Finding It Hard to Fix Broken Appliances and Electronics? The Right to Repair Movement, Explained

If you’ve ever been told it’s more cost-effective to replace than to fix a trusty appliance that stops working, or discovered that only authorized dealers can take care of your computer or cell phone on the fritz, you understand the need for the Right to Repair movement.

“Everything other than a rock will break at some point,” says Gay Gordon-Byrne. “Our only protection from poorly built products is the ability to make repairs.” Gay is a founding member and the longstanding executive director of The Repair Association, a coalition that for more than a decade has been pushing for better public policy when it comes to getting things fixed.

What this involves is advocacy and legislation that insists companies provide repair manuals and replacement parts at fair market prices, grant the ability, in the group’s words, “to bypass software locks that prevent repairs,” and stop voiding warranties when consumers or indie repair shops fix things.

How did we get to this state of things and where are we heading? Allow Gay to explain.

Remodelista: What is the Right to Repair?

Gay Gordon-Byrne: We estimate that 90 percent of products on the market today cannot be repaired without using the manufacturer—if they can be repaired at all. Manufacturers make money selling new products, not helping their customers keep their used stuff in use. By blocking repair of internal electronics, they have a perfect monopoly.

This all came about starting at the turn of the 21st century when companies began posting repair documentation on their websites. Once they stopped printing and shipping manuals and schematic diagrams, it was easy to limit access to the website, first with a login requirement, then a paywall, and ultimately to block access entirely to repair companies and customers. Necessary parts, tools, and software got blocked at the same time, so within less than a decade, repair monopolies became a major corporate financial gain.

RM: What common household goods are currently hard to fix and the focus of pending Right to Repair legislation?

GGB: We choose to focus on unlocking the potential for repair of all products that have an electronic component, such as a chip. The scope is huge. There are chips in most major appliances, small appliances, TVs, entertainment systems, computers, telephones, cell phones, and cameras. That’s the obvious stuff.

The same limitations on repair increasingly apply to things not commonly thought of as tech, such as “smart” toilets, shower valves, heaters, fans, air conditioners, thermostats, and also tools: power screwdrivers, saws, lawn mowers, all of which use electronic controls. So do smart doorbells and personal digital assistants—everything that requires a digital connection. The product is cheap and the software is intended to create a recurring revenue subscription far beyond the value of the gadget.

RM: Why is the Right to Repair so important?

GGB: It’s simple: once you’ve purchased a product, complete control over its use, modification, and repair should rest with you. Every repair is a lost sale. Planned obsolescence is very real most commonly as the result of pressures to reduce manufacturing costs and not a conscious plan to make shitty products.

We believe that repair options will allow consumers to decide for themselves how long they want to keep purchases in use. Many people who can’t afford to buy something new can afford a used alternative, but that hinges on the product being repairable. The issue is also an environmental nightmare: municipalities pay excessively to process electronics that can’t be repaired or landfilled. Using a cell phone for four years instead of two is twice as economical for the owner. And the environmental damage done in producing that cell phone is amortized over twice as long.

RM: How can we as consumers select more durable products?

GGB: I suggest looking for the most repairable products by searching the internet for repair manuals online. Not just the user guide. If you have to buy the product first to see the manual, that’s a bad sign. A very repairable product will also have listings and vendors for parts. Lack of parts advertising is a clue that repair is going to be difficult.

France has developed a repair scoring system that covers, among other things, common consumer electronics devices and large appliances. It helps people compare products for repairability before they buy, which, in turn, pressures manufacturers to make products that earn high scores. These scores can be used anywhere in the world; there’s info about it in English here.

RM: Can you fill us in on American repair groups and websites worth knowing about?

GGB: iFixit.com is the largest resource in the US for consumer electronics repair tutorials. It’s in a wiki format and many of its product repair guides are made by volunteers. Searching Youtube for how-to videos is also highly recommended—many repairs are well-documented even when the production quality is low.

RM: What sort of legislation has been passed, and what’s pending?

GGB:  There are Right to Repair laws in effect in California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York—and additional laws set to come in Oregon and Colorado in 2025/2026. These state electronics repair laws ensure that you as an individual and/or a repair shop of your choice can get access to the same parts, tools, and documentation that manufacturers’ shops have.

To exercise your repair rights, you don’t have to do the fixing yourself. But the availability of parts, tools, and documentation should keep repair services competitively priced and widely available. Check our US Repair Rights Map for specifics. A lot has changed in the repair availability landscape in the last couple of years benefitting not just locales that have passed laws but all of us. What happens next will most likely come down to the state legislature level. Go to Repair.org to find out how to speak up where you live.

Featured image: Entryway charging station from Remodelista: The Organized Home. Photograph by Matthew Williams.