Guide: How to use your Right to Repair

On Monday, July 1st, California’s Right to Repair Law went into effect, increasing consumer access to the tools, parts, and repair information needed to keep our devices in use longer and out of the landfill. 

To find out what your repair rights are, and how to file a complaint, see the guide below. 

GUIDE: How to use Right to Repair laws to get parts, tools and documentation

Steps to using your right to repair 

• Find the release date of your device to determine if it is covered under your state’s law. Using your favorite search engine, enter the make and model of your device plus “release date.” For example, if you have an HP Spectre Fold laptop, search for “HP Spectre Fold release date.” Adding the model number to this search can be helpful. If you can’t find the release date through a search, reach out to the manufacturer directly.
• Start by looking for the parts, tools, or documentation you need on the manufacturer’s website. Some manufacturers will have links to repair materials on their homepage while others will not. In cases where there is not an easily accessible link, try using the search function on the manufacturer’s site or through your favorite search engine. When using a search engine, ensure that you are accessing the manufacturer’s website rather than a third-party link. 
  • NOTE: We love third party repair, and encourage you to use it. In this case, we want to ensure that manufacturers are providing you with repair access required by law.
• If you can’t easily find the parts, tools, or documentation you are looking for, contact the manufacturer’s customer service through the chat function, email address, or phone number listed on the manufacturers website. Explain to the customer service representative what device you have, what repair materials you are looking for, and that you would like access to those materials as required by law in your state. Example: “Hi, I am looking for a repair manual for my HP Spectre Fold laptop, as required under my state’s Right to Repair law. Can you please help me access this information?”
  • NOTE: It’s always best to be courteous with customer service representatives. However, don’t be afraid to be persistent if they say that self repair is not an option. Calmly explain that state law guarantees you access to repair materials for your device, and that you would like to get access to the parts, tools, or documentation you need as a result.
• In addition to trying to access repair materials online, you can contact the manufacturer’s brick-and-mortar stores. Follow the same steps above with associates at physical locations.
• This process should help you get the repair materials you need. If it doesn’t, make sure to document any communications you have with manufacturer representatives. Take screenshots of chat conversations, save email threads, and take notes on phone calls. This will help you file a complaint with your state’s attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission.
  • NOTE: It can be illegal or unethical to record a phone call without the other party’s consent. As a result, we recommend taking notes rather than secretly recording any interactions with manufacturer representatives.

Important things to know about California’s Right to Repair Act

Devices covered: The California Right to Repair Act, passed in 2023, applies to consumer devices that rely on microchips (any device “that depends for its functioning, in whole or in part, on any digital electronic embedded or attached to the product”) and household appliances (“any device primarily used for residential purposes, including, but not limited to, any refrigerator, freezer, microwave oven,” etc.) first manufactured, and sold or used in the state on or after July 1, 2021. This includes those devices that are sold to “schools, businesses, local governments, or in other methods outside of direct retail sale.” There are, however, some important caveats.

• The device or appliance must have a wholesale value to the retailer of $50 or more.
• The manufacturer must offer repair for the product through an authorized repair provider (either a branded store or a partner like Best Buy or uBreakiFix) or, if the manufacturer does not have an authorized repair provider, offer repair for the product itself (i.e. depot repair in which you ship your device to be fixed). 
• For manufacturers that offer repair services through both an authorized repair provider and depot repair, only the devices that are fixed by the authorized repair provider are covered. So, if you can get a phone made by manufacturer X fixed at their store, but you need to ship your tablet in to get it fixed, only the phone is covered under the law.
  • NOTE: The language of the CA Right to Repair Act is based on the Song-Beverly Act, a 1970 law that provided repair protections that predated the Right to Repair movement. That law requires that manufacturers of electronic devices and appliances with a wholesale value of $50 or more must “make available to service and repair facilities sufficient service literature and functional parts to effect the repair of a product” for a certain period of time that varies depending on the value of the device. You could argue that law requires manufacturers to at least provide authorized repair providers with all the repair materials needed to fix all covered devices. Have a test case? Let us know.

Devices NOT covered: California’s Right to Repair law does not apply to medical equipment, video game consoles; products and components of an alarm system; all-terrain vehicles or machinery used in functions such as farming, landscaping, ranching, and construction (see the definition of “equipment” in CA BPC 28-22901(j) for a full list). Refer to the above list of caveats to understand which consumer devices and household appliances are exempted from the law.

Additionally, California waives the repair requirement for any covered device or appliance if the manufacturer provides an equivalent or better, readily available product at no charge to the consumer.

