Climloc scandal: what the comments forget to say
After the Le Parisien feature, criticism poured in. Shortage, prices, ecology, vulnerable audiences: Victor Nihoul, co-founder of Climloc, responds point by point.
After the feature on Climloc in Le Parisien, comments multiplied on social media.
Some users asked legitimate questions. Others summed up our business in a few words:“they make the shortage worse”, “might as well buy one”,“they exploit the most vulnerable” or “renting an AC costs €800”.
Behind the noise, several questions deserve a serious answer:
- Is Climloc emptying the air conditioner stocks available in France?
- Does renting a unit prevent someone else from buying it?
- Why can a rental sometimes seem expensive?
- Is renting really more rational than buying?
- Is Climloc taking advantage of people distressed by the heatwave?
Victor Nihoul, co-founder of Climloc, responds point by point.
“They are contributing to the air conditioner shortage”
This is probably the most common criticism.
Two bourgeois people contributing to the AC shortage and renting them out very expensively.
The image is simple: Climloc would buy thousands of units in French stores, empty the shelves, then re-rent them at a higher price to consumers who have no other option.
The problem is that this image does not match the company's operational reality.
During heatwaves, Climloc mobilises a dedicated sourcing team. In 2026, four people search for available units from manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors in France and several European countries, including Germany, Hungary and Spain. Stock is sought in regions where it remains available, usually because local demand is lower at that moment.
We detail this market dynamic in our dedicated analysis why Climloc stays stocked during an AC shortage.
Once a batch is identified, the following steps are required:
- check the models and cooling capacity;
- negotiate the price and terms;
- organise collection;
- find an available carrier;
- have the equipment cross several countries;
- receive, inspect and prepare each unit;
- distribute it to the French cities where heat creates the most need.
Sometimes the entire operation is organised overnight, or even during the night.
“But every AC bought by Climloc could have been bought by a household”
In theory, yes: any unit bought by a company cannot be bought at the same time by another person. But this reasoning forgets what happens next.
An air conditioner bought by a household usually serves only one home. It may be used for a few days or weeks, then stored for the rest of the year. A unit integrated into the Climloc fleet can serve several people successively over the same summer.
After each return, the unit is:
- collected from the customer;
- drained;
- cleaned;
- inspected;
- repaired if necessary;
- re-equipped with its hose and sealing kit;
- assigned to a new rental.
Renting thus turns an individual product into a shared resource.
If 100 air conditioners each serve five households during the summer, not only 100 customers benefit, but potentially 500.
“Might as well buy one”
Honestly, might as well buy one…
In some cases, that is true.
Someone who wants to use an air conditioner for several months each year, has space to store it and is willing to handle installation, maintenance and possible repairs may be better off buying. Climloc has never claimed that renting is systematically preferable.
But many customers are in a different situation:
- they need a unit for one heatwave week;
- the fixed air conditioning in their facility has temporarily broken down;
- they are organising a short event;
- they are temporarily hosting a vulnerable person;
- they live in a small flat with no storage space;
- stores are already out of stock;
- they want fast delivery, installation and collection.
These situations also apply widely to businesses, healthcare facilities and associations: B2B accounts for around 50% of Climloc's revenue.
“Buying for ten days is also an ecological problem”
A portable air conditioner consumes electricity. Renting does not remove this consumption and does not make the device neutral for the environment. But a product's impact depends not only on its use. Its manufacturing, transport, storage, maintenance and lifespan also matter.
Buying thousands of devices that will remain unused for most of the year is not necessarily more virtuous than circulating a shared fleet.
At Climloc:
- units are inspected after each rental;
- broken air conditioners are repaired when possible;
- machines and accessories are reconditioned before being put back into circulation;
- the fleet is used successively by several customers;
- routes are grouped;
- cargo bike deliveries are preferred when distance, weight, weather and rider safety allow.
“Renting an air conditioner costs €800”
+100€ delivery fee lol. We might as well buy an AC at that price.
This figure has circulated widely in the comments.
Yet it mixes several very different realities: a standard rental, a long rental, a multi-unit order, a professional installation, an express delivery or an event emergency.
The Le Parisien feature states that a unit can be rented for around €12 per day under certain conditions, while prices can rise significantly for emergencies and events.
Full pricing is public: see for example our rental prices in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice or Toulouse.
Comparing only the rental amount to the price displayed for a store-bought air conditioner also means comparing two different services.
