Deere and Co. filed an answer to the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit alleging the tractor manufacturer holds a monopoly over its repair services. The FTC says that hold unfairly drives up costs and restricts farmers from fixing their equipment in a timely manner.
Attorneys defended John Deere in federal court by repeatedly denying allegations that its “business practices are unlawful.” Manufacturing Dive says the issue over equipment repair practices has been building for years, with technological advancements that companies say are designed to make consumers’ lives easier create headaches for those looking to fix their tractors.
While Deere offers a different repair tool to customers and independent repair shops, the FTC claims that version is inferior to the one available to authorized dealers, saying the tool is allegedly incapable of doing all repairs on Deere equipment.
The company acknowledged the existence of two tools but denied one was inferior.
