FAQ

General Questions

What is Zilok.com?

Zilok.com is an online marketplace that allows individuals and professionals to list any kind of items for rent, so that anyone can rent them. Zilok shows listings of all the items for rent in a given location along with their price, conditions and available dates, conveniently mapped around the location of the user. Zilok is currently the only website that provides this kind of online service for locating anything that you want to rent.

What's in it for you?

For professionals in the rental market:

  • Boost your business visibility through a user-friendly and widely used website
  • Access a powerful and flexible online reservation service for your products
  • Manage online and cost-efficiently your inventory and business
  • Get new clients and improve your bottom line

For everyone:

  • Find whatever you need, whenever you need it, wherever you are in our one-stop rental platform
  • Access new fun and useful goods and discover new activities
  • Make money out of your closet and garage
  • Rent anything you can possibly imagine, not just apartments and cars!
  • Do it all quickly, safely and cost-effectively

For the community:

  • Promote a more sustainable way of consuming that saves natural resources
  • Tighten the community bonds by having neighbors helping each other out
  • Support local rental businesses

Want to know more about Zilok ?

How does Zilok work?

There are two types of members on Zilok: owners who put their goods and products for rent and renters who, well, rent them.

Zilok aims to put these people and organizations in touch through one single marketplace.

Want to know more about how Zilok works?

Is it free to create an account?

Yes, registering in Zilok is free and does not commit to any fee.

Who can sign-up on Zilok?

There are no special conditions for joining Zilok. Individuals, groups, public organizations or associations can all join our community.

What happens when something goes wrong? (loss, damage, no show at rental point)?

For any rental transaction, whether online or in the real world, a rental contract, or agreement, is established between the owner and the renter to confirm the deal and its conditions. This contract is available for display within the description of the items listed for rent. The consequences of an incident are governed by this contract and of course by any legislation that is in effect. Zilok also provides a standard contract that individuals are free to use, that includes all the essential clauses of a classic rental agreement. In case of loss or damage of the rented item, the clauses regarding the security deposit are particularly helpful to resolve the issue.

What is a booking request?

A booking request is issued when a Zilok user wants to rent a listed item, and asks the owner through Zilok if he would accept or decline, considering the starting and ending dates chosen for the rental.

How long is a reservation valid or good for?

When making a booking request, you specify for how much time the request will be valid for, so you can organize yourself better. If the owner doesn't accept or decline your booking request before the end of this validity period (also referred as Life Span), then the booking is automatically cancelled. By default, the owner has 2 days to accept or decline your booking request. If you have made a booking request that is still valid, and that has not been still accepted or rejected, but that you don't want anymore, then you should be able to shorten the validity duration. An owner is not required to respond within the time frame set by the renter.

What is a confirmed booking request?

When a user wants to rent an item, he issues a booking request with a starting and ending date for the rental period. This proposition is sent to the owner via email, so he can accept or reject it within the validity time frame set by the user. A confirmed booking request means that the owner has indeed accepted the booking request within the validity time frame. An email notice is sent to the user, who is at this point committed to make the rental transaction and pick up and drop off the item at the dates requested and location initially displayed in the item description. At this point, Zilok connects the renter and the owner who can communicate directly to manage the transaction.

How can I contact Zilok for support?

Even if you haven't created a Zilok account and completed your profile, you can contact us by either clicking on the "Contact Us" link, that you should always find at the bottom of the web page, or select the "Create a Ticket" option available in "My Account".

What are the general terms of use?

General terms of use

How can I close my Zilok account?

To unsubscribe from Zilok.com, just let us know by either clicking on the "Contact Us" link, that you should always find at the bottom of the web page, or select the "Create a Ticket" option available in "My Account".

How are the members of Zilok evaluated (renters or owners)?

