Buy As You View

Buy As You View, commonly abbreviated to BAYV, was a British retail and consumer-finance business focused on household electrical goods, consumer electronics and furniture. It combined product retailing with a distinctive weekly-payment repayment model aimed at customers who might have found conventional credit difficult to access. The company supplied goods under hire-purchase or rental-style arrangements and collected payments through several channels, most notably a payment meter connected to the customer's television. The business began in South Wales in 1972 under the name Just Rentals. It later adopted the Buy As You View trading name, which had been in use since 1998, and remained based in Bridgend. Its geographic coverage expanded beyond South Wales into the North East, Yorkshire, the Midlands, the North West and Scotland. At its peak, the company employed approximately 700 staff nationally, according to the available reference material. BAYV's proposition was built around access, convenience and payment flexibility. Customers could obtain televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, cookers, computers, mobile phones and other household products without a deposit or a conventional credit check. Repayments were generally made weekly. Originally, the company used coin boxes installed in customers' homes, with representatives visiting to empty them. Later, customers could pay through direct debit, online payments or cash, while the payment-meter system remained an important part of the brand's operating model. The meter was connected to the customer's television and could deactivate the set when payments were overdue. This mechanism became central to the company's identity but also generated regulatory criticism. The Financial Conduct Authority raised concerns about the transparency of certain fees charged to customers in arrears and about the effect of payment meters on access to television services, including circumstances in which the meter could restrict a television regardless of whether that particular set had been financed by BAYV. In 2016, the company compensated 59,000 customers with a total of £939,000 for fees charged from 2001 onward. In addition to electrical goods, BAYV offered weekly-payment furniture and household products. Its range included sofas, beds, pushchairs, bicycles and dining-room furniture, alongside white goods and consumer electronics. The model enabled customers to spread the cost of essential or discretionary household purchases, although the associated finance and repayment practices placed the business within the regulatory framework of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. BAYV also maintained a visible community presence, particularly in South Wales. Its activities included support for cancer-related charities such as the Joshua Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support, assistance for local sports teams purchasing football and rugby equipment, and talks for young people in schools near its operating areas. The company was especially associated with its long-running sponsorship of the Cory Band, beginning in 1998. In 2004, the band temporarily incorporated Buy As You View into its name in recognition of the sponsorship. The company's later history was marked by financial difficulty. In September 2017, Buy As You View was placed into administration after what administrators EY described as significant losses. The business continued to have outstanding customer payment arrangements for a period, but on 3 June 2019 it stopped collecting further payments. Customers were permitted to keep the goods they had purchased. Buy As You View therefore ended as an operating retail and consumer-finance brand, leaving a legacy defined by its low-barrier weekly-payment model, payment-meter technology, regulatory scrutiny and community sponsorship.

Buy As You View originated in South Wales in 1972 as Just Rentals. The business developed around the supply of household goods to customers who paid in regular instalments rather than through an ordinary retail purchase or mainstream bank-finance arrangement. Its principal trading name became Buy As You View, in use since 1998, and the company continued to operate from Bridgend. The brand's operating model combined retailing, rental and regulated consumer credit. Customers could obtain products such as televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, cookers, computers, mobile phones and game consoles, as well as furniture and other household goods. Contracts were structured around hire purchase or weekly-payment arrangements and were subject to the UK's Consumer Credit Act 1974. A notable feature was the absence of a deposit and conventional credit checks, which supported the company's focus on customers seeking an alternative to standard forms of finance. Repayment technology was central to BAYV's model. In its earlier form, customers made payments through a coin box installed in the home. Company representatives periodically visited to collect the money. The process later expanded to include online payments, direct debit and cash. The payment meter remained linked to the customer's television and could deactivate the set when payments were in arrears. This arrangement gave the company a practical means of enforcing repayment, but it also created concerns about customers' access to television services and about whether the consequences of arrears were sufficiently clear. From its South Wales base, BAYV expanded across several regions of Great Britain, including the North East, Yorkshire, the Midlands, the North West and Scotland. Its product range broadened beyond television and white goods to include sofas, beds, pushchairs, bicycles and dining-room furniture. At its height, the company employed about 700 people nationally. The company also pursued community and sponsorship activity. It supported cancer charities including the Joshua Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support, assisted local sports teams with equipment purchases and delivered talks in schools. Its most prominent sponsorship relationship was with the Cory Band, which began in 1998. In 2004, the band removed Cory from its name for a period and performed as the Buy As You View band in recognition of the company's support. Regulatory scrutiny became a major part of the later history. In 2016, after the Financial Conduct Authority raised concerns about how customers in arrears were treated, BAYV compensated 59,000 customers a combined £939,000 for fees charged from 2001 onward. The concerns included the transparency of fees and the use of payment meters to limit television access, including cases where the affected television had not necessarily been financed by the company. The company's financial position subsequently deteriorated. Buy As You View entered administration in September 2017, with EY describing the losses as significant. Although the administration did not immediately end every customer relationship, the company ultimately stopped collecting further payments on 3 June 2019. Customers were allowed to keep the goods they had bought. The brand is consequently regarded as defunct, with its historical significance resting on its distinctive payment-meter system, its role in non-traditional household-goods finance and the regulatory questions surrounding that model.

