synesthesia

There is now an ocean of protectionist user manual hoarders who fight to get to the top of search rankings that drown out the better sources. Then when you try to get a manual they put you through many JavaScript-proliferated obsticals, captchas, personal info disclosure, if you surrender your dignity and self-respect enough to successfully pawn yourself through all that enshitification and you’re lucky enough to reach the right manual in your language, then you often still cannot download the PDF beause the rotten parasites want you to repeat the process every time you need to re-read the manual (under the assumption that you are always online).

But sometimes you can get the PDF. Or maybe you snapshot every page. If you successfully unjail a manual bogarted by the protectionist data abusers, then why stop there? Other people have to deal with that garbage. So why not upload it to the free world, here:

https://archive.org/details/manuals

If you go through some pain to get the manual, surely you will have gratification in putting the manual in the hands of a more respectful custodian.

excerpt from §8(3):

access to Repair and Maintenance Information:

after a period of two years after the placing on the market of the first unit of a model and until the end of the period mentioned under (1), the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative shall provide access to the household washing machine or household washer-dryer repair and maintenance information to professional repairers in the following conditions:

(a) the manufacturer’s, importer’s or authorised representative’s website shall indicate the process for professional repairers to register for access to information; to accept such a request, the manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives may require the professional repairer to demonstrate that:

(i) the professional repairer has the technical competence to repair household washing machines and household washer-dryers and complies with the applicable regulations for repairers of electrical equipment in the Member States where it operates. Reference to an official registration system as professional repairer, where such system exists in the Member States concerned, shall be accepted as proof of compliance with this point;

(ii) the professional repairer is covered by insurance covering liabilities resulting from its activity regardless of whether this is required by the Member State;

…

(c) manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives may charge reasonable and proportionate fees for access to the repair and maintenance information or for receiving regular updates. A fee is reasonable if it does not discourage access by failing to take into account the extent to which the professional repairer uses the information;

Indeed it sucks to not be an insured “professional repairer” in Europe.

Even a pro cannot get access after 10 years. But the manufacturer can of course supply their own repairers forever. So to get my own 15 year old machine fixed, I have to lick the maker’s boots. Seems a bit anti-competitive.

But on the upside from my quick scan of it, I see nothing to stop an amateur repairer from hiring a pro to proxy the docs and nothing to stop a pro from sharing the docs, which can then be liberated on the open web before the 10 year mark.

Parent HTML page:

https://repair.eu/resources/policy-brief-current-state-of-eu-right-to-repair/

With respect to repair information, this is a bit disturbing:

But only for those few products already covered
by repairability requirements under Ecodesign
Regulations. Plus, during the guarantee period, it
is still possible for manufacturers to replace the
product if this is cheaper.

The call was not recorded so this is not an exact transcript. It’s paraphrased from notes:

customer: (explains problem with 15 y.o. machine, that the tacho was repaired, but that the controller still signals that there is a fault and refuses to run any programs).
Beko: We can send a technician.
customer: I do not want a technician. I have already repaired the tachogenerator myself. The controller board is still erroneously blinking to signal a fault even though the fault was fixed. I just need to know how to reset it.
Beko: (instant response) Unplug it for 30 minutes to do a hard reset.
customer: That does not work. I unplugged it for days and that makes no difference.
Beko: Well that is how you reset a Beko machine. You need a technician.
customer: I know that every Beko machine is different. In fact Beko rebrands machines made by other manufacturers. When I look at various videos online, different people show how to reset different Beko models using a special sequence of buttons. Every model has a different sequence of buttons. I need to know what the sequence of buttons is for my specific machine.
Beko: I cannot give you that information. You need a technician.
customer: I need a /service/ manual. Can you send that to me?
Beko: You can find that on the website.
customer: There is nothing on the Beko website for my model.
Beko: That is because your machine is 15 years old.
customer: What does a technician cost?
Beko: €200 to show up.
customer: So because you will not disclose to me the secret code to reset my machine, I have to hire your technician for €200?
Beko: That is your only option. There is nothing else I can do for you.
customer: Certainly it is not sensible for me to pay €200 for someone to show up and press the secret sequence of buttons. It would even be cheaper for me to buy a new controller board.
Beko: Then you should do that.
customer: How much is a controller board?
Beko: We do not have spare parts.
customer: How is that possible?
Beko: We do not carry spare parts for machines older than 10 years. Your machine is fifteeeen years old. Why don’t you just buy a new one?
customer: If you send a technician, how would he be able to fix it if there are no parts available?
Beko: If he cannot repair it, the price is reduced to €120.
customer: My local Media Markt retailer has a service desk who can order spare parts for me for this model. Isn’t it strange that Media Markt can order spare parts for a Beko machine that Beko themselves cannot?
Beko: You have a 15 year old machine. We do not keep parts that long. You should order from Media Markt then.
me: What controller board can you sell me that is compatible with my model, considering the components are mostly simply 230v anyway? What newer controller board is similar enough to retrofit?
Beko: (instant response) Nothing. New models come out constantly.
customer: Media Markt does not have a controller board. It’s also unreasonable that I would have to buy a controller board when I just need to know how to reset the controller board that I have. Please tell me how to reset the board for my specific model. You should be able to tell me this over the phone.
Beko: You are a consumer. I cannot give you that information.
customer: Why not?
Beko: It’s Beko protocol. You need a technician.
customer: What do I need to do to be recognised as a technician so that you will tell me the reset sequence?
Beko: I don’t understand.
customer: Your technicians know how to reset the board. How do they know?
Beko: They are trained professionals.
customer: But the reset code is model-specific. The only way for them to know is to get the information from Beko. So how does Beko determine if someone is a technician to give the technical information?
Beko: We hire them. They work for Beko.
customer: Not all repair technicians work for Beko. What about independant repair technicians. How do they get the information?
Beko: Ask them. Your machine is fiffffteeeeeen years old. You should buy a new machine.
customer: Every moving component works. I hotwired the motor and it works fine. I hotwired the pump and it works fine. I hotwired the water inlet valve and it works fine. The only problem is that the controller board thinks there is a fault. And the board itself is most likely fine, it just needs to be reset. It is not sensible to buy a new machine when the PCB just needs to be reset.
(crickets)
customer: It seems you have no sensible options for me. Good bye
(crickets; he waited for me to hang up first to prevent me from getting the customer service survey)

The support guy repeated over an over that my machine is 15 years old, as if age alone is cause for dumping a whole washing machine.

A fixed wing prop plane is considerably more complex than a washing machine. Yet they will last 100+ years if properly maintained. Yet not many appliances are as simple as a washing machine. And they are conditioning consumers to believe 15 years is an eternity when pumps, universal commutator motors, and inlet valves are not advancing.

So because the Beko support guy thinks 15 years is old, it’s somehow not sensible to reset the PCB and keep using it.