What happens at an Open Shed pick up?
Last month Open Shed members Sonja and Bern met to do their first rental. Bern had posted a wanted ad looking for a water gurney to help her clean her windows, so Sonja added to her ever growing Open Shed inventory a Karcher Jet Washer.
We just love the description of the “exchange” that they left on our facebook page!
Sonja: Met Bern in a side street in Seaforth, popped the boot, showed her the goods and she gave me the code word and we exchanged. Felt like we were doing a drug deal!
Bern: It was a bit like undercover sting and we had a giggle - felt great to rent from such a nice gal and because I chose to travel a little further to rent - we now get to go on a bush walk recommended by Sonja- somewhere different to go when returning the Karcher! All that and I have clean paths and windows!
The pick up or exchange of the rental item is obviously a really important step of the Open Shed process and we needed a way for the Open Shed system to know it had occurred, so we introduced the “secret code”.
The Renter is emailed the secret code (which will be a randomly selected girls name) once the Owner has accepted their rental request. At the agreed pick up point the exchange of this Secret Code becomes the modern day equivalent of a handshake. It confirms that both parties are happy to proceed with the rental at the same time.
Here’s the exchange steps from the owners perspective:
- The Renter gives you the code once they have looked at your item and is happy it matches the description in your rental listing.
- You enter the code via the Open Shed website or mobile app.
- The code is verified and if it is correct it triggers the removal of the Rental Fee and Service Fee from the Renter’s account.
- For your own peace of mind, you should wait until you have received notification the code has been verified before giving the item to the Renter.
Our secret code process also plays an important part in our overall focus on trust and security for our community. We have just recently updated our trust and security page to better explain what we provide, so please check it out.
