Understanding the Refurbishment Process: What Happens to Your Phone?
Ever wondered what happens to your old phone when you upgrade to a newer model? Many of these devices end up as e-waste, contributing to environmental pollution. This growing issue has a practical solution: phone refurbishment. By giving old phones a new lease on life, weFix reduces waste and make technology more accessible.
Initial Inspection
The process starts with the initial inspection. The goal is to catch faults early, ensuring the device is ready for a successful refurbishment. Our skilled technicians begin with a thorough assessment, examining key areas like the screen, casing, buttons, and ports. We check if the phone is locked with a password or PIN and reset it if needed. With a clear understanding of the phone's condition, we can proceed confidently to the next steps.
Dismantling and Cleaning
After the initial inspection, we move on to dismantling and cleaning the phone. These steps are crucial in the refurbishment process, helping us avoid future failures and ensuring the phone works like new.
Our technicians start by carefully dismantling the phone, removing components such as the battery, motherboard, and camera to inspect each part closely. Once dismantled, we clean all internal components, removing dust, dirt, and adhesive residues to ensure the phone operates smoothly and reduces the risk of overheating or malfunction. During this cleaning process, we identify any damaged or worn parts that could cause future issues. Even after careful dismantling and cleaning, some phone components may still be faulty or worn out. At this stage, we conduct a detailed examination of each component, including the battery, motherboard, and camera, looking for signs of wear and tear, malfunction, or potential failure. When we find faulty or worn parts, we replace them with high-quality replacements, ensuring each meets our high standards for quality and durability. Using subpar parts can lead to poor performance and a shorter device life, so we only use the best to guarantee reliability.
Common Replacements
- Batteries: Over time, batteries degrade and lose their ability to hold a charge. We often replace them to ensure long battery life and reliability.
- Cracked Screens: A cracked screen can affect both the phone’s appearance and functionality. We replace damaged screens to restore the phone’s look and touch responsiveness.
Functionality Checks and Quality Control
We use a comprehensive Phonecheck system to test every device. These checks cover all essential functions, such as:
- Screen responsiveness
- Battery performance
- Button functionality
- Port connectivity
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections
- Camera quality
You can view a detailed list of these checks on our website.
After repairs, we perform another round of quality control (QC). This double-check ensures that no issues are missed. If a problem is found, the phone goes back for further repairs. Our team brings over 16 years of experience in technical repairs – we’ve seen and solved almost every issue a phone can have.
Grading and Cosmetic Assessment
We use a grading system to categorise the cosmetic condition of each phone:
- Grade A: Near-perfect condition, with minimal signs of use.
- Grade B: Good condition, with minor scratches or scuffs.
- Grade C: Noticeable wear and tear, with visible scratches and marks.
Choosing a lower cosmetic grade can offer great value because Grade B and C phones are more affordable. Whatever grade you choose, you can be confident that your phone will perform reliably.
Cleaning and Preparation
After the phone has passed all tests and repairs, it undergoes a final cleaning. Every component, inside and out, is meticulously cleaned to ensure the phone looks as good as it functions. We take special care to polish the phone’s exterior, removing any remaining dust or smudges, with the goal of making the phone look as close to new as possible. This involves polishing the screen and casing, cleaning the buttons and ports, and wiping down internal components.
Final Testing and Certification
Our technicians conduct a thorough check of every basic function:
- Calls and Messages: Ensuring clear audio and reliable messaging.
- Connectivity: Testing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile data connections.
- Camera: Checking for high-quality photos and video recording.
- Overall Performance: Assessing processor speed, touch responsiveness, and battery life.
Packaging and Warranty
Once a phone passes final testing and certification, we package it carefully with secure wrapping to cushion the phone and prevent damage during transit. We include essential accessories like chargers and headphones, all packed using eco-friendly, recyclable materials.
We provide a 1-year warranty with every refurbished phone, covering functionality issues, guaranteeing that all features work as promised, and protecting against any manufacturing defects that might arise. Additionally, the warranty offers free repairs for any issues covered.
E-Waste Reduction and Sustainability
The growing problem of electronic waste (e-waste) is significant. At weFix, we’re committed to reducing e-waste through careful refurbishment and recycling processes.
We strip non-repairable phones for usable parts, which allows us to salvage valuable components like screens, batteries, and circuit boards. These parts are then used in the refurbishment of other phones, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.
Some parts, unfortunately, cannot be reused. We dispose of unusable parts through accredited e-waste channels, which ensures they are handled in an environmentally responsible manner.
