Appliance Manufacturers Routinely Invalidate Warranties if Customers Use Third-Party Repair Services
Right to Repair legislation has been going on for a while, however as a result of the pandemic, appliance repair requests spiked. This caused delays for people seeking to fix a fridge or dishwasher. Many would have chosen independent repair to prevent down time, but manufacturer state they can’t without voiding a warranty.
When consumers buy new appliances, they have an expectation that it will work for at least a couple of years. Sometimes appliances break down quickly and they call the manufacturer to get it fixed under warranty. Sometimes they fix it, other times they refuse. Sometimes the process takes so long customers are forced to find another way to fix the product or give up and buy a new one.
Lack of access to local repair options has proven to be a hurdle for third party repair companies. A large amount of appliance companies indicate on their warranties that they will be voided due to independent repair. These companies either put clauses in their warranties which claimed repair would be voided, or their warranties are unclear.
When the manufacturer or their “authorized” service providers are the only options to repair items, it raises costs for consumers and makes for a broken system. This also puts a strain on independent appliance repair companies because when they get called to fix a product, they can’t because they don’t have access to manuals, spare parts, diagnostics and special tools. Right to Repair isn’t going away until lawmakers deliver new legislation when it comes to repair.
