FAQs
Find out more about how Thames Valley Event Hire works to deliver the best event hire and furniture throughout the Thames Valley
If you’ve got questions about how we work, this is the right place to find the answers. We’ve tried to think of everything you might need to know – but if there is something we haven’t thought of drop us a line at support@expohire.com and we’ll do our best to help you. Alternatively, you can ask us via the live chat facility.
Can I hire equipment as a private customer?
While private customers can hire from us, Expo Hire UK Ltd is primarily a business to business supplier. Our products are commercial items and as such are not designed for domestic use or non business premises. Any private customer who orders from us must do so with the clear understanding that they will be treated as a business and will not be afforded the protection of the Consumer Rights Act. No cooling off period exists.
What does the price given next to the item include?
The prices given on our item pages are to hire the item for a standard three day hire period.
This is to give you ample time to set up your equipment and furniture before your event and to pack away afterwards. We never recommend a customer taking delivery of items on the day of the event. There are variables connected to delivery such as traffic, accidents and time taken with previous deliveries which are impossible to legislate for, which make deliveries on the day of the event instantly problematic.
The price does not include delivery, collection or VAT.
What can I expect on Delivery?
Unless two person delivery and collection has been paid for, your order will be delivered and collected by a single driver. If you have ordered large or heavy items such as fridges, you or someone representing you will have to be there to help the driver unload. The driver has 15 minutes to either deliver or collect your order; if it takes him longer then you will be charged £12.50 per additional 15 minutes. If a driver arrives and there is no one available to help him then he may not be able to deliver or collect.
If there are likely to be issues with regards to location, staff onsite or the size of the order, then it's imperative you advise us in the comments to let us know so we can make contact and see what needs to be organised. Please note that our vans cannot go off-road onto grass or dirt areas, particularly when it has been wet due to the chances of the vehicle getting stuck.
As our drivers are multiple drop drivers, any issues with your delivery or collection of your order could result in issues for other customers. We ask that you are mindful of this when we are delivering or collecting your order.
I’ve taken delivery, what should I do now?
It's important when you've received your items to have a quick check to make sure everything is there, and that you set up electrical and gas equipment to at least test as soon as practicable. That way, in the unlikely event of there being problems you can contact us immediately we have the maximum amount of time to fix them.
Does Thames Valley Event Hire deliver on weekends and bank holidays?
We do deliver on both Saturdays and Sundays; however there are additional charges. Delivery or collection on a weekend day will cost an extra £20 plus VAT. Availability can also be tight on weekend days, so if at all possible it's easier to book a weekday delivery and collection - remember our three day hire period covers Friday to Monday.
I’m a charity, can you offer a discount?
While we have no doubt that your charity does sterling work and is running to a tight budget, we must be fair to all customers and as such we cannot offer charity discounts. Coronavirus has placed an incredible strain on the hospitality industry which we have had to deal with while receiving minimal help; consequently we have a duty of care to our own staff first.
Are glass hire and cutlery hire polished prior to delivery?
The short answer is no. All items go through our commercial dishwashers and are checked to make sure they're perfectly clean before being sent out, however this does not mean that glasses or cutlery will arrive at your venue polished.
The only way to properly polish these items is by hand. As you can imagine given, the prices we charge and the number of items we supply this is realistically impossible. If you're having a formal occasion then we suggest you set aside some time during setup to give these items a little polish, if needed.
How long can I hire items for?
Our standard hire period is three days and our most frequent period of hire is from Friday to Monday. However, we understand some customers may need to hire items for longer period of time.
As long as we have items in stock for the dates requested, we can accomodate hire requests for longer periods of time. You can check availability on the product page; simply enter the dates you wish for delivery and collection and the quantity needed and our automatic stock system will confirm if we have the stock required.
Extended hire charges are automatically calculated in the checkout once your dates have been entered. Every extra day after three days costs 20% of the standard hire price.
For hire periods longer than two weeks, please drop us a line at sales@expohire.com to get a quote.
When is the best time to place an order?
The easiest answer to this question is as soon as is practically possible. All stock and drivers are subject to availability, and as one can imagine, at peak periods in the year that availability can get stretched very quickly.
Orders placed with less than a week before delivery without contact with our office will be subject to availability, and may be cancelled if we cannot fulfil them. You can make contact with us via the live chat facility or by emailing sales@expohire.com.
