Poor communication on use, poor delayed collection of kit, no clear advice on fuel consumption charges, debacle with Keys and collection, deposit held for 7 weeks, poor to no communication throughout.... See more
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Review summary
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I hired a 2T Engine Hoist from these guys. Ordered on Saturday for Tuesday. Got confirmation email then nothing. Tried to chat with them on Monday and was given expected wait 22-25 hours!. They called... See more
This company is a joke! If you want a reliable hire - GO ELSWHERE. You might or might not receive it. There is a small chance you will have it on time. Customer service - forget about it. They... See more
Company replied
AVOID THIS COMPANY - SCAMMERS They are illegally withholding my £500 deposit since my digger hire in May. They say it takes 21 days - well it’s been months and every time you call you get fobbed of t... See more
Company replied
Company details
- #7 of 8 best companies in Tool rental service
- #10 of 11 best companies in Building equipment hire service
- #4 of 5 best companies in Construction machine rental service
- #5 of 6 best companies in Equipment rental agency
- #2 of 2 best companies in Lawn equipment rental service
- #12 of 13 best companies in Plant and Machinery Hire
About National Tool Hire
Written by the company
With over 2,000 'Click & Collect' locations and FREE nationwide delivery, National Tool Hire Shops offers DIY and Trade customers a convenient same-day tool hire service.
Our tool hire range has over 2,000,000 products ranging from power tools and carpet cleaners to mini diggers and scaffold towers.
Book & Pay Online: Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal.
Contact info
National Tool Hire, Over 2,000 'Click & Collect' Locations, FREE Nationwide Delivery, United Kingdom
- 03330 384 943
- nationaltoolhireshops.co.uk
2.0
Poor
5k reviews
Asks customers to review
This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative
Replied to 67% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 1 week
How this company uses Trustpilot
See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.
I hired a wood chipper to do help deal…
I hired a wood chipper to do help deal with some hedging in my garden, the machine barely worked and when we put a complaint in to get our money back they accused me of misuse despite following the given instructions, they also lied about the machine being in working order as when I had it the blades barley spun even after they had came out to fix the problem, terrible service stear clear unless you want to be ripped off
1 May 2026
Unprompted review
Another dissatisfied customer here…
Another dissatisfied customer here because after 5 weeks from the equipment being collected I too haven't had my deposit refunded. Seems to be a very common complaint from the poor reviews seen here. I hired through Mammoth Hire which I understand to be the same as National Tool Hire. Avoid and find somewhere actually local so at least you can talk to someone face to face and not stupid AI. I am now contemplating legal action as this company needs to be stopped from trading this way.
1 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of what you expected.
We handle thousands of hires every month, and while the vast majority go smoothly, we know that when things don't go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to look into what happened and make it right.
We work with a large network of supply partners and while we have robust systems in place, occasionally issues do arise that are outside of our direct control. When this happens, we always aim to resolve matters as quickly and fairly as possible. If you're open to it, please contact us directly so we can personally review your booking and find the best solution.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
Very poor
Bit poor to be honest - first delivery came missing half the order.
They resent the missing items next day but they didn't arrive, they didn't even tell me they weren't going to arrive despite the fact they'd booked early morning delivery. This intermediary are ineffective - my advice is go direct to the supplier (One Stop Hire etc.) and avoid using them entirely, they're not effective.
2 June 2026
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of what you expected.
We handle thousands of hires every month, and while the vast majority go smoothly, we know that when things don't go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to look into what happened and make it right.
We work with a large network of supply partners and while we have robust systems in place, occasionally issues do arise that are outside of our direct control. When this happens, we always aim to resolve matters as quickly and fairly as possible. If you're open to it, please contact us directly so we can personally review your booking and find the best solution.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
A tool company pretending to be a tool…
A tool company pretending to be a tool hire company but not actually owning any tools, a disgusting servic e to be avoided like the black death, fast to take your cash and avoids answering any calls, spent 4.5 hrs on the phone over 2 days which was mostly cut off calls having not replied to any requests for a call back. Have eventually requested a return of £135 deposit which was agreed but now recd an email stating will be 21 days to be refunded although removed from my account in about 1 minute. Just recd a second email stating they will be delivering the pallet truck.
