Frequently asked questions

Delivery and returns

Who’s responsible for organising delivery of the equipment?

The delivery of new equipment is arranged by the dealer or supplier from whom you ordered the equipment. 

SilverChef organises the delivery of ‘Certified Used’ and clearance equipment (unless you choose to collect it yourself).


How much is delivery?

If you’re financing new equipment, the dealer or supplier from whom you ordered the equipment (either directly or via SilverChef) will be able to confirm the delivery charge with you. 

If you’re financing or buying ‘Certified Used’ or clearance equipment, our delivery charges vary, according to:  

  • your business’s location
  • the equipment’s location (we ship most of our Certified Used and clearance equipment from warehouses in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth; some clearance equipment is shipped from third-party suppliers throughout Australia)
  • the equipment’s cubic weight
  • any fuel levies/surcharges that apply.

If you Rent–Try–Buy or Lease-to-Keep the used or clearance equipment, you’ll be informed of the delivery charge in the equipment quote we email you.

If you’re purchasing the used or clearance equipment outright, you’ll be informed of the delivery charge after entering your shipping address during the online checkout process, or over the phone (if you purchase the equipment that way). 


When will my equipment be delivered?

If you finance your equipment through SilverChef, it will be delivered to you after you’ve signed the rental or lease agreement and paid the upfront costs.

If you finance new equipment through us, the equipment dealer or supplier should contact you to confirm your delivery address and give you an estimated time of arrival.

If you finance or purchase ‘Certified Used’ or clearance equipment, we’ll contact you to confirm your delivery address and give you an estimated time of arrival. 

You should receive this equipment within 1–8 business days.

(SilverChef cannot be held responsible for any unexpected delays in the delivery of equipment.)


Can I request a specific delivery day and time?

We can deliver your equipment to you on a specific weekday at no extra cost; however, we do charge more to deliver it at an exact time (one between 8am and 4pm AEST). 


Do you deliver equipment on weekends?

We may, under exceptional circumstances, consider delivering your equipment to you on a Saturday or Sunday for an additional fee.

To find out whether we’d be able to deliver the equipment to you on a weekend, please call us on 1800 816 821 (during business hours).


Will the delivery driver call to tell me they’re on their way?

Upon your request, we’ll ask our carrier to call you about an hour or so before the equipment is due to be delivered to your business premises.


Will the equipment be delivered to the inside of my business premises?

We offer standard kerbside drop-off (door-to-door) deliveries of equipment.

For an extra fee, our carrier can unpack the equipment for you and put it in the exact spot you intend to use it. 

To request this add-on service, please call us on 1800 816 821.


Will SilverChef take away my old equipment?

If you’re renting equipment from us and you decide to upgrade to a bigger, better or different piece of Certified Used or clearance equipment, we’ll call you to confirm your delivery address and time. 

If you’d like us to take away your original equipment, please let us know.


Will I need to sign for the equipment upon delivery?

Yes — someone will need to be present at the delivery address to sign for the equipment.

This is unless you and SilverChef agree — in advance, when you order the equipment — that we can drop the equipment off without anyone signing for it.

In this case, we’ll give our carrier ‘authority to leave’ the delivery, allowing them to leave the equipment at the drop-off address even though the recipient isn’t present.


Does SilverChef install equipment?

No. If professional installation is necessary, customers will need to arrange for a qualified technician to install their equipment at the customer’s cost. 


Can I collect the equipment myself?

If you’ve ordered new equipment, you may be able to collect it from the equipment dealer or supplier’s premises (please arrange this directly with the dealer or supplier). 

When ordering ‘Certified Used’ or clearance equipment online, you can — during the checkout process — choose the option to collect the equipment from the warehouse in which the equipment is stored; or you can let us know over the phone (if you order the equipment that way).

Our warehouses are located in:

  • Wacol, Brisbane
  • Laverton, Melbourne
  • Forrestdale, Perth.

If you opt to collect the equipment, we’ll arrange a mutually convenient collection time. 

It goes without saying that you’ll need to have the vehicle, manpower and equipment required to load, transport, and unload the equipment safely.


