Deere promised better access to repair tools. Months later, not much has changed.
Deere made headlines for promising to make its Service Advisor software more available to customers. When it comes to repairing Deere equipment, however, farmers say nothing has changed.
Agricultural equipment maker John Deere said in March that it would be expanding access to self-repair resources including its Service Advisor diagnostic software. Nearly four months later, however, customers and independent repair professionals say little has changed, with all but the most common fixes still contingent on the cooperation of a John Deere authorized repair provider.
Deere announced in March that it was making the customer version of its Service ADVISOR software available directly from its online marketplace, Deerestore.com. Previously, the feature-reduced customer version of Service ADVISOR was only available from John Deere dealerships.
“Today, due to a variety of reasons, more customers are using available tools, resources, and replacement parts John Deere offers to maintain their equipment themselves,” said Denver Caldwell, Director Aftermarket & Customer Support at the time. “Customer Service ADVISOR unlocks deeper system levels insights to allow users with the expertise and desire to tackle more advanced repairs themselves.”
The move was widely seen as a concession to right to repair advocates and lawmakers, for whom Deere’s well documented, software-enforced restrictions on owner and independent repair and maintenance are a point of contention. Right to repair laws targeting agricultural equipment were proposed in a number of states in recent years, including Vermont, Nebraska, Montana, Louisiana and Florida. In addition, a Federal right to repair agricultural equipment bill (S.3549) is pending in the U.S. Senate, sponsored by Senator John Tester. Deere has been a vocal opponent of such laws.
Business as usual in Deere country
On the ground in farm country, Deere made good on its promise to sell Customer Service ADVISOR (CSA) from its website. However, there is scant evidence of changes in the months since Deere’s announcement, according to interviews with farmers and right to repair advocates.
