Statewide Iowa (KCRG-TV) — John Deere recently agreed to a $99 million settlement over claims it monopolized repair services, but an independent repair technician says the deal hasn’t changed anything in practice.
Chad Varner tells KCRG-TV that newer farm equipment is a double-edged sword, as new technology makes farming easier and more efficient, but it’s difficult and costly to fix it.
Varner says that once software is involved, repairing equipment becomes nearly impossible for farmers or independent technicians unless they go through John Deere.
Varner was a John Deere repairman for seven years before opening his independent business.
He tells KCRG-TV if a farmer’s equipment stops working at the wrong time, they are forced to wait on the dealership to come out because the independent repair shops can’t fix the deer equipment.
If a farmer does want to do repairs themselves involving software, they have to pay $195 per machine to access the software, not including repair tools.
An independent shop like Varner’s would need to buy a $6,000 license each year. Varner is happy with the outcome of the $99 million settlement symbolically, but he says it won’t represent real change.
The Federal Trade Commission is also suing John Deere, accusing the company of using “unlawful practices that have limited the ability of farmers and independent repair providers to repair Deere equipment.”
KIWA Staff Photo
