Have you heard about the Right
to Repair? Are you keen on responsible use of resources instead of our throwing
out your cell phone, electronic gadgets, machinery and such? Are you interested
in consumer and small business issues? There is a growing voice of people
calling for the Right to Repair – I
learnt this some months ago while flicking through radio channels.
Let me start at the beginning. Sometime back I went to repair
my smartphone and Telco folks and repairers told me to get a new one. Can’t you
just fix it I asked? One Telco retailer tried to sell me a new service contract
instead. It seemed too wasteful to throw away after only two years since
purchase. And money doesn’t grow on trees (LOL). Eventually I found a repairer who
charged almost $300 for screen replacement and data recovery. Ouch, costly! But
better than dumping my phone.
So I was really pleased one day when I heard this excellent
Radio interview about the Right to Repair.
I turned to Google and realised many people hold similar
concerns about diminishing consumer repair options for phones, vehicles, farm
machinery like tractors and more.
I also learnt that some small businesses such as auto
mechanic centres, some farmers and others are gradually restricted by
manufacturers about repair work.
How does this come about? Basically more and more cars,
phones, farm machinery are increasingly designed in such a way that they can’t
be easily repaired at your local repairer as we did in the olden days. With vehicles we now rely more on service dealers authorised by a manufacturer. The
reasons sound complex but may include how manufacturers choose to design
products.
Obviously new innovative designs can be a reflection of
product improvement and efficiency. But looking at articles on Google, it seems
as possible that design strategy can be used as a way to maintain monopoly as
to where and if goods can be serviced. Software used in these products is also implicated.
So it turns out there are situations you purchase a gadget or
machinery, but you remain locked into the wishes of the manufacturer about your
repair options.
Perhaps you have also heard about some big manufacturers
using software update releases to degrade phone battery without your knowledge,
presumably as a way to get some unsuspecting folk get a new phone or contract
costing one or two grand or something (LOL).
This is not to dismiss the importance of innovation and
technological development beneficial for society and the broader economy.
But I confess I was
surprised to hear even some farmers face restrictions on repairs they can make
on their own farm machinery purchased with their own hard cash. Before it is
said they had more options to repair their own machinery.
And if opportunity for
repair continues to reduce, this impact on small businesses like mechanic
services, electronic phone repairers and the like.
But an economy is also how well we use our resources
(resource allocation). If a global manufacturer sells goods and designs those
goods in a way that monopolise the repair market, that runs the danger of
stifling competition. It also means less sustainable small business auto
businesses, unless we have market competition, etc.
Should manufacturers be designing items in a way that ensures
they cannot be repaired? Is Australia able to impose some kind of standards on
design of such imports and local produced goods? Is it sensible that we should
be dumping our smart phones every two years so a Telco can sell us a new
contract? Given the high value of material used to make these gadgets why not
encourage designs that are less wasteful and keep small business like repairers
in the market?
This is also the stuff of future economic equality or equity.
Policy makers would want to see that small business are a having a fair go
through fair competition.
If they put their mind to it, surely policy makers should be
able to do a bit of sorting out about which design practices a fair and good
innovation. And which product design strategies are merely used to gradually do
away with competition.
What can
Government Do?
I reckon among other things the Federal Government can undertake
what they call Competition Neutrality reviews in relation to designs and
servicing of smartphones, vehicles, farm machinery. This is one way of encouraging
manufacturers and their dealers to play fair.
Basically the practices of manufacturers and their dealers
need to be brought under the banner of Australia National Competition Policy
for a particular period.
In such a situation a Competition Neutrality review will
help with some baseline understanding of which aspects of manufacturing design
are truly about innovation and good technological development, and which bits
are just strategies to stifle competition.
While we can never go back to the olden ways, we can still
manage the current situation more fairly.
Don’t miss out the info below.
Links
My blog article above only gives you a glimpse. You will find
some interesting media coverage on the Right to Repair on the links I have
provided below. They are worth your time and they highlight some really
practical stuff.
A link to ABC story
about what Australia’s Consumer Affairs Ministers are considering to boost laws
that may help consumers have more opportunity to repair their electronic
gadgets
A link to ABC story
highlighting a call by small business and environmentalist for Government to
introduce regulation on Right to Repair
6PR 882 Story on Right
to Repair
A Guardian story about
manufacturers who got fined in Europe for slowing smartphones using software
releases!
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/24/apple-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones
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