Big Rentals Help Center & FAQ

Question 1

How long does it take to get started and set up my business?

Accepted Answer

You can be up and running with HQ Rent in as little as 24 hours. Most businesses complete the initial setup in 2-4 hours using our guided onboarding process. This includes importing your existing data, adding inventory, setting up payment processing, configuring your website, customizing your branding, and training your team. Our onboarding team can also handle the entire setup for you if preferred.

Question 2

Can I integrate HQ Rent with my existing website?

Accepted Answer

Yes! HQ Rent offers multiple integration options. You can embed our booking widget into your existing website, use our API for custom integrations, or create a fully-featured rental website using our website builder.

Question 3

What payment processors do you support?

Accepted Answer

We integrate with major payment processors including Stripe, Square, and PayPal. This allows you to accept credit cards, debit cards, and digital payments while maintaining PCI compliance.

Question 4

Do you offer support for multiple locations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, HQ Rent is designed to handle multiple locations. You can manage inventory across different locations, set location-specific pricing, and track performance for each branch separately.

Question 5

What kind of support do you provide?

Accepted Answer

We offer 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and chat. Our support team is based in-house and has extensive experience with rental operations. We also provide detailed documentation, video tutorials, and regular training webinars.

Question 6

Is there a free trial and what's included?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We offer a 14-day free trial for all plans (Essentials, Growth, and Scale) with full access to all features. You can add inventory, test booking flows, try integrations, and explore all features with your actual business scenarios. Our team provides setup assistance during your trial.

Question 7

Is my data secure with HQ Rent?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We use bank-level encryption, regular security audits, and automated backups to keep your data safe. We're also GDPR compliant and never share your data with third parties.

Question 8

Can I import my existing customer and inventory data?

Accepted Answer

Yes, HQ Rent supports importing data from Excel, CSV files, and many popular rental software systems. Our team can assist you with the data migration process during onboarding.

Question 9

How do I set up online booking for my customers?

Accepted Answer

Setting up online booking is simple. You can embed our booking widget on your existing website, use our hosted booking page, or build a complete website with our website builder. Customers can see real-time availability, pricing, and book instantly.

Question 10

What are the payment processing fees?

Accepted Answer

Payment processing fees are tiered by plan: Essentials plans have a 4.4% total processing rate, Growth plans have a 3.9% rate, and Scale plans have a 3.4% rate. These rates include all payment processing costs with no additional hidden fees.

Question 11

Can I track where my equipment is located?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our fleet management system tracks equipment location, status (available, rented, maintenance), and rental history. You can see real-time availability across all your inventory and get alerts for upcoming returns or maintenance schedules.

Question 12

Do customers need to sign contracts digitally?

Accepted Answer

Yes, customers can sign rental contracts digitally using their phone, tablet, or computer. Our digital contracts include all terms, liability waivers, and can be customized for your business needs. Signed contracts are automatically stored and accessible anytime.

Question 13

What's the difference between trailer and equipment rental features?

Accepted Answer

Both use the same powerful HQ Rent platform! Trailer rental focuses on flatbed, enclosed, utility, and car hauler trailers with features like GPS tracking and delivery scheduling. Equipment rental adds heavy machinery management for excavators, generators, and construction equipment with specialized maintenance tracking and operator requirements.

Question 14

How do I add my rental inventory to the system?

Accepted Answer

You can add inventory individually through our easy form, bulk import from Excel/CSV files, or have our team import your existing data during onboarding. Each item includes photos, descriptions, pricing tiers (daily/weekly/monthly), and availability tracking.

Question 15

Do I get a website included and what features does it have?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Growth and Scale plans include a fully customized website for your rental business with completely FREE hosting. This includes professional design, mobile responsiveness, online booking integration, premium hosting at no cost, SSL security, and SEO optimization. You can use your own domain or get a free subdomain. The website syncs automatically with your inventory and pricing in real-time. We handle all the hosting, maintenance, and updates for free as part of your subscription. This is a $1,250+ value included in your plan with ongoing free hosting that would typically cost $100+ per month elsewhere.

Question 16

What's the difference between Essentials, Growth, and Scale plans?

Accepted Answer

Essentials covers core rental management for small businesses. Growth adds website builder, advanced marketing tools, and integrations. Scale includes multi-location support, API access, custom workflows, and dedicated support.

