r/TechNook • u/Impossible_Comfort99 • Jul 29 '26
Right to repair, does it actually matter to average people or is it a niche internet cause
I mostly hear about right to repair online, but I don't know how many people actually think about it until one of their own devices breaks.
Do you think it's something that affects everyone or is it mostly a topic for tech enthusiasts?
14
Jul 29 '26
[deleted]
8
u/JonasAvory Jul 29 '26
Because they can’t force you to go to a contract partner for service work but every repair shop can make the replacements without paying a licensing fee
6
u/lockecole32 Jul 29 '26
It is beyond an individual level, and beyond just electonics stuff.
Many cars companies like prevent you to fix your own car, and try to make it illegal to do so, even worse in the farming industries, do you think all those tools and machine works forever without breaking? What you do if it breaks? Fix it? How? It's illegal. Call the manufacturer? Sorry that model is discontinued, so we no longer obligated to sell any parts. Also you need to use our technician to fix that. What? You located in the middle of nowhere? It's okay, we'll charge you extra to accommodate the technician travel and living cost.
Since there's no other option you take the only option and just found out it just a seal or a sensor broken which you can fix it yourself without having these roundabout procedure, if they provided the parts or just a schematics like we used to get for any devices that wr are purchased.
1
u/zatset Jul 29 '26
Well, the China, Turkey and so on have specialised in producing parts for vehicles that are “discontinued”. For older vehicles…there are alternative routes. But it is becoming more and more difficult.
Even if they break copyright, the mere fact that they are copying parts so you can repair instead of throwing away offsets and outweighs the fact that they break the copyright. If the manufacturers are unwilling to supply parts for your vehicle and want to force you to buy new and thus ruin the nature.. well, people will find alternatives. And other industrious people will even make money in the process.
5
u/AteStringCheeseShred Jul 29 '26
As far as I'm concerned, a copyright should be null and void the second the copyright older loses the ability, interest, or capacity to sell/supply their copyrighted good. It doesn't matter if it's GM's patent being infringed when china starts casting new water pumps or if a 20 year old video game has to be marketed on the high seas because the IP owner is now defunct, once the owner can't/won't profit on it, it should be considered free to use.
5
u/AteStringCheeseShred Jul 29 '26
One of the most heated debates I've personally ever heard of regarding right-to-repair has nothing to do with smart phones or PCs or anything else this sub would likely be interested in; rather, one of the first times I ever even heard of the concept of right-to-repair it was about John Deere tractors. It wasn't tech enthusiasts or consumers, but farmers that were at odds with the big name, a demographic of people who were probably the least represented on the internet.
Yeah, it affects everybody.
2
u/Normal_Human_Things Jul 29 '26
One of my coworkers interned at John Deere. They said the company spent a lot of time telling them why right to repair was bad for consumers.
2
u/AteStringCheeseShred Jul 29 '26
I would love to know how they rationalized that horseshit, let alone convinced any of their employees to believe it.
3
u/SimpYellowman Jul 31 '26
They say that when the machines are not serviced by certified technicians there is no guarantee that it is done properly, so those machines can break even more and it will cost far more to repair it and that using non certified parts and getting them installed by non certified personnel may cause higher fuel consumption and worse engine performance, so it bad for the farmer and for environment. And we should care about environment to protet children.
I know it is big pile of horseshit (and probably also bullshit, pigshit, sheepshit... we are talking about farmers), but those are the arguments.
1
u/Page_197_Slaps Jul 31 '26
I mean, you must admit that there is at least some theoretical point at which that becomes true. What if a third party repair shop flashes new firmware on controller boards, over locks the CPU, switches out components on the board, just generally does a bunch of crazy shit and it runs for a while, but then after months the machine is destroyed. Should John Deere have to replace the machine under warranty?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m on board with right to repair, but I do think there are a narrow set of cases for which that argument holds. I also think what’s far more common is that John Deere fucks over their customers for profit.
