NY considers ‘fair repair’ bill to let private shops, DIY hobbyists fix devices

A bill before members of the state Senate’s Consumer Protection Committee would prevent manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and even Keurig from concealing diagnostic and repair information. Photo by Bruno/Pixabay

By David Brand

VCRs, DVD players, video cameras, iPhones, coffee machines. If you’ve used it to watch a movie, make a recording, talk on the phone or even prepare a cup of joe, Ridgewood repairman Adam Dowis has probably fixed it.

Over his three-decade career, Dowis has handled an explosion in new technology, helping New Yorkers hang on to their malfunctioning devices rather than replace them or pay for an expensive manufacturer repair.

But in recent years, corporations have made it nearly impossible for independent repair experts to fix their devices by creating proprietary fasteners, using epoxy instead of screws, refusing to provide schematics and even sanding serial numbers off parts.

“It’s a whole industry trend, from the cheapest junk to the fanciest equipment,” Dowis said. 

After decades of fixing film equipment, he’s not quite sure how to tackle the expensive new movie camera sitting on the work bench in his Wyckoff Avenue shop. “There’s no availability of the schematics, or information on the chips,” he said. “I’m kind of stuck.”

A bill before members of the state Senate’s Consumer Protection Committee would prevent manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and even Keurig from concealing diagnostic and repair information, thus making it easier for independent shops or DIY hobbyists to fix things. Supporters of the Digital Fair Repair Act say the measure would give consumers more options while preventing them from discarding their broken equipment and buying new pricy products.

“A right to repair law would fundamentally end existing monopolies for fixing devices and would give consumers greater choice,” said State Sen. Michael Gianaris, one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “It will save consumers much-needed dollars and reduce the waste and harmful environmental impacts caused by shorter device life spans.”

Lawmakers have introduced similar legislation, backed by public interest groups, in Illinois, Massachusetts and South Dakota. So far, only Massachusetts has enacted a “Right to Repair” law, and just when it comes to car diagnostics.

Manufacturer trade groups say forcing companies to share their software codes, machine repair information and diagnostic tools would expose their proprietary information. They also contend that consumers or independent repair shops could void warranties, break devices or mask changes during resale.

But The Repair Association, the national group behind the growing Fair Repair movement, says the measure would help consumers save money and reuse their devices, particularly in areas where it can be hard to reach a manufacturer-certified shop.

“You may have a lot of access to an Apple stores in Queens, but a lot of the state doesn’t,” said The Repair Association’s Executive Director Gay Gordon-Byrne.

The ubiquitous cracked smartphone screen is the most common example of repair price disparities between small shops and manufacturers, Gordon-Byrne said. Apple charges between $199 and $329 to repair the screen on the latest iPhone models. A shop in Flushing will do it for between $45 and $75, according to Yelp reviews.

“But cell phones are just the tip of the iceberg,” Gordon-Byrne said. “Computers, anything attached to the internet, garage door openers. It’s gotten so bad we don’t know if it could get any worse.”