If their cell phone breaks, most people just buy a new one. A survey shows that repairing it is too expensive and too complicated. The EU wants to change that.
According to a survey by the TÜV association, many consumers still prefer to buy a new smartphone rather than have the old one repaired if it breaks. Around a third of those surveyed have had their own cell phone break at least once in the past five years, the association said. Of those affected, only just under a third took the device in for repair. All the others did not. It can be assumed that most of them bought a new smartphone in this case.
For the representative survey, the Ipsos Institute surveyed 1,000 people aged 16 and over in August on behalf of the TÜV Association. “Repairing smartphones is the exception rather than the rule, although this would be the much more sustainable option,” said Juliane Petrich, Sustainability and Policy Officer at the TÜV Association.
The reasons vary. According to the survey, many of those affected felt that their cell phone was beyond repair or that repairs seemed too expensive. Others did not even consider having the device repaired.
Few offers for repairs
One problem from the TÜV’s point of view is that many manufacturers only offer repairs in a few authorized workshops and these are then quite expensive. Important components are difficult to reach and difficult to replace.
If the EU has its way, it should be easier for consumers to repair technical devices. In April, the European Parliament passed the “right to repair”.
“Right to repair” in the EU
In the future, consumers will be able to turn to manufacturers directly to have defects remedied. Even after the statutory guarantee has expired, the rules give customers the right to have common household products repaired as long as they are considered technically repairable under EU law.
To encourage more people to opt for repairs, there will be a new one-year warranty on the product after a repair. The EU also wants to strengthen independent workshops: the hope is that they will be able to make better offers for repairs once they have more information about the products and reasonable prices for spare parts.
Source: Stern