They can shove that pallet truck which is not even there's where the sun doesn't shine.
Do yourself a favour and safe yourself hassle & frustration by going to an actual tool hire company rather somebody that just takes an order and sources the item at inflated prices.
Its an absolute joke of a company.
27 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We have the largest network of tool hire depots in the UK, our situation is not unique.
The largest retailer does not own shops
The largest Taxi/ground transport company does not own any cars
The largest holiday rental company does not own any property
The largest fast food chain does not own any restaurants
We are a portal that gets many thousands of satisfied customers access to equipment, every month, without needing a trade account, without needing to buy insurance, without needing to do the ring around. We provide a service, but sometimes not everything goes to plan.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of what you expected.
We handle thousands of hires every month, and while the vast majority go smoothly, we know that when things don't go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to look into what happened and make it right.
We work with a large network of supply partners and while we have robust systems in place, occasionally issues do arise that are outside of our direct control. When this happens, we always aim to resolve matters as quickly and fairly as possible. If you're open to it, please contact us directly so we can personally review your booking and find the best solution.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
Wouldn’t let me cancel or refund me and…
Wouldn’t let me cancel or refund me and charged me £30 admin fee to add a site contact name. At least Dock Turpin had the courtesy to wear a mask!
20 May 2026
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of what you expected.
We handle thousands of hires every month, and while the vast majority go smoothly, we know that when things don't go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to look into what happened and make it right.
We work with a large network of supply partners and while we have robust systems in place, occasionally issues do arise that are outside of our direct control. When this happens, we always aim to resolve matters as quickly and fairly as possible. If you're open to it, please contact us directly so we can personally review your booking and find the best solution.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
Incompetent do not use
Need to hire plant equipment? DO NOT USE Mammoth Hire.
21 day deposit refund policy
So on the 15th April a mini digger I had hired from the above company was collected. The following day the company supplying the digger to Mammoth Hire acknowledged receipt and authorised the deposit. After over a dozen phone calls, being on hold for nearly 4 hours (once you have got past Max the AI gate keeper) I was told nothing can be done as it was still within the 21 days. (No doubt so they can keep it in their account) Day 20 call resulted in a confirmation that the refund request had been sent to accounts(that you can’t speak to) FOR ACTIONING. Day 23 and being given the same answer and no sign of getting my money back. This company is crooked and/or incompetent. AVOID!!!!
15 April 2026
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of what you expected.
We handle thousands of hires every month, and while the vast majority go smoothly, we know that when things don't go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to look into what happened and make it right.
We work with a large network of supply partners and while we have robust systems in place, occasionally issues do arise that are outside of our direct control. When this happens, we always aim to resolve matters as quickly and fairly as possible. If you're open to it, please contact us directly so we can personally review your booking and find the best solution.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
Micro Digger Hire
Hired a micro digger on the basis it had retractable tracks and could fit through a doorway of 710 mm. Stipulated on the order form that if it didn’t to cancel the order. Digger arrived late Friday so left it until Saturday morning and managed to get the tracks to 700mm after cleaning the digger as dried mud was preventing the full adjustment. Drove the digger part way through the door and found the rear of the digger body which was part of the counterweight was 725-730mm wide and wouldn’t fit. I contacted NTH by the only available means online at the time and told them to off hire it from the Saturday morning. Didn’t receive any response so contacted them again during the normal weekday hours and complained but was told no refund, partial or otherwise, as they use multiple hire companies and the variety is vast for the make and model of digger. Also tried getting my deposit of £500 refunded but it took from 13th April until 13th May (part of their terms apparently) so nice little bit of interest earned for them. Overall a vey poor customer experience who is out of pocket £309.12 for the digger hire, plus £15.46 for cancellation cover which was a waste as you have to cancel so many hours before delivery, and then £96 for delivery both ways. Add the £500 deposit being unavailable for a month and you can see why I have given such a negative response to a company I have used previously and probably won’t use again. Confirmation this is a true review as my order number was CXO-20260404-EB00G4.
11 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of what you expected.