What you can expect: For devices with a wholesale value to the retailer of $50-$99.99, manufacturers must provide the following for at least three years after the last date the product model or type was manufactured. For devices with a wholesale value to the retailer of $100 or more, manufacturers must provide the following for at least seven years after the last date the product model or type was manufactured.

• Sufficient documentation (“product manual, diagram, reporting output, service code description, schematic, or similar information”) to effect the diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of a covered product. Documentation must be provided for free, unless you request it in a printed form, for which the manufacturer can charge the reasonable, actual cost to prepare and send the printed copy of the documentation. It also must be provided in the same “convenient and timely means of delivery” that the manufacturer provides to its authorized repair providers.
• Sufficient functional parts to effect the diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of a covered product. Parts must be provided at costs and terms that are equivalent to the most favorable which the manufacturer provides to an authorized repair provider. 
  • If a manufacturer does not use an authorized repair provider, parts must be provided at a price that reflects the actual cost to the manufacturer to prepare and deliver the part, not including any research and development costs.
  • Manufacturers are not required to sell parts if the parts are no longer provided by the manufacturer or made available to an authorized repair provider.
• Sufficient tools (“any software program, hardware implement, or other apparatus”), including any updates, to effect the diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of a covered product. Tools must be provided for free, unless you request them in a physical form, for which the manufacturer can charge for the reasonable, actual cost to prepare and send the printed copy of the documentation. The tools must be provided in a way that does not restrict you from using them to restore your device to fully-functional condition and does not impair the “efficient and cost-effective performance” of the repair. 
• NOTE: Manufacturers are not required to provide documentation or tools that:
  • The manufacturer uses itself only to perform free diagnostic services over the phone, through online chat, or similar means that does not require the manufacturer to physically handle the device or appliance.
  • Are used exclusively for repairs that are completed by machines that operate on several devices or appliances simultaneously, provided the manufacturer makes available alternative documentation and tools to diagnose, maintain, and repair the device or appliance.
  • Would disable or override antitheft security measures set by the owner of the product, without the owner’s authorization.
• Independent repair shops must provide written notice to the customer which states that a) the shop is not a manufacturer authorized repair provider, and b) disclosure if any used or aftermarket parts.
  • NOTE: Authorized repair ≠ better repair. Used and aftermarket parts can be cheaper alternatives to new, manufacturer parts.

Parts pairing: California’s Right to Repair law does not ban parts pairing, the practice of using software to serialize the components of a device so that the device “recognizes” each part connected to it. It does, however, require manufacturers to provide sufficient software tools and documentation to restore your device or appliance to fully functional condition. That means you must be able to pair your parts to your device or appliance, and you must be able to do so for free.

For independent repair shops: Shops that are not authorized by the manufacturer must provide written notice to consumers seeking repair that a) informs the consumer that it is not an authorized repair provider and b) disclose if it uses any used or aftermarket parts in the course of repair.

GUIDE: How to report noncompliance with Right to Repair laws

While we hope that all covered manufacturers will comply with the laws from the start, there is no guarantee that they will do so. You have recourse options to right the situation if manufacturers fail to provide you with the repair materials you need. First, contact your state attorney general, who is in charge of enforcing state Right to Repair laws. Step-by-step instructions are below. After you’ve done that, be sure to also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. While the FTC will not resolve individual cases, it can use the information provided to investigate and bring cases against manufacturers.

• Visit the CA AG’s consumer complaint page.
• Enter your information and the name of the manufacturer in the appropriate sections.
• In the “Complaint” section, enter:
  • Briefly describe your complaint: Include the make and model of your device, the repair materials that you attempted to access, the date you attempted to access the materials, the process by which you attempted to access repair materials, and how the manufacturer rejected your request. As the California Right to Repair act has different requirements for devices priced $50-$99 and more than $100, enter the original price of your device.
  • Briefly state what you would consider a reasonable resolution from the company: ““I want [COMPANY NAME] to provide access to repair materials on fair and reasonable terms, as required by the California Right to Repair Act.”
  • Have you contacted the company about this issue: We recommend that you contact the manufacturer prior to filing a complaint. Assuming you have, click “Yes.”
• In the “Documents” section, click “Yes” and upload any supporting documents. 
  • Make sure to describe each document in the appropriate section.
  • NOTE: As the complaint form does not accept .eml files, copy and paste any email thread into a word document. For screenshots, make sure to first convert into a PDF or paste into a word document, as image files are not accepted.
• Provide any additional information about you in the optional sections
• We recommend that you print or save a PDF of your complaint for your records.
• Submit your complaint.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by following the process below.