Do you have any views on rent-to-buy stores such as Brighthouse?

FireWyrm

HappyMJ wrote: »

You've answered the question further down in your post she should be getting second hand for the same monthly cost of the first month only (£50) of the new washing machine from these stores....many charities will have these for a token payment of £50 (especially around here) so what if it only lasts a year she's saved 11 months of payments and can buy a new one outright at the end. If she has the ability to spend £50 per month then if she has any sense she should be putting that £50 she's saved by buying second hand aside for the next 11 months and it'll be £550 and she can upgrade that cheap old second hand to brand new then she'll be saving £50 per month forever.

That is of course the point. We have a society built on easy credit, buy now and pay later even if you dont have it and never will. We are bathed in advertising that fosters a chronic sense of inadequacy and unhappiness if you dont have the latest gadget. People's expectations are set way too high and are simply unsustainable. When I was growing up, we had a washing machine from Radio Rentals (see, not a new idea at all) and we must have paid the full purchase price on the stupid thing a dozen times over in the years we owned it. The truth is that even then, there were refurbs and seconds available all over the place, but the perception is that you NEED a brand spanking new washing machine. Built in obsolescence means that they break far sooner than they should and are harder to get fixed (when was the last time you saw a washing machine repair service?).

The problem is, people have no sense, or not enough sense to put up with a substandard item for a few months while they save for a better version and advertising tells them that they shouldnt have to. That is what needs to be tackled...advertising that suggests that you cannot live effectively if you do not have the latest greatest item.

Budgeting and general household management should be compulsory in school for both sexes and these parasites would simply whither and die eventually. There will always be people who suck at life, but we can make it so they suck less if they have some basic tools and the wit to understand that they cannot have everything right now.

Brallaqueen

I would welcome an inquest into how they sell guarantees and the like to make sure it is not mis-sold along the lines of PPI - no option, pressurisation, lack of disclosure etc.

But aside from that, as long as no one is having a gun pointed at their head to purchase from Brighthouse, I can't see a reason to shut them down.

As per Fire Wyrm, they are squarely aimed at people who 'suck at life' - high risk, poor credit; chancers, takers and the vulnerable who can't quite make it all work. No-one else will touch them, and if we make it too difficult, neither will Brighthouse.

bloolagoon

topaztiger1983 wrote: »

Oh well, I guess that I am an idiot, but I really don't care, I am able to stay alive ain't I

Please don't put me down I am not the only person who buys from Brighthouse am I, pick on someone else

I just wanted to share my experience with them, but you all want to be condescending & put me down

Hi TT - it's good you are sharing your experience but it's with rose tinted glasses you may not see the exploitation just yet. It's like me going to a home with a food parcel knowing they are desperate and hungry and offering them an a la carte food delivery programme they can't afford.

They prey on people like you who then get into bad habits. It's like weight loss, no quick lose weight scheme works in the long run.

You've got a great attitude to working after being long term unemployed and managed to overcome barriers to this so perhaps now is the time to use that determination to consumer spending too.

Its not healthy and at some point it will become obvious to you. Can you return anything now without losing too much?

PinkPoppies

Brallaqueen wrote: »

But aside from that, as long as no one is having a gun pointed at their head to purchase from Brighthouse, I can't see a reason to shut them down.

I don't think they need shutting down, I do think their astronomical interest rates are completely unethical though (especially given their target market), and seriously need looking at.

No one pointed a gun to the heads of people purchasing PPI, or Wonga loans either...

topaztiger1983

I could return anything at anytime, but I don't want to

PinkPoppies

Topaztiger, I genuinely don't think anyone is trying to be unkind, or say that you are an idiot. I should think most people on the DFW board have made their fair share of financial errors at one point or another- I certainly have, just look at my signature! ;-)

SURELY though, you can see the point people are trying to make? The figures quoted are scary! There is NOTHING wrong with people wanting to buy things spread across an 'affordable' weekly cost, BUT the total prices paid beggar belief!

It's your money, and your choice- of course. But doesn't it bother you that you are paying several times over for your Brighthouse purchases? I really struggle to get my head around your take on it.

jaydeeuk1

Topaztiger is like a kid being groomed by a pa3dophile (why the fork is !!!!! censored). They get all nice treats but don't understand the true reasons behind their behaviour.


It does seem that its the less educated of society that get mugged in to this, perhaps you should have paid attention in maths classes.

[Deleted User]

When I moved in here, I didn't have a lot of money to spare.

So, instead of buying an expensive TV on the never never, I went into Cash Generator and bought a Samsung 20" LCD TV, for £80.

Coming up on 5 years, and it's still working flawlessly.

If/when it packs up, I've got a 14" CRT (bought from Cash Converters for £25), which will do until I can find another cheap LCD TV.

topaztiger1983

I am not uneducated I completely understand that they charge high APR, you automatically think I am thick because I get stuff from BH

I do understand the reason you are all slating BH, but don' t slate me if I am as you say a "victim"

SavingPennies_2

topaztiger1983 wrote: »

I am not uneducated I completely understand that they charge high APR, you automatically think I am thick because I get stuff from BH

I do understand the reason you are all slating BH, but don' t slate me if I am as you say a "victim"

I'm not calling you thick or a victim, but to explain what I think is the problem with Brighthouse...Lets say you have something for a year, then can no longer afford it, so you return it, but because you've been paying really high weekly costs, over that year you have probably paid enough to buy the item outright (from argos or suchlike) except you no longer have the item... so you have effectively been renting it at a really high costs. Now having returned it, BH have your money and the item...which they will then sell to someone else, and you are out of pocket with nothing to show for it.