The Professional Repair Trap: We are all geniuses. Don't let companies tell you otherwise

For years, my organization, U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group), has campaigned with iFixit, Repair.org, and a brave team of repair shops, manufacturers, and hackers to pass laws guaranteeing the access to what people need to repair modern gadgets, especially parts, tools and service information. We've had "Right to Repair" bills in 40 out of 50 states over the past 6 years, and we've put considerable pressure on manufacturers to stop blocking access to repair.

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As they gave more and more ground to the marching campaigns for the right to repair, manufacturers tried to create a new fallback position. Instead of letting anyone repair products, manufacturers would set some sort of standard for who can read the manual or have access to spare parts or special tools. This is a concession that the European Union put in place for device repair rules that were rolled out across the continent after being passed by the European Parliament. Only "professional repairers" can access necessary parts and service information.

The idea that I would need some sort of trade license to repair a door seal on a washing machine or replace the control board on a dishwasher is weird. But the industry has rigorously pushed to restrict access to an undefined class of “professionals” and is trying to put similar pressure around the rules here in the United States. Take Microsoft for example: at the launch of a new, more repairable Surface laptop in 2019, Panos Panay, Product Manager of Microsoft, demonstrated the ease of removing the keyboard on stage, by simply opening it up - a huge improvement in design compared to a previous model. But Panay then said the repair is for "commercial customers". "I have a warning: don't try this," Panay said at the protest. The journalists then confirmed that the necessary tools would be reserved for "authorized repairers".

Such a limitation not only gives manufacturers the ability to retain control over access to repairs (allowing the same monopolistic restrictions to continue in a new form), but it also concedes a worldview that I I intend to undermine, even destroy. For me, this is the essential idea that explains why we become makers.

After posting the news about Apple's user-friendly self-service program, a Twitter user replied: #Righttorepair is definitely a good idea, but a manual, online video, or some tools don't qualify someone. one to repair an iPhone or even a toaster. There is a reason people are trained. Once the first person attempts to repair a device and receives an [sic] electric shock, it will be over.

USA PIRG is a collection of state-based advocacy groups, and as such, I have worked to pass the Right to Repair in dozens of states. I hear arguments like this all the time, mostly from opposition lobbyists or legislators who have been influenced by those lobbyists. The crux of the argument is that people cannot be trusted to make their own decisions. We need a special class of people - "Geniuses", as Apple calls their sales...