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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher/Editor Nicholas Vinen Technical Editor John Clarke – B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Jim Rowe – B.A., B.Sc. Bao Smith – B.Sc. Tim Blythman – B.E., B.Sc. Advertising Enquiries (02) 9939 3295 adverts<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Allan Linton-Smith Dave Thompson David Maddison – B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Parslow Dr Hugo Holden – B.H.B, MB.ChB., FRANZCO Ian Batty – M.Ed. Phil Prosser – B.Sc., B.E.(Elec.) Cartoonist Louis Decrevel loueee.com Founding Editor (retired) Leo Simpson – B.Bus., FAICD Silicon Chip is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 626 922 870. ABN 20 880 526 923. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Subscription rates (Australia only) 6 issues (6 months): $65 12 issues (1 year): $120 24 issues (2 years): $230 Online subscription (Worldwide) 6 issues (6 months): $50 12 issues (1 year): $95 24 issues (2 years): $185 For overseas rates, see our website or email silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au Recommended & maximum price only. Editorial office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 194, Matraville, NSW 2036. Phone: (02) 9939 3295. ISSN: 1030-2662 Printing and Distribution: Editorial Viewpoint Ripping customers off through service & repair We need legislation to deal with companies’ ongoing assault on servicing and repairing mechanical or electronic devices. Luckily, in Australia, we have strong consumer rights legislation. Despite this, greedy corporations are doing all they can to strip away anything not covered by such legislation. The problems fall under a few categories, including (but not limited to): • No spare parts available for new products, despite the manufacturer having enough parts to make more of the same product. • Purposefully making products difficult to repair, for example, Onewheel electric skateboards that ‘brick’ themselves if the battery is swapped or smartphones that refuse to work if a module is swapped from another identical phone. • Artificially limiting the lifespan of products; planned obsolescence is a huge environmental problem. • Restricting the availability of spare parts and tools. • Limiting the availability of hardware or software required for diagnosis and repair. • Refusing to release schematics and software, even for products that are no longer supported. • Overcharging for proprietary parts. Australian legislation to deal with these assaults on consumers would be a good start. The EU has a strong history of consumer protection, and if they start taking action too, others might follow. Why don’t we just boycott these companies? We should, but a minority of consumers are aware of the situation. The average customer won’t realise they’ve made a mistake until they are already out of pocket. Many competitors will use similar tactics, too, leaving us with few good choices. While I can point at some particularly egregious examples of all the above (and more), this anti-consumer behaviour is an industry-wide trend. Legislation could be drafted to solve these problems without imposing unreasonable burdens on manufacturers. It used to be standard to provide after-sales support such as releasing schematics, making all parts available and devices used to be designed to be repairable (now it’s often the opposite). Some possible solutions to the above points include: • Pay customers compensation or give a full refund if spare parts cannot be provided within a reasonable time frame for products still being sold. • Legislate the availability of spare parts for a certain period after the warranty runs out. • Disallow collusion between companies to prevent the original manufacturers from selling spares to those wishing to repair their devices. For example Apple’s exclusivity deal with Intersil, see: siliconchip.au/link/abiy • If a company stops offering spares, force them to release schematics, CAD drawings and software so others can do so; after all, they’ve effectively abandoned their product at that stage. • Make it mandatory to release all documentation for repairs either when manufacturer support stops, or some reasonable period after the product is released (say, five years), whichever comes first. • Penalties for companies caught charging excessively more for functionally equivalent parts. I realise that a comprehensive legislative solution would be complicated, but that is no reason to avoid trying. The biggest challenge is that the companies often spend large amounts of money to hire lobbyists (who aren’t always truthful), to influence politicians to vote against such measures. by Nicholas Vinen 24-26 Lilian Fowler Pl, Marrickville 2204 2 Silicon Chip Australia's electronics magazine siliconchip.com.au