Computer technology has entered every corner of our professional and personal lives, and it has brought us capabilities that were once unimaginable. And advancements keep coming, bringing us more ways to harness information for profit and pleasure. In this annual Rental Management technology issue, the temptation is to sing only the praises of technology. But we would be wrong to ignore the dark side - because unfortunately, there are scoundrels out there, harnessing computers for twisted purposes. Sometime in June, we were infected with a "virus" that made our computers freeze up. It got worse. By July, our computers were ignoring us most of the time: they would run OK for five minutes, then forget about us and begin searching the network for files to corrupt. We were powerless. The Internet provided a shareware program that some kind soul somewhere had written to combat the scoundrel who devised this vandalism. (It is believed that it came from Hong Kong, but no one can ever really know - the Internet has shrunk the world to a pebble; we are linked to every spot on the globe in distances measured in microseconds.) This virus attacked only PowerMac computers, but that's not good news for most of you: the vast majority of viruses are aimed at PCs, or IBM-type systems. But with this sobering experience fresh in mind, I urge everyone to get your computer vendor or your systems people to scour out any viruses you may have picked up from the Internet or disks you've passed around. These virus writers are very smart, unfortunately. Get professional help. This stuff is deadly.
United Rental Center, Monroeville, Pa., shows what you can do with some imagination, an eye for opportunity and an old U.S. post office. For another angle on this theme - that is, seeing the possibilities in a location that didn't start off as a rental store. And don't let the words "gas station" turn you off - read first, then decide.
Steve Kohn, Miller's Party Rentals in Edison, N.J. , says you have to be there when the customer wants, not when you want. He's talking about corporate event clients, but what about homeowner tool rentals? OK, nobody wants to be on call around the clock. But I know of a woman who needed a carpet cleaner. Her husband told her to be sure to go to a real rental store, not a supermarket or hardware store, and get real help. She tried, but she couldn't get there before 5. The hardware store was open till 9. I wondered how much this happens - and what could be done to keep that business from going down the street.
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