Vodafone Ireland launches online repair lab for smartphone users

The new online service offers repairs with same-day delivery in Galway city, Cork city and Dublin.

Vodafone Ireland has launched an online version of its repair lab stores, that allows people to have their smartphones and tablets repaired nationwide.

The website lets users arrange the collection and delivery times of their damaged device. The online repair lab offers same-day delivery for the repaired product in Galway city, Cork city, and Dublin where its existing repair lab stores are located, and next-day return to the rest of Ireland.

The service is available for all smartphone users, not just Vodafone customers, and includes iPhone, Samsung and Huawei repairs.

Users can check if their phone is in warranty on the website, which will entitle them to a fault repair free of charge, excluding physical damage charges. Customers can also still drop their device into a repair lab store and have it fixed on site in three hours.

Repair services include broken screens, software issues, battery problems and audio faults. Customers will receive a 12-month guarantee on the repair.

“We hope this will be a solution for smartphone users who may not be able to access their local Vodafone repair lab in-store, or who simply do not have the time to drop off and collect their device,” said Vodafone Ireland’s head of devices, Jean-Christophe Langer.

Set up as an in-store service in 2018, Vodafone said the repair lab stores have restored more than 12,000 smartphones this year. However, it said the past 18 months has shown the need for improved accessibility that goes beyond physical stores.

The new service is part of Vodafone’s initiatives to half its environmental impact by 2025. According to a European Economic and Social Committee study in 2019, keeping a phone handset for an extra year can reduce its lifetime CO2 impact by up to 29pc.

“Giving customers the option to choose to repair or trade in their device rather than purchasing a new model may seem like a small step but our collective actions can make a difference,” Langer said.

Vodafone Ireland announced in June that its operations are now 100pc powered by electricity from renewable sources.

Earlier this month, Apple announced a self-service repair option for iPhone and Mac users, scheduled to launch in early 2022.