QLT Consumer Lease Services
QLT Consumer Lease Services, formerly AT&T Consumer Lease Services, is a New Jersey–based telephone equipment leasing company. The company provides telephone leasing services to residences and small businesses in the United States. These services include next business day replacement of the leased product for any reason.
QLT Consumer Lease Services also leases cordless phones, feature phones, answering machines & telephone accessories.
Customers of Consumer Phone Services, in 2019, number less than a hundred thousand. In 2007, some 580,000 customers still leased phones through the company.[1] A majority of the customers are elderly who have found convenience in simply leasing the same telephone.[2] Most customers are also leftovers from before the 1984 breakup of AT&T, who did not opt to purchase their telephones before the buyout option expired in 1987. One criticism in these cases has been that such customers have paid over ten times the value of the leased phone over the course of many years.[3][4][5] Customers do retain the benefit of free replacement if the phone ever breaks and free accessories such as long cords.
On October 1, 2008, AT&T Consumer Lease Services changed its name to QLT Consumer Lease Services.
References
[edit]- ^ Minnick, Fred (August 12, 2007). "Phone-lease charge rings hollow; 580,000 AT&T customers still pay monthly rental fee". Richmond Times Dispatch. p. D-2.
- ^ Segraves, Mark (November 29, 2005). "$3,000 for a Phone?". WTOP Radio. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ Lin-Fisher, Betty (July 14, 2013). "Leased Phone Costs Add Up; Daughters Discover Elderly Father Paying Bills for Old Rented Model in Basement for 29 Years". Akron Beacon Journal. p. D1.
- ^ De Groote, Michael (May 2, 2012). "Bad Call: Seniors Paying Thousands to Lease Home Phones". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012.
- ^ Thompson, Connie (2019-10-02). "Family discovers dead elderly father had paid thousands to lease landline phones". KOMO. Retrieved 2023-02-18.