Insurance Giant Allstate Buys Independent Phone Repair Company, Joins Right to Repair

[JCow]

Long time lurker, sorry in advance if I mess up the formatting. 

The following is the article, original source can be found at the bottom. 

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Allstate, one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, just made a curious purchase. Through its subsidiary SquareTrade, the insurance giant bought iCracked, one of the largest independent smartphone repair companies in the country.

The acquisition means that Allstate has become one of the most powerful proponents of right to repair legislation in the United States. According to Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of Repair.org, which is pushing for the legislation, the company has already loaned a lobbyist to the effort in New Hampshire.

 

This is potentially big news for the right to repair movement, which is trying to get laws passed in 15 states this year that would make it easier for independent repair professionals to get repair tools and parts for consumer electronics. Thus far, it’s been largely a grassroots effort from organizations like Repair.org and iFixit. Companies such as Apple, John Deere, Facebook, Microsoft, and trade organizations that represent huge tech companies have used their considerable political power to lobby against these bills. But Allstate’s purchase of iCracked is a potential gamechanger.

iCracked is a giant chain that does a lot of third party repairs. A change in the laws would benefit it, and now Allstate, as much as the average consumer.

“iCracked has been a major supporter of right to repair, and we really appreciate their valuable contribution to the fight for freedom,” Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, told me in an email. “I’m optimistic that this partnership will elevate the visibility of the work that we’re doing together.”

I reached out to SquareTrade to see where it stood on the right to repair. “SquareTrade continues to work with manufacturers as well as the independent repair community,” Jason Siciliano, VP and Global Creative Director of SquareTrade told me in an email. “As this issue evolves, we will maintain good relationships and continue to listen to the key players on all sides of the debate and will work towards sensible solutions whether they are led by the industry or regulators.”

 

Even before the acquisition, Allstate has been a powerful ally to the right to repair movement behind the scene. “Allstate has been very helpful to us,” Gordon-Byne told me. “They have loaned us their lobbyist in New Hampshire.”

New Hampshire is a state on the forefront of the right to repair movement. The state legislature is currently considering HB 462, a bill drafted with help from Repair.org, that would require electronics manufacturers to provide the owners of independent repair businesses with access to manuals and replacement parts.

Allstate, the fourth-largest insurance company in the country, is an ally the movement is happy to have.

"Right now, the struggle on right to repair is us Davids versus a whole slew of Goliaths,” Nathan Proctor, the Director of the Campaign for the Right to Repair at US PIRG told me in an email. “In the end, even if some larger companies support the right to repair, the reason will end up winning is because legislators hear from their constituents, if more Davids join in, and make their voices heard.”

Allstate and iCracked did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Original article here: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nex3dz/insurance-giant-allstate-buys-icracked-phone-repair-company-joins-right-to-repair-movement?utm_source=mbfb

[SansVarnic]

@JCow please adjust your post to meet the posting guidelines;

 

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On topic; Very interesting indeed.

[JCow]

1 minute ago, SansVarnic said:

@JCow please adjust your post to meet the posting guidelines;

 

 

 

On topic; Very interesting indeed.

Sorry, never really posted before, I'll adjust it. 

[JCow]

3 minutes ago, CUDAcores89 said:

wait how am I supposed to feel about this?

If you're for the right to repair, I'd say excited! I sure am! 

[TempestCatto]

It saddens and surprises me to see John Deere on the opposition list. Makes me like CAT just a bit more, but I have too much sentimental value invested into JD to turn away from it. Still though, people can be fired, minds can be changed. So it's only a matter of time before some companies see the movement and see where they need to go to keep their customer bases. This whole thing also makes me feel pretty good about Allstate, I may just have to look into switching insurance companies now...

[JCow]

6 minutes ago, CUDAcores89 said:

wait how am I supposed to feel about this?

 

EDIT: Insurance companies would love right to repair as it means fewer vehicles have to be written off as "totaled". More repaired cars means Allstate get's to keep more of your insurance premiums as profits. This is a situation where the consumer and the business both benefit.

That is one way to look at it, but it'll mean less waste. Their acquisition of icracked leans more for the repairability of phones and computers. Apples among the worst when it comes to repair ability and their active lobbying against the Right To Repair. 

[Dabombinable]

22 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

It saddens and surprises me to see John Deere on the opposition list. Makes me like CAT just a bit more, but I have too much sentimental value invested into JD to turn away from it. Still though, people can be fired, minds can be changed. So it's only a matter of time before some companies see the movement and see where they need to go to keep their customer bases. This whole thing also makes me feel pretty good about Allstate, I may just have to look into switching insurance companies now...

If you'd seen the videos from farmers detailing how much trouble they have to go through to keep on using their perfectly fine "outdated" machinery, you wouldn't be surprised at all.

[Fnige]

YES...... YES

[Curufinwe_wins]

1 hour ago, Dabombinable said:

If you'd seen the videos from farmers detailing how much trouble they have to go through to keep on using their perfectly fine "outdated" machinery, you wouldn't be surprised at all.

This. Unfortunately (my family has a long history with JD products and work), John Deere has been one of the most vocal opponents (and worst offenders) of this entire situation from the very beginning of electronic rights (worse than Apple even.)

[Syntaxvgm]

Are your ifixit tool kits in good hands? 