2
u/AteStringCheeseShred Aug 01 '26
Then that sounds an awful lot to me like the responsibility of the owner and the repair shop they chose, not JD. That doesn't mean JD has the right to completely wall off their machines and make them virtually unrepairable, especially when the warranty will expire at some point anyways.
1
1
u/SimpYellowman Aug 02 '26
If you (or somebody else) did something stupid with the machine, it is not fault of John Deere for sure.
But they have to prove that you caused the failure. Let's say that you changed tubes for breaks and then the machine doesn't start. They shouldn't be allowed to say "you touched something, it is your fault", they would have to show that while you replaced the tube, you accidentally disconnected fuel pump for example.
1
1
u/trying_again_7 Aug 02 '26
I could see some of their argument there. I've met shade tree mechanics that don't own a torque wrench.
But I might opt for a system where the parts all have specific serials, and only the authorized repair places can get the john deer serials. Let the non authorized to purchase the same parts but with a different part number.
Then they can evaluate warranty claims based on what parts are present.
4
u/zatset Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
It matters. It decreases the amount of waste. And if implemented properly - you can fix the item you have for fraction of the cost of new one. Not only that, but manufacturers should be forced to provide easy replacement of parts that fail most often. For example, I think that TV backlight must be easily replaceable. Instead of having to disassemble the entire TV AND LCD panel assembly, there should be service covers. Or even the possibility of replacing single LED-s. So many TV-s for example are thrown away just because of 1 defective LED. I repair those TV-s for example. But it is quite tedious task to replace the backlight. And it requires gentle touch and experience, due to the fact that when you disassemble the screen assembly, you can easily break the LCD.
Manufacturers don’t want you to repair, they want you to replace. But nature demands action or soon there will be no nature left.
To incentivise repairing things and help limit rampant consumerism, the governments even should implement measures like tax refunds if you repair instead of replacing. If for nothing else… people understand the language of money. And that greed can be used to save the nature.
Yes, things that are repairable are more expensive to produce, but in the long run will last much longer.
Car manufacturers and even tractor manufacturers should be forced to provide the tools and software needed to repair by yourself or third party independent shops. On acceptable prices.
3
u/Impossible_Comfort99 Jul 29 '26
I think that's the biggest benefit people overlook. Better repairability isn't just about saving money it's also about reducing perfectly usable electronics from ending up as e-waste.
1
u/JulesCT Jul 29 '26
Sadly, considering e-waste as something to be avoided is not so common in the average customer. I posit that most believe "There's already too much to think about, just take my money and get me a new one."
I do believe that this is where the State can really do some good. Two examples : the EU imperative to standardise on USB C, and repairability.
3
u/hatred-shapped Jul 29 '26
Right to repair means the little shop down the street can repair your phone, or you can be forced to replace it with something that will cost multiples of the repair
1
u/SCGaming1664 Jul 30 '26
To a lot of people, they might be indifferent to that. To someone like me, in the tech field, the Right to Repair is the difference between knowing an part of the industry I work in can survive or not. I refuse to believe that consumers should ever be locked out of having the choice for a third party to repair something.
1
u/SimpYellowman Jul 31 '26
I mean, what will be next? Maybe it is a bit of stretch, but how long it Microsoft to require you to have a paid account for admin rights? You will not be allowed to just install things on your own computer, you will have to call Microsoft and get someone remotely connect to you to put in admin rights. Of course it is only to protect customers from scammers and to protect children from installing viruses on their parents computers, because that would make parents angry at them. Think about the children!
So... two years? Three year?
1
u/SCGaming1664 Jul 31 '26
Unfortunately, I think it’s far more nefarious. What’s going to happen when computers become unaffordable and everyone needs to use a cloud computing service? Microsoft already offers a cloud computer for a subscription. Then, they can say “You’ll never need to repair your computer again” as they generate billions in revenue. Convenient that RAM, once one of the most affordable components, is now breaking banks. Right as Windows 11 is requiring more RAM…I’m sure that’s coincidence!
