Written by Georgia Rittenberg
I do not like it when someone tells me I can’t do something, it drives me with even more determination to prove them wrong. So when I’m asked about my opinion on the Right to Repair Act*, I struggle with my answer more often leaning towards “leaving it to the experts” vs “giving it a try”. Although it’s easy to think of your laptop as just another electronic device, the reality is that it’s more like the human body than you realize. Major components are the organs, relying on one another to keep everything functioning as required. As the resident IT person across my extended family, I attempted to explain my thinking in a way my family could find useful when I wasn’t easily accessible. Ask yourself, “Is this a loose tooth, or a toothache?”
When I was a kid I had a stubborn loose tooth that wouldn’t fall out. So, I asked my brother to help me tie a string around the tooth, and then the other end to a doorknob. Slam the door, and the tooth should pop straight out of my mouth. My brother had no idea what he was doing, but the worst-case scenario was that the plan didn’t work, and the tooth stayed in my mouth. I was no worse off than when I started. Fast forward to my 30’s and I was flying home from a business trip and had an aching tooth in an upper molar that I couldn’t explain. There was no obvious culprit, but more importantly, I didn’t know the extent of the problem. My tooth ache, ended up being an abscess, something I never would have been able to diagnose or resolve on my own. A wrong diagnosis, or improper treatment, could have easily led to serious complications down the line.
Recently, a friend called me after a key came “dislodged” from her laptop keyboard. I use quotation marks because I think in reading between the lines it was clear that her daughter had pried it loose. I explained to her that she could find keycap kits online, and instructions were readily available on YouTube. It was a straightforward process, with no other potential culprits to the issue. Performing the repair herself resulted in a lower cost, but more importantly it meant she didn’t need to hand over her computer to a repair provider for multiple days. The potential risks were very minimal since no other major functional components were dependent on the one key, so it was a clear example of when Right to Repair could (and should!) be exercised. Her missing key was the perfect example of a loose tooth.
Rewind to a few years back, when I had another friend call me up distraught as she had spilled her glass of wine directly into her keyboard. Even if the parts had been available, I never would have recommended she attempt to diagnose, and then repair her laptop. A small misstep that could feel insignificant; a bent cable, or a missed screw, could end up being unintentionally catastrophic. My friend didn’t know the full extent of the damage, and by unintentionally making the wrong decision during the repair process, could have easily made the situation much worse. The accidental liquid damage was a tooth ache, something that should be left to the specialists.
It’s important to remember that the Right to Repair Act doesn’t aim to turn every user into an expert. It seeks to provide the choice to make informed decisions about when repairing a
device makes sense, all while respecting (and encouraging!) the expertise required for more complex repairs. So, the next time you find yourself in a situation that you’re not quite sure is right to repair, ask yourself “Is my tooth loose, or does my tooth ache?” and go from there.
Find Out More About the Right to Repair Act
*The Right to Repair Act is a law designed to give consumers, independent repair shops, and service providers greater access to the necessary resources for fixing electronic devices and appliances. Under this legislation, manufacturers are required to provide repair manuals, diagnostic tools, replacement parts, and essential software on fair and reasonable terms, ensuring that independent repair professionals have access comparable to that of authorized repair providers.
This law applies to products manufactured, sold, or used in California on or after July 1, 2021, with a minimum retail price of $50. Documentation, parts, and tools must be made available for at least three years for products priced between $50 and $99.99, and for seven years for products priced at $100 or more. The scope of the law includes a wide range of electronic devices and appliances, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, and home appliances.
By expanding access to repair resources for devices and appliances, the Right to Repair Act aims to create a fair marketplace for repairs, reduce e-waste, and empower consumers to maintain their devices. Having gone into effect on July 1, 2024, in California, this law positions the state as the third in the U.S. to implement such legislation, following New York and Minnesota.
