If you faced a nightmare experience repairing a phone or computer, the Federal Trade Commission wants to hear about it.The US regulator this week issued a call for the public to submit their repair stories, including if they ran into roadblocks, like being forced to only use an authorized dealer to receive a part. The FTC form also asks users to submit the name of the company involved, along with the employee they spoke to regarding the repair. “We’re interested in learning about your experiences across a wide range of products—everything from cars, kitchen appliances, and cell phones to grills and generators,” the commission said in its announcement.
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The FTC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the overall goal of the survey. But it might be an effort to gauge the effect of “Right to Right” policies, which advocate for making it easy for consumers to fix their products without needing to rely on a company’s official (and sometimes pricey) repair channels. A growing number of US states have adopted Right to Repair laws to push back against companies blocking consumers and third-party technicians from conducting such repairs. For example, Oregon’s recently passed law forces tech vendors to supply access to repair documents, tools, and spare parts for fixing electronics, and bans a software-blocking method known as “parts pairing.”In 2021, the FTC voted to ramp up enforcement against illegal repair restrictions. Although consumers could already report fraud and antitrust cases to the FTC, Thursday’s survey from the commission is specifically focused on repair stories. The regulator is hoping that consumers will supply feedback including whether they were able to find an independent repair shop to fix their product, and what the rates were compared to an authorized repair channel.
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“If you went to an independent repair shop or fixed the product yourself, were you able to get necessary parts, tools, or diagnostics? Were those parts or tools made by the manufacturer or by another company?” the FTC asks. The survey also suggest the FTC will investigate and crack down on potential offenders. UPDATE: In a statement an FTC spokesperson told PCMag: “We always want to hear from consumers about issues or problems they are experiencing but I would also note that this issue is a priority for us.”
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