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Missed service due to a locked gate: who is responsible for the fee?

Sam O.asked 0 viewsDelivery, Placement & ServicingMissed serviceTruck accessContractStandard unitPlacement

Our house has a long driveway and we keep the side gate to the back yard padlocked. The rental company dropped off a standard portable toilet for our bathroom renovation, placing it on the concrete pad behind the gate. Our contract says the unit must be accessible for the weekly service visit. Yesterday was service day. I was at work and forgot to unlock the gate. The driver called, but I missed it, and they logged a missed service. Now I have a bill for the trip. The contract doesn't explicitly say who is responsible for the fee if the driver can't get to the unit. Is the customer always responsible for ensuring access, or does the company share some duty to confirm before sending the truck? What's the standard practice here?

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Deb K.Akron, OH

The customer is responsible for the fee. Your contract states the unit must be accessible, and that obligation falls on you. The standard practice in the industry is that the rental company bills for a [missed service] when their driver arrives and cannot perform the work due to a customer-caused obstruction.

The driver fulfilled their duty by attempting to contact you when they found the gate locked. A [service visit] is a scheduled appointment, not a request for the driver to wait for access to be arranged. The [vacuum truck] has a tight route schedule, often 40 to 60 stops a day, and cannot delay for one location.

This fee covers the cost of the trip, fuel, driver time, and truck maintenance, for a service that was attempted but not completed. To avoid this in the future, leave a key with a neighbor, provide a lock combination to the rental company, or ensure the gate is unlocked on service day. The responsibility for access is clearly with the customer once the unit is delivered.

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Ashley M.Boise, ID

You are responsible for the missed-service fee when a locked gate blocks the truck. That matches what your contract already says about keeping the unit accessible for a service visit.

I run into this on home remodels all the time. The driver has a packed route and cannot wait around for someone to drive home with a key. Once they log a missed service, the trip charge is on the customer, and the tank keeps filling until the next successful pump.

What works for me: put a lockbox on the gate with a code you text the rental office the day before service, leave a spare key with a neighbor who will be home, or just unlock that side gate before you leave for work on service day. Some outfits will take a combo in the account notes so every driver on the route has it.

Also check that the service door on the standard unit stays clear of bikes, lumber, or trash cans. Access means the truck can reach the unit and the tech can open the service panel, not just that someone can walk into the yard.

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