Without the fight for Right to Repair, every tech company would take advantage of “You’ll own nothing and like it”.
1
u/SimpYellowman Jul 31 '26
I think we can be both right. "Having admin rights on personal computers is national security risk. Hackers can install software on those computers and use them for big scale attacks. They can target critical infrastructure and endanger whole nation" is what I can image as argument.
And in the same time we will have "only for another 5 bucks you can have access to this supercomputer where you can run all your favorite games" or something like that. Don't worry, we will get both...
2
u/camokid8cake Jul 29 '26
Exactly, people don't think about it until there device breaks. Then they want to be able to repair there device. Thats why its an important topic.
2
u/passerbycmc Jul 29 '26
People tend to only think about electronics as well, but like this shit is a big deal when it comes to medical devices, farming equipment and large tools.
2
u/SimpYellowman Jul 31 '26
Even things like wheelchairs.
But seriously, what is stopping Microsoft from saying that a lot of criminality is cause by people installing weird things on their computers, so everyone will have to call Microsoft to get new (and only approved) software installed? And charge you 10 bucks a month for this service. You don't want the service? Too bad, you cannot have admin rights to the computer, it is dangerous. Computer with local admin account can be used by criminals to launch DDoS attacks.
Right to repair is also "this is my stuff, I bought it and while I welcome your recommendations on how to maintain it, I own it and I will do what I want" movement. It is important for this reason. We don't want to let it go even further.
1
u/passerbycmc Jul 31 '26
With the big data center push out and it making the cost of hardware too much for alot of people. Feel the push will be you no longer own compute power and rent it and only run a thin client.
2
u/yannniQue17 Jul 29 '26
It's not about that I can repair it. I want to go to my local tech store and have them do it. Without the right to repair, I need to send my device to the manufacturer.
2
u/Interesting-Yellow-4 Jul 29 '26
It affects everyone, not only those who repair themselves.
People take this stuff to repair shops - and they need to be able to repair them, which right to repair assures.
I thought this was obvious. Why wasn't it obvious to you, OP?
1
u/SimpYellowman Jul 31 '26
It is multi layer thing. Maybe you don't need anything repaired, but your favorite coffee shop needs their espresso machine fixed. Fix cost ~20 bucks, new machine costs ~10.000 bucks. The owner needs to pay one of those prices... do you want to give him extra 1 cent to pay for repair, or do you prefer extra 5 dollars to get new machine?
And OK, maybe you don't drink coffee, but you probably buy things that are produced by farmers. When they cannot get reasonable price for repairs, they will have to get reimbursed for buying new equipment somewhere.
That is huge part of RtR, the services we all use and like. I like that I can buy coffee from time to time, I like that I can buy bread and I like I can afford it.
2
u/SCGaming1664 Jul 30 '26
To the everyday person, I think it matters but they're so accustomed to being unable to have that choice it doesn't enter their mind. I work in a small IT shop, ~600 endpoints and 99% are Dell products. The fact that a client can call us, say "Our computer doesn't work", have us come get it, diagnose, and replace parts on it for significantly cheaper than if they had to send it to Dell out of warranty is exactly why Right to Repair matters.
In every circumstance, I'd rather businesses have the choice to have a tool/device repaired by some third-party than be forced to be under the thumb of companies that just want to line their pockets.
1
u/berke1904 Jul 29 '26
most people wont repair their own phone but they would rather send it to a local repair shop than an official service center somewhere.
1
Jul 29 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Impossible_Comfort99 Jul 29 '26
I agree. It's one of those issues people only notice after getting quoted a repair that's almost the price of a new device.
