This is one of the most common calls we take, and it usually starts the same way: the machine is
fine, the service is not, and nobody can work out how to leave.

First, Find Out What You Actually Signed

Copier agreements are usually two contracts wearing one coat. There is a lease
with a finance company for the hardware, and a service agreement with the dealer for
maintenance and toner. They can have different end dates, different notice periods and different
consequences for leaving. People discover this at the worst possible moment.

Get both documents in front of you and find four things: the end date, the notice period, the
buyout terms, and whether there is an automatic renewal clause. That last one causes more trouble
than the rest combined.

The Automatic Renewal Trap

Many agreements roll over automatically unless you give written notice inside a specific window,
often 60 to 90 days before the end date. Miss it and the term renews, sometimes for another full
year. Put the notice date in your calendar the day you sign, not the year you intend to leave.

Your Realistic Options

Run to term and give notice. Cheapest and least dramatic. If the end is close,
this is usually right — just do not miss the notice window.

Buy out the remaining term. The finance company quotes a figure to settle early.
Ask for it in writing and check whether it includes remaining payments, a residual, or both.

Have the buyout absorbed into a new agreement. This is what most dealers mean by
“we will buy out your lease.” The cost does not vanish; it is folded into your new payments. That
can be entirely reasonable, but you should see the arithmetic rather than a slogan. We show it.

Change only the service. If the hardware is fine and the service is the problem,
you may not need to leave the lease at all. Service agreements are often separable, and we
take over service on machines we did not sell regularly.

When You Do Not Need to Leave at All

Worth saying plainly, because it is frequently the right answer: if the equipment is serviceable
and reasonably current, the fastest fix is usually a better service arrangement, not new hardware.
A machine that is repaired promptly is not the thing making you unhappy.

Our service comes with a guaranteed four-hour on-site response written into the agreement rather
than quoted as an average, and if a machine under contract cannot be repaired, we replace it. Those
two commitments solve most of what makes people want out of a copier relationship.

Questions Worth Asking Any Dealer

  • Is the buyout being paid off, or rolled into my new payments? Show me both totals.
  • What is the response time, and is it in the contract or in the brochure?
  • What happens if the machine cannot be fixed?
  • What is the notice period on this new agreement, and when does it start?
  • What are the overage rates, and does the payment escalate annually?

Talk to Us Before You Sign Anything

Send us the two documents and we will tell you where you stand, including when the answer is
“stay where you are until March.” Call (888) 242-4242 or
request a quote. If you are replacing the machine, our
copier leasing page lists every model with its monthly figure.