Delivery, Placement & Site Access

Container delivery is heavy-equipment work. A smooth delivery depends on good information, safe access, a prepared surface, and a clear plan before the truck arrives.

This page explains what customers should confirm before delivery or pickup so we can place the container safely and avoid surprises.

What We Need Before Dispatch

Before delivery or pickup, please provide accurate site information, including:

• Delivery address or GPS location.
• Site contact name and phone number.
• Preferred door direction.
• Desired placement location and direction.
• Road, driveway, gate, approach, turning, slope, weight, height, or access restrictions.
• Overhead wires, branches, eaves, signs, structures, or obstructions.
• Underground utilities, septic fields, tanks, irrigation, drains, culverts, soft ground, voids, or hidden hazards.
• Nearby landscaping, trees, fences, gates, buildings, vehicles, equipment, materials, concrete, asphalt, curbs, or finished surfaces that could be affected.

If the delivery area is tight, sloped, soft, snow-covered, muddy, blocked, or difficult to describe, photos or video can help us plan properly.

Be Present or Reachable

The best deliveries happen when the customer or an authorized site contact is present when the driver arrives.

That person should be able to confirm:

• The exact placement location.
• Door direction.
• Site access.
• Ground conditions.
• Any hazards or restrictions.
• Whether the driver should proceed, adjust, or stop.

If no one is present or reachable, the driver may place the unit in the safest reasonable location available, delay delivery, move to another delivery, or reschedule. Additional charges may apply for waiting time, failed delivery, redelivery, or return-to-yard costs.

Prepare the Site

The customer is responsible for preparing the site before the truck arrives.

Please make sure:

• The route is open and accessible.
• Parked vehicles, equipment, snow, debris, materials, and other obstructions are moved.
• Gates are unlocked and wide enough.
• Overhead and side clearances are suitable.
• The ground is firm, stable, reasonably level, and able to support the container and delivery equipment.
• Required permits, property-owner permission, traffic control, or municipal approvals are in place.

Delivery and placement are not precision crane services unless specifically quoted. Exact alignment, leveling, rotation, pad setting, blocking, winching, recovery, lifting, or special equipment may require additional charges or a separate service provider.

Blocking, Timbers, and Container Pads

Containers perform best when they sit on a stable, reasonably level surface with good support.

Blocking, timbers, concrete pads, container pads, rail ties, or similar supports can help:

• Improve drainage.
• Improve airflow.
• Reduce ground contact.
• Keep doors working properly.
• Reduce twisting or settling.
• Make future pickup easier.

Blocking or pads are not automatically included unless listed on the quote or invoice. Customers should have supports ready for the driver or ask TCG about purchasing them before delivery.

Driver Discretion

Drivers may refuse, delay, or modify a placement if they believe the site, weather, ground conditions, clearance, slope, traffic, customer instructions, or surrounding property create an unreasonable risk to people, equipment, property, or the container.

The driver may choose the nearest reasonably safe placement location.

If a customer requests a placement that the driver believes is unsafe, inaccessible, or likely to cause damage, the driver may decline the request.

Site Risk and Property Protection

Container delivery and pickup may involve large trucks, tilt decks, tilt trailers, hydraulic equipment, chains, winches, ground pressure, sliding, pivoting, and trailer movement.

Even with reasonable care, delivery can leave marks or cause impact to a site, especially when access is tight, the surface is soft, the ground is not prepared, or the customer requests placement near finished areas.

Customers should carefully review areas such as:

• Grass and landscaping.
• Trees, branches, and foliage.
• Concrete and asphalt.
• Paving stones, curbs, and driveways.
• Fences, gates, and buildings.
• Underground utilities, septic fields, and irrigation.
• Overhead lines and structures.
• Nearby vehicles, equipment, and stored materials.

The customer is responsible when damage, delay, additional cost, failed delivery, or operational issues result from inaccurate or incomplete site information, undisclosed hazards, inadequate access, lack of ground support, lack of property-owner permission, blocked access, customer-selected placement, or customer instructions given after a driver warning.

TCG remains responsible where direct damage is caused by TCG or its carrier failing to exercise reasonable care, or where responsibility cannot legally be excluded.

Hydraulic Equipment

Container delivery uses hydraulic equipment. Hydraulic-line leaks or equipment failures are uncommon, but they can happen during heavy-equipment work.

A hydraulic line may be damaged if it is caught, hooked, pinched, dragged across an obstruction, or compromised by site conditions. Customers should identify hazards that could increase this risk before delivery equipment enters the site.

Failed Delivery, Waiting Time, and Redelivery

Additional charges may apply if delivery or pickup cannot be completed because the site is:

• Inaccessible.
• Unsafe.
• Unprepared.
• Incorrectly described.
• Blocked.
• Frozen.
• Muddy.
• Underwater.
• Too soft.
• Not ready.
• Materially different from the information provided.

