U.S. FTC Commits to Fighting Against Unlawful Repair Restrictions

[ouimetnick]

I understand why Apple doesn’t want “authorized” shops repairing their products. Someone at the mall misdiagnoses the problem, slaps in a cheap battery, and sends them on their way. Phone overheats, kiosk repair service is gone, and then they blame Apple for it. Of course this is a fringe case, but I have heard of people doing that down here in FL (a repair shop technician with his own business verified this).

On the other hand, there’s no reason someone in a humid, temperate climate should be accused of “water damage” and then being charged for a whole new computer. Or, hell, a faulty display cable warranting an entirely new screen.

Having an “authorized” repair center do work doesn’t guarantee anything. I had a “genius” strip a screw on my iPhone 5S while replacing the screen (I’ve never stripped a screw repairing iPhones btw) and they had to give me a replacement.

I was told that Geniuses do sometimes make mistakes as well (even though they are supposedly trained)

Look at what happened in Vermont (not too far from me)

Chevy Bolt EV belonging to Vermont lawmaker who has backed industry catches fire

A Chevrolet electric vehicle owned by Vermont state Rep. Timothy Briglin, who has backed the industry, caught fire while charging in his driveway, police said.

www.cnbc.com

Authorized dealer screwed something up.

 

[zakarhino]

Actually I see a lot of Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche vehicles at small specialized repair shops. I see RX-7s and RX-8s at small shops that specialize in rotary engines as well.

No intelligent person would bring a out of warranty vehicle to the dealership unless it’s for a recall. The smarter driver brings their car to a trusted mechanic, and if it’s a high end car, they bring it to a shop that specializes in that brand.

There's a high end classic car shop in Berkeley that work on older cars (50+ years old) BECAUSE the OEM doesn't service the vehicle anymore. That's one of the central pillars of right to repair: when the OEM no longer wants to service my property I should have legitimate avenues to get it serviced on my own.

 

[ddtmm]

This is definitely great news, although they really need to make sure they don't fall short like they did in the UK, where pretty much anything of importance is exempt like computers and cell phones.

What they also need to do is put penalties or disincentives in place for making things non repairable like soldering everything in. If you have to keep buying new computers and cell phones because they can't be repaired, what part of that is eco-friendly? Unbelievable.

 

[zakarhino]

Possibly the older models not the new ones. You definitely don't see Tesla's in a specialized repair shops.

YES! Exactly! You don't see Teslas in specialized repair shops because they lock down their cars like mad, as do many of the modern car manufacturers!

Why are people commenting in this thread about right to repair having never watched even a single Louis Rossmann video? Or even any video or article about right to repair? Car manufacturers locking down their components with software making independent service impossible is one of the HUGE topics of right to repair.

 

[ouimetnick]

Possibly the older models not the new ones. You definitely don't see Tesla's in a specialized repair shops.

You’ll start seeing them in specialized repair shops once the law forces Tesla to sell parts to those shops. Right now you have to pull parts from wrecked vehicles. Unlike Tesla, most automakers sell parts through dealerships. I can order parts for a brand new vehicle or even a 18 year old Mercedes S500 (I’ve done both) by going to the dealership with the part number. Some dealerships will gladly help you determine the part you need as well.

Also as more and more older Tesla’s fall out of warranty, you’ll see it more. No one is going to bring a new vehicle that is still under warranty to a 3rd party shop for a defect. I’ve never seen or heard of someone bringing a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Porsche to a 3rd party shop to repair something covered by the warranty anyway.

 

[eicca]

Both Apple-certified batteries I got failed within months. I said “screw it” and did the iFixit kit myself and we’re going on a year trouble-free.

 

[calzon65]

I am cynical because the giant technology companies have tremendous influence in Washington, DC, however, this is a giant step in the right direction.

I don’t care which politician / party supports a right-to-repair … what I care about is someone (anyone) in government standing up to anticompetitive behavior blocking customer choice.

I already know the haters and Apple shills will attack this post with their calamitous warnings of hacking, inferior or “dangerous” replacement parts, and incompetent / unscrupulous repair technicians … yea … the world is not perfect, but consumers can still choose Apple repair if they want.

In the end … I would rather have a right to choose than no right at all.

 

[zakarhino]

Having an “authorized” repair center do work doesn’t guarantee anything. I had a “genius” strip a screw on my iPhone 5S while replacing the screen (I’ve never stripped a screw repairing iPhones btw) and they had to give me a replacement.

I was told that Geniuses do sometimes make mistakes as well (even though they are supposedly trained)

Look at what happened in Vermont (not too far from me)

Chevy Bolt EV belonging to Vermont lawmaker who has backed industry catches fire

A Chevrolet electric vehicle owned by Vermont state Rep. Timothy Briglin, who has backed the industry, caught fire while charging in his driveway, police said.

www.cnbc.com

Authorized dealer screwed something up.

