Right to repair

The right to repair says that the consumer who buys a certain product has the right to restore this device to its original condition by means of a service in the event of damage. The right to repair is gaining more and more attention, especially in the field of technology. Probably the best example is the mobile market. It is evolving at a rocket speed and even year-old technologies, processes or simply the ways in which individual devices are constructed are losing their relevance very quickly. However, manufacturers' approach to the right to repair is changing at a similar rate.

Right to repair is a worldwide problem

That is why the largest service companies in the European Union have joined forces and formed the Right to Repair movement, where they are asking the European Union to secure the right to repair electronics.

Right for repair is here for:

Consumers: to provide them with cheaper appliance repairs and not be forced to buy new and new models
Service companies: to be able to provide their customers with repairs of all brands of electronics (ie available spare parts and unlocked appliances by manufacturers before repair)
Planet Earth: electrical waste is the fastest growing waste, and the only way to combat this increase is the possibility of repairing already purchased products. Validity of the new law

The European Union has entered into force a resolution, the so-called - The right to repair electrical equipment, valid from 1. 3.2021. Unfortunately, so far it only affects manufacturers of TVs, refrigerators, dishwashers or hair dryers. Manufacturers of these devices must ensure that their products can be repaired within 10 years. Also in the future, electrical appliances will be marked with a label, which is the expected life of the product.

New equipment will have to be supplied with a service manual and manufactured with a view to possible repair and disassembly with common tools.

The future of the right to repair

However, service companies have still not achieved what they are fighting for. So far, the new law does not affect the abolition of authorized services and does not apply to the issue of mobile devices. The only thing the European Union requires so far is a universal charger for all brands and models of mobile devices.

However, the issue is on a much larger scale. Once a customer buys an appliance, he should have ownership, which not only gives him the opportunity to dispose of his property according to his needs, but also the opportunity to repair it if necessary by a company of his choice.

Abolishing manufacturers' authorized services and software locks would ultimately save consumers money on service money and make repairs faster and more affordable. Not to mention the reduction in the amount of electrical waste that is generated when buying new and new equipment.

Electrical waste is the fastest growing type of waste in the world. Only 15-20% of appliances are recycled!

Disadvantage of being an authorized service

In order for the service to get to the original spare parts, not only to the basic ones (for mobile phones it is the battery and display) or to the official instructions and instructions for the repair of individual defects, it must belong to the network of authorized services.
However, such services have several disadvantages. For example, at Apple, authorized service providers can only repair damaged batteries or displays. Any other repair is not possible. In addition, these services have to pay high fees to the manufacturer, which increases their prices and makes their service disadvantageous.

Each year, 53 million tons of electronic waste are produced, which is the equivalent weight of electronics in a number of 350 cruise ships.

Why to fight for right to repair?

Probably the most obvious reason to strive to preserve the right to repair is the economy of service equipment. Of course, the individual spare parts cost less than the new device, so it is completely illogical for the customer to throw away a fully functional mobile phone just because the audio connector on it has stopped working. While manufacturers would prefer to address every single repair by offering new equipment, common sense therefore encourages the exact opposite - especially considering that many repairs are really simple and quick with the right equipment.

However, the right to repair fights not only for consumers but also for nature. The so-called e-waste is one of the biggest polluters of the environment. However, it is the service and the possibility of replacing individual parts (rather than the entire device) that could at least partially solve this problem. However, the current approach of many manufacturers is forcing consumers to prefer to buy a new piece before repairing often still very functional and capable equipment. The result is then an increasing amount of waste, which threatens our nature and therefore ourselves.

What can any of us do?

Ultimately, only consumers can change the attitude of producers. They should make it clear that they are not interested in constantly buying new equipment and will continue to enforce their right to repair. Only in this way is it possible to draw the attention of the competent authorities to this, often ignored, issue and thus force a change in the behavior of large companies, which are currently looking only for their profit.

You can find more informations about Right to repair here:

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