For years I’ve been hearing about the “Right to Repair” movement and didn’t pay it a whole lot of attention. It seemed to primarily deal with farmers having issues with their tractor. Apparently, farmers were prohibited by John Deere from fixing their own tractors. There’s rain coming, you can’t fix your own tractor, and the John Deere representative says they’ll be there in a week or two. By that time, there will be no crop left to harvest.

Fast forward to 2015 when customers would ask Chris to repair their iPhones. Because we’re not an authorized Apple dealer we couldn’t help them out. If we even attempted to open the phone, the customer’s warranty would be voided. There have also been a few instances where Chris was repairing other Apple products and needed a replacement part. Apple refused to sell him the parts and Chris had to send them to the Apple store instead. (It’s easier now to get replacement parts for MacBooks and iMacs.)

In doing a little research into this issue, I read about hospitals that could not get ventilators repaired in a timely manner during the past year. They were required to go through the manufacturer who had huge backlogs. They could not bring in a qualified but “unauthorized” repair person who could fix it more quickly and less expensively. (August 2 article in The Guardian.)

I also read about Rob Oliver in Pittsburgh, who is paralyzed from the chest down. When the footrest on his shower chair broke, he reached out to the manufacturer. The replacement part cost only a couple of dollars, but they would not sell it to him. They told him to purchase a new chair instead. When I reached out to him, he confirmed what I had read. He’s currently using a nail to hold the footrest in place.

It looks like all that may be coming to an end and consumers will soon have the right to repair any phone, car, or washing machine that they purchase. The Federal Trade Commission issued a statement on July 21, saying that they would “Ramp up Law Enforcement Against Illegal Repair Restrictions.” You can read the full statement here: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/ press-releases/2021/07/ftc-ramp-lawenforcement against-illegal-repairrestrictions

“The FTC has concluded that manufacturers use a variety of methods—such as using adhesives that make parts difficult to replace, limiting the availability of parts and tools, or making diagnostic software unavailable that have made consumer products harder to fix and maintain. In addition, manufacturers and sellers may be restricting competition for repairs in a number of ways that might violate the law.”

This is good news for consumers and independent repair people everywhere.

Not surprisingly, Apple, Tesla, and other companies are opposed to consumers’ right to repair products that they have purchased. When Massachusetts added an initiative to their 2020 ballot, Tesla sent an email to voters asking them to vote against it:

“As you go to the polls this fall, Tesla asks that you vote no on Question 1 … goes well beyond what is necessary … it potentially jeopardizes vehicle and data security. The requirements, pushed by two national auto shop lobbying groups, would make vehicles more vulnerable to cyberattacks and would make successful attacks more harmful.”

Steve Wozniak is all for the right to repair. In a July 7 interview published by the Repair Preservation Group, he reminds us that: “We wouldn’t have had an Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world.”

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Our Covid Policy can be found here: https://geekforhireinc.com/covid19- policy. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Gail Eddy writes most of these articles. She’s the manager of Geek For Hire and is who you’ll likely talk to when you call for an appointment. Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Macs and PCs for the past nineteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618- 0154.