I disagree on that. If you give out a loaner, even if you charge up front for it's use, sooner than later someone is going to steal it. Your suggestions to keep it secure and locked are all good ones, but once you turn around these people are going to go to work trying to screw you. I know that there are cases on the market that can be locked (ThermalTake makes several) but that can't stop them from keeping it or pawning it off.
I work at a whitebox computer builder, and we have our share of people trying to shoplift in a week. The really big problem is when a customer drops off a junker PC for diagnostics. We charge a minimum half hour hour's fee for diagnosis (most diagnostics take about that long, so IMO that's fair). But if you tell someone their PC is dead or will take an expensive repair, you rarely will ever see them again. Instead, they will leave it with you and never pay for the work. Because of this, we have started taking the diagnostic fee up front, which many people bellyache about or dispute that they want a refund later, but we don't get stuck with PCs that are old and don't work.
I advise against giving out a loaner PC, if you tell them the PC you took home to work on is dead and you trusted them with a perfectly good PC you will never see the loaner one again.
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Wikipedia's Article on the F-14 at one point had stated (but doesn't now) that the Tomcat requires 50 hours of shop time for one hour in the air.
I disagree on that. If you give out a loaner, even if you charge up front for it's use, sooner than later someone is going to steal it. Your suggestions to keep it secure and locked are all good ones, but once you turn around these people are going to go to work trying to screw you. I know that there are cases on the market that can be locked (ThermalTake makes several) but that can't stop them from keeping it or pawning it off.
I work at a whitebox computer builder, and we have our share of people trying to shoplift in a week. The really big problem is when a customer drops off a junker PC for diagnostics. We charge a minimum half hour hour's fee for diagnosis (most diagnostics take about that long, so IMO that's fair). But if you tell someone their PC is dead or will take an expensive repair, you rarely will ever see them again. Instead, they will leave it with you and never pay for the work. Because of this, we have started taking the diagnostic fee up front, which many people bellyache about or dispute that they want a refund later, but we don't get stuck with PCs that are old and don't work.
I advise against giving out a loaner PC, if you tell them the PC you took home to work on is dead and you trusted them with a perfectly good PC you will never see the loaner one again.