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
While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more
To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more
Review summary
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
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.
go direct and avoid the hassle
Order didn’t arrive on day of booking. No comms from supplier, very little further information on delayed arrival time, required continued requests for updates. Better communication required. Deeply unsatisfactory service, will not be using again.
6 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that we have not met your expectations whilst dealing with National Tool Hire, this is never our intention. Please drop us a message to discuss further at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
The service was absolutely appalling
The service was absolutely appalling. We ordered scaffold which didnt turn up and has cost us a lot of money. I spent the best part of the day calling your offices trying to get it resolved. The phone lines didnt work and I was cut off constantly, the whatsapp number on the website doesnt work, and neither does the online chat.
Emails also seemed to be either ignored and or overlooked
I have never received such poor customer service I'm very surprised that your company is still in business if this is how you treat customers.
5 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that we have not met your expectations whilst dealing with National Tool Hire, this is never our intention. Please drop us a message to discuss further at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Absolute joke
Absolute joke, paid for express delivery and nothing arrived,no comms from company so contacted them and found they never sent email instructions. Re scheduled delivery and again no equipment. All this time [four days] work halted. Eventually got equipment but they refused to refund express delivery charge. Don't bother with them unless you can afford to pay three builder's wages for a week, for nothing. These people really don't understand the nature of the building trade and the need for reliable service. Your better off paying extra and using a well known reliable company, cheaper in the long run.
12 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
I ordered on 2 occasions a scaffold…
I ordered on 2 occasions a scaffold tower for a small project . Unfortunately on the 1-st occasion I was told it would be no delivered as there’s no availability
2-nd occasion waiting for this to be delivered and again 1h before the estimated delivery time i received a call saying that it will not arrive as again there’s no availability
What a joke this company is, I can’t believe this is still operating after so many complaints
Absolutely shocking services
PLEASE STAY WELL AWAY FROM USING THEM !!!
It will be a very big mistake and on top of
Never ever again for me
19 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Let down last minute
I booked a skip online and was emailed late on the afternoon of the day I had requested it to be informed that it that it was not possible to deliver the skip. This left me in a very difficult situation trying to help my elderly mother move house. I tried phoning but was unable to speak to anyone. It took another day for anyone to reply to my emails.
2 January 2026
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Poor service and communication
I ordered a set of ladders on priority delivery (meant to be delivered before 1:30pm). I ordered them on the 31st December for delivery on the 6th Jan. I received an email at 11:55am saying that the did not have the stock and could not deliver them. This then meant the job that this was for could not go ahead.
31 December 2025
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Shocking service not told til 2pm that…
Shocking service not told til 2pm that they couldn’t deliver
31 December 2025
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
I purchased a ladder and a tower
I purchased a ladder and a tower, opting to pay more for morning delivery on a specified day. On that day, customer service completely ignored my messages, which was quite disappointing. The delivery finally showed up later in the afternoon, but unfortunately, the ladder wasn't included. Since I required both items to finish the task, I had no choice but to rent the equipment the following day from a dependable provider. I highly recommend steering clear of this company.
5 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
No delivery. Waste of time and money.
No delivery, no communication. Contractors waiting on site all day. When we finally spoke to someone via online chat they said the team had struggled to find a supplier for the equipment so it wasn't coming. Nobody bothered to tell us there would be no delivery.
Save yourself the hassle, and hire elsewhere, these people are a joke.
6 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are truly sorry that we haven't been able to connect over Whats App or LIVE CHAT. Customer Service is extremely important to us and we are are truly sorry we haven't hit the mark this time. If you still require assisatance please drop us an email so we can support you further. MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Item unavailable. No refund after 1 month.
I booked a scaffolding tower for a specific 2 day period but without paying extra for it there was no specific delivery time - just "between 8am and 5pm". After waiting in for the delivery I had a phonecall to say that they could not source a tower for me, but they would try again next week - highly inconvenient.
Since then I've heard nothing from them at all despite the fact that they still have £90.45 of my money - 4 weeks later. There's no email address on the website, the live chat doesn't work and the WhatsApp chat number is incorrect.
I would definitely not use them again.
30 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Hi Alistair, I believe one of our team have contacted you. If you require any further assistance please drop us a line at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk
Regards
National Tool Hire Customer Service Team
Broken tool, no refund.
Order ref: 234577
I hired a disc cutter which arrived with a stiff pull cord. Despite following the starting procedure correctly (including the compression switch), the cord snapped inside the tool on the third pull. This is a clear sign of poor maintenance and wear and tear on the unit provided.
I emailed immediately (Saturday) but received no reply until Monday. By then, I was forced to purchase a replacement tool from Amazon just to finish my job.
The real issue is their refusal to refund. Their excuse? They stated: "Once the pull cord was replaced the cut off saw was fully working... For this reason, we would only be issuing refunds for the discs and fuel."
This logic is absurd. Of course it worked after they repaired it. That doesn't change the fact that they supplied me with a tool that broke immediately upon use.
I have started a chargeback with my bank. Avoid this company—if their equipment fails, they will blame you and keep your money.
20 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Avoid if you want your £500 deposit back
Item was delivered fine and worked fine. BUT if you want your £500 deposit back then I’d avoid. We’ve been waiting 2 months now and just get palmed off.
