Fnac Darty, the leading repairer in France, has published the fifth edition of its After-Sales Service Barometer. This benchmark source of information provides the general public with a durability score so they can learn about the repairability and reliability of hundreds of products. This score was created by Fnac Darty so that all product categories and brands could be compared. As the result of a unique wealth of information collected and analyzed by the Group*, the After-Sales Service Barometer plays an important role in encouraging electronic product and appliance manufacturers to ramp up their efforts to extend the life span of their products.
This year there are several lessons to be learned :
— The price of spare parts, a new indicator on the Barometer, may double from one brand to the next and is strongly impacted by inflation.
— Better maintenance can significantly extend product life span, preventing almost half of breakdowns. To raise public awareness, Fnac Darty is giving customers the chance to test its exclusive Darty Max video service free of charge.
— The reliability of most products has improved considerably, and so has the availability period of spare parts, with seven extra months on average and over a year for large appliances
With inflation running high, the durability score generated by this latest edition of the After-Sales Service Barometer includes the price of spare parts for the first time, in the form of a ratio. We made this decision because we are keen to highlight the challenge that this price presents to millions of consumers who may otherwise increasingly be turning to repairs, particularly given the serious concerns surrounding their purchasing power. In line with the release of the Barometer and to coincide with European Sustainable Development Week, we are inviting the people of France to get in touch with our expert maintenance technicians. By doing so, they can get valuable tips on how to maintain appliances and improve their durability thanks to a free trial of Darty Max’s video service. Once again, we are pushing the envelope on the key issue of extending product life span and consolidating our position as repair market leader, with our after-sales service home technicians having repaired 2.1 million products in 2021.
Vincent Gufflet, Director of Services and Operations
