Consumers have to pay premium prices to get gadgets fixed by authorised repairers but the EU is looking at new laws to remove this obligation. Photo: Getty
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Do you know how to change a plug? Or a wheel on your car? Or to bleed a radiator or locate your toilet’s stopcock?
Twenty-five years ago, the answer to most of these questions would be ‘yes’ for a majority of home owners. But recent surveys suggest that our proficiency in fixing things is fading away, with up to half of us not knowing how to change a plug: we’re now just consumers, buying stuff and throwing it out, or getting someone else to fix it when there’s a problem.