Denying Consumers Self-Repair Called ‘Akin’ to Barring Them From Hemming Own Jeans

Consumers who own electronics “should have the right to repair them as they wish,” commented Alabama resident Kelly Manning, as posted Monday in the FTC’s “Nixing the Fix” docket. The agency plans a July 16 workshop on whether manufacturer repair restrictions can thwart the consumer protections in the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Manufacturers denying consumers the right to self-repair the electronics they own is “akin” to barring them from hemming the jeans they wear, said Manning. “It should not be cheaper to replace a device than it is to repair it, as it currently is. Doing so merely encourages waste and discourages small business growth.” E-waste is “the fastest growing waste stream in the US,” said Manning: “Electronic goods leech toxic waste and require specially lined landfills. The ability to repair these goods is significantly more friendly to the environment and safer for our people and the world.” Devices that “appear to limit” self-repair aren't intrinsically anti-consumer, recently commented Microsoft, typifying tech companies (see 1906030005).