What is SilverChef’s returns policy?

There are several reasons customers may be able to return equipment to us, namely:

Reason

Description

Change of circumstances

If a Rent–Try–Buy or Loyalty customer’s circumstances have changed or the equipment no longer suits their needs, they can return the equipment to us after their 12-month agreement expires.

Equipment upgrade

If a Rent–Try–Buy or Loyalty customer upgrades their equipment (which they can do at any time), they return the original equipment to us. 

Wrong or damaged-in-transit equipment

If the ‘Certified Used’ or clearance equipment we deliver does not match the advertised specifications or is damaged in transit, the customer must advise us in writing within seven business days of the delivery date.

Change of mind / Cancellation

If a customer changes their mind and we agree (in writing) to cancel their order, they can return the equipment to us (they’ll be charged a re-stocking fee of 15% of the equipment’s value).

Warranty claim / Faulty equipment

If a customer’s Certified Used or clearance equipment develops a covered fault within the three-month warranty period and we replace the equipment or refund them, we’ll organise and pay for the faulty equipment to be returned to us.


If my circumstances have changed or the equipment no longer suits my needs, can I return it?

If your circumstances have changed or the equipment no longer suits your needs, you may be able to return the equipment to us.

The following table shows you which products allow you to return equipment:

Product

Can I return the equipment?

Rent–Try–Buy

Yes — after the 12-month agreement expires ^

Loyalty

Yes — after the 12-month agreement expires

Easy Own

No

Lease-to-Keep

No

Custom Equipment LeaseNo

^ If you don’t exercise any of your end-of-term options, you can continue renting month-to-month for as long as you need to. You can still return the equipment at any time. 


Who’s responsible for organising and paying for the return of equipment?

The party responsible for organising and paying for the return of the equipment depends on the reason it’s being returned to us (see table below).

Regardless of who’s responsible, customers are asked to contact SilverChef to notify us the equipment is being returned, prior to it being returned.

Reason for return of equipment

Party responsible for organising and paying for return of equipment 

Change of circumstances †

Customer

Equipment upgrade †

SilverChef can organise for the original equipment to be returned to us at the customer’s cost.

Wrong or damaged-in-transit equipment

('Certified Used' and clearance equipment only)

SilverChef

Change of mind / Cancellation

Customer

Warranty claim / Faulty equipment

('Certified Used' and clearance equipment only)

SilverChef

† Rent–Try–Buy and Loyalty customers only.


Do I need to let you know in advance that I’m returning the equipment?

Whether a customer needs to give us notice of their intention to return the equipment depends on the reason the equipment is being returned to us (see table below):

Reason for return of equipment

Notice period 

Change of circumstances †

4 weeks — we’ll send the customer a ‘return letter’; the notice period will start on the day we receive their reply to our letter.

Equipment upgrade †

None

Wrong or damaged-in-transit equipment
(‘Certified Used’ and clearance equipment only)

Not applicable 

Change of mind / Cancellation

None

Warranty claim / Faulty equipment
(‘Certified Used’ and clearance equipment only)

Not applicable

† Rent–Try–Buy and Loyalty customers only.


How do I return the equipment to you?

If you’re responsible for organising and/or paying for the return of the equipment to us, we’ll send you a ‘return letter’ that outlines the steps you need to take.

After you’ve acknowledged receipt of the letter, we’ll send you a return label/s to affix to the equipment.

You’ll then need to arrange for the equipment to be transported to the address of the SilverChef warehouse on the label (Brisbane, Melbourne, or Perth). (This is assuming you don’t return the equipment yourself, using your own transportation.). 

We recommend you get more than one quote and choose a sensitive-freight haulage firm or courier to minimise the risk of damage during transit (otherwise, you will be liable for the cost of repairing or replacing the equipment if it’s damaged). 

If SilverChef is responsible for organising and paying for the return of the equipment, we’ll send you a return letter.

After you’ve acknowledged receipt of the letter, we’ll send you a return label/s to affix to the equipment. We'll take care of everything from that point onwards.

