Trust & safety

Boring is the goal.

Handing a stranger a $4,000 camera, or handing your weekend to a stranger's gear, should feel uneventful. Every hire runs through the same layered system. No exceptions, no shortcuts.

ID verification

Every member verifies their identity through Stripe Identity: hirers before their first booking request, owners before their first listing goes live.

Payment screening

Every card payment at checkout is checked with 3D Secure, and Stripe Radar screens every payment: the baseline layer against stolen-card fraud.

Bond holds

Gear worth $500 or more always has a bond, set by the owner. Below that, the owner may choose not to take one. A bond is held on the hirer's card as a temporary pre-authorisation, released after the gear comes back in good condition and captured only for a documented damage or non-return claim. It is the main tool the platform has for a claim, and it is not insurance: a loss can exceed the bond.

Photo handovers

Timestamped condition photos at check-out and check-in, taken by both parties and stored on the booking. Disputes start from evidence, not memory.

Claims process

Gear Envy acts as the owner's agent for each hire: we collect payment, hold the bond and run the claims process on the owner's behalf. The hire itself is between the owner and the hirer. It is a process, not an insurance product.

Double-blind reviews

Reviews publish once both sides have submitted, or 14 days after the hire, so neither side sees the other's first. No retaliation, no review-for-review, honest signal for the next person.

Keeping it on-platform

Why we moderate messages.

Once two parties meet, the temptation to deal directly next time is real, and it's how the bond, the claims process and reviews all fall away. Messages are screened for contact details and off-platform payment hints. Phone numbers, emails and payment handles are hidden from the other person at every stage, before and after a booking, so we have the full record if anything goes wrong. Messages that look like an attempt to deal off-platform are flagged to us.

It's not about reading your mail. It's about keeping every hire inside the bond, claims and review process.

When it goes wrong

The dispute ladder.

Resolve together
Most issues settle in the booking thread: the photo record makes facts cheap.
Gear Envy review
A human reviews the condition photos, messages and booking terms. We'll come back with a decision within 2 business days.
Bond review
The hold is released, or part of it is captured, following the review and the evidence. Nothing sits behind the bond: Gear Envy does not insure the gear and does not pay claims itself.

For owners

If your gear isn't returned

Most late returns are a missed message or a traffic jam. If the hire has ended and you can't reach the hirer, here's what to do.

Contact us
Message the hirer in the booking thread first, then email hello@gearenvy.com.au with the booking. We'll look at the booking record and the bond.
Report it to police
If you believe the gear has been kept or stolen, report it to your local police and note the event number they give you. Tell us the number.
We can give police a record of the hire
If gear isn't returned, we can give police a record of the hire where we believe it's needed for their investigation. We never give it to the other member. It contains only what's needed for their request, which can include the booking details, the hirer's identity check and contact details, the handover photos and the messages. What happens next is up to police.

The bond, where there is one, is reviewed through the claims process. It is not insurance, and a loss can be more than the bond.

Trust the process. Then trust the gear.

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