# Lens-to-own.com a scam or legitimate ?



## ernestoc33 (Mar 3, 2012)

Has anyone heard of them before or even used them. They look to good to be true, anyone have success with them?


They rent to own bodies, lenses and other accessories. You can choose 3 or 6 month payment terms. There's no credit check, they just auto bill your credit / debit card on file every 30 days.


Or anyone heard of www.aperturent.com either.

I found them on Google and am very tempted to use them.


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## Infinite_Day (Mar 3, 2012)

My way of thinking has been that if you have to "rent to own" you probably shouldn't be buying the item to begin with. Have you ever looked at what RTO stores end up making people pay to actually "own" the items? It's usually a lot more than if you just saved up and bought it outright. The lens to own site has the 80-400 (first high-end lens I saw that was in stock) for $368/month for 6 months. That adds up to ~$2200. You can buy it new from Adorama for $1680. That's a big difference. If you really need the lens then rent it for one use for less and save for 4 or 5 months and buy it and save the $500 difference. The aperture rent site looks pretty legitimate. That's just my couple of cents, though.


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## BlairWright (Mar 3, 2012)

Looks like you are just paying them 20% instead of paying a credit card company 10%. Good business model, kind of like the rent to own model. Bad for the consumer.


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## ernestoc33 (Mar 3, 2012)

Infinite_Day said:


> My way of thinking has been that if you have to "rent to own" you probably shouldn't be buying the item to begin with. Have you ever looked at what RTO stores end up making people pay to actually "own" the items? It's usually a lot more than if you just saved up and bought it outright. The lens to own site has the 80-400 (first high-end lens I saw that was in stock) for $368/month for 6 months. That adds up to ~$2200. You can buy it new from Adorama for $1680. That's a big difference. If you really need the lens then rent it for one use for less and save for 4 or 5 months and buy it and save the $500 difference. The aperture rent site looks pretty legitimate. That's just my couple of cents, though.


 
I'm just trying to think outside the box so I can get use out of the gear while I pay it off. The cheaper lenses I looked at were far less of a difference. 500 though, thats almost my apartments rent for the month lol.


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## 480sparky (Mar 3, 2012)

I once worked with a guy who started bragging about 'the big screen TV' he had delivered.  He got into one of those rent-to-own deals.  He was paying $100 a month.  Contract was for 2 years.  For.................


get this.....................







*a 27" tube*.




















You can buy them at Sams' Club & Costco for $199.


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## ernestoc33 (Mar 3, 2012)

480sparky said:


> I once worked with a guy who started bragging about 'the big screen TV' he had delivered.  He got into one of those rent-to-own deals.  He was paying $100 a month.  Contract was for 2 years.  For.................
> 
> 
> get this.....................
> ...


 


BlairWright said:


> Looks like you are just paying them 20% instead of paying a credit card company 10%. Good business model, kind of like the rent to own model. Bad for the consumer.


 
I get what you guys are saying. If I take this route I'm gonna get the shaft in the long run. I could just use borrowlenses for when I need to use it.


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## CCericola (Mar 3, 2012)

Adorama offers payment plansa. I think B&H does too. No need to pay the extra rent to own costs.


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## analog.universe (Mar 3, 2012)

The Federal Reserve's response to our ailing economy has been to lower interest rates considerably.  This makes it much easier for banks to borrow money, and thus, cheaper for you to borrow it from the banks.  0% interest deals on credit cards are all over the place...   You could try filling out some applications and see what you end up with.


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## jake337 (Mar 3, 2012)

Put whatever money you would have spent monthly on one of these in a bank account.  It will add up faster than you think.


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## jake337 (Mar 3, 2012)

ernestoc33 said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > I once worked with a guy who started bragging about 'the big screen TV' he had delivered.  He got into one of those rent-to-own deals.  He was paying $100 a month.  Contract was for 2 years.  For.................
> ...



Kind of like one of those "cars for hearts" shops where they will let anyone, with bad credit, get a car.  The kicker is they will only do a 2 year loan at the max and charge ridiculous interest rates.  

But they make sure to send the info on your on-time payments monthly to help your credit score go up faster.  Lame......


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## SteffJay (Mar 3, 2012)

Rent to own almost NEVER works out in your best interest. You'll pay way more than you need to.

If there's a piece of equipment you really want to use for something specific, there are places that you can just RENT the equipment and give it back afterward. It's like a trial run. You get to see if it's worth it for you to buy in the first place, and this way you can use it for the shoot you need and then not worry about paying for it later.

If it's something that you KNOW you need, my advice is just save. OR use someplace with a good financing plan. Best Buy has great financing, but a small selection. Pro stores like B&H and Adorama use BillMeLater, which is good too. 

Your equipment is an investment. Do it smart


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## cgipson1 (Mar 3, 2012)

<<<<    off topic    >>>>

SteffJay... did you ever model for Leonardo Da Vinci? (yes... I know you aren't that old!)      Your Avatar pic reminds of a famous painting of a very lovely lady!  <wink>!


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## ernestoc33 (Mar 3, 2012)

jake337 said:


> ernestoc33 said:
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That's my problem exactly, my credit is pretty low and I don't have any credit cards. Its hard for me to save up because my wife is out of work so I'm the only fulltime income at home right now.


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## cgipson1 (Mar 3, 2012)

ernestoc33 said:


> jake337 said:
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That's rough! But that is a really good reason not to do anything that is going to cost you 20% interest... that is throwing money away! You would be far better off getting a deposit based credit cards at the lowest rate you can. Start building that credit back  up... and avoid businesses like that.. who only want to rip you off!


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## ernestoc33 (Mar 3, 2012)

cgipson1 said:


> ernestoc33 said:
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> > jake337 said:
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I just applied for an orchard bank/ hsbc secured card. Its my own money backing it up, but at least I can rebuild it.


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