If you have any questions, please call us on 1800 337 153.


How much does it cost to return the equipment?

If the customer is responsible for paying for the return of the equipment, they’ll incur two of the three following costs:

Cost

Details

Transportation 

The cost will depend on the size and weight of the equipment and the distance it has to be transported (assuming the customer doesn’t return the equipment themself, using their own transportation).

We recommend the customer gets more than one quote and chooses a sensitive-freight haulage firm or courier to minimise the risk of damage during transit (otherwise, the customer will be liable for the cost of repairing or replacing the equipment if it’s damaged). 

Equipment processing (e.g. cleaning and servicing)

This fee varies according to, for example, the type of equipment and its condition (Good vs Poor).

The better the equipment’s condition when the customer returns it, the lower the cost. 

See our equipment processing fees (PDF) 

(If the equipment is missing any parts or accessories upon its return, the customer will be charged extra.) 

Re-stocking 

This fee — 15% of the equipment’s invoice value — applies only to customers who are returning the equipment because they’ve changed their mind and whose order we've agreed (in writing) to cancel.

They’ll also be responsible for the transportation; however they won’t incur any equipment processing fees.


Why do you charge for cleaning and servicing returned equipment?

When equipment is returned to us, and even if it has been cleaned well on the outside, it invariably has dust, dirt, and grime on the inside that customers can’t easily clean.

Similarly, the equipment almost always has worn-out or broken components that need to be repaired or replaced.

Because we certify and remarket this equipment, we must pay to get it professionally cleaned and serviced inside and out.

We do this to restore it as much as possible to its original condition and to meet Australian health and safety standards. 

It means that, when customers get ‘Certified Used’ equipment from SilverChef, they can be assured it’s in the best possible condition.

See our cleaning-and-servicing fees (PDF).


Can you organise the transport on my behalf?

If you upgrade equipment that’s financed by us, we can arrange the transportation of the equipment you’re returning to us. 

We’ll send you a freight quote and, upon acceptance of that quote, we’ll ask a third-party freight company to collect the equipment from your business premises and haul it to us. 

The cost of the transportation will be deducted from your security bond.

If the equipment you’re returning is unrelated to an upgrade, you’ll need to organise the transport yourself.


When can I expect to get my Rent–Try–Buy security bond back?

We’ll refund your security bond once you’ve purchased or returned all of the equipment on your contract — whether that is one piece of equipment or more.

If you purchase the equipment

If you decide to purchase the one and only or last piece/s of equipment on your contract, we’ll reconcile your contract and send you a ‘payout quote’. 

Once you’ve paid for the equipment, including any arrears (i.e. unpaid rent), we’ll refund your security bond to you within 2–4 weeks of the date of your payout quote. 

(If a customer has another contract with SilverChef and that contract is in arrears, the security bond will instead be transferred to that contract.) 

If you return the equipment 

After you’ve returned the one and only or last piece/s of equipment on your contract, we’ll reconcile your contract and send you a ‘return statement’.

The statement will show the balance of your contract — your security bond minus the return costs (e.g. cleaning and servicing) and any arrears (i.e. unpaid rent) or freight charges that may apply. 

If your bond doesn’t cover these costs, the statement will show you the amount owing to us.

If your bond more than covers these costs, we’ll refund the balance owed to you within 2–4 weeks.


What happens if I return the equipment early?

If you’re a Rent–Try–Buy or Loyalty customer and you return the equipment before the 12-month agreement expires, you’ll have to pay the return costs (e.g. transportation, cleaning and servicing) as well as all the unpaid rental payments up to the end of the agreement term.

Please note that we require four weeks’ notice of your intention to return the equipment early.


How can I reduce my equipment-return costs?

Here are some ways you can minimise the costs of returning equipment:

  • transportation — if arranging the transport yourself, get more than one quote
  • cleaning — clean the equipment as well as you can (we don’t expect you to dismantle the equipment in order to clean the inside of it)
  • servicing — do preventative maintenance and get the equipment serviced by a qualified contractor at the recommended intervals
  • accessories — ensure any accessories included with the equipment are also returned.