We handle thousands of hires every month, and while the vast majority go smoothly, we know that when things don't go to plan it can be incredibly frustrating. Your feedback is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to look into what happened and make it right.
We work with a large network of supply partners and while we have robust systems in place, occasionally issues do arise that are outside of our direct control. When this happens, we always aim to resolve matters as quickly and fairly as possible. If you're open to it, please contact us directly so we can personally review your booking and find the best solution.
We value every customer and are committed to improving our service based on feedback like yours. We hope to have the chance to restore your faith in us.
Very helpful
Very helpful. Delivery wasn't on the day wanted I ordered online, but a phonecall from them explained why and came a day later, so no problem. Very easy to extend hire period, with prompt answer on the phone. Overall a very good experience. Thanks.
14 April 2026
Unprompted review
Hired a cherry picker
Updated following response 19th May - CXO-20260310-2ZMHV5 - Delivery and collection charge confirmed as charged despite reposes and at least 5 attempts to resolve via ticket responses…
UPDATED to response…
We did not extend the hire - the equipment wasn’t working and you had no-one available (this was from the actual hire company who sent the plant and they confirmed they had not been told the equipment was out on site - something they said that issue lay with yourseleves!) They therefore came out on the Monday to repair the plant and we then had to pay additional labour to re-attend to carry out the work the plant was hired for - maybe reply to any of our numerous messages on email we have sent you directly rather than on Trustpilot!
Hired a cherry picker, sub contracted out to another company (who were good), kit didn’t work next day (weekend) and no support available as the sub contracted company had not been informed kit was on site, this meant the kit was repaired Monday and we had to hire additional labour to complete the works - then we got charge dan additional transport cost which wasn’t in the original price and all further requests for the refund have been ignored…I would avoid like a dose of Covid…
1 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Hi Tony,
No hire company provides 24/7 cover, or weekend cover on breakdowns, the sub-contracted company delivered the equipment and trackers will tell them exactly where their kit is, I don't understand this comment?
However, I can see from the notes on our system that you were given a collection date, but you needed the equipment longer due to breakdown, so we extended your hire at no extra cost to you.
You were not charged an extra transport cost, you used 22L of fuel and were charged for that usage.
We were able to supply this equipment after trying 6 suppliers, we also did this without the need for a trade account or additional insurances, we do the legwork for you!
Read the reviews first!!!
I made the mistake of not reading reviews before booking. Communication was OK at first but since the equipment was dropped off it's been next to impossible to get in touch with anyone. Some of my order was missing and the equipment that was delivered was not suitable so it made using the machine impossible. Was also repeatedly told that if I wasn't at home when the collection was arranged for I would be charged but no one told me when collection would be! Still trying to get in touch with someone to find some shred of compensation but I feel I'm fighting a losing battle...
1 May 2026
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're sorry that your experience fell short of what you expected.
To help clarify a couple of points: collection of hired equipment is industry-standard on a 5-day window rather than a specific day or time.
This is because the vast majority of our hires are for construction and building companies where equipment is delivered to and collected from active sites. Like every other hire company, we are reliant on our supply partners' availability, which is clearly stated in our terms and conditions. We always recommend reading these fully before confirming any hire.
We sourced this order from multiple suppliers to get you the equipment you needed (one for the main machine, another for the consumables), which unfortunately caused a slight delay on the consumables. We had over 10 messages and calls with you throughout the process to try and make everything work.
While communication after delivery wasn't as smooth as it should have been, our team was still actively working behind the scenes on your collection and any issues raised.
We go to extra lengths to support DIY and smaller customers who don't have trade accounts or specialist insurance — giving access to a wide network of depots that many others simply won't supply to. We handle many thousands of hires successfully every month, but we know that occasionally things don't go perfectly, and in those cases we always aim to put things right.
If you're still waiting for a resolution or would like to discuss compensation, please reply to this or email us directly with your order number and we'll personally look into it for you.
We appreciate your review and will use it to improve our post-delivery communication.
Thank you again for hiring with us.
Dreadful-Avoid!
Re Trustpilot response, please see
MP469M-YPPWY complaint response. The delayed collection was less of an issue than the 1.5 day late delivery on a 2 day hire. The complaint response was poor and made me feel completely fobbed off. Dreadful.
