Spain paves the way in Europe towards the extension of the warranty for electronic products and in favor of the so-called "right to repair" a device.
That's not programmed obsolescence: Spain doesn't agree and extends the legal warranty on purchased products by one year. So, the time for the free repair of devices for Spanish citizens has been extended from two to three years, thanks to a new law that will soon be issued.
The news of the modification to the regulation in force has been published by some local newspapers and it would have already been approved by the Spanish Council of Ministers; therefore, only the last step is missing to make it available to all citizens of the Iberian nation. According to reports, the change in the regulation would not only affect companies active in the field of consumer electronics and information technology, but also all other categories that will be required to expand their services in addition to prolonging the presence on the spare parts market of their products.
Warranty in Spain, how it will work
As anticipated, the decree in question foresees an extension of the warranty coverage time of the purchased goods from 2 to 3 years; until now, this additional year was only offered through the payment of an additional amount for what is normally called "extended warranty". With regard to spare parts, companies will be required to make them available for at least 10 years, thus encouraging repair instead of new purchase.
Under the previous legislation, however, the time window for replacement parts stopped at just five years, starting from the launch of the item on the market and not from the end user's purchase. In fact, very often the products purchased - especially if they are not categories such as smartphones, computers or other goods that travel on the wave of novelty - are part of lines tested and available for some time in stores, physical or virtual.
Spanish Guarantee, what will Europe do?
Once the law enters Spanish law, it will require all companies in the country to comply with the new legislation. What is not yet clear is how this change will affect the current market, as such a radical change could have a negative impact on consumer spending, which could quickly see prices of goods on sale rise.
Of course, Spain's new law on legal warranties and repairs is one of the first since the EU issued its new "Right to Repair" directive. That directive went into effect March 1, 2021, and requires consumer electronics manufacturers to make spare parts available for at least 7 or 10 years (depending on the type of product).