These Canadians want the ‘right to repair’ their stuff: ‘We can’t continue on the same way of consuming’
These Canadians want the ‘right to repair’ their stuff: ‘We can’t continue on the same way of consuming’
They are asking product manufacturers to provide the tools, parts, repair manuals and other information they need to repair
Archive: [ https://archive.is/n5388 ]
Right to repair is only part of the solution. We’ll almost certainly need an economic shift that rewards (or compels) companies who make their stuff repairable. While we’re at it, we should also try and deal with planned obsolescence, too
The problem is that always the economically cleanest approach is to add fees, which are political suicide.
Like, if you add a "disposal fee" to electronics, that creates incentive to build electronics that last long. But Ford chased Wynne out of Ontario Government using their e-waste fees.
The alternative is stupid bulky bureaucracy and regulation. Which voters say they hate, but their actions speak louder.
Carrots are politically better than sticks, but how do you offer a carrot for not doing something? Fee-and-dividend is supposed to do that, but now we're at "axe the tax" under a fee-and-dividend model.
So maybe bureaucracy and regulation is the way to go.
Ban glue in portable electronics assembly? I'll never forgive Apple for inventing that nonsense.
Require that any device that is E-Waste have a big ugly "this is e-waste" label on its exterior that end users are totally allowed to remove, but replacing the "this is e-waste" panel with something clean-looking must be at least as easy as replacing the battery.
that *end users are totally allowed to remove
Que every muppet ever that keeps saying "OMG, it's illegal for me to remove a mattress tag" when it's absolutely not, and they'd know that if they ever read the fucking mattress tag.
I’d like warranties in Canada extended to 2 years mandatory on everything and 5 years on major appliances.
Yes it would raise prices initially but manufacturers would have to stop using crap components and plastic gears and such so the price would be offset by lasting longer.
i would love a right to repair, and to me that doesn't mean "every moron with a screwdriver" can repair it, but replacement parts should be availible, for minimum amount of time after the product launches, at a reasonable markup.
I'm happy to have a pro replace the battery in my phone, but he should be able to buy JUST the battery, the existing one should have pull tabs, and there shouldnt be any insane warnings.
Similar, if the motherboard of my stove goes, it shuoldnt cost $700 for what basically an arduino.
Similar, if the motherboard of my stove goes, it shuoldnt cost $700 for what basically an arduino.
You just gave me an idea. The mobo on a stove is just a PWM temperature controller, it probably doesn't even use a PID loop. Drop in replacement boards would sell like crazy on eBay.
I've stopped buying things because I can't repair them or it's absurdly insane to even try it. Checked out from society as a result. My accounts and never felt more loaded as a result.
If everything adapt the pc building modular approach we would be in a much better place, some of the replaceable components are already modular if you see the ifixit tear down, it's just that the manufacturer spends more time trying to ruin your chance at properly open it without damage other parts. Same thing for many electronics, the opening part are the worst as you can damage the casing(crack the clips bent stuff, broke the ribbon etc) or some one way bs. Even opening a freaking hair dryer to clean up the internals is a challenge.
My dehumidifier kicked off after 3 years. I have no instruction manual on how to fix it ... the company isn't replying to me when I asked what steps I can take to see what's wrong.
I doubt they know. This is where you have to learn basic troubleshooting steps, and get comfortable with taking things apart. Even things like appliances won't tell you how to fix them, they'll just get a parts diagram on the inside of the panel and it's on you to figure it out. I find stuff made in Europe will often have at least a parts diagram where you can get replacements. You aren't getting that from some Chinese manufacturer, so keep that in mind when you buy stuff. I would bet you if it were a deLonghi dehumidifier, you'd have something you could use to order parts.
At the other end, I have 10,000 page diagnostic and repair manuals with flowcharts and checklists for my JD combine to figure out specific error codes or symptoms. In between is things like Chilton manuals for vehicles, but things have to be something other than cheap disposable trash before you get actual help.