Last Tuesday I arranged a hire of a lawn scarifier this weekend. The weather forecast was perfect and I arranged for time in my schedule to carry out the scarifying of my lawn made necessary by the long period of hot weather this summer. It was delivered satisfactorily, however the delivery driver was unable to help me familiarise myself with what should be the simple process of starting the machine or operating it. I did as he suggested and rang the Brandon office. Your colleague Rob gave me clear instructions to no avail. It would not start. After my trying for five minutes or so under his instruction by phone, he offered to come to me. Clearly he left his office immediately and arrived within 20 minutes (around midday on Saturday), accompanied by the delivery driver. He was unable to start the machine before he changed the spark plug. I asked him when it had been checked and he told me that he had done so the previous day. I found this very surprising. Eventually, the machine laboured into life. There followed serval minutes of Rob attempting to keep the engine firing. Eventually it was achieved by regulating the choke and I was advised to run it on half choke. I used the machine for half an hour or so, during which it stalled on numerous occasions. On the final occasion it did so I could not restart it, whatever adjustment I made to the choke. I broke for lunch. I returned to the machine half an hour later and after half a dozen attempt to start it, the pull starter cord snapped. (It was old and obviously had been pulled on countless occasions). The machine looked – and was – ‘clapped out’. It was not in working order when delivered, it required servicing before it would start and broke down soon after your colleagues left. It is clear to me that rather than having a policy of renewing your hire equipment regularly you hire out machinery until you disappoint and inconvenience your customers by hiring out unreliable old equipment. I have missed this first-class opportunity to carry out this job, whilst the grass is growing, which is necessary. You cannot put this right; however, I do require an immediate, full refund. James Seymour