Why Right to Repair Matters: Our Testimony to the FTC
Right to Repair

Why Right to Repair Matters: Our Testimony to the FTC

You shouldn’t be denied the ability to fix your own stuff. It seems the Federal Trade Commission agrees, and it’s hosting a workshop on July 16th called Nixing the Fix: A Workshop on Repair Restrictions.

The workshop will discuss some of the issues that arise when a manufacturer restricts or makes it impossible for a consumer or an independent repair shop to make product repairs and whether such restrictions undercut the Warranty Act’s protections.

Federal Trade Commission

As you can imagine, we have some experience in this area. In advance of the workshop, the FTC called for empirical data and research showcasing repair restrictions, how they affect the market for repair, and how they affect consumers. You may have noticed a barrage of articles on the topic lately at iFixit, and we’ve compiled that research into a massive resource for the FTC.

Right to repair fights against illegal warranty stickers like this one

In it, we discuss the most common repair restrictions, how they hurt small businesses, and how you can find a trustworthy repair shop, among other things. This isn’t just about iFixit or independent repair shops—this is about you owning the device you purchased and having the right to upgrade and fix it in whatever way you see fit to extend its life. If you thought Right to Repair was a fringe issue that only affects the tech-savvy DIYers among us, this document is worth a read.

In the interest of full transparency, we’re making this document available for download right here. Click the link below to grab the PDF and read it for yourself—you may be surprised by what you learn.

Nixing the Fix: iFixit’s Repair Market Observations

Photo by Nick Amoscato/Flickr.