Had a frustrating experience getting an item repaired? Let the FTC know what happened

When trying to get a product fixed, you might have had a big problem.

The Federal Trade Commission wants to hear what happened if you recently tried to get a product repaired. 

The FTC has set up a link for warranty or repair stories. It’s interested in learning about experiences across a range of products – from cars, kitchen appliances, and cell phones to grills and generators. Here are some things the agency wants consumers to share:

• Was it a smooth process or did you run into roadblocks?
• Did the manufacturer honor its warranty? Did you have to wait for replacement parts?
• Did the manufacturer require you to get repairs only at an authorized dealer and only using parts made by the manufacturer?
• Were you able to find an independent repair shop to fix your product? How did their rates compare with an authorized dealer?
• If you went to an independent repair shop or fixed the product yourself, were you able to get necessary parts, tools, or diagnostics? Were those parts or tools made by the manufacturer or by another company?
• Did the manufacturer void your warranty because you went to an independent repair shop?

Report your warranty or repair experiences to the FTC. 

The overall goal of the survey might be an effort to gauge the effect of “right to repair” policies, which advocate for making it easy for consumers to fix their products without needing to rely on a company’s official – and sometimes pricey – repair channels, according to the website PCMag.

A growing number of U.S. states have adopted right to repair laws to push back against companies blocking consumers and third-party technicians from conducting such repairs.