The new law in Spain: How will it affect the reparation industry?

17/02/2021

Last April, the Spanish Government updated the ‘Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores y Usuarios (General Law of Consumers and Users Defense)’, which extends the legal warranty for electronic products from 2 to 3 years and assures the availability of spare parts for such appliances for at least 10 years, all in response to the “Right to Repair” initiative of the European Union.

With this change, it is expected that consumers will be able to repair their electronic devices and appliances, forcing manufacturers to create quality and durable products to avoid waste and contamination after their disposal, generating savings for the consumers, thus creating a fair und more sustainable economy.

🔸 El #CMin ha aprobado hoy una modificación de la actual normativa de consumo con la que da un paso más en la estrategia de economía circular.

🛠 Los fabricantes deberán disponer de piezas de repuesto durante 10 años.
🛒 Las garantías pasarán de dos a tres años. pic.twitter.com/NPXfYm9AVK
— Ministerio de Consumo (@consumogob) April 27, 2021

In theory, this sounds incredible! But what do these measures mean for the repair industry in Spain?

According to Ronnie Stevens, General Director of 4Phones Spain, there are some key opportunities that Spanish technicians can benefit from after the implementation of this law.

“Factories will repair for ‘free’ within the 3-year warranty period, which means that they will probably open more local service and repair shops. Since this will be a great amount of work and investment, big companies like Apple or Samsung will start working hand to hand together with local repair shops, so it might become easier to become an official partner.

It will also push the industry to have better assortment on spare parts and more stock available.”

Stevens says that even if this new law starts on January 1st, 2022, it might take a while longer until the subject is clear and is actually implemented by all the companies. It will take years before any significant difference in spare parts availability will be noticed. Official factory service points will start popping up after a few years, so the repair shops will need to adjust their strategy to become competitive.

He gives a final advice for technicians and service shop owners: “Repair while-you-wait without an appointment will become a very strong strategy for any shop. Having stock on the most common models and offering the instant repair service can be a real game changer, that will be very much appreciated by your customers who are willing to pay for the extra urgency service”.

In the long run, looks like this law will help develop the industry. The opportunities surpass the threats, so if in the future a local factory or service point is established in your neighborhood or city, act on it with a proper strategy.