iFixit is ending its partnership with Samsung, two years after the repair company announced that it would be the home to the Samsung Repair Hub, a groundbreaking parts program that gave consumers access to official Samsung components. “We aimed to set the gold standard for repair documentation and empower local independent repair businesses with the tools and parts they needed to thrive, all while keeping Galaxy devices running,” says iFixit. “Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to deliver on that promise.”
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The repair specialists are pointing the finger at Samsung for the partnership ending, claiming that the tech giant did not hold up its end of the bargain. Parts being provided in smaller quantities and higher prices than were previously expected put strain on iFixit, and Samsung’s practice of gluing its devices together added additional cost and logistical frustration on the business venture. This practice saw customers needing to pay an inflated price for a battery, for example, because each battery provided by Samsung would come pre-glued to other components as a bundle, leading to consumers needing to purchase unnecessary parts.
“Samsung does not seem interested in enabling repair at scale,” iFixit Co-founder and CEO Kyle Wiens commented to The Verge. Wiens also revealed that Samsung required iFixit to provide the company with its customer’s email addresses and price purchase history. “We do not require this information for any other partnerships, and do not share customer information with any other OEM,” said Wiens.
iFixit’s partnership with Samsung officially ends next month, though it will still provide Samsung parts and fix kits when available.
