O2 have now announced a new leasing service for it’s UK customers.
This service is available from O2 retail outlets and through their customer services and offers customers the chance to lease a new smartphone for 12 months for £55 per month.
The service includes:
- 750 Minutes of call time
- Unlimited Text Messages
- 500MB of Data
- Insurance cover for duration of lease
- A choice of Bolt Ons
- International Traveller Service
At the expiry of the lease contract the customers simply return the phone to O2 and take out a new lease or more to another product.
Many will be familiar with this process in car purchasing schemes. These schemes allow a cost affective way (normally) for users who would frequently change their product, to keep up to date.
To further underpin this service’s proposed selling points, Sally Cowdry, Marketing & Consumer Directory for O2 said:
“This is the first time a UK mobile operator has adopted a leasing model. We know that customers and small businesses are used to leasing everyday items from cars and washing machines to photocopiers and office space.
“They understand how it works and what the advantages of a leasing are. We have simply taken this idea and applied it to the smartphone market.”
It remains to be seen how many find the monthly fee of £55 palatable for such a service.
Sources: O2 Media Centre
The only question I would have is about the range of phones when this becomes available. It sounds like a great idea though. The monthly cost may sound high, but it’s no higher than getting a phone on a 24 month contract, or a 12 or 18 month contract and paying for the phone initially. It also means that you can have the latest and greatest for at least a couple of months each year, unless you choose well and have the greatest phone available all year round, like I do.
I never get it wrong, so this would be perfect for me and my flawless choice of perfect phones which prove how successful I am in life, and how amazing a person I am.
Ahh wit 🙂 I was never sold on the car passport schemes, and I’m not sold on this really, but it’s an interesting model for carriers to pickup on. We’ll see eh?
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there Craig. It’s more choice, which is always good. If everybody looked the same blah blah blah.