• 2019

  Further customer collections end

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  The company stopped collecting payments on 3 June, while customers were allowed to retain purchased goods.

• 2017

  Administration

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  Buy As You View entered administration in September after significant losses.

• 2016

  Customer compensation announced

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  The company compensated 59,000 customers a total of £939,000 following regulatory concerns about fees and payment-meter practices.

• 2004

  Sponsored band adopts Buy As You View name

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  The Cory Band temporarily became known as the Buy As You View band in recognition of the company's continuing support.

• 1998

  Buy As You View trading name adopted

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  The Buy As You View name came into use, replacing the earlier Just Rentals identity as the principal customer-facing brand.

• 1998

  Cory Band sponsorship begins

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  Buy As You View began its long-term sponsorship of the Cory Band.

• 1972

  Business established as Just Rentals

  [1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  The business was founded in South Wales under the name Just Rentals.

A UK access-oriented retailer and consumer-finance provider offering household goods through weekly payments, originally collected with in-home coin meters and later supplemented by online, direct-debit and cash payment options.

• Consumer electronics

  Televisions

  Televisions were a core BAYV product category and were closely integrated with the company's payment-meter system. Customers could acquire sets through weekly-payment arrangements, with repayment status affecting the operation of the connected television meter.

• Household appliances

  White goods

  The company supplied washing machines, tumble dryers, refrigerators, fridge freezers, dishwashers, cookers and vacuum cleaners. These household appliances were offered through rental or hire-purchase arrangements designed around regular weekly payments.

• Consumer electronics

  Computers and game equipment

  BAYV's electronics range included laptops, desktop personal computers, Wii systems and PlayStation consoles. These products extended the brand's weekly-payment proposition into home computing and entertainment.

• Telecommunications equipment

  Mobile phones

  Mobile phones formed part of the broader consumer-electronics catalogue. They were supplied through the same general retail and payment framework as other products, rather than as a separately identified telecommunications network service.

• Home furniture

  Weekly-payment furniture

  The furniture range included sofas, beds, pushchairs, bicycles and dining-room furniture. Offering these goods on weekly payments broadened BAYV beyond electrical retail and positioned it as a source of financed household purchases.

• 2016

  Regulatory concerns over arrears fees and payment meters

  The Financial Conduct Authority raised concerns about the transparency of fees charged to customers in arrears and about payment meters that could restrict access to television services. BAYV compensated 59,000 customers with a combined payment of £939,000 for fees charged from 2001 onward.

  Source

Read more

• 1998Cory Band sponsorship

  South Wales · United Kingdom

  Buy As You View began a long-term sponsorship of the Cory Band, creating one of the brand's most visible cultural and community associations in South Wales.

  Outcome. The sponsorship continued for several years; in 2004 the band temporarily used the Buy As You View name.

  Source
• Community and charity support

  South Wales · United Kingdom

  The company supported cancer charities including the Joshua Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support, helped local football and rugby teams obtain equipment and delivered talks in schools.

  Outcome. The activities reinforced the company's local-community presence, although no quantified outcome is specified in the available reference.

  Source

• 2019

  End of customer payment collectionStrategy

  Background

  Following the administration process, the company still had historical customer payment arrangements.

  Action taken

  On 3 June 2019, it stopped collecting further payments and allowed customers to keep purchased goods.

  Aftermath

  This marked the effective end of the brand's customer-finance collection activity.

  Source

• 2017

  Entry into administrationOther

  Background

  The company incurred what administrators EY described as significant losses.

  Action taken

  Buy As You View was placed into administration in September.

  Aftermath

  The business ultimately ceased collecting customer payments in June 2019.

  Source

• 2016

  Customer compensation following regulatory concernsOther

  Background

  The Financial Conduct Authority identified concerns relating to arrears fees, fee transparency and the use of television payment meters.

  Action taken

  Buy As You View compensated 59,000 customers for fees charged from 2001 onward.

  Aftermath

  The compensation addressed historic charges and became a significant marker of regulatory scrutiny of the company's operating model.

  Customer compensation. £939,000 paid to 59,000 customers (Fees charged from 2001 onward; compensation reported in 2016)

  Source

• 1998

  Adoption of the Buy As You View identityStrategy

  Background

  The South Wales business had originally operated as Just Rentals and was expanding its identity beyond a straightforward rental description.

  Action taken

  It adopted Buy As You View as its trading name and customer-facing brand.

  Aftermath

  The name became associated with weekly-payment retail and consumer finance across several UK regions.

  Source

• 2019

  Buy As You View stops collecting customer payments[1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  On 3 June 2019, the business ceased collecting additional payments from customers. Customers were allowed to retain the goods they had purchased.

• 2017

  Buy As You View enters administration[1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  The company was placed into administration in September after incurring what administrators EY characterized as significant losses.

• 2016

  Buy As You View compensates customers over historic fees and payment-meter practices[1]Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  Following concerns raised by the Financial Conduct Authority about the treatment of customers in arrears, fee transparency and the use of television payment meters, Buy As You View paid £939,000 in compensation to 59,000 customers for fees charged from 2001 onward.

1. 1Buy As You Viewen.wikipedia.org