Right To Repair Consumer Guarantees in Australia

www.eastcoastap...
The difficulty of repair, at least in part, reflects growth in the number of products that incorporate sophisticated technology.
It is now commonplace for cars, fridges, and even coffee machines to have embedded software in them.
These technological advances have provided many benefits to consumers, but can also increase the cost and complexity of repairs.
The rise in tech-enabled products means that much of the information required to diagnose a fault is digital, embedded into the product itself and held behind 'digital locks', requiring passwords or special tools to bypass.
Increasing product complexity means that consumers often have to rely on the manufacturer of the product (or the manufacturer's authorised repairer) to fix or maintain their product. Manufacturers are typically the main and sometimes only provider of repairs for their products. This has contributed to widespread concerns that some manufacturers are using their strong position in repair markets to restrict competition. Many participants made claims of manufacturers refusing to supply independent repairers with the parts, tools and information they need to do repairs.
Consumers already have rights to have their products repaired, replaced or refunded, and to access spare parts and repair facilities, under consumer guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law. These guarantees are reasonably comprehensive and generally work well.
A lack of consumer information about a product's repairability or durability is likely to make it difficult for some consumers to select more repairable and durable products based on their preferences, while reducing manufacturers’ incentives to develop such products.
sources: ACCC
Consumer Guarantees
In Australia, consumers are entitled to a solution of a repair, replacement or refund if a product or service they buy doesn't meet one of the basic rights. These basic rights are known as consumer guarantees.