The products covered by the obligation to repair currently include:
- washing machines and washer-dryers
- dishwashers
- refrigerators
- electronic displays
- welding equipment
- servers and data storage products
- mobile phones, cordless phones and tablets
- tumble dryers
- e-bikes and e-scooters batteries (from 18 February 2027)
- local space heaters
They pass dystopian chat control with one hand and does this with the other.
Hopefully, malicious compliance loopholes will be fixed eventually
But not games…
Unfortunately there are some exemptions. Flexible / folding displays are not covered. Fitness trackers and watches are not covered.
There is also a battery regulation coming in next year to require phone batteries to be replaceable with no tools but that has loop holes too - long life batteries aren’t covered, IP67 rated phones aren’t covered. So you can bet your boots those two reasons will be what makers use to bullshit their way out of it.
Having those rules is much better than not having them. Also, IP rating is not enough, batteries also need to have sufficient load cycles. So if it forces them to use only long life batteries that reduces the need for battery repkacements and is already something.
Also software… I would love to have regulations that make it clear that the root of trust on all devices need to start by the owner of the device, not by the vendor… That would allow the end users to repair the software on their devices… Replacing it with whatever else they want. Next would be to provide hardware documentation to the owners to program their own devices… I don’t expect that to happen, but I can dream.
Well it’s a start.
I like this for a lot of obvious reasons.
I worry about corporate malicious compliance though where the cost of a replacement part costs as much as the unit or near it to make up for lost revenue from selling whole units.
They could even get to the printer ink model where they sell the initial device for cheap or at a lost with planned obsolescence of parts that almost guarantee a replacement rate.
Water kettle stopped working, has fucking temper proof triangle head screws so can’t even open it without having to buy a special screwdriver bit. name and shame : kitchenaid
I can go one further, if you ever want to do a warrenty claim with coffeemate, regardless of how small, they require you to cut the power cord.
I bought a cheap coffeemate coffee maker, and the anti-splash valve that prevents it from brewing fell off, and I lost the o-ring that was part of it as a result.
After 3 different contact points with coffee mate as their public listed email only warranty contact was incorrect and then was bounced to a couple more emails, they agreed it was a manufacturer problem, and that it was covered, but they wanted me to cut the power cord and show proof that the unit was no longer functional, because instead of sending me a 10¢ if that o ring, they wanted me to destroy a other than that one comp a perfectly functional unit, so they could send a whole new unit in it’s place.
I bought a cheap oring set on amazon, so now I have more than I would ever need of orings but, at least it’s less wasteful.
That’s the thing about repairing things at home or anywhere else. You need tools to do so and more than just a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. You often special tools. You can get a set of triangle bits for maybe 4 to 5 euros and you will have them for life. So don’t be a cheap. Either fix that kettle yourself, pay someone with the skills and tools to fix it, or buy a new one. But don’t whinge about not having tools.
And let’s also be honest. Some things need to be tamper proof. Most of you ain’t smart enough and experienced enough to play with things that can injure/kill you or others, no matter how many youtube videos you watch.
A eater kettle does not have that much stuff inside that it should be tamlre proof for fuck’s sake. It can use normal screws like phillips, hex or torx.
if its an electric kettle, I have to disagree. Those have the equivalent of a stovetop going through them when in use, and have a degree of water protection required. I heavily disagree with easy to access and remove screws on those. I still think they should be consumer repairable but, I think buying a set of P screwdrivers or whatever style they choose is a more than secure enough method of protecting people who don’t realize what they are doing.
Being said, many things that do have tamper or non-standard screws I think shouldn’t like the iphones, but I think appliances that have a burner element or a higher power draw should remain one of them.
But unless you understand the electrical components and the rules and codes in their use for consumer safety, maybe, just maybe, it should be a little bit difficult to gain access to if your 10 years old.
Go buy some bloody tools and quit your whinging.
Yeah sure I’m gonna buy stupid triangle screwdrivers so my nonexistent 10yo cannot open the heater.
If the said 10yo knows where the tools are it does not matter what kind of screws there are. It just makes me have to buy stupid tools I will only ever use for one appliance.
If it bothers you, buy a thread gauge and replace the triangle head with something you like better.
For things like these I love Europe. For things like Chat Control I hate Europe
Why have a list?
Just make everything repairable.Some items, to safely repair, need a degree and training
Such as microwaves, which if you fuck up, you’ve either made a bomb or a radiation leak
Because not everything can be repairable. Design and manufacture often require choices to be made. And you seldom get all of the things you want.
Why don’t we let the trillion dollar company figure out how to do everything?
Because they were paid a lot of money to exclude certain products.
Started as a good idea to regulate industry for the benefit of consumers. Ends up with so many paid-for loopholes it’s mostly useless.
The cynic in me thinks the only reason the law was created from the start was to extort money from big companies.
This law still has a lot of good things in it. Calling it useless is what those companies would want you to do.
I’m noticing cars are not part of the list, despite being smartphones on wheels
Presumably the germans must have lobbied tooth and nails against this.
Also, more and more products will let you know until when they guarantee production of spare parts (it’s also driven by regulation of course).
regulation works.
Thank you E.U. I hope you have a run of people buying and shipping products all over the world and it pressures everyone else to follow suit.
Wont do.
Why?
Exhibit A: Nintendo (Switch)
Exhibit B: LogitechI mean buying from the EU to ship to themselves. It’s late here. I’m tired.
The “mobile device” one is outdated isn’t it? They added a water proofing exemption to the battery initiative which exempts any product that may be exposed to water, which exempts mobile devices, smart watches and outdoor equipment from needing removable batteries.
I would classify a non-removable battery as the antithesis of repariability as they use single use glues to hold the covers on, and also usually glue components together as well.
Unless they are saying that even with glued components its still easily repairable? but I disagree
Why is bicycle on the list? A bicycle is the epitome of repairability.
Edit: it got enshittified?
Electric Bike for enshittified
Derailleur hangers come to mind, some brands use a different version in the same model lineup and model year. It’s on purpose to confuse an make it difficult for the average rider to DIY.
Also Cannondale, famous for using non-standard parts (and tools) for no apparent reason.
Ok, famous to not buy them then, thanks.
I take it you never heard Van Moof bricked bikes afteir their bankcruptcy?
Edit: and thinking about ebike motors and their parts - bosch has locked down their engines real hard
Some exceptions excluded.
It’s red because there’s nothing forcing bike manufacturers to continue down the path of repairability and outside of the enthusiast community, people might not care much, they’ll just buy what’s cheaper.
Did you ever repair a bike? Its like every model has its own special tools that you need to get Something unscrewed or pulled of. (You can buy them, though)
Although I do understand the need for some of those special tools. The thing for taking apart the chain comes to mind
Phones still have replaceable batteries? I have a Google Pixel 8. How do I even open that thing let alone replace the battery?
That enforcement only came into effect recently.
You can also buy kits to lift the back of glass sandwich phones, but that isn’t the most straightforward process.
Yes espresso, especially the well known ones(gaggia, rocket, rancilio). They can be repaired!
Well thing is this is not about whether the items are currently repairable, but whether laws require them to be.
At the moment there’s nothing stopping some dipshit from coming up with parts locks on espresso machines the way John Deere does them.
You’re basically describing any of the electronic style coffee machines, good luck repairing a vendor lock-in optimized keurig or nespresso machine that scans your pods to validate their IDs before brewing.
