10 Things to Check Before You Sign a Copier Lease

This is the big one. Some dealers sell you a 36-month equipment lease but bury a 60-month service contract in the small print. You think you're done in three years, but the service agreement keeps running for another two. And you're paying minimum charges on a machine you might not even have any more.

We've seen this written up on MoneySavingExpert more than once. It's legal. It's also, in our view, properly underhanded. Ask the question directly: "Are the equipment lease and the service agreement the same term?" If the salesperson hesitates, walk.

Nearly every copier lease has one. If you don't give written notice (usually 90 days before the end) the contract rolls over for another 12 months automatically. Miss that window by a week and you're stuck for another year. Set a calendar reminder six months before your lease ends. Not four months. Six. Give yourself time to actually think about what you want next.

Some dealers rely on you forgetting. That's how they keep clients who'd otherwise leave. We'd rather keep you because you're happy, not because you missed a deadline.

"All-inclusive" should mean toner, maintenance, engineer visits, and parts. But we've seen contracts where "all-inclusive" doesn't include colour toner. Others where engineer callouts carry a separate fee. One where staples for the finisher were charged at £35 per box (you can buy them online for £8).

Get it in writing. What's covered? What isn't? Is paper included? (It usually isn't, and that's fine, but ask.) Are there any consumables charged separately? If the answer is vague, the contract will be too.

Most managed print contracts charge per page. That's normal. What catches people is the minimum volume charge. If your contract says you're paying for at least 5,000 pages a quarter but you only print 2,000, you're still paying for 5,000.

Some dealers set the minimum deliberately high so they earn more than the actual usage justifies. Look at your real print volumes (we can help you work this out) and make sure the minimum is realistic. If it's more than 20% above your average, ask why.

Buried in most contracts is an annual increase clause, usually tied to RPI or CPI. That's not necessarily unfair; costs do go up. But some contracts say "RPI plus 3%" or even just "5% per annum." On a 60-month lease, a 5% annual increase means your monthly payment is 22% higher by the end than when you started.

Check the clause. Calculate what year five actually looks like. If it's RPI-linked, that's broadly reasonable. If it's a fixed percentage on top of inflation, you should know what you're agreeing to.

On most leases, you never own the machine. You're renting it. At the end, the finance company owns it and usually sells it back to the dealer. That means you can't buy it out yourself. It's a closed market. Some people find this out the hard way when they try to keep a machine they like.

If ownership matters to you (maybe you want to keep running a machine that still works fine after five years), ask about a £1 buyout lease upfront. It costs a bit more monthly, but you own the kit at the end.

"4-hour response time" can mean two different things. Some dealers define "response" as acknowledging your call, not actually turning up. Others define it as an engineer on site within four hours. There's a world of difference when your machine's broken and you've got 500 pages to print.

Ask specifically: does "response" mean someone picks up the phone, or someone walks through my door? And are they your own engineers or subcontractors? (Ours are in-house, based in Kent and London. That matters.)

If you want out early, you'll typically pay the remaining balance of the lease. On a £100/month machine with 24 months left, that's £2,400. Some contracts add penalties on top.

The industry doesn't make it easy to leave. That's partly why dealers sometimes push longer terms. Harder for you to walk away. Before signing, calculate the worst case: if you needed to exit after two years, what would it cost? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, shorten the term.

"This price is only available today." No, it isn't. If a salesperson pressures you to sign before you've had time to read the contract, something's off. Any reputable dealer will give you the contract to take away, read, and come back with questions.

We send our quotes by email. You read them. You ask questions. You decide. If that takes a week, it takes a week. We've never lost a deal because we gave someone time to think, and if we did, they probably weren't the right fit anyway.

If a dealer quotes you without looking at your current print volumes, they're guessing. And when dealers guess, they guess high, because that's where the margin is.

A proper print audit tells you what you're actually printing, where, and how much it's costing you. It takes us about a week to do (remotely, usually) and it's free. The data tells us, and you, exactly what machine and contract fits. No guesswork, no overselling.