At Zilok we think that evaluating the owner only is not enough. So, 3 elements get evaluated for every completed transaction, in order to enable trust and confidence within the Zilok community:

  • The owner who has posted his item for rent
  • The renter who has rented the item
  • The quality and description accuracy of the rented item

This triple evaluation is very important for Zilok, and the site is designed to make it easy for members to quickly give an evaluation of their rental transactions.

The product description page will display these evaluations, and the profile page of each member will show their evaluations as a renter and/or an owner.

Can I use Zilok to advertise my services online?

For now, Zilok is reserved exclusively for online rental of belongings and products. However, Zilok will likely be opening up to include services soon.

If I am representing a group or organization, can I sign up as that group?

Yes, for sure. A group can sign-up and be billed as such.

Renters

What are the fees for using Zilok as a renter?

There are no registration or usage fees for renters, renting stuff from people with Zilok is basically free.

Why do I have to pay a retainer when confirming my rental request?

In order to confirm a rental booking request, you will be asked to provide payment information (via a credit card or a paypal account), so we can hold a retainer on your account. This retainer system allows the owner of the object to trust you and reserve the rental item for the dates you requested. The retainer will not be charged out of your account until the owner accepts your rental request. If the owner declines your request, the retainer will not be charged. If the owner accepts your rental request, the retainer will be charged, and will be deducted from the overall rental price that you will directly pay to the owner.

Whom do I pay for my rental?

When making a reservation for a rental, we will ask you to provide some payment information to hold a retainer and confirm your request. Once the owner has accepted your request, the retainer is charged on your account. The remaining amount (overall rental price minus the retainer) is due directly to the owner, and will be paid when you meet to pick up the rental.

What happens if the owner declines my rental booking request?

If the owner declines your rental request, you won’t be charged the retainer. When declining a rental request, the owner is required to tell you why.

If the reason for refusal does not feel right to you, or if the timeline for responding was not respected, the renter can report details to Zilok via the owner evaluation system.

The calendar of availability is there to give you a rough idea of when you can rent. Owners are strongly encouraged to keep it up-to-date, and report on vacations, materials being in need of repair etc...

Is there a maximum amount of time that the owner can take before they respond to my rental request?

Yes, the maximum amount of time that an owner can take to respond to a rental request is set by the renter when requesting an item for rent. If the owner has not accepted or rejected the request by the time its validity expires, the booking request is automatically cancelled.

Do I have to pay for my rental online?

The method of payment between the owner and the renter are set by the owner of the rental goods. This will be clearly indicated in the item description.

What happens if I break the item that I rented?

Like with all rentals, off or online, a rental agreement is established between the owner and the renter when the deal is confirmed. The terms of the agreement are usually available in the item description. The consequences of any mishap are governed by this agreement as well as of course any relevant legislation.

Do I really have to give Zilok.com my address?

To establish your profile and join Zilok, it is essential that we have a record of your address. This is collected in compliance with privacy and personal information protection acts. (See Privacy Policy ).

Your address is needed for establishing rental agreements. Your address is also a factor in establishing the necessary confidence a business of private owner needs in order to rent you something. Finally, it allows Zilok to alert you easily of rental opportunities close to where you live.

It is a necessary part of signing up and renting via Zilok. Of course, you can surf the site as much as you want, to find out what is for rent before joining.

What information do I provide to Zilok upon joining?

When you join, Zilok will ask for information needed to identify you. Once you make a rental, you may be asked to add certain pieces of identification as requested by the owners of certain rental goods (such as a copy of your driver’s licence, or a bank statement).

How does Zilok know where I am?

Two things allow Zilok to locate you. One is the address that you give us when you join, and the second is the IP address of your computer. This latter method is only approximate.

How do I find the item I want to rent?

You can use two search methods when looking for an item to rent:

1 – Go through the categories, specifying at the same time your desired rental location.

2 – Using the “What? Where?” quick search that is always available at the top of Zilok.com. The rapid search engine will seek through the categories and items for rent on Zilok.

How do I pay for a rental?

Payment method for a rental is defined by the owner of the goods and will be clearly described in the description of the item. All types of payment are possible, from credit card, cash in person, bank deposit or paypal etc depending on the situation.

