Doing business with the Cintas Corporation, a full-service rental business, requires a signed service agreement. Even though the agreement is a legal contract, there might come a time when severing ties is the best choice for your business. If this happens, there’s a right way and a wrong way to break a Cintas service agreement. If you need to cancel and don’t understand contract law, get legal help to avoid making a costly decision.
The best way to break your agreement is to let agreement expire. Review Item B -- the term length -- in the terms and conditions section of your master agreement. The first part defines the time frame for the original agreement. The second -- and most important -- states if the contract renews automatically or whether renewals require an additional written agreement.
In most cases, if Cintas doesn't do what it promised, it will let you drop the contract as long as you give them a 30-day notice in writing. Most agreements also allow you to cancel the contract for any other reason with a 30-day written notice and full payment up to the date of termination. The exact cancellation rules and payment requirements are in the terms and conditions you negotiated before signing the contract.
The worst way to break the agreement is to stop paying your monthly bill. It can nullify the agreement, but it also constitutes a breach of contract on your part. Since most contracts include a liquidated damages clause, you're liable for the agreed-upon sum. If there’s any disagreement over the reason for the breach or the liquidated damage amount owed, you could also face further legal action.
If you must write a cancellation notice, do it on company letterhead in a business-letter format and send it via certified mail. Make it clear the letter serves as a cancellation notice with a “regarding” line -- RE: -- just above the salutation. Briefly state your reasons for breaking the agreement, state once again that the letter serves as written notice of termination and include the effective date. Reassure Cintas you intend to pay the adjusted balance due in a closing statement.
