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Right to Repair law
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) It might be hard to believe, but if you try to fix some of your own products, you might have a hard time finding the materials you'd need. That's because companies won't let you have them.
Vermont legislators are now fighting for a "Right to Repair" law that they say will save people time and money.
"Every customer should be for this idea. The only people who aren't are the companies that are behind it trying to get people to buy more stuff and not repair their own," said Jordan, of Wires Computing.
Wires opened his shop about five years ago. He's replaced hundreds of broken screens and has fixed internal issues on cellphones, laptops, drones and other electronics.
"There's not a ton of difference between me and the Apple Store," he said.
Except for one thing. If he tries to get access to parts and schematics to fix your products, he can't. That's because large companies like Apple and Samsung don't sell parts to consumers directly or to repair shops that aren't authorized by the company. That means he has to go through wholesale retailers that offer the same parts or recycle pieces from other electronics that are for salvage.
"One man's trash is another man's treasure. And in my case, it's profit," Wires said.
But it's a hassle. And so he's fighting for his right to repair, which he says will save you money and time, as well as keep electronics out of landfills. It's estimated that 350,000 cellphones are thrown away each day in the U.S., 700 in Vermont alone.
"Manufacturers are not eager to open up this market. It's a part of their scheme to have people replace electronics in particular probably faster than they need to be," said Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden County.
Pearson is the co-chair of a task force looking into "Right to Repair" legislation. But he says a law won't be easy to pass. They're up against patent laws, warranties and lobbyists who argue "Right to Repair" could lead to security concerns.
"The industries aren't just going to say sure, go ahead and do this; they're fighting us," Pearson says.
The task force plans to meet at least two more times before submitting its report to the Legislature.
Around 18 states, including Vermont, are looking at Right to Repair laws. They have already been applied to the auto industry, which is why you can get parts and tools at places other than dealerships.
“Google’s ban on independent repair takes a big toll”
Banning the fix: Google continues blocking third-party repair ads
The longer Google takes to fix problems for independent repair shops, the easier it is for manufacturers to elbow out competitors in the repair market.
Google bans independent repair ads
If you search on Google for anything from “car insurance” to “bicycle,” you’ll likely see a smattering of advertisements for different companies and retailers listed at the top of your search results. If you search “iPhone repair,” on the other hand, those kinds of ads tend not to appear.
Instead, Google will show you a snapshot of a map with a list of nearby repair shops. For me, the first link that shows up is the Apple support page.
For more than a year, Google has banned independent repair shops from advertising on it’s search engine — while still permitting manufacturers to advertise.
Originally, Google sought to remove ads for scammers posing as repair or IT service companies, and said that it would create a verification system to allow legitimate shops to resume ads. In an announcement, Google’s director of Global Product Policy, David Graff, explained the company was seeking to prevent “misleading ad experiences” by third-party technical support businesses.
Last month, U.S. PIRG delivered a petition with nearly 7,000 signatures to Google, calling for an end to the company’s ban on electronics repair ads — and also sent a copy of our letter to Congress and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). So far, the company has not responded.
Google’s ban on independent repair takes a big toll
Search engine traffic is a key strategy to find customers, and some repair shops reported drops in revenue of as much as 70 percent after Google removed their ads. Advertising requests that would have been approved under normal circumstances were now repeatedly rejected.
“Suddenly Google just basically disallowed everyone. Not just smartphone repairs, but anybody who’s doing any form of third-party repair,” said Rob Kerr, co-founder of Lovefone, on International Repair Day in 2019. “There was no announcement. Simply one day we just saw all these emails saying ‘ad disapproved.’”
While taking action to reduce fraud is laudable, Google’s ad ban impacts many legitimate repair businesses. With ways to certify all sorts of companies to run ads, why hasn’t Google figured out a plan for repair shops?
In 2017, Google’s vetting process led to a takedown of 3.2 billion ads. For industries that are prone to fraudulent advertising, such as locksmiths and garage door services, the search engine introduced a verification process.
At the end of August 2018, Google stated that it would roll out a new verification process for independent repair businesses in a matter of months. That still hasn’t happened two years later.
Given the search engine’s track record, this delay in formulating an effective vetting process is uncharacteristic.
“They’re picking and choosing who they want to partner with, and who they want to allow,” said Jordan Wires, Owner of Wires Computing. “Is it because they can’t get a system together for smaller businesses, or because bigger companies are pushing everyone else out?”
Another hurdle for independent repair
The longer Google takes to formulate a verification process, the easier it is for manufacturers to elbow out competitors in the repair market. As a result, consumers will have no choice but to opt for a pricier fix or replacement directly from the manufacturer.
Wires Computing Electronics Repair Burlington, VT
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Cracked screens, liquid damaged phones or maybe a broken iPad, these are things we fix here everyday at Wires Computing.
Give us a call we fix them all! (802)448-0403
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