We put this question to a few of our writers and asked them, “Have you ever rented your technology hardware?”
Our Opinion
For the most part our writers aren’t into renting their equipment either just out of preference, or for some their location doesn’t allow it.
Trevor reports that for things like modems and routers, he would prefer to buy them outright rather than rent them from his ISP or cable company. For other things he’s willing to rent but only if it means he gets newer versions when they’re available. He notes that a large reoccurring monthly cost to rent can “nickel and dime you to the poor house.” Mahesh also prefers to buy his technology and says he’s just never rented it. While Derrik admits he rented game consoles when he was younger, he hasn’t ever rented anything else and doesn’t seem inclined to in the future. For Jeffrey renting is mostly unheard of in his part of the world, so it’s not even an option for him. Vamsi notes that the only items that are rented where he lives are routers and modems, yet to him it doesn’t make sense to rent those as they are so cheap to buy. He’s also leery of liability issues, so he sticks to buying rather than renting.
While I have considered renting at other points in time, I have never done it. To afford a new computer I would often think of renting just to get something sooner and not have to wait until I saved up the money. But in the end I always just waited, and it probably turned out better. I would not consider renting now, but I can see how that could be a good strategy for people who like to replace their phones yearly or who damage them often to where they have to replace them.
Your Opinion
Do our opinions fall in line with what you’ve done? Do you agree that it’s always better to buy or do you not even have renting options available in your area? Have you ever rented technology hardware? Let us know in the comments below.
