5 Photocopier Lease Traps That Catch Businesses Out

We've been in the managed print game long enough to see the same problems come up again and again. Businesses ring us up, frustrated, asking if there's anything they can do about their current lease. Usually the answer is: not much, until it expires. But we can make sure your next one doesn't catch you out.

1. The Auto-Renewal Clause

This is the big one. Loads of copier leases have a clause buried in the terms that says if you don't give notice (usually 90 days before the end) the contract automatically renews. Sometimes for another full term. We've spoken to businesses who've been rolled into another three-year deal without even realising it happened.

What to do: Read the termination clause carefully. Stick a reminder in your calendar 120 days before the end date. And when you lease with us, we'll remind you, because we'd rather earn your renewal than trick you into one.

2. Inflated Per-Page Costs

Some dealers quote a low monthly rental to win the deal, then make their money on per-page charges. You might be paying 2p a page for mono when you should be paying 0.5p. Over a five-year lease doing 10,000 pages a month, that's the difference between £3,000 and £12,000. On the same machine.

What to do: Always ask for the total cost of ownership, not just the monthly rental. Get the per-page rates in writing, and compare like-for-like. If a dealer won't tell you the per-page cost upfront, that tells you something.

3. The Upgrade That Isn't

"Time for an upgrade!" your current dealer says, halfway through your lease. Sounds great. New machine, better features. What they don't always mention is that they're rolling the remaining balance of your old lease into the new one. So you're now paying off two machines, and the new "lease" is longer than the original.

What to do: If someone offers you an early upgrade, ask them to show you the full financials. How much is still owed on the current machine? Is that being added to the new deal? What's the total you'll pay over the full term? If they can't answer clearly, walk away.

4. Service Response That's Not What You Expected

"Next business day response" sounds reasonable until your copier dies at 9am on Monday and the engineer doesn't turn up until 4pm on Tuesday. Some contracts define "response" as acknowledging the call, not actually fixing the machine. Others outsource service to third parties who don't know your machine or your setup.

What to do: Ask what "response time" actually means in the contract. Is it time to acknowledge, time to attend, or time to fix? And find out who does the service. Is it in-house engineers or subcontractors? We use our own team because we think it matters.

5. End-of-Lease Surprises

Your lease ends, you want to return the machine, and suddenly there's a collection fee. Or a charge for "excessive wear and tear" on a machine that's been running normally for five years. Or they want money for not buying out the residual value. These are the kinds of charges that appear in the small print but nobody mentions at the start.

What to do: Before you sign, ask: what happens at the end? What fees might apply? Is there a residual value? Can you just hand the machine back? Get it in writing. A good dealer will explain all of this upfront because they've got nothing to hide.

The Short Version

Most of these traps come down to the same thing: stuff that's buried in the terms and conditions that nobody reads properly. We get it. A 20-page lease agreement isn't exactly a page-turner. But it's worth spending 30 minutes going through it, or asking someone to explain the key bits.

Or, you could just lease with a company that doesn't put traps in the contract in the first place. That's sort of our whole thing.