5 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thanks for reaching out to us here at National Tool Hire. Please bear in mind that your Deposit will be refunded after 21 Working Days after your collection date. If this time has passed, please drop us an email with your order number to MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk for us to look into this further for you. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Very poor company
Unfortunately, like many other reviews our experience of using national tool hire was a poor one. We hired a conveyor for a sepcific date and they quickly took our money and deposit, unfortunately this was the only thing they were efficient at. The day of hire came, and we waited in with a team of contractors waiting for the equipment, I emailed them multiple times throughout the day to get an update as they have no phone number to call and received no response. The next day, 24 hours after our hire was due to start, the actual hire company they had instructed called me to arrange delivery, after speaking to them they confirmed they were only instructed at 3pm the day before for this hire.. a hire that was due to start on THAT day. I then emailed National Tool hire again and they said they would refund me a days hire, which apparently amounted to £8.54 - for a hire costing £441.06 for 6 days. As a lot of other reviews stated too, getting the deposit back was down the wire - they waited the full 5 weeks before refunding it. It's a shame as we are a development company and the potential for this company to be great is there and we would have loved to continue using them to streamline our hire processes but their unreliability and extremely poor customer service means we could never use them again.
8 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk, I would love to have a follow up call with you.
Regards
Carol
No confirmation of booking after 4 days…
No confirmation of booking after 4 days of waiting. Unable to ise any live help options as the WhatsApp number is incorrect. Live chat just sends you back to homepage and the automated phone service just cuts you off after 10 seconds every time.
Very poor service
2 January 2026
Reply from National Tool Hire
Hi Andy, huge apologies for the delay in coming back to you. I can see that your delivery is due tomorrow, 06-01-26.
Please drop us a note at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk if you require any further support.
Ordered online for next day delivery at…
Ordered online for next day delivery at 11am on 30th December , allocated for 31st of December delivery priority before 1pm. How ever at 12pm on the day of delivery emailed to say they are struggling to get stock of the item and that they can’t deliver until the 2nd of January. Customer service insisted on quick response via email , we responded within 30minutes of there email only to receive no reply , so I assume the order will be cancled and refunded.however we are now down on the cost of the wages of staff and job overunnning . If they carried out there stock checks on the day of order we could have made alternative arrangements however this was left to the last minute to cancel on us 1 hour before due arrival . Customer service is 0/10 . No help given , no good will gesture , no confirmation of alternative delivery date . Therefor 1 star review must be issued.
UPDATE / 4th of Jan still not received a response from customer service , neither the ladder
Update /5th of Jan . No response from customer service , telephone number doesn’t work, no live support , what’s app number doesn’t work , but they respond via trust pilot .
31 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Failed to deliver. Conflicting excuses. No accountability
Booked a hire for delivery Dec 29 and hired in a team to fit steel work. Order and delivery confirmed and then had a email over the weekend to say the hire company had “transport issues” and couldn’t deliver. Messaged with no reply and none of the “contact us” links worked. I finally found a phone number to call. No very helpful at all. Conflicting excuses. Dreadful attitude and no accountability. Would definitely not bother with them
29 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Delivery and pick up was good but I am…
Delivery and pick up was good but I am still to receive my deposit back after 5 weeks. I’ve emailed and messaged via their what’s app on the website but had no reply from anyone regarding my request for my deposit back. Very poor customer service and will never use this company again.
17 November 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
Thanks for reaching out to us here at National Tool Hire. Please bear in mind that your Deposit will be refunded 21 Working Days after your collection date. If this time has passed, please drop us an email with your order number to MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk for us to look into this further for you. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Ordered 2 large bowser pressure washers…
Ordered 2 large bowser pressure washers on 15th Dec for a job starting 27th, Ordered went through with no problems, took nearly £1400 from my account, then contacted me late on 22nd to say they could not fulfil my order leaving me no time to source the equipment from elsewhere and refund would take up to 7 working days
22 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Shocking
Shocking, a rip off charging a £30 admin fee to amend a hire date and also charging a £29.40 non-refundable waiver that is not worth the paper it's written on; and £11 for their fuel. That's £71 in 'non-refundable charges' for a rotavator before we even add on hire charges!! Rogue Traders you should to investigate this bunch
22 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that we have not met your expectations whilst dealing with National Tool Hire, this is never our intention. Please drop us a message to discuss further at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
Avoid avoid avoid
I ordered both a ladder and a tower and paid extra for delivery on a specific day in the morning. On the day of delivery, customer service did not respond to my messages at all, which was extremely poor service.
The delivery eventually arrived later in the day, well after midday, and the biggest issue was that the ladder was missing. As I needed both items to complete the job, I was unable to proceed and had to urgently hire the equipment the next day from a reliable company.
I would strongly advise avoiding this company.
19 December 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from National Tool Hire
We are really sorry to hear that your experience with National Tool Hire hasn't been up to scratch. Please drop us a message at MyExperience@NationalToolHire.co.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further. Please remember to include your Order Number. Regards NTH Customer Service Team
The Trustpilot Experience
Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.
We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.
Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.
Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.
Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.
Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.