Possible charges include attempted delivery, waiting time, redelivery, return-to-yard transportation, additional pickup, special equipment, recovery, towing, or additional carrier costs.

Delivery Acceptance

Before the driver leaves, the customer or site representative should inspect the container and delivery documentation.

Delivery paperwork, photographs, driver notes, electronic confirmation, or bill of lading may confirm:

• Delivery date.
• Delivery location.
• Container number.
• Door direction.
• Site contact.
• Placement condition.
• Visible damage or discrepancies.
• Customer acceptance.

If there is visible damage, the wrong unit, wrong door direction, or another obvious issue, please note it promptly and contact TCG as soon as possible.

Quick Delivery Prep Checklist

Before dispatch, confirm:

• The exact delivery location.
• Door direction.
• Site contact.
• Access path.
• Ground surface.
• Blocking or pads.
• Overhead clearance.
• Underground hazards.
• Property-owner permission.
• Any finished surfaces or landscaping that need special care.

A little planning before dispatch is the best way to protect the site, the equipment, and the schedule.

Rentals, Purchase Options & Rental Buyouts

TCG rents storage containers, offices, specialty containers, and related equipment across our service areas. Rental availability, pricing, delivery, pickup, and purchase options depend on branch inventory, location, container type, term, and site access.

This page explains the main expectations before a rental is delivered.

Rental Agreement and Customer Identification

A signed rental agreement is required before delivery unless TCG has approved a different written process.

Photo identification is required from all personal customers and small businesses.

Large corporations that issue rental purchase orders may be handled through a corporate approval process instead, subject to TCG acceptance and any credit review we require.

Rental Availability

Rental inventory changes by branch and season.

Availability may depend on:

• Container size and type.
• Delivery location.
• Rental term.
• Site access.
• Whether the unit must be a standard rental fleet unit or an available-for-sale unit.
• Whether the customer wants a future buyout option.

Some specialty units, offices, pre-engineered builds, or modified containers may be rentable only by request.

Rental Start, Billing, and Payment

Unless the rental agreement says otherwise:

• Rental charges are billed per unit.
• Rental charges begin on the delivery date.
• For offices, modified units, specialty containers, or reserved inventory, rental charges may begin when the rental is booked and inventory is reserved.
• First month's rent, delivery charges, pickup charges, and any agreed accessories or deposits may be required before delivery.
• A signed rental agreement is required before delivery unless TCG has approved a different written process.
• A payment authorization may be required for recurring rental charges.

For approved business credit accounts, payment terms may be set out in the credit application, invoice, rental agreement, or written approval.

If an account is overdue, TCG may require payment before further service, suspend service, withhold pickup, charge authorized payment methods, terminate credit privileges, or take other steps allowed by the rental agreement.

Customer Property and Insurance

The customer is responsible for all property stored in, on, or around the rented container or equipment.

TCG does not insure the customer's stored goods.

Customers should arrange appropriate insurance for:

• Stored goods.
• Theft or vandalism.
• Weather exposure.
• Fire, flood, or water damage.
• Condensation.
• Pests.
• Contamination.
• Business interruption.
• Any other risk relevant to the storage use.

Please do not store hazardous, illegal, contaminated, explosive, corrosive, toxic, odorous, live, perishable, or damaging materials unless TCG has specifically approved that use in writing.

Rental Unit Use

The customer must use rented equipment safely and lawfully.

The customer must not, without TCG's prior written approval:

• Move the unit to another location.
• Sell, sublease, pledge, or encumber the unit.
• Cut, drill, weld, paint, wire, modify, or attach permanent improvements.
• Overload the unit.
• Use the unit contrary to its intended purpose.

The customer is responsible for damage to the rented unit and included accessories beyond ordinary wear and tear, except where the damage was caused by TCG before delivery or by responsibility that cannot legally be excluded.

Ending a Rental

A rental ends only after TCG confirms pickup or return arrangements and the unit is actually picked up, returned, or otherwise released by TCG in writing.

The customer should provide notice before ending the rental according to the rental agreement.

TCG asks customers to provide 30 days' notice to end a rental. In practice, pickups can often be completed in approximately 5 to 10 business days after the ended-rental confirmation is completed and the pickup is dispatched, depending on location, access, branch workload, weather, and carrier availability.

Before pickup, the unit must be:

• Empty.
• Unlocked.
• Swept out.
• Accessible for the driver.
• Not frozen to the ground.
• Not surrounded by mud, water, snowbanks, equipment, materials, vehicles, or other obstructions.
• Located where TCG has permission and safe access to pick it up.

