Before you sign anything, the most useful questions to ask a vending company cover six areas: how often the machine is serviced, who pays for repairs, what products go in it, how people can pay, how your revenue share is reported, and how long the agreement runs and what happens if you want the machine removed. Clear answers to those questions tell you more about an operator than any brochure. Below is what to ask in each area, and what a good answer sounds like.
Why the right questions to ask a vending company matter
A vending machine sits in your lobby, break room or hallway every day. If it runs empty, handles payments poorly or breaks and stays broken, your staff, tenants or visitors notice, and they connect the problem with your building. Choosing a vending company is really choosing who will look after a small part of your space for a long time. The vending service agreement is where those expectations get written down, so it pays to read it with a list in hand.
Service frequency and restocking
Ask how the operator decides when to restock. Some visit on a fixed route whether the machine needs it or not. Others use remote inventory monitoring to see what is selling and come when stock runs low. The second approach usually means fewer empty spirals and fewer wasted trips.
- How often will someone visit, and does that change if sales pick up?
- Can you see stock levels remotely, or only when you are on site?
- Who do I contact if the machine is empty or a product looks out of date?
- Do your staff check in with building management when they arrive?
Repairs and downtime
Every machine eventually jams, loses connection or has a payment reader fault. What matters is who handles it and how you will know. Ask whether repairs are included at no cost to you, how you report a problem, and what a typical response looks like for a location like yours. Rather than accepting a vague promise, ask the operator to describe how they handled their recent service calls.
Also ask how customers get refunds when a product does not drop. Machines with vend sensors confirm that an item actually fell before the sale completes, which cuts down on complaints landing at your front desk.
Product choice
Can the mix be customised?
A gym, a school and an office tower want different things. Ask whether you can request specific items, whether healthier options are available, and how often the selection is reviewed based on what sells. If your location has its own rules about what can be sold, such as a school or a clinic, check with your board, landlord or strata first and share those requirements with the operator.
What happens to items that do not sell?
A good operator swaps out slow sellers rather than leaving them to sit until they expire. Ask how they handle that and whether you get a say in the replacements.
Payment options
Many people no longer carry cash. Ask whether the machine takes debit and credit cards, mobile wallets and contactless tap-to-pay. Cashless machines also mean no coin box to empty and less reason for anyone to tamper with the cabinet. Ask what happens if the card reader loses its connection, and whether the machine uses its own cellular connection or needs to join your network.
Revenue share and reporting
If the vending operator offers you a share of sales, the details matter more than the headline. Ask:
- How is the share calculated: on total sales or after certain costs?
- How often are you paid, and by what method?
- What report do you receive, and does it show sales by product or by period?
- Can you check the figures yourself, or do you rely on a summary?
No honest operator can promise what a machine will earn. Sales depend on foot traffic, opening hours and the product mix. Be wary of anyone who quotes a guaranteed figure before seeing your space.
Contract length and removal
This is the part of a vending service agreement people tend to skim, and the part that matters most if things go wrong. Ask how long the term is, whether it renews automatically, and what notice either side has to give. Then ask the removal question directly: if the service is not working for you, how do you get the machine taken out, and who pays for that? Ask whether there is any charge to you for ending early. Get every answer in writing.
A quick checklist before you sign
- Is there any cost to you for the machine, delivery, installation or a monthly fee?
- Who stocks, cleans and repairs it?
- How is restocking scheduled and monitored?
- Can you choose or change the products?
- Which payment methods are accepted?
- How is your revenue share calculated, paid and reported?
- What are the term, renewal and removal conditions?
- Have you confirmed placement and power with your landlord or strata?
How Smartec Vending answers these questions
Smartec Vending has placed smart touchscreen machines at businesses and buildings for over three years. Today we serve Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey, and we are expanding across the Lower Mainland. The machine, delivery and installation are free to the host, with no purchase, no lease and no monthly fee. We stock, restock, service and repair it, and your location earns a share of the revenue from every sale. That share is discussed for each location rather than published as a single number.
Our machines use remote inventory monitoring over a cellular connection, accept cards, mobile wallets and tap-to-pay, and have vend sensors that confirm each product dropped. You can browse drinks and snacks on our products page and see what suits different spaces on our solutions page.
If you manage a space in Burnaby, New Westminster or Surrey, or elsewhere in the Lower Mainland and want to ask about timing, bring your list of questions to us. Use the contact form to request a free machine and we will walk through each answer for your location.