If you want to have your Samsung phone repaired through a third-party service, you might want to think twice or at least make sure they won't rat you out, especially if you used aftermarket components on your phone since Samsung is hunting for those who do.
Samsung Mandating Repair Shops to Snitch on Customers
Samsung might be gearing up for a new contract that requires repair shops to tell on customers who decided to save a few bucks by using unofficial components from the company, and the said shops might not have a choice in the matter.
If repair shops want to be able to sell official Samsung components, they will have to agree to new terms wherein supplies would only be provided if the repair shop sends customer information back to the company, as well as reports those who used non-Samsung parts.
The details were revealed in a leaked contract, as reported by Engadget. With the new deal, having your phone repaired means that your name, contact information, device identifier, and the issue you have with your device will be reported back to the company.
If the repair shop complies with the new mandate, they are required to "immediately disassemble" your device and notify the company about the use of aftermarket parts. It's unclear what happens when the company is notified about a user, for now.
"Samsung may terminate this Agreement if these terms are violated," the leaked contract states which means that if repair shops are caught siding with customers who just want cheaper parts, they would be restricted from acquiring genuine components from the electronics giant.
This could prove to be a problem for repair shops. Samsung has official repair shops of its own, but users tend to opt for third-party services since they are cheaper and offer aftermarket parts that would do just as well as Samsung parts.
With this mandate, repair ships will have to abandon the option for cheaper repair and replacement services since the tech giant's components aren't exactly cheap. It's either that or not to sell Samsung components at all.
Experts say that consumers should be able to use third-party components if they want to, as it falls under the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, which is a federal law in the US. In some states, the contract would even be illegal should Samsung decide to implement it.
iFixit is Cutting Ties with Samsung
It has only been two years since iFixit launched its Samsung Repair Hub, but the company is ready to terminate its partnership with the tech giant. "As we tried to build this ecosystem we consistently faced obstacles that made us doubt Samsung's commitment to making repair more accessible."
iFixit explained that they could no longer get parts to local repair shops at prices and quantities that "made business sense." The components were simply too expensive and customers chose to replace their devices instead of fixing them.
The information for repairs will still be available on the site, but the company will no longer collaborate directly with Samsung to develop new manuals. "Despite a huge amount of effort, Samsung's approach to repairability does not align with our mission."
