Repair Advocates Request Rules for Manufacturers

Last month, repair advocates drafted a proposal requesting that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) craft rules to prohibit manufacturers from restricting the repair of their products. The request came as a 49-page petition to the FTC on Nov. 14 outlining the argument for better federal repair protection. 

Customers’ right to repair has been a longstanding issue among consumers who find themselves constantly prevented from repairing their own devices or seeking help from third-party repair shops by manufacturers who often charge large amounts of money or claim the device needs to be replaced altogether. Crafted by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and repair company iFixit, the November petition details common obstacles consumers face, such as manufacturers requiring special tools, withholding repair information from the public, implementing software locks, and more. 

According to the petition, “A rule protecting the right to repair might take a range of forms, from a prohibition of unfair and deceptive trade practices limiting repair activities to a repairability labeling system that would enable consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.” 

No notice of any proposed rules covering repair has yet to be issued. However, a group of 59 state lawmakers around the country wrote to the FTC last month asking the commission to manage a federal standard that would allow for product repair scoring. To avoid duplicating efforts, lawmakers want consistent repairability information across the states and are looking at state-level reforms to accomplish this. 

The lawmakers wrote to the FTC, “Repair scores for tech such as laptops, phones, and appliances could work like EnergyGuide labels for repairability. They provide consumers with a 1 through 10 score that measures the availability of spare parts, ease of disassembly, and longevity of support before consumers purchase expensive devices.”

Previously, the FTC has taken actions in favor of the right-to-repair movement, including signaling support in 2021, with the unanimous approval of a lengthy report describing restrictions to device repair. 

Repairing devices can be dangerous, so HOBI encourages consumers to seek professional help to prevent battery damage. Battery damage can lead to chemical fires and potentially cause more damage than the device is worth. Some IT asset disposition facilities like HOBI offer repair services and remarketing opportunities for retired IT assets. 

HOBI is an R2v3, RIOS, WBE, and ISO-14001 certified IT asset management and disposition enterprise with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. HOBI offers value-added ITAD (vITAD) services like mobile lifecycle management (MLM) for mobility managed services (MMS) programs. HOBI’s MLM services include testing and repair, refurbishment, liquidation, and reverse logistics management. Our focus is maximizing mobile assets’ availability during their useful life and disposition.

For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.