By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, MAR 11, 2024: THE Prime Minister envisioned the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) for replacing 'use-and-dispose' economy - with a 'circular economy' promoting 'mindful and deliberate utilization' in place of mindless and wasteful consumption. It also incorporates R3 concept i.e. Reduce, Reuse (repair) and Recycle. The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) has taken a significant step through launch of the Right to Repair Portal India (https://righttorepairindia.gov.in/) on the occasion of National Consumer Rights Day 2022. The portal provides consumers to avail repair associated information for their products and reduce e-waste.

In pursuit of fostering consumer rights and to address the new as well as emerging concerns affecting consumers for repair of their products. Department under the chairmanship of Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, DoCA conducted a meeting with the major stakeholders of four sectors namely: Automobiles, Consumer Durables, Mobile and Electronics, and Farming Equipments to onboard on the Right to Repair Portal India. During the meeting Smt Nidhi Khare, OSD, DoCA and other senior officers of DoCA along with representatives of key stakeholders were present.

During the meeting it was highlighted that a product that cannot be repaired or falls under planned obsolescence i.e. designed to have an artificially limited life, not only becomes e-waste but also forces the consumers to buy new products for want of any repair to reuse it. Hence, the idea is to ensure that when a consumer buys a product, she/he has full ownership of the product and in case of repair, the consumers are not deceived in absence of relevant information.

Stakeholders were called on the basis of grievances registered at National Consumer Helpline. Over a period of time it has been observed that Repair is getting severely restricted because not only there is a considerable delay in repair but at times the products are repaired at an exorbitantly high price and the consumer who has once bought the product is hardly given any choice to get repair of their products. Often the spare parts are not available which causes consumers great distress along with monetary burden.

Prominent company of water purifiers wherein large number of complaints were witnessed and were directed to furnish the average life span of their candles and other consumables based on specific geographies and water alkalinity. In interest of consumers it was emphasized that in sectors wherein availability of spare parts, genuine reparability, exaggerated conditions of warranty is not addressed clearly, it also affects the consumers right to be informed. Hence, it was asserted by Secretary, DoCA that if such issues are failed to be addressed by the companies, it raises a matter of concern as to how to safeguard the rights of consumers.

Therefore, it was appealed to the stakeholders to on board on the unified Right to Repair Portal India which encompasses to facilitate and works as catalyst for providing relevant repair associated information between the companies and consumers. The information includes:

i. Access to product manuals/ repair videos (by linking the websites and youtube channels of the companies);

ii. Address the concern on the price and warranty of spare parts;

iii. Explicit mention on differences in liability covered guarantee, warranty and extended warranty;

iv. Details of Companies Service Centre across India and Recognition third-parties repairers, if any, by the companies and

v. Information on country of origin to be explicitly mentioned.

It was reiterated during the meeting that Department does not intend to stifle innovation but supports a balance in the interest of consumers and producers. During the deliberations a need was emphasised for DoCA and industry to work together towards standardization of the product warranty forms in order to accelerate the transition from consumer right to consumer care based ecosystem.