From May 12 at Darty and from June 16 at Fnac, the Darty Max subscription will include a video service dedicated to product maintenance and upkeep. An original way to prevent breakdowns and make electronic devices last.
Prevention is better than cure. And it is better to maintain than to repair. this could be the adage of the Fnac Darty group, which now offers subscribers to its Darty Max service the maintenance of all the products registered in their subscription. The idea is to prevent electrical and electronic devices (audio-video, computers, telephony, household appliances, etc.) from breaking down by maintaining them correctly and above all regularly, according to the manufacturers’ recommendations. A group commitment that is obviously part of a sustainable development and circular economy approach.
What is the Darty Max subscription ?
This more responsible consumption approach is not new. On October 25, 2019, the international group Darty Fnac innovated by launching Darty Max, a subscription system to extend the life of household appliances costing more than 150 euros. For 9.99 euros per month, the Darty Max subscription covered advice on use and maintenance, assistance and home diagnostics for household appliances, regardless of the age of the appliance(s), repairs covered at 100% (parts, labour) for at least 7 years and for the duration of the availability of spare parts, i.e. up to 15 years. If the product purchased from Darty was not repairable during the period of availability of the parts, a solution for refunding the purchase value as a gift card was offered. Other terms were offered if the device had not been purchased from the store.
A revolution in the general public, accustomed to planned obsolescence, to repeated breakdowns after the legal three-year warranty or five years of additional warranty invoiced. A revolution, certainly, but which was in line with the famous Contract of Confidence known to all households since 1973. This contract guaranteed that a consumer, who after a purchase at Darty had found the same device at a lower price at the competition, could be reimbursed for the difference in price. With this commercial promise, the group was banking on the loyalty of its consumers and subsequent generations.
What are the devices supported by Darty Max ?
With the Darty Max subscription, social commitment goes infinitely further. Now accustomed to recycling, European households are aware that waste management is a problem all over the planet. With Darty Max, the goal is to be able to keep household appliances for up to 15 years. Repairing rather than throwing away is therefore the credo of this “new Contract of Confidence” and extending the lifespan of products has become a key issue for the Fnac Darty group. By moving towards a more circular economic model, the objective was then to recruit and train 300 repairers per year, knowing that it takes three years for them to be fully operational on all products and all brands. The group wanted to perform a total of 2.5 million operations per year.
What was it really? By the end of 2020, 200,000 people had subscribed to the Darty Max subscription. In the face of success, new commotion and expansion to categories other than large household appliances. Three distinct formulas then emerged: Darty Max Essentiel (9.99 euros/month) for the repair of washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, ovens, hobs, stoves, hoods, refrigerators, freezers, wine cellars , microwaves, built-in coffee machines and air conditioners. Darty Max Evolution (14.99 euros/month) covers large household appliances, small household appliances and the TV home cinema category (televisions, hi-fi devices, home cinema, video projector, TV receiver and peripheral), sound (headphones, speaker nomad, digital walkman, radio). The premium formula, Darty Max Integral (19.99 euros/month) covers the previous categories, but also photography, multimedia (computer, tablet, monitor, printer and scanner, landline).
In the end, what does the Darty Max warranty not cover? Smartphones, drones, urban mobility products, game consoles, connected watches and bracelets, digital photo frames, e-readers, network hard drives and NAS, 3D printers, virtual reality headsets ( VR), film cameras and portable radios, MiniDiscs and CDs.
Darty Max answered the question “why throw away when you can repair?” From now on, the service intends to answer the question “what to do so that a device does not break down?” In fact, the average consumer does not think intuitively of the actions to be carried out regularly to maintain his dishwasher, his dishwasher or his computer, such as cleaning the filters. With the new Darty Max formula, thanks to a preventive maintenance system, each subscriber will be contacted by telephone once a year to set up a video meeting with the group’s expert after-sales service technicians. Taking stock of the use and maintenance of each device owned by the subscriber and registered in his contract and verifying the correct conditions of use will therefore be operations offered remotely and individually. If necessary, an intervention of the after-sales service will be launched. A product interface, with advice and contact sheets, is made available to the subscriber. It is up to him to learn about the most efficient way to maintain his devices. It is an effective way to fight rampant overconsumption and maintain household purchasing power.
With 500,000 Darty Max subscribers at the start of 2022, the group hopes that the deployment of this new service will increase the number of subscribers and bring it to two million by 2025. To monitor all these repair activities, more than 500 technicians should be recruited by 2025. At the same time, with the job market under pressure, the group will train 300 learners annually in 21 classes spread across the country. Of the group’s 25,000 employees, 10% of the workforce is already dedicated to repairs. On the other hand, the Fnac Darty group being listed on the stock market, it is impossible to have access to strategic – and confidential – data, such as the number of devices repaired, for example.