How Britain Became a Nation of Subscribers..

It's something I've been pondering for a while, as even in my futile attempts to avoid subscriptions, it's bordering on impossible now to not have at least one subscription a month.

I moderate a car forum, and I have always found it baffling the amount of people who 'hire' their cars..(and even more so when they want people to tell them 'what a beautiful car' they have blah blah when it's not actually theirs!)

With the cost of life becoming higher and higher, and advertising and markets programming us to want the 'new thing' every few months, it does look bleak about how much of life we won't actually own..

Is your property mortgage free?
 
My mum "hires" her car. Think it's about £100 a month and ahe can trade it in every year. Its less daunting than paying in full for a new car. I think its seems like a good idea.
Where can you get a "hire" car for £100 per month. Even without a service plan that is off the scale cheap. Let me know and I will sign up for one
 
And you can get pants as well. Yup, undercrackers by sub.

I’m actually replying to this sitting in my sub undercrackers. I got sucked in to a free trial wormhole and bought some hideous, yet comfortable pants.
 
It's something I've been pondering for a while, as even in my futile attempts to avoid subscriptions, it's bordering on impossible now to not have at least one subscription a month.

I moderate a car forum, and I have always found it baffling the amount of people who 'hire' their cars..(and even more so when they want people to tell them 'what a beautiful car' they have blah blah when it's not actually theirs!)

With the cost of life becoming higher and higher, and advertising and markets programming us to want the 'new thing' every few months, it does look bleak about how much of life we won't actually own..

Definitely an interesting post, thanks.

You’re absolutely right in saying that we are becoming more used to the ‘monthly payments’ way of doing things, in all areas. Culturally, this is becoming the norm.

What I don’t agree with is your assertion that there is a bleakness to not actually having ownership of stuff. Like it or not, the vast majority of cars (to take your example) sold nowadays are done so on PCP. Personally, I can’t see the attraction of paying for a car to eventually own it, paying for repairs out of warranty on what is, in reality, a depreciating asset. I find it a little odd/old fashioned/(a little snobbish?) when people make judgements on others ‘not actually owning’ a car. PCP makes perfect sense to many people.
 
Where can you get a "hire" car for £100 per month. Even without a service plan that is off the scale cheap. Let me know and I will sign up for one
Its a dacia so not a great car- and I tell a lie, it's £125 a month. Some garage in Belfast.
 
A lot of the older subscription/rental schemes that used to be common have become less so.

Things like paying monthly for your news/amusement in the form of magazines or renting expensive electricals like TVs used to be common.
 
A lot of the older subscription/rental schemes that used to be common have become less so.

Things like paying monthly for your news/amusement in the form of magazines or renting expensive electricals like TVs used to be common.

Yup, i used to rent a machine machine. Never paid for repairs, replaced every 24 months for a new one. Wasn’t much, about £12.99 / month.
 
renting expensive electricals like TVs used to be common.
Could you see it going full cycle?

The idea of a new TV every 3-4 years seems nice but the problem is that the residual values are so poor that when you add interest, admin and profit the total cost will be high.

The other issue is that these things became associated with the sub prime market where rental costs were significantly higher than cash purchase
 
A lot of the older subscription/rental schemes that used to be common have become less so.

Things like paying monthly for your news/amusement in the form of magazines or renting expensive electricals like TVs used to be common.
That's what I was going to mention.

My parents rented a VCR when they first came out and I rented a TV when I moved into my own flat in the mid-90s. I've just done a quick Google search and some shops still rent electrical equipment but it seems a lot less common nowadays, as you said.
 
My personal bugbear, which is on a very similar theme, is the whole "as a service".

It started with SaaS, ie software paid as a subscription meaning no large upfront fee, continuous updates but stop paying and it stops working.

Maybe this should go into the phrases you hate because whilst the costs can get annoying -v- still running Office 97 what's really annoying these days is how everything is trying to call itself "as a Service: so you now get Recruitment As A Service... but recruitment has always been a service so what the hell?
SaaS Is just the old mainframe model where you never buy the thing generally just pay for it yearly as quite often the cost of the hw and sw was prohibitive and within a few years natural growth would of meant that you'd be wanting to upgrade and be paying out millions again.

IBM makes billions from its mainframe shops in licensing.
 
I quite like Martin Lewis' advice, he seems to know what he's talking about when it comes to money. His thoughts on this sort of thing are quite simple.

If it's an appreciating asset, buy it. If it depreciates, rent it.
 
That's what I was going to mention.

