The Right To Repair

[Psy]

I know this is a little random, but I was hoping to get some other thoughts on the Right to Repair. So I know a couple folks that also do repairs to various electronics and they have been running into problems across the board...

TV repair guys that cannot work on Smart TVs without registering with the manufacturer, once approved you need to drop a fat stack on specialized equipment making repairs cost more than people will pay. Phone guys that cannot replace batteries because the battery/BMS is glued to the screen that is serialized to the motherboard, you need to buy an original replacement screen to get a new battery and it all needs to be registered to each other. Or even the old "Sorry, those parts aren't available to anyone but the manufacturer. You will have to contact them for repairs because no one else can do so" just to get slapped with a MASSIVE repair bill. (This guy talks about this stuff a lot: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl2mFZoRqjw_ELax4Yisf6w)

What are your thoughts on the matter? Should companies be making repair options more accessible to the public or are these repair guys stealing income from the companies? While I think I should be able to change my phone battery without worrying about it bricking because the battery has a serialized BMS that isn't registered, I also understand how lucrative this kind of stuff is.

Should companies be forced to respect the Right to Repair or is this just the way of the future?

 

[WannabeSolarSparky]

I spend good money buying products. Once bought it is mine and exclusively mine out of warranty.
I should have the right of choice for maintenance and repairs out of warranty.
In the US the right to repair has come a long way with many lawsuites helping that right along.

Still an uphill battle though in SA, car maintenance has been through a similar court action which actually found in favour of the consumer over the manufacturers.
No a perfect result but definitely a move in the right direction.

As for phones locked for repairs, many countries have started banning devices that consumers cannot maintain themselves.
Not happened in SA yet but then again we usually behind he curve with these sorts of issues.

 

[Psy]

7 minutes ago, WannabeSolarSparky said:

I spend good money buying products. Once bought it is mine and exclusively mine out of warranty.

Well that is exactly my thinking on the subject... How dare you try dictate what I do with my own products xD

9 minutes ago, WannabeSolarSparky said:

As for phones locked for repairs, many countries have started banning devices that consumers cannot maintain themselves.
Not happened in SA yet but then again we usually behind he curve with these sorts of issues.

There was a huge case in the unit with mono-wheelers, if you so much at remove the battery without the right software key the unit becomes completely bricked. The company is determined that they are doing this to protect people but all it does is make it impossible to service without going to the manufacturer. This kinda ish makes my blood boil and now friends are struggling to make ends meet with how expensive original parts are/having to turn customers away since the unit is unserviceable. 

[Shadders]

I'm glad you have seen Louis Rossman's videos, I follow him and he speaks about the matter very well. 

Right to repair is an extremely important topic and I believe it should be upheld. My experience of process instrumentation, solar and general consumer goods industries is that the manufacturer makes their money in the sale of the product. Service and repair costs more than it's worth for these manufacturers in most cases. Why they don't support it is because they want to make a new sale!

The biggest misconception is that the right to repair is about allowing users to repair their own goods. It's about giving them the choice to have their goods repaired and not be beholden to the whims of the manufacturer.

As a consequence of profit generation by new sales and prevention of repair several consequences arise:

• More waste is generated, typically e-waste which can be harmful and difficult to deal with
• More need for more raw materials for new products, the extraction of which can be damaging to the environment and communities
• Affects small business, repair techs etc by preventing them from (legitimately) supporting end users and as such
• Passes more costs onto end users

I am deeply concerned overall about the long term consequences that this wasteful ideology creates. The long and short I believe of the whole matter is that we, the end users, technicians and designers, need to do what we can to support the right to repair in our communities.

Edited November 29, 2022 by Shadders

[Dimi]

This is exactly why I refuse to buy Apple and Samsung products. El Cheapo phones and TVs from China, where everything is made, have served me well.