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What is the GARB Costume Hire Manager?
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The GARB Costume Hire Manager is a software program developed specifically for the costume hire business. It is designed to hold detailed records of costumes, customers, suppliers and bookings, and to provide extensive enquiry and reporting facilities based on these records. [Top]
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Can I use the database for my accounts?
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No. Although there are some financial reports included, the program is not a substitute for an accounting package.
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Can the program cope with VAT registered businesses?
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Yes. The program also handles the 0% VAT on children's costume hire as well as the 0% on cancellation charges.
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Can I double book a costume by accident?
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No. As long as the costume is only recorded once in the database, it will not be possible to double book it for the same day. You can also set aside days immediately preceding and following a booking to reserve it for preparation or cleaning. It is up to you whether or not you choose to do this.
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Although I like to hire out my costumes by name, I prefer to keep track of them by code number. Can I still do this?
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Yes. Although the program will accept numbers or any combination of numbers or words as a costume name, you may additionally record a costume number or code. All enquiries feature the option to choose which way you wish to view the information.
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Sometimes we are very busy and I am worried that it will take too long to enter bookings on the computer. What can we do about this?
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Entering booking details is actually faster than a manual system. If you already have a customer's details you don't need to retype these. You select the costume from a list, pick the dates from the calendar and the calculations are automatic. All the costume elements are listed on the booking and the return date is highlighted. You don't need to record the booking anywhere else or worry about which box to file it in.
Even better, the ZapcodeTM rapid addressing facility is available as an optional extra. This will return a customer's full address (except house number) on entry of the postcode. It is estimated this saves 80% of keystrokes as well as eliminating spelling mistakes and the sometimes illegible handwriting of hassled staff. See details.
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What about Delivery charges?
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Delivery charges may be added to the customer invoice.
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We don't open on Sundays. Can the program allow for this?
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Yes. You can set an indicator so that the program warns against bookings that begin or would have a return date on a Sunday. Sundays are not then included in the number of hire days and no charges are made for Sunday hire. Example: a booking made for Friday to Sunday (return Monday) would count as two days instead of three and be charged at only twice the daily hire rate.
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What details can I record about each costume?
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Name, number or code, daily hire rate, deposit required, keywords, elements (i.e. items included), colour, fabric, cleaning instructions, whether suitable for an adult or a child, sex, size (Free, S, M/L etc.), supplier, maker, age, initial cost, current value, picture and supplementary notes.
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I don't really want to enter lots of detail about all of my costumes. Do I have to?
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No. The only information you must enter for each costume is a name, a daily hire rate and a required deposit. The latter can be set to a default amount or a multiple of the hire rate if you wish. Remember however that the program will only be as useful as the information that you choose to record allows it to be.
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Can I just use the database to catalogue my costumes but continue to use my manual booking system?
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Yes. You can use as much or as little of the software as you wish. Once your costumes are recorded however, it is a very simple step to use the calendar based booking facility and therefore make use of all the automatic reports available.
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I have a number of costumes that can double as different characters. How should I record these?
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If you have items that double as different characters, such as a white dress that can become a Fairy Godmother or an Angel depending on the accessories, you should only include the dress in the database once to avoid the danger of double booking it. You can list the alternative accessories separately and combine the elements on the booking form to make up the character selected.
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Can I tell if a customer has been unreliable in the past?
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Yes. When you look up their details a special warning will tell you if they have ever previously returned a costume late, damaged or very dirty, never returned it at all or even if they made a booking and never turned up to collect it.
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I want to offer a discount on the standard hire rate. Can I do this?
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Yes. Simply edit the booking form to the amount you wish to charge.
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I have pre-printed headed paper that I would like to continue to use with customer reports. Can I do this?
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Yes. When printing customer reports you have the option to use a default company heading or to leave an 8cm space at the top of the report. If this is not enough to allow for your own heading, please advise us in advance.
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I don't have a computer at all yet and I'm not sure where to start…
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Don't worry - you're not alone. GARB is designed to be very straightforward to use and the clear printed instructions mean that you can always find a reference for what you want to do. We want you to be happy and confident with the system and to be able to make the most of the business benefits it offers. It is very unlikely you will need it but if required, we can also provide personal on-site training.
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I have two computers linked together. Is it possible to access the program from both?
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Yes, provided it is set up properly. The standard set-up is designed and licensed for a standalone PC so please advise us first if that is not how you wish to use the software.
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What are the minimum system requirements to run the software?
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System requirements will depend on the number and format of pictures stored. Maintaining a number of high quality pictures will require a higher specification system but the program itself will run on any modern PC. The latest release is also compatible with Windows Vista. An external storage system (CD or hard disk) is recommended for backups.
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What about support?
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The program is supplied with printed screen-by-screen instructions. These have been designed to be as clear as possible and include specific tips as well as general guidelines for use. If you still run into problems, we can offer free telephone or e-mail support (within 24 hours) for 30 days after receipt of the software. Further support will be available but we may charge a small fee after this time.
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Can the system be tailored to deal with a specific need of my business not already addressed?
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Probably, yes. Please tell us what you want to do and we will assess how straightforward this will be. There will be some additional cost associated with this customization.
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I don't want to enter all my costume details myself. Can you do this for me?
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Yes. We can also scan in any photographs you would like. The cost of this service will depend on the number of costumes and the level of detail you would like to maintain.
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I already have a basic list or database of all my costumes on computer. Can you convert this so I don't have to retype everything?
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Yes, please ask for details.
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What about the future?
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As a full member of the British Costume Association, we're committed to the costume hire industry and believe that it is a developing market with a great deal of potential. We have also created a package support program for balloon display activities.
We are constantly refining the Garb program so if you have any comments or ideas for improvements, please do let us know as we are continually looking to develop the system to the needs of our customers. A new release of Garb, including the ability to recognise and print barcodes is due for release very shortly. Click here for details/
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Can I use my database on the internet?
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We have developed Garbweb, which enables you to generate an edited web database from your GARB program. Garbweb includes selected costume details and links to several pre-designed web pages which you can incorporate into your own web site to enable customers to search and enquire on your stock on-line. The pages are editable if you wish to re-design them in keeping with your own corporate identity. Garbweb is an optional extra which can be included with your initial pack or added at a later date.
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How much does it cost?
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The standard program, supplied on CD, costs £350. This includes a detailed printed User Guide, a sample database for you to experiment with and support as previously described.
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