The purchase price in store essentially covers the product. The Climloc rate must finance:
- the purchase of the unit;
- its sourcing during shortage periods;
- transport from France or abroad;
- sometimes an emergency convoy;
- storage all year round;
- receipt and handling;
- preparation of the unit;
- cleaning and draining;
- maintenance and repairs;
- the exhaust hose;
- the sealing kit;
- delivery to the customer;
- optional installation;
- end-of-rental collection;
- phone customer support;
- failed deliveries and collections;
- damaged, incomplete or unreturned units;
- logistics and operations teams.
This does not mean that every price will suit every budget or every situation.
But saying that one week of rental should simply cost one fiftieth of the purchase price means forgetting the entire service and infrastructure surrounding the unit.
“You exploit vulnerable people”
Always the same types ready to exploit the most vulnerable.
This is probably the hardest accusation for the team to hear.
Climloc does work with elderly people, pregnant women, families with young children, care homes, hospitals and associations. But this does not mean these groups are treated as a commercial target to exploit.
The company applies solidarity rates for several categories, including elderly people, pregnant women and students. Healthcare facilities and care homes are always prioritised during peak periods. Climloc also provides free deliveries for healthcare facilities and associations.
This does not turn Climloc into a charity: the company must pay for its devices, staff, transport, warehouses and repairs. But a commercial business can have a social policy and choose to mobilise part of its resources for the most urgent situations.
“Le Parisien published a disguised advertisement”
Disguised advertising. Advertorial.
Several comments accused the newspaper of publishing a “paid feature” or a “disguised advertisement”. The original article is available here: “Rent instead of buying an air conditioner, the good deal offered by Climloc during the heatwave” (Le Parisien, 14 July 2026).
The fact that a feature presents a company, its activity and its growth does not make it an advertisement. The Le Parisien text also discusses prices, revenue, operational workings, the origin of the idea and the emergence of competitors. It is not simply a commercial presentation of the service.
What the comments are right to remind us
Responding to criticism does not mean considering Climloc beyond reproach.
The company's extremely rapid growth brings several responsibilities:
- explain prices more clearly;
- display precisely what is included;
- avoid any promise that cannot be kept;
- present the alternatives to renting more clearly;
- strengthen solidarity rates;
- improve fleet repairability;
- reduce logistics impact as much as possible;
- continue to professionalise customer service.
Questions about price, ecology and access for people on modest incomes are legitimate. Simplistic answers, on the other hand, are less so.
We do not create heatwaves, we try to respond to them
Climloc does not rejoice in heatwaves.
The company exists because many homes, offices, shops and healthcare facilities are not adapted to current temperatures. The long-term solution is not to put an air conditioner in every room of every building. It lies in thermal renovation, insulation, greening, shading and adapting cities. But these transformations will take years.
Tonight, some people still cannot sleep. Some facilities hosting vulnerable people have failing air conditioning. Some restaurants, shops and offices can no longer function under normal conditions.
We can discuss our prices. We can criticise our communication. We can ask us to do better. But no, Climloc does not create the shortage.
When French shelves are already empty, our team searches for stock elsewhere in Europe, brings it to France, repairs it, shares it and puts it back into circulation.
We do not remove air conditioners from the market. We turn each device into a resource available to several people.
And that is precisely what many comments forgot to say.
To go further: browse our blog, our solidarity commitments or contact our team directly.
FAQ — Responses to criticism addressed to Climloc
Does Climloc contribute to the air conditioner shortage in France?
No. During heatwaves, our sourcing team looks for available stock in France as well as in Germany, Hungary or Spain, then arranges transport into France. Every unit is shared across several households during the season — we add stock where it is missing rather than remove it.
Why do some prices seem high compared with the cost of a new air conditioner?
The rental price covers more than the device itself: sourcing during stockouts, sometimes cross-border transport, year-round storage, quality control, delivery, installation, the sealing kit, collection, phone support and repairs. Comparing a short-term rental with a store purchase ignores the infrastructure around the device.
Is renting an air conditioner more rational than buying one?
It depends on usage. For occasional needs (a one-week heatwave, a breakdown, an event, a vulnerable relative visiting, a small flat with no storage space), renting avoids buying a device used only a few days a year. For recurring use over several summers in a primary residence, buying or installing a fixed unit is often preferable.
Does Climloc offer solidarity pricing?
Yes. Reduced rates are available for elderly people, pregnant women and students. Care homes, hospitals and associations can be prioritised and benefit from free delivery. Climloc has carried out several interventions free of charge for healthcare facilities.
Was the Le Parisien feature sponsored by Climloc?
No. Climloc did not buy, commission or pay for the article. The journalist conducted the report independently: we answered his questions and opened our warehouse, without controlling the headline or the final content.
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