Right To Repair

Over 30 Washington repair shops sign on to letter supporting Right to Repair as Fair Repair Act heads to key committee votes

A letter from over 30 Washington repair shops shows strong support for Right to Repair.

repairing a cell phone
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A letter (below) was submitted as written testimony in the Fair Repair Act hearings on January 31st and February 1st, urging legislators to support Right to Repair reforms to protect Washington communities and small businesses.

The Fair Repair Act (SB 5464/HB 1392) will be voted on by the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy, and Technology and the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Business, both at 8am on Friday, February 10th.

Here is the letter:

WASHINGTON BUSINESSES FOR RIGHT TO REPAIR

As businesses that work in electronics repair we face significant barriers to fix many products — barriers imposed by the manufacturers. 

By blocking access to diagnostics, schematics, tools and replacement parts, manufacturers undercut or even block independent repair. As a result, we are frequently turning away business that we could easily handle otherwise. This makes it harder for businesses like ours to thrive and serve our communities. 

When you open a laptop or cell phone to replace a broken part, you need to know what is broken (which the diagnostics tell you), where it is situated (which the schematics indicate), and replace the broken part. When that is all done, you often need to be able to reset the software. None of this encroaches on privacy or trade secrets, as manufacturers sometimes try to claim. 

As more and more manufacturers show that repair access is reasonable and doable, it’s clear that it’s time to give every Washingtonian the Right to Repair so they can fix all their products.

We urge decision-makers to support Right to Repair reforms, which would give consumers and businesses access to parts, tools, software and service manuals necessary for repair. 

Sincerely,

Mitch Kramer – FiXCO (Bellingham)

Matt Horon – Computer Love (Seattle)

Charlie Amadeus – Geek Serv LLC (Bothell)

Michael Schilpp – Computers Made Easy (Vancouver)

Michael Brittain – Peninsula Computer Services (Port Hadlock-Irondale)

Joe Pilat – Joe’s Gaming & Electronics (Deming)

Richard Thomas – Northwest Computer and TV Service (Bremerton)

Siawash Popal – Jet City Device Repair (Seattle)

Michael Higbee – King County PC Repair (Seattle)

Bob Kassa – Techs Repair LLC (Shoreline)

Neal Wells – IT Works Northwest (Kirkland)

Tai Im – Green PC Inc. (Tacoma)

Darren Perry – Re-PC (Seattle)

Dave Winsor – PC Consulting Inc. (Seattle)

Garnet Mays – 4th Dimension Technology Inc. (Olympia)

John Nelson – Seattle ‘Puter Tutor (Edmonds)

Sam Gray – Sound Audio Repair Cooperative (Olympia)

John Glad – CPR Cell Phone Repair (Gig Harbor)

Richard Mallory – Home Net Computer Repair (Seattle)

Brandon Byron – Bainbridge Technology Solutions (Bainbridge Island)

Kevin Brown – PC Parts and Service LLC (Bremerton)

Jeff Tilton – Valley Computer Systems (Duvall)

Richard Anderson – Premier Computers (Burien)

William Rutherford – Computer Concepts (Bothell)

Lowell Henderson – iPlayPower Smartphone & Tablet Repair (Seattle)

Jeffrey Stone – Velvetone Electronics (Seattle)

Tim Lewis – Precision Electronics (Port Orchard)

Brock Reed – Peel Tech (Seattle)

Greg Steele – Apex Mobile iPhone & Smartphone Repair (Port Orchard)

Gail LaForest – The Tranquil Computer (Langley)

Shade Moon – Twilight Laptop Repair (Renton)

Sam Khan – Renton Computers (Renton)

Tell the FTC: Stand up for Right to Repair

Right to repair

Tell the FTC: Stand up for Right to Repair

It's harder than it should be to fix our stuff. Manufacturers of every electronic product from toasters to tractors create barriers that stymie repair from owners or independent repair businesses. It's fueling a rise in electronic waste, the loss of independent repair businesses -- and ultimately more cost and more waste for consumers.

FTC: I support Right to Repair

Dax Tate
Dax Tate

Former Zero Waste Campaign Associate, WashPIRG

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