Yep. I've only ever had bad experiences dealing with Apple directly. Multi week waits for repairs, "Geniuses" that don't know jack s***, zero transparency on what needs repairing and what doesn't, concerns about data privacy, etc. the list goes on and on and on.

Meanwhile I had a problem with one of my previous MacBook Pros. Took it into a reputable independent repair shop in my area (Apple certified) and they fixed it within 24 hours. It was the quickest Apple related repair experience in my life and from that point I decided I would never work with Apple directly on getting my devices fixed if I had the option of going elsewhere.

I trust a repair shop with my laptop way more than I do Apple. Remember the article a few months back about a woman having her photos leaked after she sent in her laptop for repair to Apple themselves? Apple covered the whole thing up. Meanwhile if an independent repair shop did that their entire business would implode the moment someone exposes that sort of dodgy behavior. Apple gets off without a scratch because they're Apple.

 

[Pierre535]

Having an “authorized” repair center do work doesn’t guarantee anything. I had a “genius” strip a screw on my iPhone 5S while replacing the screen (I’ve never stripped a screw repairing iPhones btw) and they had to give me a replacement.

I was told that Geniuses do sometimes make mistakes as well (even though they are supposedly trained)

Do you think a repair shop would replace a phone for a stripped screw? I think not.

 

[NervousFish2]

"Unlawful" here could conceivably include anti-completive practices wherein Apple makes deals with manufacturers, suppliers and vendors to deny consumers access to replacement parts. As in, ever tried to get a blade SSD installed in an iMac... Best Buy won't do it, because Apple won't let them.

 

[NervousFish2]

Yep. I've only ever had bad experiences dealing with Apple directly. Multi week waits for repairs, "Geniuses" that don't know jack s***, zero transparency on what needs repairing and what doesn't, concerns about data privacy, etc. the list goes on and on and on.

Meanwhile I had a problem with one of my previous MacBook Pros. Took it into a reputable independent repair shop in my area (Apple certified) and they fixed it within 24 hours. It was the quickest Apple related repair experience in my life and from that point I decided I would never work with Apple directly on getting my devices fixed if I had the option of going elsewhere.

I trust a repair shop with my laptop way more than I do Apple. Remember the article a few months back about a woman having her photos leaked after she sent in her laptop for repair to Apple themselves? Apple covered the whole thing up. Meanwhile if an independent repair shop did that their entire business would implode the moment someone exposes that sort of dodgy behavior. Apple gets off without a scratch because they're Apple.

I saw that story, too. Creepy

 

[ddtmm]

I understand why Apple doesn’t want “authorized” shops repairing their products. Someone at the mall misdiagnoses the problem, slaps in a cheap battery, and sends them on their way. Phone overheats, kiosk repair service is gone, and then they blame Apple for it. Of course this is a fringe case, but I have heard of people doing that down here in FL (a repair shop technician with his own business verified this).

On the other hand, there’s no reason someone in a humid, temperate climate should be accused of “water damage” and then being charged for a whole new computer. Or, hell, a faulty display cable warranting an entirely new screen.

The scenario you describe happens now, which is why we need to get access to proper documentation and genuine replacement parts at a reasonable price. As long as Apple holds a grip on the repair sector there will be cheap and ineffective repairs going on.

I totally agree with the point on water damage to the point where I think Apple purposely puts the sensors in that are susceptible to being triggered by moisture without water damage. That one's just shady period. CBC Marketplace did an episode on that and caught Apple's "geniuses" telling the customer there was water damage and would be about $1,000 to repair. The problem was a cable that was disconnected and the notebook worked fine.

 

[Wackery]

People cheering this will never repair the iphone themselves, this just opens up apple product to vulnerability with sub par (dangerous parts) and shoddy service.

careful what you wish for.

 

[Apleeseed84]

The "independent repair shops will slap in bad components" argument wouldn't be a thing if those independent repair shops were allowed to source high quality OEM parts in the first place. Louis Rossmann has to use 'donor boards' to repair other Macs for this very reason.

It's perfect for Apple. They lock down the entire component supply forcing independent repair shops to utilize less than ideal parts then point the finger and say "See, look how bad those repair shops are!"

Personally I'm never taking my devices in to Apple themselves if I can help it, I'll always pick a reputable independent repair shop. Some are Apple certified (which means they have to do things the Apple way such as replacing the entire motherboard for one broken chip), some are not.