When do I need to make payment?
Payment needs to be made when placing an order to confirm unless an account is already in place with us.
Payment can be made by credit or debit card when going through the checkout procedure. Should you select the “Pay Deposit” option, please call us within 48 hours if you have not received an email with payment details. We cannot hold goods if you do not pay us; any unpaid orders will be cancelled and the items released back into general stock.
Please note that while we can look into credit facilities for repeat customers, in every case the first order must be paid for prior to delivery. It can take up to 28 days for a credit account to be put into place.
Payment for orders can also be accepted by card at our secure online portal https//pay.expohire.com
Is your equipment suitable for my event?
This is a very hard question to answer for us, because the basic fact is that it cannot be up to us what you choose to hire. Like hiring a vehicle, it's imperative you know how to use a piece of hire equipment before hiring it. We have attached manuals to product pages to help people understand how to use equipment; likewise we have listed technical specifications wherever possible. You can use our live chat facility to confirm dimensions or power supply, but we can only offer objective and factual information.
Can our drivers attach or set up LPG equipment when delivering?
The quick answer is no, they cannot as our insurers will not allow it.
All of our LPG equipment is fitted with a hose and regulator, and attaches to LPG bottles by standard fittings. If you do not feel comfortable attaching or setting up LPG equipment yourself, we recommend utilising the services of a Gas Safe Engineer.
Is it possible to apply for a credit account with Thames Valley Event Hire
For our larger, repeat customers there is a possibility to set up a credit account.
To qualify for an account, a business must be hiring £5,000 worth of equipment from us per annum, and have filed accounts with Companies House in the last 12 months. A full credit will be undertaken and it can take up to 28 days to set up an account.
Regardless of outcome, we must insist that the first order with a customer is paid prior to delivery even if a credit account application has been made.
Is it possible to amend an order?
Subject to availability, we can amend orders up to seven days prior to delivery.
To make an amendment to your order, please email support@expohire.com with confirmation of your name, your order number and what you would like to amend. Provided we have everything available, we will reply with an invoice which must be paid prior to delivery. Should you wish to amend numbers down, you will be refunded as per our terms and conditions.
How much does delivery cost?
It's easy to find out how much delivery will cost. On the home page, there is a carriage calculator - simply enter the postcode of delivery and the calculator will give the standard carriage cost, which covers delivery and collection. This cost is based on a weekday delivery and collection without set times, and is exclusive of VAT.
Weekend and Bank holiday deliveries and collections will have a surcharge of £20.
There are additional surcharges for two person deliveries and collections - please contact us via the live chat facility or on sales@expohire.com to confirm availability and cost.
Where do we deliver to?
Thames Valley Event Hire is part of Expo Hire UK, the largest online only supplier of event hire, exhibition furniture and catering equipment hire.
Expo Hire UK has eleven branches throughout the country.
Avon Hire - based in Bristol serving Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath and the Bristol area.
Birmingham Catering Hire - based in Birmingham serving West Midlands, Warwickshire and Staffordshire
Capital Event Hire – based in Harrow, serving North and West London
Chiltern Hire – based in Milton Keynes, serving Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire
Cotswold Hire – based in Cheltenham, serving Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire
Midland Hire – based at East Midlands Airport serving Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
North West Hire – based in Manchester serving Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside
Solent Hire – based in Southampton serving Hampshire, Dorset and the South Coast region
South Wales Hire - based in Cardiff serving Glamorgan, Swansea and the South Wales area
Thames Valley Hire - based in Henley-on-Thames serving Berkshire, Surrey and the Thames Valley region.
White Rose Hire - based in Leeds serving Leeds, Sheffield and Yorkshire
When is it best for my items to be delivered and collected?
From our experience with catering, event and exhibition hire we cannot recommend strongly enough that you book for items to be delivered at least the day prior to your event.
Sometimes things out of our control go awry, and having 24 hours to fix them is preferable to having 24 minutes. We can’t be held responsible for problems with an event if we are delivering on the day of an event itself
Can I collect my items from your warehouse?
Unfortunately not. We're set up only for deliveries and collections.
Are timed deliveries possible?
Unfortunately, timed deliveries and collections are not possible for the vast majority of orders.
