UK consumers want right to repair electronic devices

A new UK-based study claims that an overwhelming majority (92%) of the public favour customers having the right to repair electronic devices and other goods.

The study comes from local UK company Droid Mobile Consultancy (Droid). The company suggests data backs the views of the consumer advocate groups fighting the trend of manufacturers preventing consumers from repairing products that range from mobile devices and laptops through to whitegoods and cars.

Droid says manufacturers have been criticised for processes that make products difficult for independent companies to access, including the use of non-removable memory or batteries, or sealing devices with special glue. It some cases, it has been alleged this has been intentionally done to make it harder for the products to be fixed.

The report infers that the UK should follow Europe’s lead, citing the European Parliament’s vote in favour of ‘right to repair’ rules, which will make it easier for consumers to repair their devices and crack down on manufacturers’ practice of shortening the lifespan of products. It additionally refers to government legislation proposed in the USA that would allow consumers to repair and modify their consumer electronic devices if manufacturers of such devices require consumers to use only the services provided.

Droid claims that industry argument from the likes of Apple, Google, Microsoft and Tesla is that right-to-repair laws expose industry secrets, reveal confidential information to third parties and compromise safety and security. In addition, the report says industry believes the move potentially makes products less desirable due to design compromises required to make components easily accessible and interchangeable.

While the report may provide a generalised indication of consumer sentiment in the UK, the size and scope of the study is unclear. Available results data is limited and no indication of the number of respondents or explanation of data collection methods has been provided.

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