Google partially blocks ads from free repair shops who want to promote their services. We support an open letter from the Runder-Tisch-Reparatur association to the EU Competition Commissioner.
For some time now, Google has been blocking ads from service providers and repairers who want to repair devices and advertise this service on the big search engine with an ad (which they want to pay for). Google suspends these ads with a reference to its own Google Advertising Policies Help. Under the point “Third-party consumer technical support” they write:
The following is not allowed:
Technical support by third-party providers for consumer technology products and online services
Examples (non-exhaustive list): Technical support for troubleshooting, security, virus removal, internet connectivity, online accounts (for example, password resets or login support), or software installation
Google thus denies the end customer access to the information that there may be a service provider who can repair a defective device. Christine Ax from the Runder Tisch Reparatur says:
Google intervenes with its procedure massively into the market for repairs and endangers the existence of independent repair enterprises. That is also a disaster for the climatic protection. Because without the repair sector we can neither protect the climate nor achieve the resource protection goals. In this way, Google also harms consumers who – as consumer protection surveys show – want a right to repair, as well as easy access to repair services.
The Round Table has therefore written an open letter which was sent to the EU today to draw attention to this problem. It is supported by many associations and repair enterprises and also we signed. We don’t advertise, but with this behaviour it seems to be only a matter of time until for example our upkeep pages for your MacBooks, on which we give tips for upgrading, might get blocked in the normal Google Index because Google thinks that’s right.
Is Google working on behalf of the original manufacturers?
The question arises why Google thinks this is right. Maybe Google gets used by the product manufacturers themselves and simply asserts their claims. For comparison: in the automotive sector in Germany it has been the low for over 15 years that customers can also buy spare parts that do not come directly from the manufacturer. In addition, it is possible to have a vehicle repaired in an independent workshop whose employees must be provided with technical data by the manufacturer of the vehicle. In our opinion, this should apply to all technical equipment. However, Google’s approach is exactly the opposite.
If you also feel that your technical equipment should be repaired by a knowledgeable technician in the event of a defect (especially important if the manufacturer no longer provides support at all), share this information and support the Round Table Repair with your signature.
Another step is simply not using Google: just try another and often even better search engine like DuckDuckGo.
