Back in November, there had been an overwhelmingly vote in favour of legislation to strengthen right-to-repair laws in the European Parliament.
Extension in Warranty Period Post Repair
One of the latest and notable provisions recently outlined by the European Council in respect to the product and its after repair services is that the product sellers will have to extend the warranty period by an additional 12 months when a product is repaired under warranty.
Currently, Europe offers a two-year guarantee on products. The latest agreement added that the EU member states could prolong this additional warranty period.
This comes as a sigh of relief as well as major motivator for those who intend to get their phones as well as other gadgets repaired. However, this is not the only noteworthy provision in the legislation.
What Else Does the Right-to-Repair Entail?
First and foremost, the legislation would force manufacturers to provide details regarding spare parts on their website, while also making these parts available to all repair sector parties at a “reasonable” price.
The prevention of the use of second-hand or 3D-printed spare parts by independent repairers by manufacturers shall also be barred by the EU. This provision for second-hand parts makes all the more sense in cases of companies like Apple, which makes it much tougher for independent repair stores to use second-hand parts for repairs.
This new agreement also forces to make the repairs timely and cost-effectively (in case the repair was not done for free). Notably, the consumers still have the ability to choose to replace or repair, provided the product is defective within the warranty period.
A standardized repair information form for repairers shall also be introduced by EU legislation. This is mainly targeted at small repair businesses. The form, which shall be issued free of charge to consumers, shall still allow repairers to charge a fee for any diagnostic service.
Last but not the least, EU plans to also offer an online repair platform that would enlist different repair services in the EU.
This legislation is touted to make the gamut of repairs easy in Europe. We are also hoping that such legislations are also passed in market other than Europe, since some electronic manufacturers don’t budge until there’s a legal pressure on them.