Question 17

What's the difference between monthly and yearly billing and do you offer annual billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we offer both monthly and annual billing options. With yearly billing, you pay for 12 months upfront and receive a 20% discount compared to paying month-to-month. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the billing cycle unless canceled. You can switch to annual billing anytime from your account settings or select it during signup. We accept credit cards for monthly billing and ACH bank transfers for annual subscriptions.

Question 18

What are the costs for additional users and other add-ons?

Accepted Answer

Additional users are $20/month per user on Growth and Scale plans (Essentials includes 1 user, Growth includes 2 users, Scale includes unlimited users). The Scale plan includes unlimited locations, while Growth and Essentials plans include 1 location. All other features are included in your plan pricing with no hidden add-on costs - no per-booking fees, per-transaction fees, or feature restrictions.

Question 19

Is there a setup fee?

Accepted Answer

Most plans have no setup fees and you can get started immediately. If you choose to have us build a custom website for your business, there may be setup fees associated with that service depending on your specific requirements.

Question 20

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) as well as ACH bank transfers for annual subscriptions.

Question 21

Does HQ Rent support multiple currencies?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We partner with Stripe for payment processing, which means you can accept payments in any currency supported by Stripe from your renters worldwide. This includes major currencies like USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, and many others. Your customers can pay in their local currency while you receive payments in your preferred currency, making it easy to serve international customers and expand your rental business globally.

Question 22

What is the guaranteed uptime of the software?

Accepted Answer

We guarantee 99.9% uptime for our rental management platform. Our infrastructure is built on enterprise-grade cloud servers with automatic failover, redundant systems, and 24/7 monitoring to ensure your business operations run smoothly. We take reliability seriously because we understand that your rental business depends on our platform being available when your customers need to book equipment.

Question 23

Do SMS messages cost extra?

Accepted Answer

We partner with OpenPhone to deliver SMS messages to your customers. If your plan supports automated messaging, you can send notifications when customers place orders, payment reminders, and other communications. SMS billing is handled directly through OpenPhone as a third-party service, so you'll receive separate billing for message usage based on your OpenPhone plan and message volume.

Question 24

Do I own my domain if you build my website?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you retain full ownership of your domain name. We don't control your domain - it remains yours completely. When we build your website, we provide you with nameservers to point your domain to our hosting servers, allowing us to host your website for free as part of your plan. You can change these nameservers anytime if you decide to host elsewhere, and your domain ownership is never affected.

Question 25

What happens to my website if I cancel HQ Rent?

Accepted Answer

Since we design and build your website as part of our service, the website and its hosting are tied to your active subscription. If you cancel your account, access to the website and hosting will be discontinued. We recommend downloading any content you'd like to keep and transitioning to your own hosting solution before cancellation. We're happy to provide guidance on website transition during your cancellation process.

Question 26

Can I upload my own branding?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Growth and Scale plans include comprehensive white labeling and custom branding features. You can upload your own logos, customize color themes, apply your brand fonts, and personalize the interface to match your business identity. This includes branding for your customer-facing website, booking system, contracts, and communications, ensuring a consistent brand experience across all customer touchpoints.

Question 27

How does the website text chat work?

Accepted Answer

Our text chat widget captures visitors on your website and starts SMS conversations through your OpenPhone number. Visitors can text you directly without calling, and you control business hours, auto-responses, and message routing to keep your personal number private.

Question 28

How does automatic review collection work?

Accepted Answer

After successful rentals, we automatically send personalized review requests via email or SMS to happy customers. The system detects the best timing (after equipment return) and guides customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook to boost your local visibility.

Question 29

Can I do equipment inspections on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our mobile app lets you conduct digital inspections with photos, checklists, and condition tracking. All data syncs instantly to the cloud with timestamps and GPS coordinates. Perfect for documenting equipment condition before and after rentals.

Question 30

How do you handle damage claims and recovery?

Accepted Answer

Our claims management system automatically creates detailed reports from inspection data, tracks recovery progress, and integrates with insurance providers. It includes photo evidence, damage assessment, cost estimates, and automated follow-up to maximize recovery rates.

Question 31

What types of trailers can I manage?

Accepted Answer

All types! Including enclosed trailers, flatbed trailers, car haulers, utility trailers, equipment trailers, deckover trailers, gooseneck trailers, dump trailers, tilt trailers, and roll-off dump trailers. Each type can have specific features, pricing, and requirements configured.

