Planned Obsolescence (ft. Louis Rossmann)

Have you noticed? The devices and software we buy is no longer our own. From hostile software updates to purposefully obstructing our ability to repair our devices, consumer rights are taking a beating. In this episode we discuss the problem and Right to Repair advocate Louis Rossmann gives us his insights.

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Producer: Dagogo Altraide
Writers: Laura Woods, Dagogo Altraide
Editors: Brayden Laffrey, Dagogo Altraide

[rossmanngroup]

I owe the editors free dinner at SP Steakhouse or Fogo de Chao for the nightmare I gave them, rambling into a camera for an hour and a half. God bless the people that edited this. They need it. Thank you for covering this issue. It means a lot to me!

[TheCodr]

Yep. Companies love to claim a device is cheaper to replace rather than repair. This is why the world is going to crap

[jibrilamvs]

The digital age is full of none ownership. Everything is streamed these days; music, shows, movies, etc. where a monthly fee is attached in order to view these things.
Guess what; the content is digital, meaning, if the company wants to pull the content from their digital library and make it unavailable; regardless of how popular it is with the consumer; they can remove it and there’s literally nothing the consumer can do about it.
It’s gone. We don’t have it anymore.

[hugochan]

I hate big company saying how much they care about the environment. They are generating tons of toxic e-waste every day, ripping small businesses apart, and making everyone to pay more for less.

I really hate people defending the big company for this repairing right issue. We should stand together and show the big company that they can’t do this.

[gosselinkfinecarpentry]

I’m a carpenter. I tried two cordless nail guns. One by Milwaukee and one by senco. Senco leases out the nail gun tech to milwaukee. The senco gun is 100% site repairable and monetarily worth it. The Milwaukee that’s the same tool just different branding is not repairable. They have encased with glued the motor, motherboard, trigger and battery terminals together. You have to buy the whole assembly to fix it which is the cost of a new tool. Milwaukee is known for this as is dewalt. Makita and metabo HTP are 100% repairable.
When black and decker bought out porter cable and 8 other companies in the mid 2000’s they tripled the price of parts that broke under normal wear or stopped producing them altogether so you had to buy new.
After I got off the phone with them I took my biscuit jointed by the cord and bashed it against a tree. For a 60 cent plastic part that I would buy 10 at a time I had to pay $66 each because it included the whole aluminum face plate and they wouldn’t sell it separately.
It’s everywhere in tech not just phones and computers.

[LilannB]

I have noticed that retro tech lasts and can be repaired fairly easily. Recently I decided to use a portable cassette player purchased in the 1990s. The player had batteries that had corroded in it. Once I got the batteries out they had an expiration date of 2015. I went on YT to find how to clean the corrosion in the player. I used a Q-tip and white vinegar about 5-10 cents in products. Once I cleaned the corrosion and inserted new batteries. Viola a working 30 year old portable cassette player.

[zengeki]

The "Right to Repair" is the ultimate expression of what it means to truly own your stuff. "If I am allowed to buy it, break it, fix it, and install DOOM on it, then the device is truly mine".

[MegaKrustyman]

I fixed a leaky tap (faucet) yesterday. It was a simple repair, but now I feel a sense of satisfaction every time I use it. It feels good to be more than just a consumer!

[mmoren]

I kept an iPhone 5s running for over ten years. Finally upgraded to an 11 last year, specifically not springing for a newer version due to parts pairing. Happy to hear that common sense is returning to the marketplace.

[IndyFlick]

Louis Rossmann repaired the MacBook I'm using to write this comment. Apple wouldn't touch my MacBook. They said the main board had failed and it wasn't repairable. Louis Rossmann is leading a movement!

[thisisntsergio]

Louis Rossman is THE quintessential right to repair guy. Mf can fix anything. Legend has it he fixed marriages.

[eduardoromaguera]

This video should go viral.
Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.

[MegaGasek]

My mom had a blender that she used almost every day for 35 years. The engine finally died and replacing it would be very expensive, so she was told. She bought a new one that lasted 5 years (bosch?). She opted for a German built quality blender but ... Boohoo... It seems to me that nothing is like it used to be anymore. She's got another blender again and the big cup was plastic which broke in no time at all... Her original blender was all metal (aluminum?). We have long passed the age of disposable appliances. Now you can't even try to fix them, the cost to fix will be higher than what you initially paid.

[shadowdragon]

On the software side of things, this is why FOSS (Free Open Source Software) is so important. Community driven updates that improve the user experience rather than having Microsoft and Adobe force updates that just collect more of your data and make the product worse.

On the hardware side of things, we should support companies that intentionally make their product easily repairable such as Framework Computer, Shiftphone, Fairphone, etc. The way to escape big tech is to support the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware movement.

[TheManOfTheHourEveryHour]

Louis' channel is one of YouTube's hidden gems. Not sure I've ever clicked a collab video faster 😂

[ThereIsAlwaysaWay]

Even Tractors have the same problem, but they are not worth 500$, they are worth 300 000$ to 2 millions.

[ShrimpOfDeath]

There was a true cyberpunk case when a company making "Argus" ocular implants (they helped totally blind people see some light and dark spots and thus navigate in space - better than nothing) went out of business. People with these devices weren't notified about the bankruptcy and were basically hung out to dry. A faulty implant can cause severe health complications, there are no more authorized places to fix it, it can interfere with MRI and other procedures, and removing it is costly and/or painful.

[chazzmccloud]

I recently started working for a certified Bobcat sales/service shop, and I've been stunned at how many parts have been made unrepairable. The seasoned techs tell me that probably 90% of the parts that were repairable are now built only to be replaced.
We're talking about parts that would've cost hundreds of dollars to repair, now cost thousands to replace. Absolutely ridiculous.

[mimiayako]

Saw 'ft Louis Rossman' and I couldn't have clicked faster!!! What a collab!!!

The masses MUST push back on "profits above all" companies. Not owning anything and leaving the garbage to the people to dispose of their own obsolete products is one of the biggest scams (amongst many other things as consumers' rights).

Anyway, as usual awesome video CF!!! I'll need that full interview with Louis pretty please~

[CausticLemons]

I just can't imagine the US ever becoming the powerhouse it is today if these restrictions had been in place early on. Imagine trying to get into shipbuilding, cars, aircraft, or anything else when you're not even allowed to touch them without corporate approval. Disgusting and really shows have far down the path of greed our economy has gone.