- Mandatory disclosure: sellers must inform consumers about their right to choose between repair and replacement, as well as the 12-month extension of the legal guarantee if repair is selected.
- Reparability information: This Directive also complements other existing EU legislation (Directive EU/2024/825 on Empowering Consumers in the Green Transition and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation), which aims at providing consumers with better information on durability and reparability of goods at the point of sale. Manufacturers have the obligation to provide technical information on repair services and indicative prices for repairs on free-access websites. Retailers must inform consumers about the durability and reparability of products at the point of sale.
- Potential obligation to repair: while the obligation to repair primarily falls on manufacturers, a retailer may be legally required to fulfil this obligation in certain situations involving non-EU manufacturers. If there is no authorized representative or importer in the EU, the seller becomes responsible for repair.
- Retailers retain right to refuse to offer repair: under the Sale of Goods Directive, a retailer can refuse to offer repair if it would be disproportionately costly compared to a replacement. In such cases, they can offer a replacement instead, and the 12-month extension of legal guarantee would not apply.
