Radio Rentals

Radio Rentals Thorn Group is by far the largest Appliance Rental Company in Australia.

Some familiar marketing campaigns include the ‘Rent, Try, $1 Buy’ which actually got them in some trouble with a class lawsuit in 2019 which ended in a huge multi million dollar payout to settle the class action.

Since then, Recently they have done a much better job of providing cheaper appliance rental prices which are now relatively competitive in comparison to other competitors which in previous years would have been much cheaper.

They have also cleaned up their credit assessments to avoid any further scrutiny from ASIC which may make it slightly harder for people in poor financial situations to obtain the rental items they are looking for. Radio Rentals was also forced to refund customers who has overpaid on appliances after they were collecting excess payments over what the lease agreement had stated

So now that they have cleaned up their act significantly are they a viable renting option?

The short answer is yes,

their prices are much more competitive than they ever have been and there are other perks such as installation included, repair and replacements and many of their marketing campaigns include a gift card or low barrier to entry such as the $1 Upfront for the first 30 Days campaign.

It’s important to take all the perks into consideration when deciding on the best place to get a rental item from and Radio Rentals usually have some great incentives for their rental products.

Does Radio Rentals Do Credit Checks?

Radio Rentals does to credit checks as stated on their website applications are subject to satisfactory credit assessment, including credit checks.

They do also state that you will “get a fair go at Radio Rentals” and they “focus on your present, no your past” but based on how much scrutiny they have come under in the past they are probably a little less conservative on poor financial situations these days.

Does Radio Rentals Have A Physical Store?

Radio Rentals do have physical stores in many locations all over the country, meaning if you don’t want to go through the process of applying online you can visit your local Radio Rentals stores and view their rental products in person like a typical retail store

Are The Products New?

You have the option at Radio Rentals to rent a new product or for a discounted price you can get an ex-rental item.

Does Radio Rentals Have Free Delivery?

One of the perks for Radio Rentals is they have quick turn around times from the time the application is approved typically being done within 24 hours where some other companies can be up to a week. Also in a lot of cases they can arrange next day delivery and installation which is a huge incentive for potential customers.

Does Radio Rentals Accept Centrepay/Centrelink Payments

They sure do!

In fact in 2015 there was an article released that of Radio Rentals total $197 million revenue $90 million of that came through the Centrepay system.

Customers who are wanting to pay via Centrepay or use their Centrelink benefit to apply for appliances can definitely put an application through and use this payment method if accepted.

Radio Rentals is also on our list of approved Centrepay providers

Do I Need To Pay A Deposit At Radio Rentals

There is no deposit needed on Radio Rentals products

You do need to pay the first months rental on delivery to receive the item, this is a payment on the product and not seen as a deposit.

Radio Rentals also state that in some cases a bond may be required in some situations.

Is Radio Rentals A Scam?

Radio Rentals is definitely NOT a scam,

despite some questionable tactics, poor assessment procedure and continuing to take customers money even after the lease agreement had been paid in the past, they have gone a long way to rectifying all these problems and have become a lot more price competitive.

There is always the debate about how much you could save if you bought the product outright and at RentBot even though we promote the rental industry to help you get the lowest rental price with the best terms if you can afford to buy the appliance that you need or want outright it is a much better financial decision as you will end up paying typically over 2 times the retail price for the convenience of paying off the product in smaller amounts over a longer rental period.

Radio Rentals is no different, it’s how their business like all other rental companies survive by making money above and beyond the recommended retail price of the item.

 So yes you do end up paying more the recommended retail price of a product, but this does not make the business a scam, it is a legit rental business.

What Else Do You Need To Know

There is a Radio Rentals in South Australia that is a completely separate company to the Radio Rentals Thorn Group. Radio Rentals do still operate in South Australia but they operate under the company name RR - Rentlo Reinvented. This has a separate website and is purely the South Australian branch of the Thorn Groups Radio Rentals company

Radio Rentals Pros & Cons

Our Opinion On The Pros & Cons of Radio Rentals

Pros

  • Huge Range
  • Great Incentives & Promotions
  • Fast Delivery
  • Centrepay

Cons

  • Poor History With Past Indiscretions 
  • Most Promotions Are Only Available on 36-48 Month Contracts

Conclusion:

Radio Rentals is the largest Rental Appliance company in Australia which offers some great promotions on sign up with their 36-48 month contracts. They are very price competitive in comparison to other competitors and should be considered when you are deciding who you want to rent your appliance through.