Fat Llama

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Has anyone heard of/used the above? I was looking to hire a lens, and unusualy Lenses for Hire couldn't help so I went searching on the internet. The above website came up. Its pretty much owners of equipment loaning it out. Seems interesting and as you search for local lenders it normally negates postage charges. I can hire a Fuji 50-140 for £18 per day. Interesting concept?
 
Has anyone heard of/used the above? I was looking to hire a lens, and unusualy Lenses for Hire couldn't help so I went searching on the internet. The above website came up. Its pretty much owners of equipment loaning it out. Seems interesting and as you search for local lenders it normally negates postage charges. I can hire a Fuji 50-140 for £18 per day. Interesting concept?

Ah! Is this the "peer to peer" hire company I recall and tried to remember to post in another such thread???
 
Yes there was a thread about it w a while ago. Ask yourself if you can take anything called "Fat Llama" seriously?
 
Yes there was a thread about it w a while ago. Ask yourself if you can take anything called "Fat Llama" seriously?

I must say, I did question the name! I searched and could a thread though
 
[thread necromancy]

hi all, I've stumbled across FatLlama too, and am tempted to try them out. Has anyone tried them? I can't find the old thread.

(I know at least one equipment hire place advertises on here, I'm also considering them but this P2P site is less than 1/2 the price...)
 
I'd be happy to offer any information and experience I have concerning Fat Llama. I'm not really bothered about them being a competitor. As far as I'm concerned with my business hat on, I'm in favour of anything that propagates the idea that it makes sense to hire expensive photographic kit when you need it. Let's make the pie bigger rather than worrying about the relative sizes of our slices.

But the interesting and slightly surprising thing is that I've heard absolutely nothing about Fat Llama from our customers. Not even anyone asking about comparative pricing, etc. Nada. Zilch. I'm not entirely sure why. One possibility is that peer-to-peer is very much a minority activity, at least for photographic equipment. (And to be honest that strikes me as quite plausible, given the obvious difficulties around peer-to-peer lending of expensive and fragile kit.) Another possibility is that there's just zero overlap between their customer base and ours, though that strikes me as somewhat less likely. But I just don't know.

But anyway, if you want to go down the peer-to-peer route, it can be very cheap, not least because the owners of the equipment don't have overheads like staff, offices, IT systems, and so on. Just make sure you check out the lender thoroughly: How confident are you about the condition of the equipment? What backup or support can you expect if something goes wrong? What is their policy regarding cosmetic wear and tear? Basic stuff like that. And make sure you understand the insurance position. And make sure you understand the Fat Llama terms and conditions - there's some important (and to my mind rather strange) stuff in there. Good luck!
 
I'd be happy to offer any information and experience I have concerning Fat Llama. I'm not really bothered about them being a competitor. As far as I'm concerned with my business hat on, I'm in favour of anything that propagates the idea that it makes sense to hire expensive photographic kit when you need it. Let's make the pie bigger rather than worrying about the relative sizes of our slices.

But the interesting and slightly surprising thing is that I've heard absolutely nothing about Fat Llama from our customers. Not even anyone asking about comparative pricing, etc. Nada. Zilch. I'm not entirely sure why. One possibility is that peer-to-peer is very much a minority activity, at least for photographic equipment. (And to be honest that strikes me as quite plausible, given the obvious difficulties around peer-to-peer lending of expensive and fragile kit.) Another possibility is that there's just zero overlap between their customer base and ours, though that strikes me as somewhat less likely. But I just don't know.

But anyway, if you want to go down the peer-to-peer route, it can be very cheap, not least because the owners of the equipment don't have overheads like staff, offices, IT systems, and so on. Just make sure you check out the lender thoroughly: How confident are you about the condition of the equipment? What backup or support can you expect if something goes wrong? What is their policy regarding cosmetic wear and tear? Basic stuff like that. And make sure you understand the insurance position. And make sure you understand the Fat Llama terms and conditions - there's some important (and to my mind rather strange) stuff in there. Good luck!

All good and valid points Stewart. I've used your company a few times now, and your Customer Service team are second to none. To the point where after renting a few Fuji lenses I rented a Canon zoom, and had a call the next day asking if it was correct as they had noticed I normally use Fuji! Attention to detail in CSM is key. I'm sure if there was an issue with a lens from you, it wold be sorted in an amicable and professional way.

By the way, having just read my post I'm aware it may come across as sycophantic. Just telling it as it is
 
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