Orange County residents can now officially fix their appliances.

The “Right to Repair” law, signed by Governor Newsom in October of the past year, will become effective starting July 2024. This means that any appliance costing more than $100 must be accompanied by service literature, parts, and tools for a period of not less than 7 years after the date of production. It also means that Californians may perform appliance repairs themselves or using non-authorized servicers. This is good news for all California and Orange County appliance repair services.

Why is this law important for Orange County appliance repair?

Here are 3 stories, all from our Orange County appliance repair customers:

A Miele dishwasher broke after 3 years of usage. It’s almost new, but the manufacturer’s warranty has already expired. After a thorough diagnosis, our appliance repair technician found that the problem was a faulty main control board. However, installing a new main control board is not straightforward. All new Miele electronic boards need to be programmed with special manufacturer software and computers not available to the public or non-authorized companies. This ties the dishwasher owner strictly to the manufacturer’s services, undermining the notion of ownership. Additionally, authorized services are not always readily available, sometimes resulting in months-long waits for repairs.

Another case involves a KitchenAid double wall oven, model JJW3830WP02, manufactured in January 2015. The control panel on this unit failed in 2022. Despite being a relatively new model, the repair presented two significant challenges. Firstly, the control panel for this model costs $1800, excluding labor. This high cost is unexpected for a KitchenAid appliance. Secondly, even if the customer agreed to pay the price, the control panel was discontinued, rendering it unavailable. Consequently, the customer was forced to purchase a new oven, estimated to cost $5-6k, significantly more than repairing the existing one.

The third story is about a rare Beko Bloombeg refrigerator experiencing issues with its freezer. The freezer began to close and open improperly due to a broken leveling cable in the freezer rail system. Unfortunately, the part was back-ordered and unavailable at the time of diagnosis and for several months thereafter.

The new law aims to help consumers in such situations and may also contribute to environmental preservation by reducing the number of appliances sent to landfills due to parts or service unavailability.

How will the Right to Repair law work?

It’s not yet clear. Some manufacturers argue that their appliance software is intellectual property and cannot be shared to prevent copying or modification. Additionally, it’s uncertain how manufacturers will respond if consumers attempt repairs themselves and inadvertently cause further damage. Would manufacturers honor warranties if consumers prove they used the correct parts and procedures?

Nevertheless, we recommend calling professional appliance repair services in Orange County even after the Right to Repair law takes effect to avoid potential problems and damage. A qualified appliance repair technician can assess the issue and advise whether it’s worth attempting a DIY repair.

And remember, Orange County residents can receive free phone consultations regarding appliance repair by calling 949-419-6165.