Renting things for parties is never fun. It's expensive and tedious... and unless you throw parties for a living, an unknown. Big Ten Rentals has a robust inventory at competitive (though a bit high) prices. It's one of a handful of options in the area. It's located conveniently off Highway 1. I was throwing a massive 150+ person shindig at a farm for a surprise party last weekend. I needed a huge tent, about a dozen tables and three or dozen chairs. I reached out to Big Ten Rentals prior to Memorial Day and it took over a week to respond... once they responded I replied... another week passed... it was mid-June before I heard back again! So, that is why I'm knocking it a star. I just wanted to have things reserved and paid for so I could move on to the next thing on my list. Overall, Big Ten is reliable with a good product! I'd recommend just calling or coming in, in-person vs email. read more

Rented a moving truck. Staff was awesome and the process was quick and easy. S. Brown helped me and she was great.

Was needing a tent for an at home wedding. I went in to get prices for different sizes because we weren't sure what size we wanted. They have no prices, it all depends on the owner. I could get a price when i had the size. So I did email and gave a size and requested a quote, crickets, heard nothing. Called and talked to someone else and gave all my info again. Nothing. Talking to them, the owner decides the prices and who he'll rent to. Went to New Century Events in Marion and had great service. Big Ten is not the only place that rents tent as they will tell you! I'll never try them again. Aerorental and New Century will be where I recommend! read more

Would've given a zero, front desk is terrible. Never coming back and never recommending this place. Trash.

UPDATED 05/2015: Rented a snow cone machine and supplies for my daughter's birthday. Still the same kickass customer service, prices, and staff. Was *not* charged or held responsible for a loose part that shook loose on the drive back. They know the status of their equipment and they take full responsibility. A++ company in my book! Original review: Big Ten was a life saver when planning my low-budget wedding last fall! Not only were they by far the cheapest, they bent over backwards with their customer service. We had a last minute change (I'm talking DAY OF!) where we needed to bring the chairs back a day later than expected. They gave it to us for FREE! I will always make Big Ten my first stop for rental needs. Huge selection, respectable prices, and they understand great customer service. read more

I rented white garden chairs for my outdoor wedding ceremony in Davenport, IA from Big Ten Rentals. I paid extra to have them set-up/take-down the chairs. The reservation process was very easy and they arrived and set-up as planned. We paid a deposit a few months prior and then they allowed us to pay the remaining balance 1 day prior to wedding, which really helped us in case we needed to cancel last minute due to rain. Thank you! read more

Big Ten Rentals - Party Equipment Rentals Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Doing a roadshow at a conference, these guys delivered. They set up a 50' circus tent for us that survived a thunderstorm and winds that the second I looked out the window I thought "This won't be good!". Showed up on time, had all the gear we ordered, and we got our full deposit back (so they must've left the place clean--- I took a flight out that night, thanks guys!) read more

This place is awesome. I had to rent a couple of tables for an event in the fall, and they gave me an awesome deal. The location is great, and the folks who work there are incredibly friendly and helpful. I would definitely come back. read more

I recently rented tables, chairs, linens, and 2 pop up tents/canopies from Big Ten Rentals. On their website they clearly state that the canopy is an easy to install, do it yourself pop up, to help shield from sun and rain. What I got was Rope and Pole Tents that resembled a circus tent. It was impossible to install and only worked on grass or gravel. My backyard is mostly cement which was clearly stated on the phone when ordering. Upon returning when I stated I had a problem that needed to be taken care of, the customer service gentleman, while soft spoken, was extremely disrespectful. He stated there was nothing different between the canopy and rope and pole I had received; he refused to look at their website with me which does show a complete difference in the two. He asked want I wanted, which I replied a refund on one of the two canopies; 125 out of the 650 total charged. He clearly said that I would most definitely NOT get any type of refund. When I suggested that was a bad way to retain business, he said the customer is not always right. All while this was occurring, the other help was laughing at the exchange between me and the CS guy. I do not recommend for anyone to ever use this company. Go to Cedar Rapids A1, great customer service and no disguises or misleading of services/products available renting. read more

I recently rented from this company. We had a contract for a large tent and chairs to be delivered for my wedding. I ordered white chairs and received black. When the installers came they brought supplies for asphalt instead of concrete. The management blamed me saying I was the one who told them it was asphalt, which was completely untrue because if they would of asked me I would of called my venue to find out what the parking lot was made of. So, we had to drive all the way to Iowa city to get the right parts for them. We were not reimbursed for our drive since they claimed it was my error. It turns out the supplies they needed could of fit in a bucket. I may be wrong but if it was that easy why not prepare for both? The installers were nice people to work with, but the management was unorganized and not experienced in my opinion. When I was trying to find out when the items were to be delivered on Friday the manager told me they couldn't give me a better time line than mid morning because "the rental game was hard". This is your whole business. Is it not? I had my tables delivered from another business and they gave me an exact time. I'm not sure how big tent rental is even still in business. I wouldn't recommend them to any one. read more

Rented a piece of equipment. It functioned poorly and wasted my time. I returned the equipment and asked the manager to call me. A mechanic called me back, didn't listen to my complaints and hung up on me. I called back and asked the owner to call me. He never called. I won't rent anything from Big Ten Rentals ever again (just like the mechanic told me to). read more

We used Big 10 rentals for a recent wedding reception, while the staff was incredibly friendly during the reservation process the actual item we rented (a keg-o-rater) was TERRIBLE. When we picked it up it had broken gauges which we were assured would not be an issue, while I am not sure if the gauges effected the overall performance of the keg-o-rater the item itself did nothing but keep our beer cold. We followed the directions while setting it up, even had a friend who works for Budweiser look at the item, but the beer would not pump out of this item despite our best efforts which was VERY disappointing. When we returned the item the next day we voiced our complaints in which the gentleman informed us that we probably just "set it up wrong because he used to work in the beer business and the item is fine." Wouldn't recommend renting this item unless you have a solid plan B on serving beer to your guests because they certainly won't enjoy a beer from this sub-par keg-o-rater. read more

We rented tablecloths for our wedding from Big Ten Rentals, and I can say two things about our experience. First, the products were high quality and we were very happy with them. Second, the customer service and professionalism offered by the Big Ten staff was quite poor. I had to email and/or call six times over the course of seven days before our order was correct. They "lost" our order twice, and once we were in the system, they repeatedly created invoices that were incorrect. When the order was lost, no apology was offered. Instead I was told that they are busy over the summer, and "sometimes orders don't get put into the computers." As I live out of state, it was incredibly frustrating having to call them repeatedly before things were taken care of (for a rather simple order). Again, in the end the products we rented were available for pick-up when we requested, and they were high quality. But if you go with this rental place, be ready to deal with a lot of hassles and problems in the ordering/payment process. I have been told by others that my experience is not uncommon for this rental company. read more