[Fnige]

6 minutes ago, Syntaxvgm said:

Are your ifixit tool kits in good hands? 

no... I dont think so... Who is that dude anyway?

[Syntaxvgm]

2 minutes ago, SlimyPython said:

no... I dont think so... Who is that dude anyway?

dude from all the allstate commercials. 

 

[Fnige]

34 minutes ago, Syntaxvgm said:

dude from all the allstate commercials. 

 

ok... who's allstates

[Dabombinable]

2 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

This. Unfortunately (my family has a long history with JD products and work), John Deere has been one of the most vocal opponents (and worst offenders) of this entire situation from the very beginning of electronic rights (worse than Apple even.)

eg. Costly attachments for tractors that work perfectly fine...but aren't supported on newer models so they can't be used without hacking the machinery. More of the "fuck you pay us" mentality that's been going on with some of the large manufacturers.

[TempestCatto]

10 hours ago, Dabombinable said:

If you'd seen the videos from farmers detailing how much trouble they have to go through to keep on using their perfectly fine "outdated" machinery, you wouldn't be surprised at all.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. There are people who enjoy fixing up classic and antique tractors. By nature of age, they will be very hard to fix up like new. It's an obvious thing when you're into fixing up old stuff like that. Parts are not made anymore, documentation may be sparse at best, overall knowledge on how to repair will be less than adequate. But today's machines are all computerized and not only does that add an extreme level of difficulty when fixing, but the computers are crammed in there, making overall working space very small. With everything so well Tetrised together, rather than having say a much more open engine bay to work, will require things to be removed in order to get at one specific part. Is that what you're referring to? Genuinely, I'm confused.

[TVwazhere]

8 hours ago, SlimyPython said:

ok... who's allstates

"Allstate" is the name of the insurance company. The man pictures is Dennis Dexter Haysbert who's been the main spokesperson for the Allstate commercials run on television in the US. 

[rcmaehl]

Perhaps it's time for me to do some insurance shopping....

[CyanideInsanity]

43 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

I'm not sure what you mean by this. There are people who enjoy fixing up classic and antique tractors. By nature of age, they will be very hard to fix up like new. It's an obvious thing when you're into fixing up old stuff like that. Parts are not made anymore, documentation may be sparse at best, overall knowledge on how to repair will be less than adequate. But today's machines are all computerized and not only does that add an extreme level of difficulty when fixing, but the computers are crammed in there, making overall working space very small. With everything so well Tetrised together, rather than having say a much more open engine bay to work, will require things to be removed in order to get at one specific part. Is that what you're referring to? Genuinely, I'm confused.

If I'm remembering right from a video I saw, you need JD software to use any electronic bits but they don't offer the software and will refuse to service it it its "outdated" yet still serviceable to anyone with the software.

[TempestCatto]

4 minutes ago, CyanideInsanity said:

If I'm remembering right from a video I saw, you need JD software to use any electronic bits but they don't offer the software and will refuse to service it it its "outdated" yet still serviceable to anyone with the software.

Okay that makes a little more sense. Kinda sounds like Motorola in way (in reference to programming their emergency service grade radios). So then the old stuff, stuff with minimal or no computers is the way to go, assuming it can still handle the current work load. Funny how things are these days. There's no need for such complex computers in many things. I mean sure in this case they do, but they do more harm then good if the support for them is locked down/not there. Ugh I hate the future.

[Semper]

I can't help but feel this isn't face value what it seems (though, when is it ever?). I'm all for the right to repair movement. I believe you should have the right to repair your devices at your own risk (that is to say, if you further break your device, I don't believe that anyone but you should be responsible), but I can't help but feel this is a ploy to get into the "repair insurance" market for technology. I don't have a good history with Allstate, and if this is what it ultimately is, I don't see anything positive coming from it.

I have literally nothing positive to say about Allstate. They rank with the likes of Comcast and EA if you ask me.
My parents had AAA whilst I was growing up, when I moved out on my own, I opted to go with Allstate as it was a bit more affordable at the time. There was not a single billing cycle where I wasn't on the phone because of billing errors. Multiple times, my insurance rates spiked due to collisions that both didn't happen, and weren't reported. When it came time to use my insurance, after someone did a number to the back of my truck in a parking lot hit-and-run (car park, car port, whatever you define it as), it was like trying to get blood from a rock. It turned into months to get the issue resolved, and to nobody's surprise, the next billing cycle had a rate increase because of an "at fault" collision. I'm back with AAA and I don't see myself changing any time soon.

My grandparents had Allstate for well over 40 years. Both of them had excellent driving records. In those 40+ years, combined, they had one claim, which wasn't even a total (I believe it was the replacement of a rear passenger door after my grandfather hit someone pulling into a parking spot). Allstate dropped their coverage because of that single claim.

[Syntaxvgm]

12 hours ago, SlimyPython said:

ok... who's allstates

the company in the title of this post. 

[peanuts104]

3 hours ago, TempestCatto said:

So then the old stuff, stuff with minimal or no computers is the way to go, assuming it can still handle the current work load.

That's the thing though, a significant amount of work that modern farming equipment does is automated now and controlled by the JD software.  The best way I could demonstrate an analog would be an office copy printer.  If you went back to using the older tractors and other farming equipment, you're going from printing something from a computer to using a typewriter and your efficiency will suffer significantly.