If you’re already renting content access, why not rent your TV as well?
LG has launched a subscription program in the UK that allows people to make monthly payments in order to rent LG TVs, soundbars, monitors, and speakers.
LG Flex customers can sign up for one-, two-, or three-year subscriptions to get lower monthly payments.
“At the end of your subscription, you can apply for a free upgrade, keep paying monthly, or return your device,” the LG Flex website says. Subscribers will have to pay a £50 (about $69) fee for a “full removal service,” including dismounting and packaging, of rental TVs.
LG also claims on its website that it won’t penalize customers for “obvious signs of use, such as some scratching, small dents, or changes in the paintwork.” However, if you damage the rental device, LG “may charge you for the cost of repair as outlined by the Repair Charges set out in your agreement.” LG’s subscription partner, Raylo, also sells insurance for coverage against “accidental damage, loss, and theft” of rented devices.
As of this writing, you can buy LG’s 83-inch OLED B5 2025 TV on LG’s UK website for £2,550 (about $3,515). Monthly rental prices range from £93 ($128), if you commit to a three-year-long rental period, to £277 ($382), if you only commit to a one-month rental period. Under the three-year plan, you can rent the TV for 27 months before you end up paying more to rent the TV than you would have to own it. At the highest rate, your rental payments will surpass MSRP after nine months.
Okay at first I was wondering “who the hell would want to do this?” But then I thought maybe its like…if you need a TV for an event? Being able to rent out a large TV might be helpful? But like thats so absolutely niche.
But its the only way I could ever see it make sense. If you needed a very large flat screen only for a few days or something you could rent it instead of paying a few thousand.
Event companies already have ready-to-rent TVs.
Lol of course that’s a thing. Welp so much for my big brain ideas. As usual its already a thing haha
If you want to watch football (or soccer) this season with friends, and will usually not watch much else, why not.
Plenty people rent most things. There is a whole market to rent electronics, even furniture.
My telly barely cost any more than that.
Charge the customer for repairs? How? They probably aren’t even reparable anymore. Also, I don’t like the sound of this “free upgrade”. That sounds like a TV replacement with a more expensive one while the previous one goes in the trash
Capitalism gets so fucking lazy in its final, desperate form.
Might be worth it if TV technology was actually still improving. But since they stopped innovating outside of more aggressive ads, I can’t see wanting to upgrade after just a couple of years, so I think it would only be good in very specific circumstances.
rent a tv
No
Bright House has entered the chat.
Or, hear me out, and I know this is crazy, but you buy a cheap, used TCL for a couple hundred pounds. Then, with the money you’re saving every month, you get a nice dinner with someone you’re close to, or even go see a local sports event in person.
Ok, I don’t know what they cost in the UK, but they’re sub-$500 new here in the US for a decent size TV. You have to put up with the TCL bullshit, especially if it’s a Roku one, but you were probably getting a smart TV anyway, and they all have this bullshit.
You guys are close to people?
or even go see a local sports event in person.
Usually doing this can also get you close to people, even if only spatially. Occasionally it does get you close to people figuratively, though. If there’s nobody in your life that you would want to get dinner with, then I’d recommend the sports event, or something similar to it anyway. You can always invite people you meet there to your next month’s fancy dinner.
I usually just go and sit and drink alone in a dark corner of a bar, so I don’t have to drink alone.
Right?
I think the last TV I bought was 5 years ago, a 65", 4k, for about $650.
And I didn’t shop, I was tired and sick, just needed a replacement and didn’t care.
The content:
A lot of effort was put into lining up the TV, soundbar, and table just to not align with the wall divisions. I hate it.
Darn it. Now m, I can’t unsee that.
What if you treat it like a rental? Give it the most unreliable power supply possible.
There used to be shops in the UK where you could rent electrical and white goods. Radio Rentals. Existed until electronics from Asia became so cheap.
