EE launches next day mobile device repair service in 17 stores in the West Midlands

In-store footfall and sales soar following reopening of English high street

• EE’s industry-leading next day* repair service will fix phones within one day
• Service extended to 85 stores across England as EE research shows 60% customers more likely to throw their phone away than fix it
• Free contactless phone health check also available in all stores across UK

EE has invested in extending its next day mobile device repair service* to 17 stores in the West Midlands as it welcomes customers back to the English high street. The new service comes as research from EE found that 1 in 3 UK consumers cannot go more than a day without their phones.¹

Having experienced a huge demand and footfall in its stores since they reopened in England on 12 April, it’s clear that customers are still seeing the high street and face to face interactions with staff as vital to their everyday lives.

For the first time more customers across the West Midlands will be able to have their mobile phone repaired for the next day – with some repairs fixable on the same day - rather than sending a device away to be fixed, which can take an average of six days. The repairs service will help resolve a range of issues including problems with software, the battery and cosmetic damage.

With 60 per cent of consumers saying they are more likely to replace a broken phone with a new one rather than fix it¹ , the launch of next day in store repairs provides a quick and efficient way to get up-and-running again when being connected is more important than ever.

The new service will now be available in West Midlands EE stores including:

• Birmingham Acocks Green
• Birmingham Bull Ring
• Birmingham Corporation Street
• Birmingham High Street
• Birmingham Kings Heath
• Birmingham Longbridge
• Birmingham Northfield
• Birmingham Perry Barr
• Birmingham The Fort
• Bilston
• Dudley Merry Hill
• Halesowen
• Sutton Coldfield
• Walsall
• West Bromwich
• Wolverhampton Mander Centre
• Yardley

Commenting on the announcement, Lee Frankham, Retail Director at EE, said: “Stores play an essential role in supporting our customers, so it’s great to see that footfall has returned stronger than initially forecast and far in excess of what we saw during previous re-openings.

“One of the top reasons our customers visit us is for tech support, so the extension of our industry-leading mobile phone repairs service will help more customers get their phones back faster. Our investment in this new service reflects EE’s commitment to ensuring customers remain as connected as possible. The next day repairs service is now available in 85 stores across England and we’re looking to introduce it in other regions of the UK later this year.”

Available to all customers on any network, the repairs will be fixed by trained specialists approved by Apple, Google, Huawei and Samsung with the added bonus that many repairs are free of charge as 67 per cent of customer repairs in the first week of opening were covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

In addition to a next day mobile phone repairs service, customers on any network can also benefit from a free and quick contactless mobile phone health check for anyone that visits an EE store. This makes it easier than ever before for customers to have mobile issues identified and fixed quickly, and usually prevents the need for further repairs.

Christine Davies, regional manager for West Midlands stores, added: “As the nation comes out of lockdown we expect to see a big step up in customers asking for phone repairs. Customers will be back to dropping their phones on the train platform, spilling drinks on them at barbeques, or the one we all dread: dropping a phone down the pub loo on a night out. My team will be here to commiserate and get that phone back up-and-running with our new repair service.”