You Have the Right to Repair

For many manufacturers, repairing their own products is a lucrative business, especially beyond the warranty period. Just think about how much money can be spent at a car service center, where replacing the windshield of a few-year-old car can easily cost half a million forints. Yet, according to the law, you have the right to repair the product. However, oftentimes, it is the manufacturer itself that complicates this for you. But the issue is not so black and white, and as a responsible manufacturer, we cannot ignore it without comment.

According to an EU report, 261 million tons of CO2 emissions in the entire EU each year are caused by discarded products that could have been repaired, but manufacturers did not make this possible. Not to mention the financial damage that consumers suffer. Often, it is cheaper to buy a new phone rather than replacing the screen of one with a broken display.

We started addressing this issue quite a few years ago, and specifically took steps in this regard in 2021. That's when we introduced the option for home servicing, the details of which you can read about in the shipping and servicing section. Since most of our colleagues learned to use a screwdriver around the same time they learned to walk, we very much understand the frustration when something cannot be fixed at home, but also, as a manufacturer, we can credibly represent the opposing viewpoint.

The right to repair reached the threshold of interest for EU policymakers in 2023, prompting them to immediately propose a package of measures. Here are the five pillars of the EU's "Right to Repair" concept:

• Users should have the right to repair the product they own.
• Manufacturers are obligated to provide information to support this.
• Online databases should be created where users can search for repair services.
• An EU-level information platform should be established where consumers can see the cost of repairing a product.
• There should be an EU certification regarding the quality of repair services.

These statements are naturally appealing to everyone as consumers. What could be better than being able to replace the memory chip in your smartphone at home anytime with a larger one, without needing to buy a new device just because of that. Of course, you might be more upset if this made it easier to sell stolen phones, as they could simply remove the identifying component, and you would never be able to track it down again. But let's consider the various perspectives one by one.

Environmental Protection

The EU primarily cited this when creating its proposal package. After all, it doesn't need much explanation that if you don't have to buy something new, less waste is generated. However, it's important to consider the overall picture and total emissions. It's conceivable that if manufacturers consider the replaceability of parts as fundamental, then the parts might have a shorter lifespan to become cheap enough (otherwise the model wouldn't be viable). But in all likelihood, our environment would still benefit more from the repair approach.

Competitiveness

It is often difficult to decide whether EU regulations provide an advantage or disadvantage for member states. After all, the EU consists of not only the population but also European companies. Therefore, we must consider what would happen to them if such a proposal package were enacted into law. True, there are no longer any European phone manufacturers, but for simplicity's sake, let's stick with this example. If a consumer has to choose between a phone from an EU manufacturer and a Chinese manufacturer, what will they see? Well, assuming the same capabilities, the European phone will be twice as large and twice as heavy due to all the screws and connectors, while the Chinese one will be a nice, compact solution. Which one would you choose? Of course, one could say to impose a hefty tariff on the imported product, but this wouldn't be good for consumers either: they would get the same product at an even higher price.

Willingness to Innovate

There is a quite noticeable effort in the "Right to Repair" movement towards sharing information. Naturally, it doesn't need much explanation why it's beneficial to have a manual for a machine or instructions for a motherboard on where to connect what. However, from a manufacturer's perspective, it is questionable how willingly they would share closely guarded expertise or program codes publicly on the internet. After all, if you think about it, the exact functioning of the product, the creation of the software running on it, and the assembly process are what truly make it unique and different from other brands. The obligation to publish this could significantly discourage anyone from coming up with something new. It's not a coincidence that pharmaceutical molecules are patented. Discouraging manufacturers from innovating would ultimately be worse for consumers.

Responsibility

We've now reached the most pressing question. As users, all of us would like our products to be repaired for free every time they break or to receive replacement parts. However, there are often issues that are not the manufacturer's fault. These can be very difficult to diagnose remotely, especially based on just a few photos. Even when the situation is clear, it unfortunately happens that the customer or the expert they thought was qualified is unable to fix the issue. In worse cases, even more significant problems may occur, making it almost impossible to separate the responsibility and costs from the original fault. Despite this, we strongly stand by our customers' right to repair with the caveat that when someone chooses this option, they must provide a written acknowledgment that they are doing so at their own risk.

Time is Money

We know that for our customers, it can be a major problem if they have to be without something like an electric fence even for a few days. Most of us would probably find it impossible to go several days without a phone. However, it is also unreasonable to expect every manufacturer to provide replacement products during repair times. Therefore, if someone is willing to undertake home repair, we are happy to support them because it's also better for us if the problem is resolved quickly. This applies to both warranty and out-of-warranty cases. The goal of our article was by no means to dissuade you from repairing products at home. On the contrary, as you can see, if implemented within reasonable limits and without over-regulation, it can certainly help reduce environmental pollution.

But if you don't want to

We completely understand that as well. However, if you are in such a hurry that you cannot wait for the usual 1-2 week turnaround time, then the Vadalarm Premium subscription is made just for you. With this, for the price of a cup of coffee per month, you enter an exclusive premium circle where in the event of a malfunction, we will hand you a replacement product without question. Click here for details!