But think long run, most apple devices are only worth using within their apple care period, then all these weird issues start popping up and bam, most pop and shop repair shops can’t afford to pay their monthly apple repair course and just think in Central America there‘s no Authorized repair centers so once you buy it you are stuck with it, not to mention that apple care + warranties are only covered in certain countries and not worldwide so they have to make do.

with that said though, I did noticed how an apple care + accidental damage claim had to be tested for official parts before swapping it out and everything had to pass which is highly understandable of course but say for example I wanted to restore an old iPod, or iPod touch or older ipad’s I”m basically SOL, just imagine the iPhone 12 years down the road I guess.

One thing I learned is that I’ll just go for basic apple products because the rare stuff never gets fixed locally and has to always to be mailed in to Apple no matter if I send it to an authorized apple repair center for example.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

If they repair them, it will void the warranty. Simple...
And if they can't repair them, it will cost them more to have Apple repair the problem, or Apple may choose not to repair it because it's been tampered with.

 

[Johnny907]

Boom! No more having to feel like a criminal just because I want to repair my own phone.

 

[Pierre535]

Right to repair should cut both ways. If someone has an Apple product repaired elsewhere and it fails, then brings it in to Apple, Apple should have the right to refuse repairs on shoddy repairs.

 

[supercoolmanchu]

I'm with you.

While I do understand that people desire a lower-cost option where they can repair or task a smaller repair shop for the fix, I can also imagine how this would open the flood-gates of a bunch of Karens suing Apple for faulty devices when it was their repairer's fault in reality.

But this really is a sensitive and double-sided "blade" that has both pros and cons, so...... I guess we will have to wait and see how this plays out.

It's a bit pessimistic I admit, but let's just hope we won't be seeing a bunch of people who are not as decent be suing Apple for the quality of these repairs if they're allowed to do so by legislation in the future. (sigh)

Almost all of these “consumer” initiatives are exclusively for political and law firm benefits.

The gov screws up everything it touches, always.

 

[rpmurray]

The smarter driver brings their car to a trusted mechanic ...

The trouble is finding a mechanic you can trust.

 

[Suicidy]

I'm all for this.

do you really want DC bureaucrats deciding how a company can design their products? Be careful, you might get what you want, but you might not want what you get.

 

[oldwatery]

Before you owned it, Apple owned it and they were free to build the device however they wanted. You had the freedom not to buy it if you didn't like how they made it. Nobody is stopping you from trying to repair or modify it on your own or take it to any shop or individual that claims they can repair it. But it sounds like you want Apple to be compelled to assist you or whomever in making those repairs. That doesn't sound too much like freedom to me. That sounds like the government forcing Apple to be in a business they don't want to be in.

Talk about twisting my words. Apple can do whatever they want. I never even suggested otherwise. Apple clearly are stopping me from maintaining it myself. how can I or my local computer whiz kid repair it if Apple will not supply the parts? That sounds like a typically perverted American style of freedom to me.

 

[ouimetnick]

People cheering this will never repair the iphone themselves, this just opens up apple product to vulnerability with sub par (dangerous parts) and shoddy service.

careful what you wish for.

Speak for yourself. As a former Apple Certified Macintosh Technician and now doing PCB assembly under a microscope (both surface mount devices and through hole), and as someone that restores vintage audio equipment and works on their own vehicles, I’d be thrilled if I could have access to genuine repair parts for my Apple devices and other electronics.

 

[scaramoosh]

Like turning off features for self repaired items, or disabling hardware features...

We need the likes of Apple to stop these practises and we all win.

 

[juanzeballos]

I understand why Apple doesn’t want “authorized” shops repairing their products. Someone at the mall misdiagnoses the problem, slaps in a cheap battery, and sends them on their way. Phone overheats, kiosk repair service is gone, and then they blame Apple for it. Of course this is a fringe case, but I have heard of people doing that down here in FL (a repair shop technician with his own business verified this).

On the other hand, there’s no reason someone in a humid, temperate climate should be accused of “water damage” and then being charged for a whole new computer. Or, hell, a faulty display cable warranting an entirely new screen.

The FTC already did an investigation and found out that what you are saying is in simple words wrong. You are no more likely to have issues with a 3rd party repair than at apple authorized repair shops or even apple "genius" bar themselves.
Your comment is a common response from apple and the FTC basically proved is al bs.

source: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/do...g_the_fix_report_final_5521_630pm-508_002.pdf

 

[Mousse]

Good! Apple deserves a smack in the mouth
They ripped me off for a repair a few years ago, that repair failed in a little over a year and Apple wouldn't do a thing about it, not even a discount on a new computer.

New electronics usually have a 1 year warranty. Repairs usually have only 90 days. I don't see where Apple did you wrong, other than charging you an arm and a leg.