Companies intentionally worsen the performance of equipment? New EU rules are intended to put an end to this

The European Union is preparing new regulations on the right to repair, the aim of which is to limit practices that shorten the life of electronic equipment. The changes are intended to target the activities of manufacturers who make the repair of devices difficult or unprofitable. This is increasingly often raised by consumer organizations, which point out that the problem no longer concerns only the quality of equipment, but the entire operating model of some technology companies.

Deteriorating functionality

The Norwegian Consumer Council has been strongly involved in this debate. In a recently published report, she accused electronics manufacturers of systematically deteriorating the functionality of products through planned obsolescence. The document describes situations in which devices are designed to become inoperable or uneconomical to repair relatively quickly. According to the authors of the report, this phenomenon must be limited because it directly affects consumers.

The report also includes the concept of “enshittification”, which describes the gradual decline in the quality of digital applications and services. According to the description, these are practices in which corporations use their own platforms to derive increasing benefits at the expense of users, their money and data. Examples include, among others: video games and printers, where some functions are to be limited or subject to additional fees.

New directive

The new EU directive called “right to repair” is intended to improve the situation of customers. It assumes reducing barriers to access to repairs by independent services. Manufacturers are to be obliged to provide spare parts and necessary documentation. According to experts, this may translate into higher quality of new products and greater transparency for buyers.

As indicated in the text, it is also important that the customer knows, already at the purchase stage, what repair costs may be associated with a given device. The point is to be able to compare products not only in terms of purchase price, but also the profitability of subsequent servicing. The obligation to inform about such issues is to become one of the important elements of the new rules.

The directive aims to promote repair rather than replacement of equipment. Meanwhile, some manufacturers today pursue the opposite policy, encouraging customers to buy more devices more often. The example given is phones with a built-in battery, where replacing the battery is difficult. Similar problems may also apply to wireless headphones.

However, the problem is not limited to consumer electronics. A study conducted in 2023 by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations showed that similar difficulties also apply to household appliances. 10 washing machines were examined and it was found that 60% of them were cases, manufacturers did not provide instructions that could help you repair the device yourself. This shows that the problem is broader and covers more and more product categories. New EU regulations are intended to reverse this trend and increase the consumer’s real right to repair.