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FAQ Page
Q: What if I lend a tool out and it does not come back?
A: First, check with the person who rented from you to see what they say via email. If they say they shipped it out to you, check the tracking number or call the shipping carrier to see if anything happened in transit. After that, if you suspect malicious intent on the part of the renter, you should file a dispute. If you charged a deposit, chances are, dispute resolution will find in your favor in this case. One thing to keep in mind is that there will be a few bad apples out there. Be smart about your transactions. Read up on feedback of prospective renters, etc.
Q: What if I borrow a tool and it comes in broken?
A: First, check with the person who lent to you to see what they say via email. Then, check to see if anything happened in shipping which would be covered by the carrier's insurance. Next, file a dispute. This process will take time as the third party vendor will conduct a thorough investigation of the matter. In the mean time, if you need a tool, check the search page and see if there is another tool that meets your criteria up for rent.
Q: What if I lend a tool and it comes back broken?
A: First, check with the person who lent to you to see what they say via email. Then, check to see if anything happened in shipping which would be covered by the carrier's insurance. One thing lenders must understand is that the cost of wear and tear of a tool should be included in the rental price. If you feel the tool is damaged in a way that is inconsistent with normal use, you would have grounds for a dispute. During this process, it is recommended that you inform other potential renters that the tool has become unavailable until the issue at hand is resolved.
Q: What if I rent a tool and I need it for a longer period of time?
A: First, check the calendar for the tool and see if it is booked within the next 3 weeks. If not, the seller probably would not mind making a bit more money while helping you out. Simply, select the tool in question and you can rent it for a longer period of time without paying additional shipping charges.
Q: I have a comment, question, or suggestion about the site? Who can I talk to?
A: Questions, comments, and concerns should be entered on our contact form. Emails will be read and a response will be emailed, if necessary, within one week.
Q: What if I have multiple requests for the same tool for the same time period?
A: The service is first come, first served. However, you can send an email out to the "runner up" to see if they don't mind waiting until the tool comes available again.
Q: I am interested in advertising my products/services on AutomotiveSpecialtyTool.net . Where can I find more information?
A: Please use our contact form to submit your request. We will do our best to review your request and respond in a timely manner. We will respond within 7 days.
Q: I am a forum administrator/moderator and am interested in affiliating with AutomotiveSpecialtyTool.net . Where can I find more information?
A: Automotive Specialty Tool is a firm supporter of the passage of DIY knowledge to those willing to learn. We strive to raise the bar in terms of writing technical articles, taking pictures, recording videos, and maintaining an active online presence with affiliated forums. We do not feel the need to reinvent the wheel, so we typically will send people looking for the "how-to" toward an affiliated forum site while affiliated forum sites would typically link back to this site when someone is looking to rent a tool for a specific job in an article, video, how-to, or thread. This is typically done by placing a hyperlink behind each tool listed for a particular DIY job. Please use our contact form to submit your request. Thanks for your interest!
Q: I ran out of USPS flat rate boxes. How can I get more?
A: Please click the following link and enter in the pertinent information. Link
Q: How do I estimate shipping to charge for getting the item to the renter (or, conversely, back to the lender after use)?
A: Contact the other party to see what service they used to get it to you (if you're a renter). If you're a first time seller, my best recommendation is to use USPS flat rate shipping if your item qualifies. If it doesn't, it is worth your while to find a box, measure it, and weigh it with the item fully packed. You can store this information on our database for retrieval later. This way, you do the data collection once and then can put this information into shipping estimate calculators available on several shipping carrier websites. Keep in mind that we do not set up the shipping for you. That is something to discuss between the lender and renter directly.
Q: How do I figure out how much to charge for a rental period?
A: See what other folks are charging. If that information is not available, survey results indicate that most folks are willing to pay between 5 and 20% of the purchase price of the tool to rent it for a 3 week period (1 week shipping out, 1 week use, 1 week return shipping). You can use our prospective renter cost calculator to see what the bottom line price for the potential customer will be before you finalize the rental page for the tool. This tool includes costs of the Paypal service, site transaction fees, etc. As such, the value will be exact.
Q: I charged a deposit for a tool I lent out. I have received the tool back. How do I refund the deposit?
A: Log into your AST account and click on the transaction in question. There will be an option to select "successful transaction". Once the borrower does the same (if he/she hasn't already), the borrower will be refunded and you will each receive confirmation emails at the addresses on file with Paypal.
Q: What if a tool I need is not listed?
A: There are a few options here:
- You can opt to buy the item yourself from a vendor and then post it up here when you're not using it.
- You can connect with other members via the forums to perhaps borrow the tool from them directly or encourage them to post their tool on here :)
- You can request that we try to find this tool somewhere in our vast network and bring it to the table.
Q: I lend my tools out for free. Why do you feel the need to charge a fee?
A: Charging a fee to members was a major deliberation during the creation of the company and this web service. Initially, we were going to rely on advertising dollars, but we soon realized that people really don't like to be hammered with ads everywhere (which is really what it would take to pay off all of the $$ required to create the site). We elected to use a transaction based fee over a subscription fee because we feel that we shouldn't make money if you don't make money. Further, if you are fortunate enough to have an awesome network of DIY buddies such that you have free access to whatever tool you might need, we think that's awesome! We hope that some day everyone will have those connections so that sites like this can transform into something even more useful to the DIY community. In conclusion, we support free lending of tools with other friends, but when you want to make some cash, we help you locate those potential borrowers with whom you may never connect or otherwise develop a relationship. If you use the site once and find a mecca of tools available around you through the site and then never use the site again because you now have a direct relationship, GREAT!
Q: Why aren't my images displaying properly?
A: Our site does not host images. Our site allows you to link to another hosting site, such as Photobucket. Currently, the site supports a direct URL. We have plans to allow for forum code "[URL]" style code as well.