Case study: Imberhorne School

Having the right school cooker can make all the difference to your food tech classes. It can even bring huge savings to your energy bills if you get an energy-efficient model.

So, how do you know which option is best for you? We asked Imberhorne School if they could help us out.

What was Imberhorne School looking for?

Imberhorne is a split-site school that required cookers for their three food technology classrooms across the campus.

“We were looking to replace our old cookers and to modernise/revamp these areas” said Julie Cooper, the Business Manager at Imberhorne.

What to consider when sourcing cookers for schools

There are some typical considerations that apply when a school is looking to lease domestic appliances:

1) Equipment that fits with the curriculum:

Each school has different requirements when it comes to cookers.

Some need gas, electric or dual fuel, others ask for advice on induction cooking. Then, there are additional variables to consider such as timers, efficiency and glass lids.

Utility Rentals offers an extensive range of products designed to meet the specific needs of our customers. Imberhorne was particularly impressed with this;

“They were keen to work with us and for the outcome to be what we wanted.”

“They demonstrated in their quote that they had listened carefully to what we had asked for and gave us choices rather than a single option.”

2) Support package:

Utility Rentals offers a comprehensive support package to ensure peace of mind and product satisfaction throughout the rental period. This includes:

• delivery
• disconnection and removal of old appliances
• installation
• testing and commissioning of new appliances
• expert advice throughout the rental
• 5 years parts and labour breakdown warranty as standard

This customer service and support aspect was of great importance to the Imberhorne School team.

They decided to rent rather than purchase because of the “health and safety checks, servicing and no worries about depreciation or disposal”.

We’re pleased to say that the staff at Imberhorne have been extremely happy with our performance since we started working together:

“Their customer service has been excellent in the years since then, and, although we go through the quotation process when the lease is due for renewal, we have chosen to remain with Utility Rentals each time up to present.”

3) Cost and payment methods

All of Utility Rental’s school cookers are competitively priced, but it’s our payment plans – that spread the cost over a long period – that encourage schools with limited cash flow to work with us.

As repair and engineer costs are included as part of the rental package, there are no unexpected maintenance costs if something goes wrong – another bonus for schools on a budget!

Julie at Imberhorne had a stringent selection process in choosing her school’s supplier, she contacted various Business Managers across the country and asked for recommendations for leasing partners. She narrowed them down to a shortlist of three suppliers who were asked to quote. Fortunately, we were one of them:

“The Utility Rentals quote was reasonably comparable to the others, but not the cheapest.” It was Utility Rentals’ attention to detail, recommendations based on customer service, and opportunities to “spread the cost” that drove Imberhorne to select us as their supplier.

The Utility Rentals touch

We’ll leave the last word to the ones who know:

“We have been very happy with the support available. They keep in touch regularly and have always arrived when they say they will, and done what they say they will do”

“It could be that we have been extremely lucky in having this level of service over the years, but I think it is more a reflection of how Utility Rentals operates.”

Get in touch with Utility Rentals to find out how they can help your school today.