St Albans Speaker Hire Terms and Conditions of Hire

1. About us and your booking

1.1 These terms apply to every hire from St Albans Speaker Hire ("we", "us"), run by Thomas Dilley, Potters Field, St Albans AL3 6LJ. You can contact us on WhatsApp on 07378 959228 or by email at [email protected].

1.2 "You" means the person who makes the booking. You must be 18 or over, and you are responsible for the equipment for the whole hire, even if someone else collects or uses it.

1.3 By completing a booking you agree to these terms, so please read them before you book.

1.4 Your booking is confirmed once you have paid the hire price in full and we have emailed your booking confirmation.

1.5 Prices are as shown on our website when you book. The hire price covers the equipment on your booking for the hire period shown, including the stands, cables and accessories that come with it.

1.6 Payments are processed securely by Stripe, by card or the other methods shown at checkout. We never see or store your full card details.

1.7 To change your dates, equipment or delivery, contact us. We will do our best to help, subject to availability, and will refund or charge any difference in price.

2. Collection, return and delivery

2.1 Your hire starts and ends on the dates and times on your booking confirmation.

2.2 You collect and return the equipment yourself from our self-service storage at Potters Field, St Albans AL3 6LJ, at any time of day or night within your hire period.

2.3 We email your door code once your security deposit hold is in place (section 3). Only share it with the person collecting for you, and lock the door behind you every time.

2.4 Take only the equipment on your booking, and check it when you collect it (clause 5.1).

2.5 Return all the equipment by the end of your hire, packed as you found it. Your hire continues until everything is back.

2.6 If you return late without agreeing it with us first, we charge one extra day's hire for each day or part day you are late. If a late return means we have to cancel or change another customer's booking, we may also charge our reasonable costs. Please tell us as early as possible if you are running late.

2.7 If you book delivery, we deliver and collect within 10 miles of St Albans for the price shown at checkout (currently £45 within 5 miles and £60 within 10 miles). Someone aged 18 or over must be at the address at the agreed times. Delivery doesn't include setting up unless your booking says so.

2.8 If we can't deliver or collect at the agreed time because nobody is there or we can't get access, we may charge for a second trip.

3. Security deposit and ID

3.1 Every booking has a refundable security deposit, based on the equipment you hire. The amount is shown at checkout and in your booking confirmation.

3.2 A few days before your hire starts, we place a hold for the deposit on the card you paid with. A hold reserves the money on your card but doesn't take it, unless clause 3.5 applies. Please make sure the amount is available.

3.3 If the hold can't be placed, we will contact you to arrange another card. We don't send your door code, or deliver, until a deposit is in place. If we can't secure the deposit before your hire starts, we may cancel the booking and refund what you have paid.

3.4 We release the hold once the equipment has been returned and checked, usually the same day. Your bank decides how quickly the money shows as available again, which can take a few days.

3.5 If equipment is lost, damaged or returned late, we may take some or all of the deposit to cover the charges in section 5 or clause 2.6. We will tell you what we are charging and why before we take it.

3.6 Card holds only last a few days, so for hires longer than 4 days we take the deposit as a payment instead. We refund it in full once the equipment is back and checked, usually within 2 working days.

3.7 For first-time Large event or Wedding bookings, and whenever we agree a lower deposit with you, we will ask for photo ID (passport or driving licence) showing the same name as the payment card. Please send us a photo of it before we send your door code. We only use it to confirm your identity for this booking, and delete it once your hire is complete.

3.8 If you can't provide matching ID, we may cancel the booking and refund what you have paid.

4. Using the equipment safely

4.1 You are responsible for setting up, using and taking down the equipment safely, following the setup guide we provide. That means putting speakers and stands on firm, level ground, keeping cables where nobody will trip over them, and keeping everything away from drinks and other liquids.

4.2 A responsible adult (18 or over) must supervise the equipment at all times while it is set up. Don't let anyone climb on, lean on or move speakers or stands while they are in use.

4.3 The equipment is for use indoors or under cover only. Don't use it in rain or wet conditions, and pack it away if the weather turns.

4.4 Use only the power leads we supply, plugged into a working mains socket. Never use a damaged lead or socket. If you use an extension lead, unwind it fully and don't overload it.

4.5 Keep the equipment at your event address. Don't lend it, hire it out to anyone else, or take it outside the UK.

4.6 You are responsible for getting permission from your venue or landlord, following their rules, and keeping the volume at a level that is safe and reasonable for guests and neighbours. For public events, you are responsible for any music licences you need.

4.7 Don't open, modify or try to repair any equipment, or connect anything to it that isn't designed for it.

5. Faults, loss and damage

5.1 We test every item before each hire. Please check the equipment when you collect it, and tell us on WhatsApp before you use it if anything is missing, damaged or not working. We photograph the equipment before each hire. If you don't tell us about a problem before using the equipment, we will treat it as complete and undamaged when you collected it, unless you can show otherwise.

5.2 If a fault develops or anything is damaged during your hire, stop using that item straight away and contact us on WhatsApp on 07378 959228. We will help you fix the problem or, where we can, replace the item.

5.3 If equipment stops working through no fault of yours and we can't fix or replace it in time, we will refund the hire price for that item. To claim a refund, you must tell us about the fault during your hire, so we have the chance to fix it or replace the item. We can't usually refund for faults first reported after the equipment has been returned.

5.4 You are responsible for the equipment from collection until it has been returned and checked by us. You are liable for any loss of, or damage to, the equipment during that time, other than normal wear and tear, up to its full replacement value.

5.5 We charge the reasonable cost of repair, or of replacement if an item can't be repaired economically. We will show you evidence, such as photos and a repair quote or invoice. We may take this from your deposit (clause 3.5), and if the cost is more than the deposit, we will invoice you for the difference.

5.6 Damaged or bent speaker stands are charged at a fixed £60 per stand, which reflects our typical cost of replacing one.

5.7 Missing cables and small accessories are charged at their replacement cost. If equipment comes back needing more than a normal wipe-down (for example sticky with drink), we may charge a reasonable cleaning fee.

5.8 If equipment is stolen during your hire, report it to the police straight away and send us the crime reference number.

6. Cancellations

6.1 To cancel, message us on WhatsApp or email us. Your cancellation counts from the time we receive it.

6.2 If you cancel 7 days or more before your hire starts, we refund the hire price in full.

6.3 If you cancel less than 7 days before your hire starts, we refund 50% of the hire price, or move your booking to another date free of charge, subject to availability.

6.4 If you cancel less than 48 hours before your hire starts, we don't give a refund, but you can move your booking once to another date within 6 months, subject to availability.

6.5 Delivery charges are refunded in full if you cancel before we set off.

6.6 If we have to cancel, for example because equipment was damaged or not returned on an earlier hire, we will tell you as soon as possible and offer similar equipment or another date. If neither suits you, we will refund everything you have paid.

7. Liability, your data and the law

7.1 If something goes wrong because of our equipment or our service, our liability to you is limited to refunding what you paid for the hire. We are not responsible for losses we couldn't reasonably have foreseen, or for the cost of your event or venue.

7.2 Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law doesn't allow us to limit. Nothing in them affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

7.3 We are not responsible for injury, loss or damage caused by the equipment being set up or used in a way that doesn't follow these terms or our setup guide.

7.4 You may want to check whether your home, event or venue insurance covers hired equipment, as our insurance doesn't cover your liability to us.

7.5 We use your personal details only to manage your booking, as explained in our privacy policy on our website.

7.6 If you are unhappy with anything, please contact us first and we will try to put it right.

7.7 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.