Question 32

What types of equipment can I rent out?

Accepted Answer

Heavy construction equipment including excavators, mini excavators, backhoes, telehandlers, forklifts, skid steers, generators, compressors, light towers, scissor lifts, concrete mixers, trenchers, and general site equipment. Each can have operator requirements and maintenance schedules.

Question 33

How does the booking management system work?

Accepted Answer

Customers can book online 24/7 seeing real-time availability. You get instant notifications, can approve/modify bookings, set up delivery schedules, collect deposits, and track everything from initial inquiry to equipment return. All bookings sync across your team.

Question 34

What kind of reports and analytics do you provide?

Accepted Answer

Comprehensive reports including availability forecasts, revenue analytics, pickup/return schedules, fleet utilization, customer behavior, popular equipment, seasonal trends, and financial summaries. All reports can be customized, scheduled, and exported to Excel or PDF.

Question 35

What customer management features are included?

Accepted Answer

Complete CRM with customer profiles, rental history, contact preferences, notes, documents storage, conversation tracking, automated follow-ups, loyalty programs, and personalized pricing. Perfect for building long-term customer relationships.

Question 36

How do you automate documents and emails?

Accepted Answer

Professional templates for quotes, contracts, invoices, and receipts are automatically generated and emailed. Includes automated booking confirmations, reminders, thank you messages, and follow-ups. All documents can be customized with your branding.

Question 37

How do I manage users and permissions?

Accepted Answer

Set up team members with role-based permissions controlling access to features, customer data, pricing, and reports. Includes bulk editing tools, SSO integration, IP restrictions, and audit logs for security and compliance.

Question 38

How do pre-authorization and security deposits work?

Accepted Answer

HQ Rent can automatically place pre-authorization holds on customer credit cards to secure rentals before pickup. Security deposits are processed separately and can be refunded automatically when equipment is returned in good condition. This protects your business while providing a smooth customer experience.

Question 39

Can customers make partial payments or payment plans?

Accepted Answer

Yes! HQ Rent supports flexible payment options including partial payments at booking, installment plans, and custom payment schedules. You can require a deposit upfront and collect the balance at pickup, or set up recurring payments for long-term rentals.

Question 40

How are refunds and chargebacks handled?

Accepted Answer

Refunds can be processed directly through HQ Rent's payment dashboard for any Stripe or PayPal transaction. The system tracks all refund activity and updates your financial reports automatically. For chargebacks, you'll receive alerts and can submit evidence through our integrated dispute management system.

Question 41

What happens when a payment fails?

Accepted Answer

When payments fail, HQ Rent automatically notifies both you and the customer with clear next steps. The system can retry failed payments based on your settings, send dunning emails, and temporarily suspend rental access until payment is resolved. You can also manually retry payments or update payment methods.

Question 42

Can customers save payment methods for future rentals?

Accepted Answer

Yes! With customer consent, HQ Rent securely stores payment methods using tokenization through Stripe and PayPal. This allows returning customers to book faster without re-entering payment details, while maintaining full PCI compliance and security standards.

Question 43

Is payment processing secure and PCI compliant?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! All payment processing uses bank-level encryption and we maintain PCI DSS compliance through our integration partners like Stripe and Square. Customer payment data is never stored on our servers - it goes directly to certified payment processors for maximum security.

Question 44

What third-party integrations do you support?

Accepted Answer

Connect with QuickBooks for accounting, email marketing platforms, payment processors (Stripe, PayPal), OpenPhone for texting, Google/Yelp for reviews, and many more through our API. Custom integrations available on Scale plans.

Question 45

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time. When upgrading, the new features will be available immediately. When downgrading, the changes will take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. No setup fees for upgrades.

Question 46

Can I manage multiple rental locations?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Scale plan supports unlimited locations with separate inventory, pricing, staff access, and reporting for each location. Transfer equipment between locations, manage regional pricing, and get consolidated or location-specific reports.

Question 47

Is there a mobile app for field operations?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our mobile app handles check-ins/check-outs, digital inspections with photos, GPS tracking, customer signatures, payment collection, and real-time inventory updates. Perfect for delivery teams and field operations.

Question 48

How do I add booking to my existing website?

Accepted Answer

Multiple options: embed our booking widget with a simple code snippet, use our API for custom integration, or redirect to our hosted booking page. The widget matches your website's design and provides seamless booking without leaving your site.

