Cancellations, changes and what your contract should say

Your robot hire contract should say, in writing and before you pay a deposit, what you owe if you cancel at each stage, what the supplier owes you if they cancel, which events count as force majeure, and how changes to dates, hours or scope are quoted and confirmed. On humanoid4rent the contract is between you and the supplier, so these are the supplier's terms: read and negotiate them as part of the quote, not afterwards. This guide explains what to look for; it is not legal advice, so have your own lawyer review anything significant.

Who your contract is with

humanoid4rent states that the service contract is between you and the supplier and that the platform is not a party to it. There is no instant booking: once you accept a quote, the supplier confirms and the dates are held against the specific physical unit that will do the job, and nothing on the site tells you a date is confirmed before the supplier has confirmed it.

Two practical consequences follow. First, cancellation and change terms differ from supplier to supplier, so compare them alongside the price. The platform's pricing guide makes the point directly: a lower price with a strict cancellation policy is a different product from a higher price with a flexible one, so price them together. Second, make sure the confirmation you receive names the date, the hours, the unit and the terms, not just the price. See how it works.

If you cancel

A clear cancellation clause ties what you owe to how much notice you give. Look for:

• A schedule with dates, not vague wording. For example, the amount due if you cancel before a set date, between two dates, and in the final days. Calendar dates avoid arguments about how days are counted.
• What is already spent. Custom programming, costumes and branding, booked travel and accommodation may be charged at cost whatever the notice. Ask the supplier to list them.
• Deposit treatment. Is the deposit refundable, how fast is it returned, and what would reduce it? The pricing guide suggests recording all three, and it treats a refundable deposit as separate from the cost of the service.
• Postponement. Whether moving the date counts as a cancellation, whether money paid becomes a credit, and how long that credit stays valid.
• Partial cancellation. Fewer hours, fewer days or one robot instead of two should have its own rule rather than being treated as a full cancellation.

If the supplier cancels or cannot deliver

The contract should be at least as specific about the supplier's side:

• Notice. How quickly the supplier must tell you if a unit, operator or vehicle becomes unavailable.
• Refund. Return of everything you have paid, including the deposit, within a stated number of days.
• Substitution. Whether the supplier may send a different unit or model, and that any substitute needs your written approval. A different configuration of the same model can matter, for example a G1 instead of a G1 EDU.
• Help to replace. Whether the supplier will help you find a replacement, and who pays any price difference.
• Failure on the day. What happens if the robot arrives but cannot perform, which is covered in what if the robot fails.
• Liability limits. Whether liability is capped and whether indirect losses, such as your stand or travel costs, are excluded. These clauses are where advice from your lawyer is worth having.

Force majeure and hardship

Force majeure clauses deal with events outside either party's control. The International Chamber of Commerce publishes model force majeure and hardship clauses that can be written into contracts or used as a basis for tailored wording. Under that approach, a party that successfully invokes force majeure is relieved from performing, while a party facing hardship can renegotiate and, in some cases, seek an adaptation of the contract.

For robot hire, make the clause concrete. Agree which events count, such as a venue closure, an official ban on gatherings, or transport disruption that makes delivery impossible, and which do not, such as weak ticket sales or a sponsor withdrawing. For outdoor events, agree a weather decision deadline and who makes the call; see outdoor events and weather. Finally, settle who carries costs already incurred when force majeure applies.

Change orders: how changes should work

A change order is any change after confirmation: date, hours, location, number of robots, programme, branding or languages. A clean process looks like this:

1. You request the change in writing.
2. The supplier re-quotes, showing what changes in price and scope.
3. You accept in writing, and only then is the change binding.

On humanoid4rent a quote is immutable: if a supplier changes anything, they issue a new version and you can see what moved. Keep the accepted version on file, because it is your record of what was agreed.

Agree some rates in advance so that changes do not turn into negotiations under time pressure:

• An hourly overtime rate and who on your side may approve it on site.
• The price of an extra day and of an extra unit.
• The cost and lead time of programming changes; see custom programming and choreography.
• Freeze dates after which content, script or language changes are no longer possible.

Payment and deposits

State the payment schedule explicitly: the deposit, the balance date and what triggers the final invoice. If you agree nothing, default rules may apply. The EU's Your Europe portal explains that when a business contract fixes no payment period, late payment interest becomes payable automatically 30 calendar days after the client receives the invoice or payment request; if no rate was agreed, the statutory rate applies, and the creditor can claim a flat EUR 40 compensation fee for each invoice paid late, more in some EU countries. Agreeing a clear payment date protects both sides. Keep tax and the deposit as separate lines when you compare quotes, as the pricing guide recommends.

Checklist: what the contract should say

• Parties, date, hours, location and the named unit.
• Cancellation schedule by calendar date, including sunk costs.
• Deposit amount, refund conditions and refund time.
• Postponement and partial-cancellation rules.
• Supplier cancellation: notice, full refund, approval of any substitute.
• Force majeure: listed events, notice and treatment of incurred costs.
• Change-order process in writing, with overtime and extra-day rates.
• Freeze dates for programme and content changes.
• Payment schedule and due dates.
• Liability caps and insurance, checked with your lawyer and insurer.

When you send a request, mention any flexibility you need, such as a date that may move, so suppliers can quote terms that fit.

FAQ

Does humanoid4rent set the cancellation policy?

No. The contract for the service is between you and the supplier, and the platform is not a party to it, so cancellation terms come from the supplier. Compare them across quotes alongside the price.

Is postponing the same as cancelling?

Only if the contract says so. Ask whether a date change converts your payments into a credit, how long the credit lasts, and what happens if the new date does not suit the supplier.

What if I need extra hours on the day?

Use the overtime rate agreed in advance and have a named person approve it on site. If no rate was agreed, confirm the price in writing before the extra time starts.

Who pays if the venue closes?

That depends on your force majeure clause and on the venue's own contract with you. Agree in advance whether a venue closure counts as force majeure and how incurred costs are shared.

Sources

• How it works – humanoid4rent
• How to compare robot hire quotes – humanoid4rent
• ICC Force Majeure and Hardship Clauses – International Chamber of Commerce
• Late payment – Your Europe (European Union)

How this guide was made: prepared with AI assistance; every factual statement was checked against the sources listed above on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Write to info@humanoid4rent.com.