Local repair shops say electronics manufacturers are not following a new law, meant to eliminate intentional barriers currently in place that make it difficult for them to do their jobs fairly.
Nearly two months after going into effect, the conditions of SB-244, the Right to Repair Act, are not being followed by some manufacturers, that's according to a couple local repair shops.
“‘Right to Repair’ is the idea you should be able to fix anything you own,” said Liz Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability for iFixit, a San Luis Obispo-based company specializing in creating repair guides and manuals for electronics.
But if you don’t have the right tools, that can become nearly impossible.
“We call it flying blind,” said Eric Vanderlip, store manager for Coast Electronics in San Luis Obispo.
On July 1st, SB-244 went into effect requiring appliance and electronics companies to share repair manuals, parts, and tools with repair shops and service dealers. Without these items, large companies can make it practically impossible for “mom and pop” shops to fix your appliances and electronics. Vanderlip uses an automotive analogy.
“It would be like your car manufacturer saying, ‘We’re the only ones that can change your tires,’ and at a certain point, they can no longer change your tires. I mean, come on,” said Vanderlip.
Even though the law’s been in effect for nearly two months now, a couple repair shop owners tell KSBY some manufacturers are not following it.
“Manufacturers shouldn’t be able to stop you by blocking your access to parts, tools, documentation, all the stuff you need to do a repair,” said Chamberlain.
Chamberlain says iFixit has been advocating for this legislation for over a decade.
“The reason why companies do this is because repair is pretty good business for them. If they can funnel all the repairs that the customers need to their own repair shops, they can capture that business,” said Chamberlain.
Those KSBY spoke with in the community say they’re onboard with SB-244.
“I think it’s only fair. They shouldn’t have a monopoly on that,” said Garey Hamel of Palm Springs. “It should be a free marketplace, and I should be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I’ve purchased their product; that’s where the relationship should stop.”
“If they’re supporting the products, selling the products, or working on them, I think they should have access. It gives people more choices,” said Rebecca Harris of Aliso Viejo.
Vanderlip told KSBY he reached out to Bose and Polk Audio for schematic diagrams and manuals for certain products, but neither would provide them.
KSBY then reached out to both companies and has not heard back.
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Here’s a little background on the Right to Repair Act, bill SB-244:
On July 1st, California joined New York and Minnesota as the third state with similar legislation, enacting the Right to Repair Act. It mandates electronics and appliance companies to share manuals, along with related functional parts and tools, with repair shops and service dealers on “fair and reasonable terms.” This is in hopes of eliminating intentional barriers and limitations to third party repair. Without the Right to Repair Act, companies could limit access to the tools needed for “mom and pop” shops to repair your electronics, essentially creating a monopoly for the manufacturer to repair.
For products between $50 and $99.99, the terms under SB-244 must be followed for at least three years after they were first manufactured. For products over $100, that timeframe is seven years after. Without compliance, companies are subject to fines reaching $5,000 per day.
