Consumer group grades major tech brands on device repairability

(InvestigateTV) — When a phone or laptop breaks, the cost of repair can be a big part of whether you fix it or replace it. A new report from a consumer group looks at how major brands stack up when it comes to repairability.

Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Right to Repair Campaign with U.S. PIRG, said the idea is simple.

“You bought it, you own it, and you should be able to fix it when you want to,” Proctor said.

Proctor said many products can’t be fixed either because manufacturers won’t provide parts or tools, or there’s no support for the device.

“There’s no manuals, there are no parts anywhere. And we think that’s not right,” Proctor said.

In their new report, "Failing the Fix," PIRG reviewed repairability information for major cellphone and laptop brands, then gave companies letter grades based on factors like repair scores, access to parts and information, and right-to-repair policy positions.

“All right, so when it comes to cell phone repairability, the highest grades were given to Motorola and Google. And Samsung and Apple actually got lower grades. They both got Ds. Apple got a D minus. And this was driven actually by some changes in what information these companies have to provide for their repairability scores in Europe," Proctor said.

A spokesperson for Acer said the company supports standardized right-to-repair legislation and repairability scoring, and said it has made some laptop repairs faster and more cost-effective. Google pointed to its blogs, white papers, and sustainability materials on the topic, while a spokesperson for Lenovo said the report is based on a limited subset of devices and a methodology that does not fully reflect its portfolio or approach to design and repairability.

Proctor said if you’re shopping for a new phone or laptop, one step is to ask whether the manufacturer makes service manuals and parts available.

Other companies named in the report have not yet responded. The report also found laptop grades were mostly stagnant year over year, with U.S. PIRG saying many major brands showed little change in repairability.