Electrical appliances
Right to repair – providers expect rising prices
TV or washing machine broken? A new requirement should make repairs easier. However, according to a survey, many specialist dealers and manufacturers fear negative consequences – especially for customers.
According to a survey, the planned right to repair could lead to higher prices for new electrical and household appliances as well as for repairs. This emerges from a survey by the Cologne Commercial Research Institute ifH. 68 percent of specialist dealers expect increasing repair costs – especially because of more expensive spare parts and more personnel expenses.
Also almost two thirds of the manufacturers (63 percent) expect repairs to become more expensive for customers through the new law. They also refer to additional personnel costs and extracices for storing spare parts. 62 percent of specialist dealers also assume that the prices for new devices will increase to cover the repair costs. Only 37 percent believe that with manufacturers.
“The study results indicate that the directive potentially leads to increased repair prices and thus counteract the sustainability efforts associated with it such as reducing electrical waste,” says IFH expert Ralf Deckers. For the study, more than 4,100 consumers, 164 specialist dealers and 20 manufacturers were interviewed.
Many are already too expensive to repair it
The EU directive on repair has been in effect since July 2024 and must be implemented in German law by July 2026. Manufacturers of certain devices – such as washing machines, refrigerators or smartphones – will have to repair their products at a reasonable price even after the statutory guarantee has expired. In the case of repairs during the warrant, liability is extended by one year. This is intended to help certain products be used longer and less garbage is produced. Only 44 percent of the consumers surveyed have already heard of this law.
The industry expects growing demand for repairs. Three out of four dealers (74 percent) state that they cannot use a higher repair volume with their current capacities. This is mainly due to the missing specialists.
Repair costs are already an obstacle for many customers, as the IFH study shows. Repairs are often too expensive for 70 percent compared to buying a new purchase. For every fourth, the repair of a device depends heavily on the costs. Average of a maximum of 22 percent of the purchase price is accepted.
dpa
Source: Stern
