5 Reasons Why You Should Rent a Coffee Machine Rather Than Buying One

Let me start by saying that coffee machine rentals are a great solution for many offices and businesses but they are not right for everyone. In this post I will describe who we believe a rental is a good fit for and who we feel would be better off buying a coffee machine. I will then give my Big 5 Reasons “Why you should rent a coffee machine rather than buying one” if you happen to fall into the “better to rent” group.

Who is a coffee machine rental a good fit for?

Coffee machine rentals do consist of their pros and cons but if you happen to fall into any of the groups below, the renting is most likely your best bet:

• You are able to consume over 15 cups of coffee per day
• You have people other than yourself using the coffee machine
• There is a potential that your circumstances might change in the near future (you might increase or decrease the number of people you have)
• You would like a coffee machine operational everyday
• You want to know what you are in for and don’t want any servicing or repair charge “surprises”

Now onto the big five reasons:

Coffee Machine Rentals give you Unrivalled Flexibility:

When you buy a coffee machine that is that. If for any reason you aren’t totally satisfied with your coffee machine there is unfortunately little you can do about it. A rental allows you to change coffee machines at any time if the number of staff or people using the machine increases or decreases; A coffee machine which is suited for 20 cups of coffee per day is not well suited for a consumption of 50 cups of coffee per day. Likewise if your consumption today is 50 cups per day and your staff compliment decreases you ideally want a machine which is designed for lower usage and typically cheaper than a bigger unit. You don’t want to be sending more than you need to if you can help it.

The other reason we see people wanting to change their coffee machine over time is due to changing tastes. What tastes good to you today won’t necessarily hit the spot in 2 years time. A rental gives one the  flexibility to change machines in terms of size and type to ensure that you have the right machine for your current circumstances:

Renting a Coffee Machine Enables you To Change your Mind:

I feel like pizza tonight….Actually I would prefer salad….No hold on, let’s stick to Pizza. Ever had this feeling? Coffee is no different. There is something about the finality of purchases, especially at the outset that leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Renting a coffee machine essentially keeps 3 options open:

• You can change coffee machines at any stage
• You can choose to buy your coffee machine
• You can choose to return your coffee machine.

Essentially you can do what you like when renting. If flexibility s what you are after and you would like to keep your options open at all times then renting is probably the route for you.

You aren’t 100% sure which is the Best Coffee Machine for You:

Ever ordered something off a menu which sounded and looked a lot better than it was in reality? Although we hope that’s never the case with your coffee machine purchase, it is a reality that sometimes people are a little bit disappointed with how the coffee machine works or how the coffee tastes out of it. Unfortunately selecting a coffee machine off a brochure is not a foolproof method for ensuring you get what you want. Renting a coffee machine, especially one with a trial or test period, gives you the opportunity to make 100% certain that whichever coffee machine you have selected Is the right one for you.

Maintenance and Servicing is Included:

Although not all coffee machine rentals come with a service and maintenance plan included, most are included free of charge. Coffee machines have many moving parts and with all the technology in them these days it can happen that they malfunction and go out of order. Free servicing and repairs is always a hugely welcome bonus when a machine goes down (even though this service is often not as highly regarded prior to something going wrong). The other nice aspect of a rental service and maintenance plan, besides the fact that it is free, is the hassle it takes out of the process. If you buy your coffee machine from a coffee machine company or a retailer, you typically have to go and return the unit yourself in cases of it breaking down. In a rental, the renting company comes to you!

Another helpful feature which rentals bring is next day swop outs. Having a maintenance and service plan is great but having next day swop outs on top of that, ensures you never go a day without great coffee and never have to wait due to long repair times.

Rentals Can Be Cheaper Over The Long Run:

Cheaper over the long run? Rentals usually work out more expensive, they’re like buying on credit right? Not if you opt for a discounted rental. A discounted rental is something offered by many coffee companies around the world. Where a traditional rental works by charging you a percentage of the purchase price of the coffee machine broken down into a number of rental charges of a period of time, a discounted rental uses the fact that you are likely to buy coffee on an ongoing basis and the profit from the coffee sales discounts or “subsidizes your rental”

Traditional Rental Example:

Purchase price of coffee machine – R20,000

Monthly rental – R1000 P/M for a period of 24 months (Which means you pay R24,000 over the duration of the rental term)

Discounted Rental Example:

Purchase price of coffee machine – R20,000

Monthly rental – R400 P/M for a period of 24 months (Which means you pay R9,600 over the duration of the rental term) because the coffee company renting to you expects you to buy a certain amount of coffee each month.

Conclusion:

Renting a coffee machine is not right for everyone but for those who it is a good fit for, it offers a number of advantages over purchasing. To read more about some other differences you can view our article: “Renting  vs Purchasing a Coffee Machine, Which Is Better” or to try a machine for a month to see if it will work for you (or to ask any coffee related question) please complete your details below: