Millinery Market – What to do if your Rental Hat is Damaged
All hat listings have a ‘Terms of Hire‘ section, which shows the listing’s minor damage fees and major damage/replacement fees. Review the ‘Terms of Hire’ on your listing to see what was agreed between you and the renter.
If your rental hat is damaged, the first step is to take photos of the damage and ask the renter if they know how it happened. In some cases the renter may not be aware as the damage may have happened during shipping. It’s important to note that the renter assumes the risk of loss or damage when the item is in transit from the renter back to the owner, which is why renters are encouraged to get postal insurance to reduce their risk.
Items with Minor Damage
Minor damage is defined as damage that is repairable (e.g. a stain, a broken quill, a flower or brim that has been bent out of shape) to a standard suitable for use and where the cost of repairs is less than the item’s retail value.
If your item has minor damage, get a quote to have it fixed. If you are a milliner and can fix it yourself, estimate reasonable costs for your time and materials. As per the listing’s terms of hire, minor damage fees are capped (AU $50, NZ $50, US$40, €30, £30), so any repair cost in excess of the cap is at the lender’s expense. We recommend lenders set aside a portion of the rental income to fund any gaps in minor damage repair costs and for general wear and tear.
Provide a copy of the quote to the renter and kindly request them to pay the minor damage fee. The minor damage fee is paid as a private transaction via bank transfer or PayPal.
If you’re unable to reach an agreement, you can ask Millinery Market to get involved. We will review the extent of minor damage, the repair cost quote and contact the renter to try and resolve the issue. If the renter is uncooperative or unresponsive, depending on the situation we may temporarily suspend or ban the user from the platform to prevent similar incidents from happening to other members of the community.
If you had an unsatisfactory experience with the renter, you can state what went wrong in your user review to let others know about your experience.
Please note that minor damage or damage that is repairable is not covered under the Millinery Market Lender’s Protection. If you want to be extra careful and reduce the risk of minor damage, only rent to users with a positive review history who have verified their identity with a Deemly trust profile.
Items with Major Damage
Major damage is defined as damage that is too bad to be repaired to a standard suitable for use (a write-off), or damage that technically could be repaired, but the cost of repairing the hat is higher than its retail value.
From your hat listing, note down whether it has flexible, moderate or strict terms of hire, as well as the specified retail value. The major damage fee is 60% of the specified retail value for flexible terms, 70% of the specified retail value for moderate terms, and 80% of the specified retail value for strict terms. E.g. if the hat listing has a specified retail value of AU $300 and moderate terms of hire, the major damage fee is AU $210 (70% x AU $300).
Provide photos and details of the major damage to the renter and kindly request them to pay the major damage fee. The major damage fee is paid as a private transaction via bank transfer or PayPal.
If you’re unable to reach an agreement, you can ask Millinery Market to get involved. We will review the extent of major damage, the major damage fee and contact the renter to try and resolve the issue. If the renter is uncooperative or unresponsive, depending on the situation we may temporarily suspend or ban the user from the platform to prevent similar incidents from happening to other members of the community. If you are unable to recover the major damage fee from the renter, you will be eligible for Millinery Market Lender’s Protection.
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