Failed pickup, waiting time, redelivery, recovery, special equipment, extra travel, cleaning, disposal, or damage charges may apply.

Property Left in a Rental Unit

TCG will not knowingly pick up a rental unit containing customer property.

Please remove all property before pickup.

If property is discovered after pickup, or if property must be removed for safety or operational reasons, TCG may photograph, inventory, secure, remove, and store the property and charge reasonable associated costs.

Hazardous, illegal, perishable, contaminated, odorous, or unsanitary materials may be handled as permitted by law.

Other property will be retained, released, sold, or disposed of only after any required notice and process. Property does not become TCG's property simply because it was left in or around a rental unit.

Rental Buyouts and Purchase Options

Rental containers are not automatically available for sale.

If a customer wants the option to buy the rental unit later, that should be discussed before delivery.

A rental buyout must be negotiated and approved in writing before delivery if the customer wants rent credits or a purchase option. The quote or rental agreement should identify that the unit is available for sale and that a buyout option applies.

Available-for-Sale Rental Units

If a buyout is negotiated before delivery and TCG sends an available-for-sale unit on rental, TCG may, when stated in writing, apply eligible rent or pickup credits toward the negotiated buyout price.

Our standard business approach, when approved in writing, is that half of the first six months of rent and the prepaid pickup fee may be credited toward the buyout.

Credits do not apply unless the buyout option was agreed in writing before delivery.

Credits do not normally apply to taxes, delivery, damage, cleaning, failed pickup, special equipment, late fees, accessories, modifications, or other charges unless stated in writing.

TCG Rental Fleet Units

Some rental containers are part of TCG's fixed asset rental fleet. These units are not automatically for sale.

If no buyout was pre-negotiated and a TCG rental fleet unit was shipped, TCG may not be able to sell that exact unit. If the customer wants to purchase a container later, we may need to:

• Continue the rental.
• Pick up the rental unit.
• Swap in a separate sale-inventory unit.
• Create a new purchase agreement.

Any swap may require pickup, delivery, transportation, handling, inspection, cleaning, damage review, or site charges.

TCG is not obligated to sell a rental fleet unit unless TCG has agreed in writing.

Planning Ahead

If you think you may want to buy the container later, tell us before the rental is delivered. That gives us the best chance of assigning the right type of unit and documenting the buyout terms properly.

If you only need temporary storage, a standard rental unit is usually the simplest path.

Returns, Cancellations, Buybacks & Refunds

The Container Guy sells, rents, delivers, and modifies industrial products. Containers are large, condition-specific, and often committed to a customer order before they ever leave the yard. Modified units and pre-engineered builds involve planning, materials, scheduling, fabrication, and delivery coordination.

This page explains how we handle cancellations, returns, refunds, buybacks, trade-ins, and product issues in plain language.

Nothing on this page limits a written warranty, an approved written specification, or a customer right that cannot legally be waived.

Containers Are Not Change-of-Mind Returnable

Shipping containers are final sale once a unit has been reserved, prepared, released, picked up, dispatched, delivered, modified, or otherwise committed to the customer order.

That includes:

• New and one-trip containers.
• Used containers.
• High cube containers.
• Double-door, open-side, specialty, and modified containers.
• Container offices, site shacks, lunch rooms, change rooms, tool cribs, and other pre-engineered builds.

"Final sale" means we do not accept change-of-mind returns after the order has been committed. It does not mean we ignore a confirmed mistake, material misdescription, approved specification issue, or covered defect.

Cancellations Before Pickup or Delivery

If you need to cancel or change an order, contact us as soon as possible.

For stock, unmodified containers, we may be able to cancel before the unit has been reserved, prepared, relocated, released, dispatched, or otherwise committed to the order.

If work has already started or costs have already been incurred, cancellation may be subject to reasonable costs such as:

• Yard handling.
• Inspection or preparation.
• Container relocation.
• Carrier cancellation.
• Delivery scheduling.
• Administration.
• Other order-specific costs.

A cancellation is not complete until TCG confirms it in writing.

New, One-Trip, Used, and Refurbished Condition

Containers are industrial steel products, not showroom furniture.

New and one-trip containers may still show normal handling marks from transport, lifting, loading, stacking, or yard movement. This can include minor dents, scratches, forklift marks, door rub, paint variation, surface rust, or shipping marks.

Used containers are sold by grade and practical condition. Normal used-container wear may include:

• Dents and dings.
• Surface corrosion.
• Welded repairs or patches.
• Paint variation.
• Floor wear.
• Labels, decals, or previous shipping marks.
• Cosmetic differences between units.

These items are not usually defects when they are consistent with the container grade, description, age, price, and intended use.

