Deere caught in headlights — the US Federal Trade Commission is finally investigating farm equipment giant John Deere over its questionable repair policies. The company has made a habit of making it extremely difficult to outright impossible for its customers to repair the Deere products that they themselves own. This infringement on a customer's right to repair is now being scrutinized by the guys in charge. Oh happy day!
Reuters reports that the probe "focuses on repair restrictions manufacturers place on hardware or software." According to Reuters, Deere "signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation last year that would allow farmers to fix their equipment, or go to a third-party repair shop." The investigation will examine whether Deere violated the Federal Trade Act's section 5, which "prohibits unfair or deceptive practices affecting commerce."
Well, happy three years in the making. John Deere has been under fire for nefarious goings — on for a some time now. In fact, the FTC was authorized to investigate way back in 2021. Hell, Boing Boing been complaining about the company's shady software licensing since 2017.
This is on top of ongoing lawsuits lobbed against them from hordes of disgruntled farmers.
