Summary
- Samsung and Google have anti-consumer practices that demand customer info and confiscate devices for aftermarket repairs.
- Google’s terms allow them to confiscate devices with non-authorized parts, even accessories, creating frustration for consumers.
- Different regions have varying repair terms, underscoring the need for better right-to-repair laws in the US like those in Europe.
Roughly two weeks ago, a leaked Samsung contract came to light that revealed the South Korean tech giant’s shady practices that infringe on customer privacy rights. According to the document, in exchange for access to genuine repair parts for its devices, Samsung demands third-party repair shops to collect and provide it with its customers’ information, including their name, contact information, and phone identifiers like an IMEI number, alongside details of the customer’s complaint.
Further, repair shop technicians were instructed to “immediately disassemble” devices and “immediately notify” Samsung if a phone brought to them housed aftermarket parts.
Following in Samsung’s footsteps, Google has now found itself in hot water for a similar anti-consumer practice.
Leaked Samsung contract with third-party repair shops sparks privacy concerns
Samsung reportedly makes third-party repair shops disclose detailed information about you and your phone
As discovered by YouTuber Louis Rossmann (via Android Authority), Google’s terms of service reportedly state that the tech giant can confiscate your Pixel device if you send it in for repair and it is found to have aftermarket repair parts in it. Sounds absurd, right? It is. However, the policy has reportedly been in effect for almost a year.
The document, which can be found on the Google Store website, states, “You will not send in a Device containing non-Google-authorized parts – if You do, Your Device will not be returned to you.”
As Rossmann puts it, imagine you own a Pixel device, and it’s your daily driver. You don’t own any other device. One day, you drop your phone, and the screen shatters. You’d like to get it fixed directly via Google and use genuine parts, but there are no authorized repair partners nearby. The local repair shop technician in your area says they can fix your phone in a day, and you opt for it. Why not, right? You’ve got the right to repair, and you need your phone for your basic daily needs.
Down the line, there’s something wrong with your Pixel again. This time, however, you’ve got more time on your hands and probably a spare phone too. You can afford to mail it in and wait 7-10 business days to receive your fixed phone, but Google, however, chooses not to fix your device and confiscates it because it has an aftermarket part. How is that not straight-up theft, baffles me.
Elsewhere, the document also states that if you send in an accessory with the device, the accessory will not be returned to you. So, for example, if your Pixel device has a case on it, and you send it in for repair, you should only expect Google to return the phone to you. And that, too, only if your phone contains no aftermarket parts.
Different rules for different regions
It’s worth noting that Google’s support document seems to have different terms for different regions. For example, the US version of the document clearly states that “You will not send in a Device containing non-Google-authorized parts – if You do, Your Device will not be returned to you.”
However, the same document on Google’s website for Ireland states, “You will not send in a Device containing non-Google-authorized parts. If You send in a Device containing non-Google-authorized parts, CTDi will return Your Device to You without making any repairs,” as pointed out by user tigernxD on Reddit. The same is true for Google’s repair program terms and conditions for the UK.
This highlights the need for better right-to-repair regulations in the US, similar to the ones now in effect in Europe. Google has yet to comment on the development.
Right-to-repair laws are now in effect in Europe to the dismay of manufacturers
Spare parts for self-made repairs will be available to consumers