If the order is based on representative photos, 3D renderings, or example images, the delivered unit may vary in colour, markings, cosmetic condition, and minor appearance details. If you approve a specific container number or specific unit photos before purchase, that approved record should be identified on the order.

Modified Containers and Pre-Engineered Builds

Modified containers and pre-engineered builds are prepared for a specific scope.

Unless a written quote says otherwise, these orders normally require:

• 50% deposit before work, procurement, scheduling, or reservation begins.
• 50% balance before delivery, pickup, release, or customer possession.
• Approved scope, drawings, options, materials, and selections before work proceeds.

Deposits are not normally refundable once design, drafting, purchasing, scheduling, fabrication, subcontractor work, or other order-specific work has started.

Completed modified products and pre-engineered builds are not change-of-mind returnable unless TCG agrees otherwise in writing. If a unit materially fails to match the approved written specification, we will review the issue and work toward an appropriate fix.

Customer-requested changes after approval can affect price, timeline, code review, engineering review, transport requirements, and final performance. Changes should be confirmed in writing before work continues.

Parts and Accessories

Stock parts and accessories may be eligible for return within 30 calendar days after delivery when all of the following apply:

• TCG issued a return authorization before the item was returned.
• The item is unused, uninstalled, unmodified, and resaleable.
• Original packaging, instructions, hardware, and components are included.
• Proof of purchase is provided.

Approved change-of-mind returns or customer ordering errors may be subject to a restocking fee. Original shipping, expedited shipping, brokerage, customs, duties, and delivery charges are not normally refundable unless the issue was caused by a confirmed TCG error.

The customer is responsible for return shipping on change-of-mind returns.

Some items are not eligible for change-of-mind return, including:

• Containers and modified containers.
• Custom, fabricated, installed, altered, special-order, or cut parts.
• Clearance, bargain bin, project-grade, as-is, or final-sale products.
• Used, damaged, contaminated, incomplete, or unpackaged products.
• Opened electrical or electronic products, unless confirmed defective.

A return authorization does not guarantee a refund. Returned products are inspected before any refund is approved.

Incorrect, Damaged, Defective, or Misdescribed Products

Please inspect containers, structures, parts, and accessories promptly.

Visible delivery damage, incorrect products, missing items, wrong door direction, wrong container type, wrong container number, or other obvious discrepancies should be noted on the delivery documentation and reported before the driver leaves whenever reasonably possible.

For parcel or freight shipments, keep all packaging and report visible or concealed shipping damage promptly.

We may request:

• Photos or video.
• Invoice or quote number.
• Container number.
• Product labels.
• Delivery documentation.
• Packaging photos.
• A description of the issue.

If a product is incorrect, materially damaged before acceptance, materially defective, or materially inconsistent with the approved written specification, TCG may review and choose an appropriate remedy. Depending on the situation, that may include repair, replacement parts, replacement product, a price adjustment, return approval, or refund.

Please do not repair, alter, move, load, dispose of, or continue using a product that is under review before TCG has had a reasonable opportunity to inspect it, unless immediate action is required for safety or to prevent further damage.

Buybacks, Trade-Ins, and Swaps

TCG often works with customers who are done with a container, want to trade a used unit toward a newer one, or want to swap into a different size or layout.

These are not returns and they are not refunds. They are separate negotiated transactions.

Any buyback, trade-in, or swap may depend on:

• Current wholesale market value.
• Branch inventory needs.
• Container size, type, age, and condition.
• Location and pickup access.
• Transportation cost.
• Repair, cleaning, or handling required.
• Whether the unit is useful to TCG inventory at that time.

TCG may request current photos of all sides, roof, floor, doors, serial number, and any visible damage.

The customer may also need to confirm that:

• They own the container and have authority to sell it.
• The unit number and location are correct.
• The container is empty and accessible.
• The container is free of hazardous, contaminated, odorous, illegal, or damaging material.
• There are no undisclosed liens, leases, security interests, or third-party claims.

TCG may adjust or withdraw an offer if inspection, access, title review, transportation feasibility, or market conditions differ from the information provided.

Refund Timing

Approved refunds are normally processed within 10 business days after the cancellation is approved, the returned product is received and inspected, or the negotiated buyback/trade-in transaction is completed.

Refunds are usually issued to the original payment method unless TCG agrees otherwise in writing. Banks and payment processors may take additional time to post the refund.

Any approved deduction for restocking, transportation, completed work, failed delivery, failed pickup, cleaning, disposal, damage, missing components, unpaid invoices, or other authorized charges may be itemized and deducted from amounts otherwise payable.

Need Help?

If something is unclear, contact TCG before placing the order or before the container is dispatched. A quick conversation before delivery is usually much easier than trying to unwind a committed order later.