Officials with the Northeast Equipment Dealers Assn. (NEDA) have been all over the Right to Repair issue and are following it closely. In the April Northeast Dealer NEDA newsletter, NEDA’s Tim Wentz, field director and legislative committee chairman, noted in his column that Right to Repair activists continue to work to have legislation introduced and are also employing tactics to build more support for right to repair in general. Wentz writes, “They have then been able to leverage that success into building a solid base of public support and an increased recruitment of trade groups, particularly Farm Bureaus.”

Wentz also notes that some groups are working with individuals who call dealers and ask to purchase “diagnostic/service tools” in an effort to demonstrate to legislators that the industry is not honoring its promise to make such equipment available to customers and private repair shops. He adds that some manufacturers are just now rolling out new tools and systems, and many dealer staff aren’t familiar with them. Wentz says that its important for dealers to educate counterpeople and those who answer the phone about these solicitations and ensure that your employees know what diagnostic tools are available to customers and independent repair shops, and more importantly, that they know what questions to ask for: contact info, model serial number, attachments and, especially, a number to call them back. Whether it’s a “ghost” call or a real call, Wentz says, your dealership should be prepared.

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