Serious leak shows Samsung forced repair shops to report customer data and kill devices

How Samsung handles repairs for its devices is in the spotlight after iFixit announced today that it is ending its collaboration with Samsung on the company’s self-repair program. The company provided numerous “obstacles” placed by Samsung that it claims go against the right to repair.

Samsung has yet to answer this question and may do so in due course, but it now faces an even bigger PR crisis. A serious leak has revealed the contract that Samsung makes independent repair shops sign. This doesn’t look good and could end up leading to lawsuits against Samsung.

Samsung wants independent repair shops to report you

A copy of this confidential contract was obtained by 404 Media. Some of the restrictions it imposes may be against the law in states that have passed right-to-repair bills. However, it is not known what year this contract dates from. The edge it is said to be from 2023.

Only when independent repair shops sign this contract will they receive original Samsung spare parts. According to the leaked contract, to maintain this privilege, these repair shops must provide Samsung with customer data, including name, phone ID, contact details and customer complaint details. This is a requirement for every repair job, regardless of its size. The contract also prohibits these shops from performing board-level repairs requiring soldering, which is a very common type of repair.

The contract requires these independent repair shops to “immediately disassemble” all Samsung devices brought in by customers and previously repaired with third-party parts. For example, you had your Galaxy S23 Ultra’s USB-C port repaired using a third-party part, but you later take it to an independent repair shop that has genuine Samsung parts to do so. replace the screen.

This repair shop must not only “immediately notify” Samsung that you have brought in a device that has already been repaired using replacement parts, but they must also effectively kill your device by dismantling all the components. Imagine picking up your device for a routine repair and discovering that the store had to disassemble your phone into dozens of different parts simply because they are contractually obligated by Samsung.

The irony is that even though independent repair shops accept all of this, they still cannot present themselves as an “authorized” Samsung repair center. They will have to go through several other processes to achieve this distinction. Experts say Samsung could not force repair shops to sign this agreement in states with right-to-repair laws.

Samsung may have replaced certain terms in this agreement, or will do so, before right-to-repair laws take effect in several states. Given the litigious nature of consumers, it wouldn’t be surprising if this leak ends up leading to lawsuits against Samsung, as they wouldn’t like the company to force repair shops to report them.

Between iFixit and this contract leak, Samsung dealt two major blows to its commitment to the right to repair, in a single day. The company hasn’t given an official response yet, but it will definitely come.