Question 49

How do I create my first booking?

Accepted Answer

To create your first booking, log in to your account and navigate to the 'Bookings' section. Click on the 'New Booking' button, select the trailer you want to rent out, choose the dates, add customer information, and click 'Create Booking'. You can also set up payment options and add any additional notes or requirements.

Question 50

Can I customize my rental rates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can customize your rental rates in the 'Settings' > 'Pricing' section. You can set different rates for weekdays, weekends, holidays, and seasonal periods. You can also create special pricing for specific trailer types or set up discounts for longer rental periods.

Question 51

How do I process a refund?

Accepted Answer

To process a refund, go to the 'Payments' section, find the transaction you want to refund, and click on the 'Refund' button. You can choose to refund the full amount or a partial amount. Add a reason for the refund and click 'Process Refund'. The refund will be processed through the original payment method.

Question 52

How do I add multiple users to my account?

Accepted Answer

To add users to your account, go to 'Settings' > 'Team Members' and click 'Add Team Member'. Enter their email address and select their role (Admin, Manager, or Staff). They will receive an invitation email with instructions to create their account. You can manage their permissions and access levels from the same section.

Question 53

How do I update my account information?

Accepted Answer

To update your account information, log in to your account and go to 'Settings' > 'Account Profile'. Here you can update your business name, contact information, billing address, and other account details. Make sure to save your changes when finished.

Question 54

How do I modify existing bookings?

Accepted Answer

To modify an existing booking, go to the 'Bookings' section and find the booking you want to change. Click on the booking to open its details, then click 'Edit Booking'. You can change dates, equipment, customer information, or pricing. The customer will be automatically notified of any changes via email.

Question 55

I'm having trouble logging in. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

If you're having login issues, first check that you're using the correct email address and password. Try resetting your password using the 'Forgot Password' link. Clear your browser cache and cookies, or try a different browser. If problems persist, contact our support team for assistance.

Question 56

How do I handle booking conflicts?

Accepted Answer

When booking conflicts occur, HQ Rent will alert you immediately. You can resolve conflicts by adjusting dates, substituting similar equipment, or contacting customers to discuss alternatives. The system shows availability in real-time to help you find the best solution for all parties.

Question 57

How do I manage my subscription plan?

Accepted Answer

You can manage your subscription in 'Settings' > 'Billing & Subscription'. Here you can view your current plan, upgrade or downgrade, update payment methods, and view billing history. Plan changes take effect immediately for upgrades or at the next billing cycle for downgrades.

Question 58

How is my business data encrypted and protected?

Accepted Answer

All data is encrypted using industry-standard AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit. We implement multiple layers of security including firewall protection, intrusion detection, and regular penetration testing to ensure your business data remains secure.

Question 59

How do you control who can access my data?

Accepted Answer

We implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to ensure team members only access the data they need. Features include user permissions, IP restrictions, two-factor authentication, and detailed audit logs to track all system access and changes.

Question 60

Where is my data hosted and how secure is your infrastructure?

Accepted Answer

Your data is hosted on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure with 99.9% uptime guarantees. Our servers are located in secure, SOC 2 compliant data centers with 24/7 monitoring, redundant systems, and automatic failover protection to ensure your business never experiences downtime.

Question 61

Do you conduct regular security audits and maintain compliance?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we conduct regular security audits, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments. We maintain compliance with industry standards including SOC 2, GDPR, and CCPA. Our security practices are continuously monitored and updated to meet the latest security requirements.

Question 62

How is my data backed up and what happens in case of a disaster?

Accepted Answer

We perform automated daily backups with multiple redundant copies stored in geographically distributed locations. Our disaster recovery plan ensures rapid restoration of services with minimal downtime. All backups are encrypted and regularly tested to guarantee data integrity and availability.

Question 63

How do you ensure your employees handle data securely?

Accepted Answer

All employees undergo comprehensive security training and background checks. We implement strict access controls, regular security awareness training, and follow the principle of least privilege. Our team signs confidentiality agreements and follows documented security procedures for handling customer data.

Question 64

Is HQ Rent the same as Big Rentals?

Accepted Answer

HQ Rent is Big Rentals' flagship software product. Big Rentals is the company, and HQ Rent is our professional rental business management platform. When people search for 'Big Rentals software,' they're looking for HQ Rent.

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