Ladders were delivered one and a half days late, costing me tradesman pay. Phones unanswered for hours. Finally customer service said they'd arrange am delivery next day but delivery driver said no such instruction had been given. Ladders arrived at 2 30pm and weren't even what was ordered.Collection was days after agreement, causing more stress. Complaint took 3 weeks to reply to and basically couldn't care less. I hired from Mammoth in Manchester but seemingly they're owned by National Hire. Rude and rubbish company. I'd give zero stars if possible. AVOID!
7 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We're genuinely sorry to hear about the difficulties you experienced with your hire — no customer should feel stressed or let down like this.
We did reach out to you directly on Trustpilot requesting more specific details so we could properly investigate what happened, but we haven't received a reply yet. Without that information, we're unfortunately unable to look into your case further or confirm all the details.
That said, a few important points for clarity:
The industry standard for equipment collection is a 5-day window, which is clearly stated in our terms and conditions. This is because the majority of our hires are for construction and building sites, where deliveries and collections are arranged around live site schedules. Like every other hire company, we rely on our supply partners and cannot guarantee an exact day or time.
All of our terms (including delivery/collection windows) are available to read in full before confirming any order, and we always recommend customers review them carefully.
We successfully complete many thousands of hires every month, and the vast majority go smoothly. Unfortunately, things don't always go exactly to plan, and when they don't we aim to put them right as quickly as possible.
If you'd like us to look into your specific experience, please reply with any additional details (order number, dates, etc.) and we'll investigate right away. We're here to help.
Thank you again for your feedback — we do take it seriously.
Is this company a scam?
Hired equipment for a 1 day time sensitive job. No response from National Tool Hire when asking for confirmation. Spoke to 1 real person in around 12 call attempts who promised a call back - no call received. Its now day of hire - nothing arrived, not able to speak to the company. Now chasing a refund but either their call system keeps hanging up or the so called help centre returns a std message stating they can't assist with delivery times - completely ignores the actual message we send. What happens next - legal advice if we get no contact?
7 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback, and we're truly sorry to hear about the frustrating experience you had with your hire.
We take every review seriously and immediately reached out to you for more details so we could fully investigate what went wrong.
Unfortunately, we haven't received a reply, which means we haven't been able to look into your specific booking, trace the order, or speak with the relevant team.
We successfully complete many thousands of hires every month, but we recognise that on occasion things don't go to plan, and in your case it clearly didn't. A complete lack of communication and missed delivery on a time-sensitive job is unacceptable, and we apologise for the inconvenience and stress this caused.
If you're still happy to share your booking reference or any other details, please reply here or contact us directly and we'll personally look into it straight away, including your refund request. We're here to put this right.
Thank you again for your feedback – it helps us improve.
Do not hire from this company
The equipment was fine and delivered and collected in time. Where they have fallen down is not returning our £500 security deposit. We hired 24th March 2026 and returned 27th March. Despite numerous phone calls including 11 made today they refuse to pick up the phone in their Liverpool head office. Our digger was delivered by a third party MK Hire in Norwich. I spoke to them and while I was on the phone to him he rang them and a female answered and said she would call us back. That was an hour ago. Long story short. DO NOT HIRE FROM THIS COMPANY. They treat people in a shoddy offhand manor.
5 May 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback – we’re genuinely sorry to hear about the frustration this caused you.
We completely understand how important it is to get your deposit back promptly after returning the equipment. Our standard policy is to refund deposits 21 working days after the item is returned. This gives our supplier time to inspect the equipment for any damages or additional consumable charges.
In your case, we refunded the £500 deposit as soon as the supplier got back to us. There appears to have been a short 2-day delay (possibly due to the Easter holidays), but I can confirm your refund has been processed and should either be in your account already or with your bank very shortly.
I’m pleased to see the digger itself was delivered and collected on time and in good condition. We do process many thousands of orders successfully each month, so we’re sorry that we fell short of the service you expected on this occasion.
We’ve noted your comments about the phone response and will be feeding this back to the team.
