As businesses that work in electronics repair we face manufacturer-imposed barriers to fix many products — barriers that can put our businesses at risk.
Independent repair businesses like ours are often able to fix devices that manufacturers are unable to fix, and at a cheaper price. By blocking access to diagnostics, schematics, tools and replacement parts, manufacturers undercut or even block independent repair. As a result, we are forced to turn away business that we could easily handle otherwise. These anti-competitive practices make it harder for businesses like ours to thrive and serve our communities. In fact, a CALPIRG and iFixit survey found that 59% of independent repair shops surveyed indicated that they might have to close their doors if Right to Repair does not become law and manufacturers continue to restrict access to repair materials.
When you open a laptop or cell phone to replace a broken part, you need to know what is broken (which the diagnostics tell you), where it is situated (which the schematics indicate), and replace the broken part. Increasingly, manufacturers require special software to pair a replacement part with a device, software that some of them won’t sell to independent shops like ours. Even without parts pairing, at the end of a repair, you often need to be able to reset the software. None of this encroaches on privacy or trade secrets, as manufacturers sometimes try to claim.
As more and more manufacturers show that repair access is reasonable and doable, it's clear that it's time to give every Californian the Right to Repair so they can fix all their products.
We urge the CA legislature to support The Right to Repair Act, which would give consumers and businesses access to parts, tools, software and service manuals necessary for repair.
Sincerely,