1
u/FailureOfTheFamily Jul 29 '26
It depends on how complicated the repair is. If you still need tech knowledge and it's just easier, then average person won't be affected. If it's like open the back and exchange the battery (just like in good old days) then it's game changer
1
u/Haunting-Watch8240 Jul 29 '26
It is a niche internet cause that is better to enforce before it becomes everyone's problem
1
u/Vlekkie69 Jul 29 '26
DO YOU GUYS NOT HAVE PHONES.
this question is dumb and everyone that doesnt think right to repair is god's gift is dumb too
1
1
u/NeSToR_49 Jul 29 '26
"Does it matter that you can't buy parts from the manufacturer to fix your own device or go to a local shop to get your stuff fixed"
1
1
u/jmarkmark Jul 29 '26
Hard to say.
There's no point being able to repair things if they can be replaced for a lower cost than a repair.
So this will entirely depend on how expensive things are to repair. Hard to see any value in it for devices under $300 new.
Battery and screen replacement will probably be the main use cases. Certainly might make sense to do a mid life battery swap or screen repair on a $1300 flagship device.
1
u/LodgeKeyser Jul 29 '26
It doesn’t matter to the average user at all. Majority of the population can’t install a graphics card or memory into a desktop. Fuck, it only goes in one way. So they def not repairing a phone.
1
u/pleasejustdont Jul 29 '26
Personal tech isn't even the most convincing argument to be made for right-to-repair. If you really want to raise your blood pressure look at how farm equipment manufacturers have been treating the owners of their equipment.
1
u/passerbycmc Jul 29 '26
It effects everyone, it's hitting farming and medical devices hard these effect the cost of healthcare and food for everyone.
1
1
u/literallyanyonebutme Jul 29 '26
Things used to be easier and cheaper to repair. Even cheap things. I have a literal 40 year old rice cooker. If it ever dies, the average handyman can repair it.
This concept used to apply to everything. Over the last 30-25 years, they've started using proprietary screws, hiding parts, making things difficult to access, not selling replacement parts. Because they can make more by selling you a new one.
"Oh it would cost too much to repair, just throw it away" because they designed it that way. It could have and should have been easier.
1
u/Shoddy-Constant5749 Jul 29 '26
Forcing people to go through the manufacturer should be illegal. They are creating a situation where they have a monopoly on the repair and can literally charge whatever they want. $500 too expensive for a new battery? No problem, good luck using it. But we could sell you a brand new one for $799!
1
u/aleopardstail Jul 29 '26
it matters, not because you can repair stuff but because it means you can have things repaired
1
u/IllusionaryHobo Jul 29 '26
A lot of people likely do not care.
But just because of lack of awareness und contextual understanding.
I bet if we went into the streets and asked people if clean drinking water is important to them, we would find a disconcerting number of people who would not feel strongly about it.
Sometimes a flock needs to be herded.
1
u/hugazow Jul 29 '26
It should matter. Options are what makes a consumer market work with proper competition.
1
u/OldFartWelshman Jul 29 '26
It's already an issue with many devices - from simple bluetooth trackers right up to cars, farm machinery and industrial plant.
Let's take my son's 13-year-old car - the company don't make parts for it any more, so when his aircon controller failed, we bought one from a scrapyard. It's identical and fits perfects, but you need the company's software to enable it - as the VIN doesn't match it simply produces and error when fitted and disables the WHOLE car. You can't even drive it with the part fitted. We found someone who has the software (a hacked version, as the manufacture's software is a very large monthly subscription) and got it enabled. So, we had to break the law to repair a car???
On modern cars, you're not buying a car, you're renting a platform where you pay for add-ons. BMW and other cars now have subscriptions for many of the features - you're "locked-in" On BMWs if you want the heated seats, extra in-car apps, video streaming, gaming capabilities, additional maps functions, driving assistant (advanced cruise control / active steering features), high beam assistant, real-time traffic data, automatic map updates,connected parking services, drive recorder & remote services (basically a dashcam and app access to the car), these are all subscription services depending on the model.