If there’s anything else we can help with, or if you haven’t received the refund in the next couple of days, please don’t hesitate to reply here or contact us directly and we’ll look into it straight away.
Thank you again for your review, and we hope to have the chance to serve you better next time.
Please ignore the request for further information.
Kind regards
They over promise and under deliver
They over promise and under deliver.
Ordered a sander online for delivery, pod for it, only to be told afterwards that it was not available. Took time off work for the re-arranged delivery slot only to be told mid morning on the day that it would not come. This happened twice after (and approx 6weeks of stalling by them). Now fighting for a refund.
DO NOT USE
27 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Could you please provide more information about your order, so we can look into this, we do not have anyone with your name on our system at any time.
Placed an order to be delivered a week…
Placed an order to be delivered a week later, on the day it was cancelled, I ordered again for two weeks time as that is when they had availability. Cancelled on the delivery day again! Now I’m fighting for my payment that was made in full to be refunded.
AVOID THIS COMPANY
Oh and other say they can’t find my order- of course they can’t completely incompetent and dismissive
28 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Could you please provide an order number for this hire as I cannot locate your order, or any payment made?
Ordered a scaffold tower.
Ordered a scaffold tower.
No confirmation that order will be delivered onndaybrequested, despite taking my money.
Got a call today from a lady at the company thinking I was the supplier of the tower not the customer, she said she would call back once confirmed..... she didn't.
I've no idea if its coming and im about to start work tomorrow.
Clearly this company is unreliable so will not seek to retrieve my money and post reviews on all sites..
Not good.
27 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Hi Nick,
Thank you for your feedback and apologies for your frustration with the communication on your order.
I'm pleased that we were able to secure your hire and you now have the equipment you expected.
To give you some context, after looking at the messages between you and our team, we tried 12 suppliers in your area to secure your booking, the 13th supplier was able to supply a day later than you wanted, but was outside your area, so we covered the additional cost to bring it to you, albeit a day later than booked.
I hope you can appreciate that we worked hard to get the equipment to you and we take onboard that our comms could have been better.
I hope the rest of your hire goes as successfully as the thousands we process every month without incident.
Kind regards
Bob Jones
Customer Liaison
National Tool Hire
Reply from National Tool Hire
Hi Scott
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.
We're really sorry to hear you had such a frustrating experience trying to get through to us — that's definitely not the level of service we aim to provide. We process many thousands of orders successfully each month, but we know that when things go wrong it can be incredibly disappointing, and we’d genuinely like the chance to put this right for you.
If you're happy to share a few more details about what happened (order number, when you tried to contact us, etc.), please email us at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk. We'll look into it personally and get back to you as quickly as we can.
Thanks again, and we hope to hear from you.
The National Tool Hire Team
Shocking
Shocking
Stay away
Poor service
No help whats so ever
Take your business elsewhere
24 April 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Hi Zoe,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.
I'm really sorry to hear about your disappointing experience — we always aim to deliver excellent service, so it's disappointing when things don't go as they should. We process many thousands of orders successfully each month and something like this, although very rare, can sadly happen from time to time and we would like to be able to put this right for you.
To help us look into this and resolve it properly, could you please email us at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk with a bit more information? Any details such as your order number, the date of your hire, or what happened would be really helpful.
We genuinely want to make this right for you.
Kind regards,
The National Tool Hire Team
Biggest scam going
Biggest scam going.
They outsource the hire to smaller companies and act as the middle man.
We we're delivered broken equipment, the driver then helps himself back on to our property and leaves a further broken machine.
Unable to contact the company or Mammoth so had no choice but to pay for another hire from another company.
On day of collection driver helps himself in to my garden at 7am, has a good look around (including through my patio doors, all on camera) and then leaves.
Contacted the actual company who delivered, they admitted to knowingly delivering broken equipment and said I'd be refunded through Mammoth...still waiting for a refund since the 7th of April.
They don't have a phone line, you can request a callback but good luck getting a response. They answer you on chat the first time but good luck getting anywhere after that. Their parent company is National Tool Hire (also absolutely useless). Raising a ticket does nothing either.
They tell you to send an email to the my experience email address and then just ignore you again! Still owed my money.
23 April 2026
Unprompted review
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