Can I cancel my rental? (2 cases: before and after confirmation by the owner)

There are two cases where a rental may be cancelled:

1- BEFORE email confirmation of the booking request by the owner

Once you make a booking request, the owner must confirm your rental within the time frame you selected for the reservation to be valid. This time frame depends on how much time is left between the booking request and the rental period. There is no penalty for withdrawing your reservation before the agreement is confirmed via email by the owner.

2- AFTER email confirmation of the rental agreement by the owner

In this case, you will be charged the amount of the retainer. In addition, confirmation of the rental request by the owner puts the rental agreement into effect. Each agreement defines the exact conditions for cancellation of a rental. In the case the rental agreement makes no mention of this situation, the legislation in effect will be applied.

How long do I have to wait before the owner contacts me?

The owner has much time as you selected when making your booking request to get back to you to confirm or reject it. You can report on how quickly they responded when filling out the owner evaluation form.

How can I get in touch with an owner?

Just click on the button “Contact the owner” in the description of each item or product.

How do I evaluate the owner?

Zilok evaluation system will ask you to evaluate the owner of the item and the quality of the item rented at the end of your rental period for that item.

Can I refine my search for an item for rent?

It is always possible to refine a search, using the search panel on the left of the screen. Factors such as the distance between you and the item, the type of owner (individual or professional), the category of the product as well as its availability can all be defined when making a search.

Are there time limits on when a booking request can be made?

There are no set time limits for placing a booking request. When a renter makes a booking request, they set how much time they give the owner to accept or reject it (also referred as "Life Span"), which of course depends on how much time is left before the beginning of the rental. Keep in mind that an owner needs some turnaround time for getting back to a renter about booking requests.

Owners

What kind of stuff can I put up for rent?

Zilok mission statement is that you can offer and find any item or product for rent. All kinds of goods can be offered for rent, our categories tree should allow to do this quickly. Rental of apartments and houses is not presently included in the categories, but nothing stops you from offering these goods for rent.

What’s more, while choosing a category for the item you are posting for rent, if you can't find a matching category, then you can suggest a new category through our Ticket system selecting the subject “Suggest a New Category”.

How do I put my stuff up for rent?

It is very easy, just create a Zilok account, list your goods under My Items and, once the descriptions are complete, publish those items.

Advice and guidance on renting your stuff can be found on our blog .

How does the deposit system work?

A security deposit is given in cash or other goods as defined by the owner.

Zilok does not manage the security deposits requested by owners. That is worked out between the renter and the owner, according to a procedure that the owner will define in the description of the item. The details can also be added directly to the standard rental agreement provided by Zilok to the owner.

What are the fees for using Zilok as an owner?

Creating a Zilok account is free.

If you accept a rental request through Zilok, a small commission will be applied to the transaction.

Listing rental items on Zilok will remain free until July1st, 2008.

Would you like more information about Zilok fees?

How do I set my security deposit or rental amount?

Zilok doesn’t set any guidelines for rental and security deposit prices.

To get an idea of the range, you can check out the current prices on Zilok for items similar to what you have or want to post for rent.

As for the security deposit, that can be set in relation to your degree of confidence in the renter, as well as the condition of your item.

What happens if an item is returned broken or not returned at all?

This kind of situation is governed by the rental agreement made and signed between the renter and the owner.

This kind of occurrence can also be taken into account when evaluation of the two parties in the transaction takes place.

Do I have to give Zilok my home or business address?

To establish your profile and join Zilok, it is essential that we have a record of your address. This is collected in conformity with privacy and personal information protection acts. (see General terms of use ). Your address is needed when confirming a rental agreement. It is important to distinguish between your home/business address, and the actual location of the item for rent, since they can be different.

This address is necessary for your items available for rent can be located and mapped, for potential renters to visualize them.

