Making Right to Repair an Opportunity with Kolla

The EU right to repair law went into force in July 2024 but becomes fully applicable at the end of July this year when every country is obliged to make it part of their national laws. Some already have. What does right to repair mean for you the consumer? 1. Consumers will be able to ask manufacturers to repair products they have purchased. What’s more, those products need to be repaired at a reasonable price and within a reasonable time-frame. The same goes for spare parts. They have to be available and sold at a reasonable price.

2. The EU is creating a European online repair platform. So, repairers and consumers can connect in each EU country.

3. The new law says that repairers need to provide consumers with a free repair information form. So, consumers will need to fill in this form and explain what condition the product is in and then see what it will cost to fix, how long it will take and what replacement parts will be needed.

What does right to repair mean for a brand? It depends on who you area. Not everyone has to do this from the start. Yet. Initially, products that are already covered by repairability laws in the EU will need to do it. This means washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, fridges, TV’s and even smaller objects like welders, phones and tablets.

But the EU is expanding this scope in line with the onset of digital product passports so furniture, clothing, tyres and mattresses are coming soon too.

Why are we interested in right to repair at Kolla?

Hopefully everyone is interested in this as it will extend the lifetime of products, reduce waste and help transition us to a circular economy. But commercially, we see that businesses that act on this can generate income in the repair service and aftermarket services and Kolla can be a catalyst for this. Our microsite platform is the perfect way to take people from the physical product to a digital experience where they can get access to that form but also directly to calling a technician, ordering spare parts, accessing user manuals, safety instructions etc. Kolla today has several customers that are already using this and saving money on print costs for user manuals. With Kolla, the information translates automatically to the mobile phone users language settings. But we also customers claiming reduced calls to customer service when a QR-code on a product takes them directly to the installation instructions. At the same time, customer satisfaction improves. The Nordic telecoms and broadband provider Tele2 is a good case in point. So, make the right to repair legislation an opportunity. Make it easy for consumers to buy spare parts and send their products to you for repair. Kolla’s DPP/microsite solution is an ideal way to do it.