Who is right Dh or me regarding paying?

[Lipz]

A couple of weeks before lock down we hired 2 gym equipment pieces for 4 weeks.

When the date came round for collection the company contacted me asking if I would hold onto the items till things settled as they were not allowed to travel to collect them, not allowed to enter house, non essential company. I told them I wouldn't be able to afford to keep them indefinitely, they said there would be no charge.

I think I should give something towards having them here, as I'm still using them, however I wouldn't be able to pay the full amount, but was thinking half of what it would have cost to hire.

Dh thinks pay nothing, he said they said no payment, if they wanted payment they should have arranged something, he said I'm only using them because they are here, I wouldn't have hired them for this long. He said the items would be sitting in their shop because they can't hire out anything.

Am I being unreasonable to want to pay something?

Personally I wouldn't be paying, it was their decision not to collect.

I wouldn’t pay anything. They’ve said not to pay.

Thank you Flummingbird

I wouldn’t pay.

I'm with your DH
They're probably grateful you've decided to keep them. It you were struggling for room it would be an inconvenience.

I wouldn’t be paying either. Why don’t you make a small donation to somewhere that helps the staff of small businesses that have had to close?

Thank you hotdogguy

Oh dear maybe I'm wrong

Are you mad ? Don't pay anything , they aren't expecting anything , it's just one of those things

If they wanted payment they should have collected or had an agreement.

No I wouldn’t be offering a payment.

I wouldn't be paying either and wouldn't like my h to pay

I wouldn't pay either, they're not going to be getting income from the equipment at the moment and I assume they'll be getting government loans or grants like everyone else is.

Thanks everyone appreciate your views

They are a family company. I'm not sure how big they are or if they are successful. When I rang to hire the stuff the guy kept telling me they were very busy and to book dates soon. Not sure though if that's sales banter.

No don’t pay - you’re basically storing them - and also you’re not taking them away from another paying customer so you’re not costing them money (if anything the opposite as they don’t have to store).

I would not pay.

If anything you’d be entitled to charge them for storing it.

I forgot about gov grants. Good point.

Paying would be a very drippy thing to do.

Lol charge them for storing. I like that idea as they are currently in our living room.

I would not use the equipment or pay for it. Did they say you could carry on using it?

Drippy? What does that mean?

A lot of companies are going to go out of business during the pandemic. If you are using the equipment and getting benefit from it, I think paying a partial amount is a good compromise, particularly if it is a small company.

Mn is a strange place. You are annihilated if you're not continuing to pay your cleaner who is not providing a service but you're an idiot if you pay for other services.

Don't pay. That's crazy.

No I wouldn't be paying, I'd see it as a wee lockdown bonus!

I would not pay for something that was taking up space in my house and I had planned to return earlier.

Depends. I've been supporting local shops a lot more during lockdown, even though they're more expensive. If the company seems to be struggling and you can afford it, maybe offer a token gesture since you've been using the equipment. You'll have added to the wear and tear of the product after all.

He said I could continue to use it.