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Whatever happened to "owning" stuff? Today, I saw some ads from Volvo trying to sell me a "subscription" to a vehicle. ...as if we (we = average Joe) weren't
by gyulai 5y ago
Whatever happened to "owning" stuff? Today, I saw some ads from Volvo trying to sell me a "subscription" to a vehicle. ...as if we (we = average Joe) weren't already sufficiently starved of all manner of agency in this world, the next thing to be thrown out the door is the very idea of buying stuff in return for the right to do with it whatever you want.
- jen20 5y agoThis has been an incredibly common model with cars for years. It’s called leasing, and many people find it preferable to owning.
- gyulai 5y agoLeasing is legally not the same thing at all as a subscription. I clicked through on the ad just now (it seems to be following me), and the landing page actually has a section, explaining the difference between this subscription that they're selling versus leasing. The page also doesn't have the disclosures that would be legally required if it were a consumer credit product that they were selling. So it does seem like it's something quite distinct.
- Closi 5y agoI’m not entirely sure there is a big difference between leasing and subscription. We can split hairs, but you pay a monthly charge and you don’t own the item but get to use it. The lease terms are different, but you are still effectively leasing it. With phones most people buy them with a monthly charge anyway that’s embedded into the phone contract.