Rent or Buy IT Equipment is one of the goals we laid out when we opened our IT Equipment Showroom was to make it easy for customers to get what they need. One way of doing this is by offering rentals on top of purchases or one can buy the best buy refurbished laptops, cheap refurbished laptops. This leads to the question “should I rent or should I buy?”
Type of Need
Short-term use (1-2) weeks can almost always get by with equipment rentals. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a product you will only use for a few weeks.
Long-term usage periods (2 weeks +) are a bit trickier. When you look at recovery aids or mobility aids for a longer period, buyout price vs. rental price becomes a big question. IT equipment can be very expensive!
Rent or Buy IT Equipment
A simplified way of looking at long-term needs is as follows: If you are going to need a manually operated mobility item for over a month, purchasing is usually better. If you are going to need a printer or xerox machine, rental usually makes more sense.
Lifelong needs usually require a purchase, however, there are situations where rentals will make sense. If you are going on vacation or to an all-day event, rentals can be big money savers!
Renting Versus Buying IT Equipment Questions to Ask
Before renting or purchasing any IT equipment, the following questions should be answered:
- How long will the recovery period take?
- Could any complications make recovery longer?
- Will I have any use for this item after recovery?
- Do I have any special needs? (Outside of standard recovery needs)
- What is my budget?
- If renting for a family member: How often will we need this item?
The only way to answer the rent/purchase question is by saying; everyone has different needs, renting or purchasing depends on your personal situation. The rental has the downside of rental payments and lack of model choice. Purchasing costs more upfront.
What you decide to do is up to you. Thankfully our IT Equipment Showroom is staffed by trained team members who can answer any questions you have. Give us a call or shoot us an email with any questions. We will help make your life easier!
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