced people to leave a hefty deposit, I don't think we'd have a business, and we certainly wouldn't have the amazing amount of goodwill that people show us.

I believe that most people are honest. I trust them to look after the kit they hire, and I trust them to return it. I trust them to do the decent thing if they break it or lose it and it's not covered by insurance. I think in this case the person concerned will do the decent thing, if he has to. (And it's not certain yet whether or not the insurance covers him.)

And for anyone who's concerned that this might hurt us or affect our expansion plans - of course it won't.
 
StewartR said:
If we forced people to leave a hefty deposit, I don't think we'd have a business, and we certainly wouldn't have the amazing amount of goodwill that people show us.

I believe that most people are honest. I trust them to look after the kit they hire, and I trust them to return it. I trust them to do the decent thing if they break it or lose it and it's not covered by insurance. I think in this case the person concerned will do the decent thing, if he has to. (And it's not certain yet whether or not the insurance covers him.)

And for anyone who's concerned that this might hurt us or affect our expansion plans - of course it won't.
Click to expand...

And Stuart, I trust you to go out and buy that 400/2.8VR all us Nikon shooters want to rent from you :thumbs:
 
BOM said:
Unless the person is a good regular customer I would class it as theft.
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Sadly, I would have to agree with this statement even though it is very rude and presumptuous!

However, in all fairness, if someone rented something like that then that person knows how much of value it is to you (the business provider) and I can’t see how it was forgotten on a train! The case with your meal is not the same! That was your meal and was inconsequential to you forking out ££££ of your hard-earned money.

That said, unless the client was / is a good regular client, and / or has offered some sort of settlement to you, checked with lost-and-found, filed a police report since s/he should suspect that may be it was stolen and that is why s/he didn’t see the box when disembarking … failing all this I would be inclined to suspect foul play!
 
It does happen, as has been said. On the train for ages, reading the paper, maybe on the phone. get to your stop and get off.

A guy that worked for me left a bright red backpack with a laptop in it on the tube. And it was a regular journey. He was just distracted thinging about something else.
 
Sorry to dwell on this as it doesn’t offer Stewart any consolation, but I just don’t get it that someone can “forget” someone else’s goods that easily!

I may be negligent with my bag or laptop, I may be forgetful with my camera, but if it is someone else’s stuff then I am, at least 10x as careful to ensure it is returned in the same condition as when it was handed to me.

And then, even if it were just a silly forgetfulness I’d expect that individual to live-up to her / his shortfall and cough up the damage caused. Not just the fees to buy a replacement lens, but the loss of business while this is sorted out. After all, if it was negligence, there is a cure for it (pay for it, and a lesson well learned).
 
its an easy mistake I almost left my suitcase on the bus from the airport in stockholm! I even got into the station building then realised just managed to catch the bus driver before he set off for the depo/home!
 
StewartR said:
Tuesday, 10:54.
In a discussion about how LensesForHire can operate without taking deposits from our customers, I wrote (here): "So far every single lens we've hired out has come back. Long may it continue."

Tuesday, 13:40.
I got an email from a customer saying: "In an act of complete stupidity I managed to leave the lens on the train."

So that's one that won't be coming back, then. What amazing timing. Did I bring that on myself for being so cocky?
Click to expand...

Kinell, that's a bad doo, didn't mean to jynx you dude.
 
did he have the 1200mm 5.6, i've noticed thats been out of stock for a good while...

imagine the nice bill he would have if it was

But seriously, that was just carelessness for the muppet you hired it to. You're doing such a good service aswell, i may be using your offering in the not so distant future.

You should start a donation thingy on your site im sure loads of good people feel sympathy for you and would love to help you out with this stupid mistake on your lenders behalf
 
What actually happens when you rent a lens out Stewart?

They go on the site, pick the lens they fancy, go through the checkout, pay for it, and you dispatch it to them?

So, from the lens leaving you, what plans are put in place to be sure you recieve the lens back safe and sound, on the date it should be back?

We know you don't take a deposit as you said, but do you take any details from them, something secure?

It just seems like theres a massive loop-hole in the business if there's nothing in place to make SURE you get the lenses back that you send out.

I'm not meaning to be an cock dude, i'm just curious as to how you can be 100% possitive that you'll get the lens back.

What's to stop the person you've rented the lens out too paying however much it costs for 7 days rent, and just never getting back into contact with you again?
 
If I had done such a daft thing, I wouldn't be able to sleep. I'd go out and buy a new lens no matter what it cost. Stewart runs his business on goodwill. At times like this goodwill has to be returned to him by the hirer. Even if it means a loan to replace it. Time to own the problem and not pass it on.
Now where did I put that converter of Stewarts........
 
Thats a real kick in the nuts for you Stewart.

You run your business on honesty to mostly genuin honest people. But if you get 1 bad apple from a thousand (figurativly speaking) it aint bad going.

This could be a genuin mistake by the person that lost your equipment, but I just hope for you and all who use your service that this dosen't encourage more bad apples to take advantage of you.
 
i lost three phones, on one trip once i lost one on a train going to northampton so i bought a new one. lost that on a bus in northampton, so bought yet another one which i then left on the train back. i also got on the wrong train and ended up in lancaster lol
 
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