I rented some gear for a gig and called a week before to book the rental.
I paid upfront with my credit card over the phone for the rental but when I got to the store I was charged a surprise $40 "holding fee". Confused seeing as I paid in full up front I was informed that the fee was to guarantee that the gear I had already paid for would be held for me. Huh? Apparently paying upfront in full does not guarantee that the gear will be there which makes absolutely no sense. Unless of course you pay them an extra $40 for nothing.
I pleaded with the guy to forgo the unfair, undiscussed hidden charge and he smugly said "Do you want the gear or not pal?". Had I not had a gig in three hours I would have walked. To make matters worse they initially showed me a piece of gear that was like new but then gave me one with missing knobs and beer spilled all over it. I only noticed when I got to the car and had to go back in and exchange it. They thought it was funny. Nice.
I will never go back to L&M and now happily take my business else where and for better rental prices too I might add.