Also, the accurate rental pick up and drop off places will only be transmitted after confirmation of the agreement. Either you will tell the renter yourself, or Zilok will inform them if you entered that information when filling in the item description. Once the agreement is confirmed by an email from the owner to the renter, the owner’s contact information is also transmitted.

Also, please keep in mind that your address will not be displayed accurately on the map when users will be searching for items to rent. Our system displays location markers in a 150 feet range from your actual location.

What happens if my renter doesn’t show up for the meeting we arranged?

This kind of situation is governed by the rental agreement you established when the owner confirmed the reservation. There could be supplementary fees involved or have no repercussions, just depending on your rental agreement, if you set one up.

Of course, whatever happens, the renter will be subject to your evaluation after this situation happens. Zilok encourages systematic evaluation of rental partners. A positive evaluation reassures future transaction partners.

What information do I need to provide to Zilok in order to create an account?

You will need to provide your usual contact information, as well as a list of locations for your rental goods if there is more than one place they are being stored. Pertaining to citizenship status, a social security number may be required, as well as a general bank account statement.

When do I have to pay my Zilok fees?

There are two types of fees associated with using Zilok: the commission on transactions and the listing fees.

Listing fees will remain free until October 1st, 2008

The commission is due when the owner accepts a rental booking request. The commission is however directly charged from the renter account as a retainer. When meeting the renter for the rental pick-up, the renter will owe the owner the remaining amount, that is the overall rental price of which will be deducted the already paid retainer fee. Therefore, the owner will not have to issue any payment to Zilok. A history of the transactions and commissions can be found under the “My Bills” section of the Zilok account, the commissions for confirmed rentals being labeled as “Paid”.

Can I refuse a rental booking request?

Certainly. Under certain conditions it is completely possible to refuse a rental. If you plan to refuse, Zilok encourages you to do so very rapidly, so as not to suffer any negative consequences on your evaluation. You will also be requested to give an explanation for the renter when rejecting a booking request.

What are the online payment methods available for billing the renters?

Since payment for rentals is strictly a matter between the owner and the renter, all methods of payment are available to you and your preferred methods can be clearly outlined in an item’s online description.

What methods of payment are available for paying my dues to Zilok?

Zilok accepts payments via credit cards and Paypal for the listing fees. The commission is paid through the retainer fee, charged to the renter when the rental is confirmed.

Why don’t I see the item I posted for rent?

Your posted goods are instantly registered in the Zilok database once they are published for rent. However, it may take several hours for them to show up in the search engine.

If it has been more than a few hours and you still don’t see them, there may be a problem with the information upload (typing error etc...). In that case, check if the name and the description of the item has been correctly registered in your Zilok account, where you can then modify the description and item if needed.

Still the same problem ? Go to your account and send us a Ticket. Our staff will get back to you as quickly as possible.

How much time can I wait before accepting a booking request from a renter?

You can reply at any time within the time frame of the booking request that had been set by the renter. The default duration is 2 days. Over this time period, the reservation will be cancelled. If the owner takes too long to respond, they may face negative feedback from the renter who made the booking request.

Remember that it is important to keep the availability of your products updated using the calendar in your My Items area.

How do I remove or delete one of my items that is currently rented?

The status of your goods is defined in the My Items section of Zilok.com.

Miscellaneous

I can’t register on Zilok!

Check that your browser accepts cookies and that your firewall is not blocking information being sent out.

I can’t sign in on Zilok!

Contact us directly to let us know about the problem by creating a Ticket.

What do I do if I forget my password or username?

To ask for a password or login name reminder, click on the "forgot my password" link on the homepage. Your username is the email you used when first signing in with Zilok.

How do I change my alias or my password?

In the My Profile area you can modify your account, including your password or alias.

What kinds of things can I post for rent?

Zilok allows everyone to rent items, goods or products, whatever they may be. Certain categories have been suggested but they are not exhaustive. So, when you are choosing a category for an item that you are renting, if nothing matches you can suggest a new one through our Ticket feedback form ( Contact us here) “Suggest a New Category”.