My parents rented a VCR when they first came out and I rented a TV when I moved into my own flat in the mid-90s. I've just done a quick Google search and some shops still rent electrical equipment but it seems a lot less common nowadays, as you said.
We rented our first colour tv and video back in the late 70's - 80's. We did buy them in the end.

There were several companies that specialised in renting tv/video back then as they were very expensive and most couldn't afford to buy either outright or on the never never.
 
I quite like Martin Lewis' advice, he seems to know what he's talking about when it comes to money. His thoughts on this sort of thing are quite simple.

If it's an appreciating asset, buy it. If it depreciates, rent it.
If it flies, floats or fudges, rent it :smashin:
 
Do people seriously subscribe to this one?


The London Sock Exchange Each quarter, for £75, three pairs of new, playful socks (each knitted with 200 needles to make them super-comfortable and strong) will arrive in letterbox-friendly packaging. But no sock lasts forever, so you can also refill the box with old or unwanted pairs and they will be recycled by the company free of charge.
I just had a nose at the socks and I like them! They have a 007 collection , £10/pair. Very cool! I’d actually order some if I wasn’t too stingy to pay extra 20 per cent German VAT 🤔
 
If it's an appreciating asset, buy it. If it depreciates, rent it.

Doesn't it usually cost more over the long term to rent something or get it on finance, even if the asset does depreciate.
 
Doesn't it usually cost more over the long term to rent something or get it on finance, even if the asset does depreciate.
But if you rent it, you don’t pay for maintenance, repairs, etc and can give it back pretty easily, thus offloading any monthly expenditure.
 
I guess I'm just old school then, in preferring to save up and buy stuff, instead of using finance or rental agreements :)
But I tend to keep my stuff until it falls to bits, rather than regularly replace. With cars I run them for usually 10 years. My previous TV, a Panasonic plasma is 15 years old (still being used)
Now if they could only build modern products to last...
 
I guess I'm just old school then, in preferring to save up and buy stuff, instead of using finance or rental agreements :)
But I tend to keep my stuff until it falls to bits, rather than regularly replace. With cars I run them for usually 10 years. My previous TV, a Panasonic plasma is 15 years old (still being used)
Now if they could only build modern products to last...
You'll be escorted off this site with an attitude like that. 15 year old TV indeed!
 
Definitely an interesting post, thanks.

You’re absolutely right in saying that we are becoming more used to the ‘monthly payments’ way of doing things, in all areas. Culturally, this is becoming the norm.

What I don’t agree with is your assertion that there is a bleakness to not actually having ownership of stuff. Like it or not, the vast majority of cars (to take your example) sold nowadays are done so on PCP. Personally, I can’t see the attraction of paying for a car to eventually own it, paying for repairs out of warranty on what is, in reality, a depreciating asset. I find it a little odd/old fashioned/(a little snobbish?) when people make judgements on others ‘not actually owning’ a car. PCP makes perfect sense to many people.

I wouldnt say its snobbish at all. The carbon footprint generated by this 'new car every year' phenomenon is pretty darn high, so there is that to consider.

I also feel that value of ownership promotes how people take care of things, which then also pyschologically relates to how we take care of others , things, ourselves. This is a spider web to so many aspects of life and how it impacts them, and us as people. Always wanting the bigger, the better, the newer, generates 'stress' believe it or not, that mindset is not particularly healthy for sure. Possibly one of the contributing factors to why we have seen such a large increase in mental health disorders in our new fast paced society. Lots of things to consider over the simple fact of depreciating assets in my opinion.

I guess I see it from from a wide social point of view rather than a personal 'its best for me' one.
 
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Well they don't, because they know they will get replaced in a year, and the landfill gets filled even more with the old broken ones...

Yup, that's another thing that saddens me. The throwaway society we have now is terrible. Finance/rental deals just encourage this.
 
I guess I'm just old school then, in preferring to save up and buy stuff, instead of using finance or rental agreements :)
But I tend to keep my stuff until it falls to bits, rather than regularly replace. With cars I run them for usually 10 years. My previous TV, a Panasonic plasma is 15 years old (still being used)
Now if they could only build modern products to last...

i agree...pay cash for everything like car, mtb etc...tho, i have bought a camera in the past that was interest free credit...

I'm not a one for updating something as soon as a new model comes out...
 
You'll be escorted off this site with an attitude like that. 15 year old TV indeed!

I kept hoping it would pack in and I'd have to replace. In the end we got a new 4K TV and relegated the Panny to a spare room.
Can I please stay now? :)
 
i agree...pay cash for everything like car, mtb etc...tho, i have bought a camera in the past that was interest free credit...

I'm not a one for updating something as soon as a new model comes out...

I also don't like being in debt.
Everyone's different though.
 

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