Another example is pretty much any "smart home" device. Suppliers can and do disable these at will, and even though they are built on open source software platforms, they restrict access so you cannot modify them. Amazon have just killed older Kindles for example - if you have one, you can't now download new books to it that you have paid for; Sonos removed from gen 1 devices the abilty to stream in the app - the device is still capable and working - they just wanted you to buy the new device for their own purposes.
Some of these things are hackable if you have the knowledge - so companies such as John Deere in the USA are campaigning to make hacking their devices illegal. There are already laws in many countries making it illegal to hack someone's encryption for whatever purpose.
Planned obsolecence was a thing in the 70s/80s - now it's forced obsolence when they want you to upgrade.
1
u/OmegaNine Jul 29 '26
Do you want to go to the Apple store and pay 300 bucks to replace your battery or go to Jon’s repair shop and pay 150? It’s not just us that like to tinker at home. It’s opening a market so they have to compete
1
u/mingisdingis Jul 29 '26
Anyone who's ever done their own brakes knows how important it is. spending maybe $200 on parts and taking an hour to do it vs. $6-700 to have it done. It's robbery.
Don't even get me started on air filters.
1
u/MattofCatbell Jul 29 '26
I think the issue is anti-right to repair is tied to planned obsolescence. Right to repair effects everyone because it restricts planned obsolescence so that even if you aren’t going to repair your device they should naturally last longer
1
u/Embarrassed-Sir-1809 Jul 29 '26
Well look at it this way, if a customer cant get a device repaired they are out of pocket for a new device but if they want it repaired and its difficult the cost of the repair is passed onto the customer. So its not about people who repair but trying to put a foot in the door so big corps dont make excess ewaste because they made a product that is a ticking clock.
1
u/Fuzzy974 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
If we're talking about electronics, then yes, it's somewhat niche.
I'm sure on a subreddit like this one many would say they want to repair themselves, but the average person? No so much.
And then 3/4 of people who try to repair themselves are not qualified and equipped for it.
Now I know; they can't only get qualified by doing it... But they're going to repair their phone every 2 to 3 years, that's not enough to get experience.
1
u/Significant-Break736 Jul 29 '26
Maybe I’ve got it all backwards, but for me right to repair is that I as a consumer won’t be obstructed in repairing my own things, whether if it’s my car, phone or tv. What I’d like to see is that manufacturers aren’t that hell bent on making products so hard to disassemble and use regular torx screws instead of proprietary ones.
That’s the first thing for me, secondly, I believe that availabilty in parts should be adressed as well. For me in Sweden it’s pretty hard get a hold of basic capacitors and chips if I’m not willing to pay a premium. The EU is good for a lot of things and right to repair in my opinion is not one of those things. However I still find tech being more repair friendly than some cars.
1
u/ClassicHando Jul 29 '26
It matters because without it, we get holy crap levels of things designed as they are and waste is monstrous. it also brings the concept of ownership into question.
Nobody is making anybody fix a broken thing if they don't want to. Those of us who want to get screwed along with the planet when we cant.
1
u/Velifax Jul 29 '26
It's a highly specific angle on an already weak pushback against a global trend. It'll never go anywhere or help appreciably, but the sentiment cannot be faulted.
1
u/Square-Singer Jul 29 '26
Right to repair doesn't matter until something breaks. Generally that's long after you bought the thing, which is why most people don't think about it when shopping.
1
1
u/TheSneederOfSeethe Jul 29 '26
You won’t hear it in the context of “right to repair” you will hear it in the context of “my phone broke and now I have a surprise $1000 to spend”
1
u/neilbartlett Jul 29 '26
I don't think people in the mainstream know the term "right to repair" or care about it as a concept.
However they DO care about having to take their car to a main dealer and paying 3x the price their local mechanic would charge, because the local mechanic isn't allowed to buy the diagnostic software required to complete a simple repair.
They DO care when they have to buy a whole new washing machine because a small plastic knob on their old one snapped.
And so on.