Our drivers are multiple drop drivers, doing many deliveries and collections per day, and that combined with the legal limit on the number of hours that they can work means that we have to schedule them as efficiently and as economically as possible. This means that it is impossible for us to meet set times, and as such we cannot offer them.
It's imperative to get items dropped off the day before an event, as there are many factors beyond our control that can affect the time we can get to you on the day such as traffic jams, accidents and vehicles breaking down.
We appreciate that this can make things difficult with venues with strict timings; however, from experience we understand how difficult it can be to make those timings and want to be honest about our limitations up front to help you make an informed decision.
The one exception to this is exhibitions, where there are defined set up and breakdown times. When an order is placed for an exhibition, we will email you to confirm the show name, hall number if applicable, stand number, and details for setup and breakdown as well as any specific venue protocols that need to be followed. There may be additional charges applicable for these events; if you are unsure please email support@expohire.com before placing your order.
Do delivery drivers deliver up or down stairs?
The short answer to this question is no, as our insurers will not allow it.
Does a customer need to be present for delivery or collection?
In the majority of cases, the customer will need to be present to sign paperwork for hire equipment received. However, if notified beforehand (and given approval), we can liaise with venues with respect to delivery and collection. One of few exceptions to this is when ordering hire for a stand at an exhibition centre; as we deliver and collect directly from the stand during set-up and breakdown we do not need the customer to be present.
Something has gone wrong - what does a customer do?
Sometimes, problems occur. The most important thing for a customer to do in this situation is to make contact - either by 0800 910 1015, support@expohire.com or via our live chat facility. The sooner we are aware of an issue, the sooner we can fix it.
Please be aware that we can only service equipment at the location we have delivered it to. Any faulty items collected from our warehouse must be returned to us as quickly as possible. We cannot be liable for any damage that may have been caused under subsequent transport.
Is there a damage deposit?
No – we don’t charge a damage deposit prior to hiring items out. However, should breakages or losses occur then you may be liable for a replacement fee for the item, which is 10 times the hire price as standard.
Do I need to clean items prior to return?
Items need to be returned to us clean and in a condition to be rehired again immediately.
We appreciate that some people may not fancy the prospect of cleaning up after a huge event and as such offer a “send it back dirty” service whereby crockery and cutlery only needs to be scraped of food waste and liquids emptied from glasses prior to return for us to professionally delivered. The cost of this service is an additional 25% to the hire cost.
We’ve found in our experience that the majority of breakages to crockery and glassware happen during cleaning and as such we recommend that the “send it back dirty” service is utilised to prevent that.
Can I use electrical equipment in an outdoor setting such as a festival?
In theory, yes, but the practicality is that we strongly recommend using LPG equipment at any outdoor event that is using a temporary power supply such as a generator. This is because temporary power supplies are not designed for appliances with high power ratings such as turbofan ovens, fryers and griddles. Using these kinds of appliances on temporary power supplies will cause the supply to trip and the appliance to not work properly or at all.
Please check the power rating of the supply you using, paying attention to the amperage and the wattage allowed. If our equipment is rated higher than these numbers, it won't work on your power supply.
What does Two Person Delivery and Collection mean?
Two Person delivery and collection ensures that the delivery driver will be accompanied by a second person to ensure efficient delivery of heavy or awkward items. In addition, it will increase the allotted time for your delivery and collection from 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
Two Person delivery and collection is required on certain items as they cannot be carried by a lone driver; while we are grateful that our customers offer to help our drivers they cannot be indemnified in the event of an accident or injury, and regretfully we cannot accept this help.
What happens if a customer needs to cancel?
As with anything. the more notice we have for a cancellation the better and the more likely we can do something to help. In all cases, please email support@expohire.com immediately.
If your order has more than a month until delivery, then we can refund 75% of your order value. If you've only paid a deposit on your order this will be lost but you won't be responsible for paying the remainder of the order.
If your order has between seven and 28 days before delivery then we can refund 50% of your order value.
If there is less than seven days prior to your event then we regret we cannot refund any of your order at all.
The upshot of this is that we always recommend that people make contingency plans for their events; for example being able to move to an indoor or under cover setting if outdoors, or by insuring their event against cancellation costs.
The only exception to this is the unlikely event coronavirus restrictions are reintroduced. If this happens, then we will reschedule events if required or offer credit notes. Anyone with an outstanding credit note from the past year is still welcome to use it until the end of 2022.