I’m not able to contact the renter or owner by email... how can I get in touch another way? (Fax, telephone, other)

Please contact us via our support Ticket system.

I have a disagreement with another member (owner or renter)

Zilok is a rental marketplace and remains a neutral intermediary. Conflicts that arise after confirmation of rental contracts are governed by this contract and by any legislation that is in effect for this type of situation.

However, keep in mind that Zilok’s feedback form for evaluating owners and renters is an crucial tool for avoiding conflicts between members. That’s why Zilok encourages you so strongly to be systematic in your evaluation of rental partners. A positive evaluation will assure you more rentals in the future and a trustworthy relationship with your partners.

Are you having problems receiving Zilok emails?

In an effort to fight growing amount of spam Email, service and software providers have been implementing new anti-spam filters. Inadvertently, large numbers of legitimate emails are falsely identified as spam and not delivered to an inbox. Instead these false Spam positive emails are either blocked or delivered to spam or bulk folders, or automatically deleted. This is why you may not be receiving your important Zilok booking details and missing out on exciting news, events and promotions.

To ensure you receive all Zilok.com emails please follow instructions below to add Zilok.com to the safe list or permitted sender list of the service or software you use.

AOL 7, 8

Place an email ID in your AOL "Address Book". Here's how:

  1. Go to Keyword Mail Controls
  2. Select the screen name to which email is (e.g. "HomeBiz Tip E-Mag")
  3. Now choose "Customize Mail Controls" For This Screen Name
  4. For AOL 7.0, include in the section, "exclusion and inclusion parameters", the domains from which Zilok.com email is sent: mail-1.zilok.com
  5. For AOL 8.0, choose "Allow mail from AOL Members and addresses listed"
  6. Type: mail-1.zilok.com.com
  7. Click "Add".
  8. Choose "Ok" displayed at the bottom

AOL 9.0

Add Zilok.com email addresses to the buddy list (address book).

Using an email:

  1. Open an email from Zilok.com.
  2. Click on the Zilok.com address. This will open a new window titled Info.
  3. Click on "Add to address book". This will open another new window.
  4. Click "Save".

Manually:

  1. From the top navigation bar, choose "Settings". This will open a new window titled "AOL Settings: Customize your AOL experience".
  2. Click "Spam Controls" This will open another new window titled "Mail and Spam Controls".
  3. Click "Customer Sender List"
  4. Check "Allow only the senders and domains listed below"
  5. Type mail-1.zilok.com and click "Add"
  6. Click "Save"
  7. Click "Save"

Hotmail or MSN

  1. Open your Hotmail mailbox.
  2. Click on "Options link", on the main menu tabs
  3. Click on "Junk E-Mail Protection" link
  4. Click on "Safe List".
  5. Type mail-1.zilok.com in the filed under "Type an address or domain".
  6. Click "Add".
  7. If you see a PokerStars.com email in your Junk Mail folder, click "This is not Junk Mail" to avoid having e-mail from the same source sent to the Junk Mail folder in the future.

Yahoo

  1. Open your Yahoo mailbox.
  2. Click "Mail Options".
  3. Click "Filters".
  4. Click "Add".
  5. In the top row, labeled "From header:" make sure Contains is selected in the pull-down menu.
  6. Click in the text box next to that pull-down menu, then enter @mail-1.zilok.com. At the bottom, where it says "Move the Message To:" select "Inbox" from the pull-down menu.
  7. Click the "Add Filter" button again.
  8. If the Zilok.com e-mail has been filtered to your "bulk" folder, simply open the message and click on the "This is not Spam" link next to the "From" field.

Google Mail (GMail)

To add an email address to your contact list:

  1. From your Gmail inbox, open the Sporting Index Poker email you have received
  2. Click on the blue down arrow next to the Reply button at the top of the email
  3. Select 'Add promotions to Contact list'

Other questions ? Contact Us.

General Questions

Renters

Owners

Miscellaneous