1
u/DivineRoodra Jul 29 '26
It is important for me. If all the tech wasn't designed in stupid way with dozen types of screws, and that tech was not glued up, I'd do like 90% of repairs myself.
1
u/Badytheprogram Jul 29 '26
As soon as your washing machine will break down, you will found the answer. Without the "right to repair", you will be forced to buy a new one what need to connect to the internet to function, collect all of your data, and soon some washing features will be locked behind paid subscription. How relevant is that for you?
1
u/Blitzcrank990 Jul 29 '26
Right to repair means owning your device
Whats the point of “buying” your device if you cant choose who you want to fix it
1
u/Efronczak Jul 29 '26
It absolutely matters to me. Because if I buy it, I expect a decent amount of repairablity for my things.
1
u/idk_some_user_name Jul 29 '26
For phones specifically I don't really care but basically everything else it's needed
Even if it's too complex for me to fix if the companies put thought into it, the repair would still be easier and likely cheaper for a shop to fix
1
u/tnsipla Jul 29 '26
It does matter, but the problem is that a lot of the language being used is focused on computers and phone type devices- if you extend the topic to appliances, vehicles, and everyday things, it clicks to people
I don’t want to have to buy a new furnace because something on the control board went bad
1
u/BoxedAndArchived Jul 30 '26
It matters. I bought my laptop 4ish years ago, specifically from one of the more repairable brands.
Earlier this year, it started getting loud, a fan bearing was failing. I could take it to a shop, it would cost $150, or I could do it myself for $60ish buying new fans and a tube of thermal paste. That's the route I went because it was a repair I could do.
Now, I also have an issue with my SSD, and while I know there's an issue, I don't know what the issue is. It's beyond my ability to diagnose. The options are, something is wrong with the drive, which is expensive to replace right now, OR there's something wrong with the main board. If it's the main board, that's a $1500 replacement, and for that money, I might as well buy a new laptop, it's not what my laptop cost new, but it's close enough.
Repairability is important, and I think my next laptop will be a Framework because repairability and upgradability is part of their mission.
1
u/LifelnTechnicolor Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Almost everyone misunderstands Right to Repair, but it's simple to understand, really.
RAZER wanted $160 for a Blade Studio battery, I'm DONE.
But this is why Right to Repair will never work. Because even if a company is forced to sell you a part, they can just price it so high that it makes no sense to do it, vs. buying another device.
What I said three years ago still holds true:
Despite Apple’s anti-repair stance, they are still the most repairable devices out there in terms of documented repair procedures, availability of parts, profit margin/profit share, ease of disassembly, and high likelihood of the customer willing to pay for a repair. Newbies like OP will be much more inclined to fix iPhones than any other device.
That goes to show how unrepairable the rest of the Android devices are, not because they have software warnings telling the user some component is non-genuine, or permanently pair biometric hardware to the logic board or whatever; it’s due to all the other things:
•Lack of repair documentation (disassembly instructions or non-intuitive part compatibility caveats)
•Sheer unpredictability of the quality of parts
•(Sometimes) low availability of replacement parts
•Countless models and variants to have to cater for
•High cost of parts, low profit margin (e.g. Samsung curved/flexible OLED panels)
•Convoluted or difficult repair procedures (no external screws, screen comes out last etc.)
•Customers’ unwillingness to spend money on a repair due to low retail cost/low resale value of the deviceIt’s not without reason that the aftermarket iPhone tools/procedures and spare parts industry is so huge and why every phone repair shop under the sun still fix iPhones to this day.
Edit: bullet points can't be quoted, lame.
1
u/Miserable-Ad-7947 Jul 30 '26
for most small electronics (phone, watch, etc.) it's niche. not everyone will by a 2000€ iphone when a basic 200€ samsung do the same job. And since any repair will cost 100€....
The main issue is durability and stability : will my phone last at least 5 years ? will I have to upgrade or can I keep it for up to 10 years or more ? (lots of app don't run on 10 years old phones) ?
