'Right to repair' law to come in this summer

[NewsBot]

Ministers have confirmed that consumers will have a right to repair on appliances they buy.

 

Manufacturers will be legally obliged to make spare parts for products available to consumers for the first time – a new legal right for repairs.

The aim of the new rules is to extend the lifespan of products by up to 10 years, and officials estimate that higher energy efficiency standards will save consumers an average of £75 a year on bills over their lifetimes.

 

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[BankFodder]

This is a great idea – and a very sensible development.

However, what worries me is how this is going to fit with people statutory rights – and even "warranties" which they have been scammed into buying in order to relieve the manufacturer the cost of repairing their own defective items.

We are so used here to manufacturers and retailers – Curry's, car manufacturers et cetera latching onto any old lame feeble excuse to avoid stepping up to their proper obligations towards their customers, that I wonder whether this and going to be another way that manufacturers can say that their customer has voided their statutory rights or guarantee because they attempted their own repair.

So this spare parts law is great news – but I wonder whether it's going to be another recipe for trouble for consumers.

[AndyOrch]

I dont think its aimed at the consumer actually repairing it themselves...although they could but risk invalidating their warranty...more at the manufacturers and stopping their products becoming obsolete after 5 years.

 

Terms like " no serviceable parts "  and " not cost effective to repair " need to be outlawed.

 

and of course there is.....

 

" “We must stop using and disposing quite so much: we must take action if we are to protect the environment for generations to come.”

 

 

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[BankFodder]

Of course one thing they could do is take action against extended warranties which encourage manufacturers not to improve the quality of their goods because they know that either the customer will have for an extended warranty so that the repair is paid for by the customer – or else that because of the culture of extended warranties, the customer has lost sight of their statutory rights.
Either way, the manufacturer loses any motivation to improve quality – after all, why should you? When someone else is paying for the repair or accepts the limited lifespan of a product