Re: Forget Mice... are you ready for subscription COMPUTERS?

On Sun, 04 Aug 2024 08:15:57 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
>

>
So, this idea has a little more meat to it. Computer manufacturer NZXT
(they make boutique gaming PCs) wants to make PCs with a subscription
(or perhaps rental) fee. Prices range from roughly $50 to $170USD per
month (plus initial shipping costs), depending on what sort of
computer you get. NZXT also promises "seamless upgrades" every two
years and 24/7 support

>
Not really anything new, it's been around for decades as "rent to own."
>
Had a friend who did this, you end up with a substandard computer that
you paid about 3x it's value for.
But for people who don't have a few thousand to buy a new one with...
>

 
But NZXT isn't offering a lease-to-own option. It's just pay-pay-pay
and miss-a-payment-and-no-PC-for-you. In fact, the subscription
agreement is quite clear on this topic: "This subscription is not a
rent-to-own program. At no point will Subscriber own the Rental
Devices... even if Subscriber payments aggregate to more than the
collective retail price for all services."

Rent-to-own at least gives you an option to buy the computer; it's not
much different from buying a PC on installments. Financially, it's
still a bad idea for the consumer as you always end up paying more,
but I get it; it can be hard to make that initial bulk payment, and
with some items, it's absolutely necessary you get the goods NOW
rather than wait until you've saved up.

    [I wouldn't count gaming PCs in this category though.
     You're much better off just putting your own money aside
     for a few months or years. If you really need a PC in the
     meantime, buy a $400 laptop (two months of FLEX payments),
     and then save up your 'real' PC]

But you dont' get that option with NZXT Flex. You just get to keep
paying and have nothing for it at the end.

Still, I /could/ see NZXT Flex working... just not at the prices
they're offering. Certainly not when their real competition is online
streaming for a fraction of the cost.

It's a bad deal all around. For the end-user, anyway.