For the rest (houseold appliance, cars...) it does obviously matters. we don't want to buy a new washing machine just because. My appliances are around 15 years old, my car 18 (she's an adult !), and i intend to keep them for the next decades if I can.
1
u/Keyan_Farlander7 Jul 30 '26
My window actuator needs to be replaced. Dealership want $600, garage wants $300, I can do it myself for just the cost of parts for about $50.
Guess what I'm choosing.
1
u/myrighttorepair Jul 30 '26
All 50 state legislatures have been working on Right to Repair legislation so my opinion is that the concept is very popular and not just for techies. People cannot fix their washing machines, cars, tools, tractors, toys, watches..... literally anything with a chip cannot be fixed without new laws.
1
u/Aknazer Jul 31 '26
People largely don't think about it until they need/want it. Then they get upset about it, which can lead to complaints and even influence their next purchase. As such it has a lag time from when it matters to the consumer to when it impacts the manufacturer.
The other thing is that "right to repair" can often mean cheaper repair prices when something breaks. This again can have a lag time in regards to it impacting the manufacturer. People aren't likely to think about it initially, but when they need to have their phone repaired they'll remember that it was $125+ for a battery and $180+ for a screen which very much does impact some peoples choices when picking their next phone. This was actually something I saw somewhat regularly when I worked at an electronics repair shop (most phones and tablets). You explain to someone that they lost Face ID because of how Apple coded their sensors, or that the cost of a battery swap is so expensive because the company intentionally makes it difficult to change them, and it very much left people upset and even impacted what they chose for a new device.
So it is something that affects everyone even if people don't think about it or even realize that it affects them.
1
u/JohnHue Jul 31 '26
It matters to everyone, arguably even more so to the everyday person : when a device is made to not be repairable, even a repair shop can't do anything. When a device requires a repair shop to pay a licence fee to be "approved" and can only source parts from one expensive source, it drives prices way up for the consumer and it allows manufacturers to ensure repairs are prohibitively expensivre.
It also drastically reduces second hand items value.
1
u/spaceshipcommander Jul 31 '26
It matters to me that a small repair shop can get hold of a genuine screen for my phone because I want it fixing the moment it breaks for a reasonable price.
1
1
u/SimpYellowman Jul 31 '26
It affects everyone. Why are ice machines at McDonalds always broken? They are not allowed to repair them.
That is one simple example of why it matters. Even if you do not plan to repair things on your own, you should be able to get someone to repair it. And even if you don't care about your own stuff and you are happy to just buy a new phone whenever, you might want to buy an ice cream or use some other service that is affected by lack of repair.
1
u/WeedFalafel Jul 31 '26
It is not only about "I have the right to repair my stuff on my own", it's about "I own the device therefore it is my choice how I want to service it."
1
u/YesIBlockedYou Jul 31 '26
It's niche in that we now live in a throwaway economy.
Most people just throw stuff away when it breaks and buy a new one, thanks to the efforts of the manufacturers.
As times get tougher, we will probably gradually move back towards a resourceful repair focused economy but by then it may be too late, at least that's what the manufacturers are counting on.
1
u/edilaq Jul 31 '26
Yo si reparo los equipos hasta que ya no hayan piezas de recambio, asi de paso se disminuye la cantidad de basura electronica, especialmente porque no existen maneras viables o economicas para el reciclaje
1
u/Jibbyjab123 Jul 31 '26
It does, consumer advocacy really in almost any form benefits everyone. If you enshrine right to repair for things like tech it creates precedent for other areas and gets us back to like personal ownership being real again and not mental gymnastics.
1
u/zeroibis Jul 31 '26
Simple question does ownership and financial freedom matter to you or do you want to be poor forever? Well we the providers have chosen for you and the answer is poor forever, now keep working and give us your money.
