Productivity Planner

What to Consider When Leasing a Photocopier

February 15th, 2012 Filed under: Planning Tips — Productivity Planner Author

Most businesses will choose to lease a photocopier rather than buying one because they are so expensive to purchase. However a lease term can be for around three to five years so you need to think about this before you agree on this contract. There are a few other things that you should bear in mind before you decide on photocopier hire.

Photocopier technology is changing all the time so it is very important that the company you lease from will allow you to get an upgrade during the lease term. The last thing you would want is to be stuck with an inferior model for five years when there is something much more economical available. Think about this before you sign any lease. Many companies will be more than happy to agree this term with you but there are a few companies that will not allow an upgrade until the term of the lease has expired. Find this out before signing any paperwork.

Your lease contract may just include the lease of the photocopier and nothing else. It may be the case that you have to sign a service agreement which will cover provision of services. You may be offered a price per page that you print. It is important to make sure that the rates you are charged are reasonable for the features that you are getting. If you are going to be given replacement toner, replacement parts and upgrades as part of the service agreement then you should find the rates quite reasonable. However, some companies will want to charge you extra for replacement toner so make sure you clarify this in advance.

You should also make sure that you are aware of the annual price increases that will be applied to your service agreement. The prices may be low to begin with but then they could decide to put the prices up after a year. Some companies will increase the prices quite considerably and this could affect your budget. Most of the dealers will tell you that because the machine is older, it will probably need more maintenance and that is why they need to increase the prices. It is important that you have read the service agreement properly and that you understand what the terms mean for you.