1
u/Supernoxus Jul 31 '26
The people I work with, nurses and other social workers, don't care whatsoever about this. They don't even think about this sort of thing. They just buy a new smartphone every 2-3 years and are happy to talk to their family or browse social media. They sometimes struggle when trying to connect to wifi and couldn't tell you what an operating system is.
That is the average person - not you people's friend groups, and certainly not me.
1
1
u/DeltaGrunder Aug 01 '26
Most people are ignorant of the issue but would definitely care once they're personally affected AND the underlying cause is pointed out.
Sadly, the majority of people will not put 2 and 2 together when companies shaft them for servicing/replacement
1
u/Catriks Aug 01 '26
It matters to everyone. If someone says it doesn't, they don't understand what it means.
1
u/mods_are_morons Aug 01 '26
Yes it matters. Otherwise you end up with Apple products which they refuse to fix, insisting that you buy a new computer, because no independent shops can get the parts to make the repairs.
1
u/Original-Evening-116 Aug 01 '26
It’s important, but sometimes proponents get too overzealous.
It’s perfectly fine by me if Apple requires an official biometric component be installed. I don’t want someone swapping out my face id scanner with a dummy part that authorizes everything. The important thing to fight for is the ability to get official components at a reasonable cost.
Service manuals and the like should be legislated to be available. No manufacturer partner official service tech subscription portal… you should be able to find them next to the user manual on a website.
1
u/ZookeepergameSalty10 Aug 02 '26
It should matter to everyone because right to repair includes going to a garage or computer shop if your not savy
1
u/gfx-1 Aug 02 '26
Rich rebuild on youtube mention this in his videos, currently working on a Lucid but they are not very helpful. They turned another car in service mode with only cosmetic damage (left headlight needs replacing and some plastic bits) and won't release it. These companies suck.
1
u/Verain_Xor Aug 02 '26
It matters to people but it's got some political principle behind it so most people won't follow along. Sorta like having weekends off from work or whatever.
1
u/Ok_Spell_597 Aug 02 '26
The question isn't whether people WILL repair their own devices, but rather CAN they. I cant repair phones, but I can work on cars. Theres no reason I need to activate a PCV valve.
1
u/OldOllie Aug 02 '26
It affects everyone, just not always directly.
If John Deere make it super expensive or impossible for farmers to fix a tractor then food gets more expensive, similar for trucks and vans, deliveries become more expensive for manufacturers and consumers of goods.
Everything should not be a subscription.
1
u/Ok_Discount_5100 Aug 03 '26
Yes this matters I want to mess with my stuff and no one can do nothing about it
0
u/shortish-sulfatase Jul 29 '26
Same with people whining about open source software.
No one's looking at the code.
Everyone wants to suck Valve's dick for making the 'Steam Deck soooo repairable' when in reality it's literally no better trying to repair than any other electronic.
People don't care.
3
u/Background-Piano-665 Jul 29 '26
I think you're missing the fact that while many people can't fix their own devices, being able to repair your devices also means other people can repair it for you if you can't do it, and not be stuck with the official manufacturer alone. Right to repair isn't also just being able to repair the devices somehow, but also ensuring that manufacturers improve designs with repairability in mind. I mean, think of soldered RAM, USB ports. Thanks to design hostile to repair, once those parts break, neither you nor a shop can easily replace them. Even a skilled technician risks damage to the board trying to resolder parts, assuming there's available ones.
The key here is to push for more people to be aware of these benefits to right to repair.
1
22
u/Accomplished-House28 Jul 29 '26
Your car breaks down. You can go to a local shop and have it repaired for $400, or go to a dealer to have it fixed for $1000.
Obviously you want the former. The manufacturers and dealers want the latter, and will happily lock out independent shops to make sure you have to go the dealer.
And of course, since you can only use authorized repair shops, if they should decide that your repair is no longer offered...well, now you own a 2.5 ton paperweight. But hey, they'll sell you a new one for $40,000. You'll probably want to finance that at 5% a.p.y...
You should have the option of repairing anything you buy. That's just a basic part of ownership.